How Lincoln Chaffee Won (US Senate GOP Primary-RI)

Hotline/National Journal (subscripton only) ^ | September 13, 2006 | Marc Ambinder

[EternalHope]

The national Republican Party consistently says conservatives should make their will known in the primaries, and then support whoever wins the primary in the general.

If they really mean that then the national party should be NEUTRAL in the primary. They were NOT. (Snarlin Arlen two years ago is another good example of this.)

I won't go along with this anymore. If I lived in Rhode Island I would either not vote for either candidate, or I would vote for the Democrat.

[CPT Clay]

So what the article is tellling me is Laffey won the republican primary by getting 27k out of 30k or so republicans to vote for hhim. (There are 50k registered republicans in RI) Linc, the RNSC and RNC Got 20k out of 40k unaffiliated voters to vote for him.

[nickcarraway]

They did. They learned conservatives support lefties, but not vice versa, and that's fine. Specter is working behind the scenes to get Santorum's opponent elected after Santorum pulled out all the stops for Specter. And Bush will do more for Chaffee than Santorum. It's a good lesson.

[jpl]

When it comes to "anti-incumbent fervor", we in America always go around talking a big game about how this time we're going to throw out all those bums in Washington.

And then, like clockwork, we go to the polls and pull the lever one more time for our bum.

[detroitdarien]

And now we mack damn sure he will lose. And for the RINO appologists here, I'd rather give the Dems the whole Senate than continue to destroy "Conservatism" in the name of "he can win". At least then the 40some Republicans will find their backbone and vote on issues.

Didn't Chaffee just single-handedly kill the Bolton nomination? Is the the Repub plan to hold on to power?

[nickcarraway]

Where did the rest of Chaffees votes come from? (you have it 27k Laffey to 20k Chafee)

[McGavin999]

Hmmm, yeah and when those 27K republicans decide not to bother to go out to vote this year they can thank Ms Dole and her NRSC, and their new minority position.

[Otho]

Will he now support Bolton for UN Ambassador when the Senate Foreign Relations committee votes on it again?

[catholicfreeper]

Interesting article and in fact the bit about the 72 hour get out the vote campaign is encouraging.

As to Chafee well he is the nominee and we need to support him. He is my least favorite to say the least of the Senate but if his vote in 06 or more importantly in 08 keeps the Senate under Republican leadership then it worth the effort.

There seems to be a lot of griping about how the GOP was backing moderates in moderate to liberal states or districts. Well part of the job of the party is to make some hard pragmactic choices. The GOP is a conservative party and if truth be told the average Goper or Republican voter is a little bit more liberal or to it more precise a little bit more diverse than the base on certain issues.

If Chafee had been abandoned that might have sent the wrong message to the moderates to the liberals in the GOP wing. Occasionally you have to throw them a bone. In the end we need the Social Conservative , the conservative that are conservatives as to tax policy and similar conserns, and then a little extra to maintain control. People like Snowe and Chafee are that little bit extra that is needed. to have effective control in the Senate. Conservatives gain far more in the deal than lose.

That being said I just pray that Chafee has learned a valuable lesson about loyalty and will not have a repeat of the monkeyshines he did in the Bush/kerry race.

[darkangel82]

Democrats pulling GOP ballots, probably.

[WOSG]

Silver lining ...

At least the NSRC knows how to win a race.

Please have them do this well on 'microtargeting' in Ohio, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania! I dont care about Chaffee, but I want to see Steele, Santorum, DeWine, Talent and Kean beat their liberal Democr*p opponents.

[moose2004]

Probably not, pitiful isn't it?

[LexBaird]

I always say when it's a choice between 2 'Rats in the general election, vote for the one whom is actually honest enough to declare himself one.

What do we do in the CA Gov. race? The (R) is really a (D), and the (D) is really a Communist.

[nickcarraway]

That being said I just pray that Chafee has learned a valuable lesson about loyalty

Probably the same lesson Jeffords learned when the GOP made a gargantuan effort for him in 2000.

[catholicfreeper]

Exactly and that is the great thing to take out of this article if it was indeed a factor to which I hope it is. That gameplan is going to be much needed in some of these states. We need to hold on to everything we can because 08 might be brutal

[catholicfreeper]

Well I am praying that will not happen.At the end of the day at least more Dems have defected than Repubs so that might give us some hope

[Defiant]

It would be nice if she put her foot down and told him to vote for the Senate GOP organizing group next year, and for Bush's appointees. But no.

This is very discouraging. Laffey would have won but for the Senate helping an incumbent who should have been defeated in the primary. That's what primaries are for. If we lose the seat, it's already lost to Chafee, but at least Laffey builds name recognition, and maybe he has a shot next time. Either way, it's a no-lose situation, and for the Senate Republicans to get involved in primaries is bad for the party, as it cuts the faithful out of the process.

It would have been nice to see what would have happened to Toomey if they had supported him, too.

[fieldmarshaldj]

"What do we do in the CA Gov. race? The (R) is really a (D), and the (D) is really a Communist."

Well, I'd recommend the AIP candidate were it not for the fact that his position on the War on Terror is identical to the rabid moonbat left. So I guess that leaves this lady... (*WARNING -- pornographic, don't view at work or with kids nearby !!) http://www.marycareyforgovernor.com/ I guess if it's a choice between 2 boobs, might as well vote for an authentic (I think) pair of breasts.

[T. P. Pole]

One Republican in the state estimates that as many as 60 percent of the primary electorate were not affiliated with the Republican Party. (More than 20,000 Rhose Islanders requested formal disaffiliation forms after voting.)

If I read this right, he won because he got 20,000 dems to cross over to vote for him.

[Kuksool]

If I lived in CA, I'd inform the Re-Elect Arnold team that I am going to leave the Governor race blank, then vote for McClintock and other Republican candidates for office.