Malady afflicts GOP in House, Senate (Novak on GOP moderates -- tail wags dog)

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | November 14, 2005 | Robert Novak

[maryz]

Last Wednesday, leaders of conservative and moderate factions in the House Republican conference sat down to discuss a joint call for new leadership elections. No agreement was reached, and the events of the next 24 hours destroyed the budding coalition while exposing the ineffectiveness of current leaders. Abandonment of oil drilling in the Arctic failed to appease the moderate bloc, and the leaders pulled down the budget-cutting bill late Thursday.

Demands for new leaders are aimed at Rep. Roy Blunt, the elected House majority whip and acting majority leader. But critics who want Blunt replaced by Rep. John Boehner concede they have no solution for a malady that afflicts the Republican Party in the Senate as well as in the House. At the very hour that a handful of House Republican moderates torpedoed the budget bill, one Senate moderate stalled tax legislation in the Senate Finance Committee.

Actually, the Republican Party never has been so united ideologically, but the tiny moderate faction can provide the balance of power in the House and to a lesser extent the Senate. To frustrated conservatives, moderates look like the tail wagging the Republican dog. The events last Thursday suggest the folly of seeking ephemeral legislative victories by sacrificing principle.

Conservative unhappiness with House leaders peaked early last week with the revelation of the attempted buy-off of moderate Republican votes by removing the Senate-passed provision for oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, was heard saying he now would vote against the budget bill -- a course probably followed by other Western and Southwestern Republicans.

[maryz]

The Boston Herald ran this column today under the title "Moderate Tail Wags Dog."

Can't something be done about these people. "Appeasement" -- as ever -- doesn't work.

[saganite]

We could ask them to join the Democratic party where they belong or form a new 3rd party so the voters could see that they dont belong to the Republican party. Continuing to call them Republicans is not an option.

[.cnI redruM]

Yes, something can be done. They can be fired from their committees and refused campaign funds next election. Then say hello to Speaker Pelosi, and say goodbye to any discretionary capital you still may own.

[MNJohnnie]

No party support for their election. Active recruitment of primary challengers. Yes, there is things that must be done. Really need the Hammer Tom Delay back.

[flashbunny]

"Then say hello to Speaker Pelosi, and say goodbye to any discretionary capital you still may own."

Or, you get rid of them, and let a real conservative run in their place, and they win the seats, or at least a good percentage of them.

But spending RNC money on these RINOs just to have them vote like democrats is idiotic. Might as well let the democrats pay for their own damn politicians.

[popdonnelly]

And Novak's source for the Plame story is?

[.cnI redruM]

That's possible, but it hasn't worked yet. Maybe if the challenger wins the primary in RI.

[CHICAGOFARMER]

HERE take two of these and go to bed.

BUSH LIED NO QUESTION!! WHAT Hypocrites

http://media1.streamtoyou.com/rnc/111505.wmv


Get everyone of them

[flashbunny]

"Maybe if the challenger wins the primary in RI."

Hah, yeah, if the RNC, the NRSC, and the white house wasn't supporting uber-liberal linc chaffee!

The GOP is its own worst enemy.

[conservativecorner]

We all need to forget about Republican or Democrat. I'm a conservative, and I would vote for a conservative Democrat in a New York minute over a liberal/moderate Republican. Send your money to organizations that support conservatives, and not Republicans like Arlen SPECTRE.

We need to face the fact that third parties in this country at least to present haven't produced a viable alternative to the two party system, but we can make damn sure that Republicans we support should also be conservatives. The national Party will not do this for us. We must do this ourselves, and this is where activism plays such an important role. Let's rock the vote with conservatives and not RINO's.

[NeoCaveman]

Somewhere George Soros is smiling.

[FreedomNeocon]

STOP IT.

I refuse to call these LIBERAL republicans 'moderates' (thus implying that the 'other' guys are far right wing extreemists, and they are 'reasonable' and 'calm')

LIBERAL republicans, NOT MODERATE republican.

Hell, Lieberman is MUCH more conservative than these so-freaking-called "moderates".

So STOP IT...

Its LIBERAL republicans not moderate republicans!

[FreedomNeocon]

In the past 10 days:

1. "Winfall Profit" Binge with Democrats against oil companies
2. Removal of Anwar Drilling from Energy Bill (ironic giving point 1)
3. Delay of budget cuts entirely
4. Backpeddaling on investigation of 'Black Prison' leak WHILE they prosecute a 2yr case of lying about a non-crime during an investigation of said non-crime.
5. McStain's "We need a law to stop us from torturing terrorists"
6. Frist and other repukes "Plan for withdrawl"

What is wrong with these clowns?!!?

[yldstrk]

Yeah, the malady is they're big chickens...

[samtheman]

Abandonment of oil drilling in the Arctic failed to appease the moderate bloc

The fact that this was attempted makes me want to vomit.

[Soul Seeker]

Withdraw financial support to these SOROS Republicans. Withdraw Chairmanships. Drop them from Party endorsed candidates and select new challengers in the Rep primaries. If you can't control them, the next based thing is to distance yourself rather than letting the Party take the hit. Does the GOP have the guts to do that? To directly treat them as they would any Democrat?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Exactly. The old stick and carrot. It the carrot doesn't work, use the stick and make them hurt.

[Ol' Sparky]

The solution is conservatives doing what is necessary to eliminate these RINOS from office, even that means letting Democrats have some of the seats for an election cycle.

[Blood of Tyrants]

In order to conform to the "compassionate conservative" they have bought in to the notion that more spending (of other people's money) equals more compassion. It doesn't matter what the spending is on.

[ZULU]

These liberals need a trip to the Presidential woodshed.

Unfortunately, no one seems to be willing to take them there.