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How the GOP Lost Its Way
Washington Post ^ | April 22, 2006 | Craig Shirley

Posted on 04/21/2006 9:28:25 PM PDT by MC Miker G

The immigration reform debate has highlighted a long-standing fissure in the GOP between the elitist Rockefeller business wing and the party's conservative populist base. Whether the two groups can continue to coexist and preserve the Republican majority is increasingly doubtful as conservatives begin to consider -- and in some cases cheer -- the possibility that the GOP may lose control of Congress this fall.

The two camps are deeply divided. The business elites are interested in a large supply of cheap labor and support unfettered immigration and open borders. The populist base supports legal immigration but is concerned about lawlessness on our border, national sovereignty and the real security threat posed by porous borders.

There is nothing new about this division. It is a 40-year-old fight that has its roots in the cultural, economic, regional and ideological differences between the two camps. Still, most conservatives felt that after the victory of Ronald Reagan and the Republican Revolution of 1994 their point was made and the country-clubbers would know their place. They were wrong. The Rockefeller wing is now attempting to reassert its control over the party and is openly hostile toward the Reagan populists who created the Republican majority in the first place.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 109th; gop
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To: MC Miker G

"and please find me an actual Republican who wants the GOP to lose control of Congress."

I don't want them to lose control, but right now I would like to give allot of them a really good swift kick in the butt to remind them why they were sent there.


41 posted on 04/21/2006 11:29:09 PM PDT by Herakles (Liberals are stone stupid and proud of it!)
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To: MC Miker G
"Whether the two groups can continue to coexist and preserve the Republican majority is increasingly doubtful as conservatives begin to consider -- and in some cases cheer -- the possibility that the GOP may lose control of Congress this fall."

Like it or not, from the WAPO or not, the truth is the truth.

There is an old Russian adage as to what makes a peasant happy? Answer, that his neighbor's (RINO's) ox would die.

I will not lift a finger to support a RINO GOP, let their damnable ox die.
42 posted on 04/21/2006 11:30:12 PM PDT by Ursus arctos horribilis
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To: NHFREE

I keep agreeing with you about the seriousness of the problem, I even said it is worse than you are saying.


WHAT SOLUTION ARE YOU OFFERING, GIVE ME A DIRECTION TO MOVE IN, WHAT IS THE ANSWER, WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?


YES I KNOW ABOUT RHODESIA, AND SOUTH AFRICA.



what


43 posted on 04/21/2006 11:40:52 PM PDT by ansel12
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To: Ursus arctos horribilis

"There is an old Russian adage as to what makes a peasant happy? Answer, that his neighbor's (RINO's) ox would die.'


A fine description of radical leftist religion.


44 posted on 04/21/2006 11:45:37 PM PDT by ansel12
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To: de Buillion

Last time I checked, we ALREADY drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico."

Oh, you mean like the millions of acres off the coast of FL? /S


45 posted on 04/21/2006 11:47:29 PM PDT by Ursus arctos horribilis
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To: RHINO369
I recall a few months ago an article on these threads describing a "breakthrough" by Toshiba in lithium-ion batteries which the company describes as being the perfect for for automobiles. These batteries are supposed to be capable of being charged in the briefest of time, shorter than the time normally required to fill your tank. I followed the technology for a short time in the hopes of making an investment but lost track. Posters here more knowledgeable than I speculated on the size of the "firehose" which would be required to produce such a volume of charging power.

Whether lithium-ion or capacitors it occurs that nuclear reactors present the best option for producing the juice. Am I on track here?


46 posted on 04/21/2006 11:52:27 PM PDT by nathanbedford (Attack, repeat, Attack..... Bull Halsey)
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To: ansel12
I'm saying there may not be an answer this time, that like Rome, like Rhodesia, like South Africa, our time is ending. Until it ends, of course we fight. But the West is very sick psychologically, and spiritually.

This is not just about the Republican party, which is weak, or the Democratic party, which is vile....but about America, Europe, the whole Western world.

You still think the Republican party is a vehicle we can use, and perhaps it still is, I do not know any longer. I have worked for the Republican state party here for over 20 years, but I no longer think it can be reformed,

So I have no hard & firm answers...only the belief that great troubles are coming, and that the Republican party as we know it is not capable of addressing them.
47 posted on 04/21/2006 11:53:45 PM PDT by NHFREE
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To: MC Miker G

... And stop calling me Shirley!

Mark


48 posted on 04/22/2006 12:03:37 AM PDT by MarkL (When Kaylee says "No power in the `verse can stop me," it's cute. When River says it, it's scary!)
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To: ran15
They got some tax cuts through, but then borrowed money to make up the gap in funding.

If I remember correctly, those tax cuts actually led to greater revenues coming in to the government.

The reason for the borrowing is that the party of "fiscal conservativism" has been acting like a drunken 18 year old with his daddy's platinum card at the moonlight bunny ranch!

Mark

49 posted on 04/22/2006 12:11:07 AM PDT by MarkL (When Kaylee says "No power in the `verse can stop me," it's cute. When River says it, it's scary!)
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To: MC Miker G
and please find me an actual Republican who wants the GOP to lose control of Congress.

I'll try to if you will find me an actual American citizen with true conservative moral/fiscal values who loves what his country was more than his stock portfolio, who will vote for those Republicans that are turning what was a great nation into a slum section in the Global Community.

Our country, our security, our Constitution and the future of our children are being sacrificed just to be sure the Corporate world and the rich elite can have a world full of economic slaves.

50 posted on 04/22/2006 12:11:46 AM PDT by mississippi red-neck (You will never win the war on terrorism by fighting it in Iraq and funding it in the West Bank.)
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To: MC Miker G

Bye Bye Republican Party. Frist is going to restart the whole immigration bill again.

The only reason you should vote for a political party is because you are in alignment with their words and deeds.

This year was it for me. I have come to the conclusion that none of the political establishment in Washington serves my interests at all. It is time to be independent and self reliant and to leave the vote whores to all the johns.

I have been a registered Republican for 20 years, have voted in every primary, election, etc. for the past 20 years and have contributed to the Republican Party in every electoral cycle for the past 10 years. I really don't consider myself to be a Republican any longer. They are the neo socialist party.

Bye bye boys, have fun storming the castle.


51 posted on 04/22/2006 12:34:09 AM PDT by putupjob
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To: ansel12

Betrayal deserves a vindictive revenge.


52 posted on 04/22/2006 12:43:15 AM PDT by Ursus arctos horribilis
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To: nathanbedford
Nuclear reactors should work out but the regulation costs are monumental. In Illinois we have 60% nuclear power and still have high electricity rates. To convert all automobile energy needs to nuclear would require alot of new plants.

If I were President I'd suggest creating a national reactor type. Then build dozens upon dozens of the same design all over the country. With one design the construction and regulation costs would be much lower.

In the next 50-100 years we'll probably be using fusion reactors anyway so we might never switch to nuclear fission reactors at all.
53 posted on 04/22/2006 1:02:02 AM PDT by RHINO369
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To: RHINO369
As I understand it China currently has 23 nuclear plants either under construction or in final planning stages. Thereafter China intends to add scores more. I understand further that India presently has firm plans to build 10 reactors with more to follow. One academic has recently stated that more than 3500 reactors must be built to begin the supply are increased energy requirements.

Your goal for standardization certainly has some advantages: First, the arguments about security and safety need only be made once and in one place. Second, controlling costs would certainly be much easier in the ultimate price to the consumer should come down. I note that the cost of uranium usually does not exceed five to 10% of the operating costs to produce electricity, so even though uranium undoubtedly will rise in price as the demand increasingly exceeds supply, the overall cost to the consumer should not be markedly affected.

I understand that the new fusion reactors will come with a virtual guarantee against meltdown. True?


54 posted on 04/22/2006 1:28:49 AM PDT by nathanbedford (Attack, repeat, Attack..... Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford

Yea fusion is 100% different than fission and there is no chance of a meltdown. However there can be some radioactive waste involved in some forms of Fusion.


55 posted on 04/22/2006 2:08:14 AM PDT by RHINO369
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To: Berlin_Freeper
It makes one wonder what will happen to them if the Republicans actually pull off gains in November.

Anyone dis-satisfied with government should work toward the elimination of one of the parties. The Democratic Crime Syndicate is the obvious choice. They are teetering on extinction. A couple more electional cycles and they are history. Another party will automatically rise up. If the Republicans cannot govern, they will meet the same fate. It is easy, inexpensive and no blood is shed.

The Crime Syndicate's dinosaur propagandists are fading fast. We the people are on the right track. Let's finish them off.

56 posted on 04/22/2006 2:22:48 AM PDT by PGalt (Good people are connecting rapidly)
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To: nathanbedford

And that is why Congress will lose in November unless they see that they are being set up by the democrats.

The Republican bill on immigration HR4437 needed a bit of tweaking but all in all it showed that Republicans are still tough on security instead of being pandering wimps like the democrats.

Than Specter, Graham and Mccain decide they didnt like HR4437 way to tough on security, let's go with the democrats and pass the HORRID Mccain/Kennedy bill.

And now suddenly democrats led by Howard Dean say they want security they want to build a fence. Meanwhile Republicans look weak on security by wanting to pass amnesty for 10-20 MILLION lawbreakers. That's security? First of all they have NO idea how many illegals there really are in this country which in itself is dangerous, they don't know where they are or what their true intent is. So they water down the threat by saying they aren't criminals they are model citizen wannabees who just came here to work especially the jobs Americans won't do.

Really? Just because our greedy employers who themselves are breaking all sorts of laws, not paying taxes, RICO to name a few, who are importing the criminals does not equate to jobs Americans won't do it's more like the employers are discriminating against Americans because God forbid they want a decent wage and are not employing them they prefer to hire an illegal so they can continue breaking all our laws!

Nov 2006 is fast approaching and Americans will remember
who really is tough on security who gave away our country by gving amnesty, who built a fence along the border, who wouldn't allow employers to break laws and who stopped the illegals from getting welfare benefits they were not entitled to that taxpayers have to subsidize, who stopped the anchorbaby travesty that became a anchor weighing down all Americans!!


57 posted on 04/22/2006 4:42:45 AM PDT by stopem (If we need a "guest worker" we'll call........if the phone doesn't ring it's me!)
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To: MC Miker G

McCain, Specter, Graham.


58 posted on 04/22/2006 4:43:17 AM PDT by stopem (If we need a "guest worker" we'll call........if the phone doesn't ring it's me!)
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To: MC Miker G
...and please find me an actual Republican who wants the GOP to lose control of Congress.

Read the third line of the article over and over until you answer your own question.

59 posted on 04/22/2006 4:50:29 AM PDT by dingoMcgill
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To: MC Miker G
"this is no longer Ronald Reagan's party."

AMEN!

60 posted on 04/22/2006 7:11:40 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots. Semper Fi!)
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