Posted on 12/25/2007 9:00:15 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa—On a recent ice-swept morning, a group of self-described moderate Republicans met in a hotel convention room, looking to find a way to break the chill of a presidential season that has found many of them left out in the cold.
"Our goal is to get traditional centrist moderate Republicans to get to the caucus and make their voices heard," said former Iowa Lt. Gov. Joy Corning.
"The moderates who are out there, they've been rather quiet for a few years. Many of them have dropped out of the party or become independents, and so this is an effort to regroup and encourage people to be active," she said.
About 60 people attended the meeting called by Corning, who served eight years under Gov. Terry Branstad until Democrats took over the governor's office in 1999. The discussion focused on looking for common ground—largely on fiscal, education and environmental issues—with a conservative wing that is a strong influence on the state's GOP social agenda.
Tilting from principles
But the comments that day echoed a concern voiced nationally by prominent Republican moderates —that the party's rightward tilt, and the heavy spending by what had been a GOP-controlled Washington until the 2006 mid-term congressional elections, have left them little more than an afterthought in the party.
Those concerns have been heightened by a Republican presidential primary campaign that finds most of the leading candidates advocating a conservative social agenda as they try to win the nomination by appealing to a GOP base on the right that dominates turnout in many early caucus and primary states.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Fred Thompson may be the last great hope for the Republic for which I stand!
These guys don't have a friggin' clue.
Gettin' rear-ended by "moderate" Republicans constantly over the years is probably how Iowa ended up with a socialist Democrat as Governor. At least he's open and honest about how he's going to eff-up the state.
GRRRRR! These people piss me off. The words "moderate" and Republican should never appear in the same sentence.
What do you find in the middle of the road?
Yellow stripes, and dead skunks.
‘Moderate,’ huh? Tell you what. I’ll bake these moderates a batch of browmies with only a ‘moderate’ amount of dog poo in ‘em. Then let’s see how they like the taste of ‘moderation.’
Cowards.
Weasels.
Traitors.
That should be encouraged.
What’s wrong with this story? Shouldn’t so-called “moderates” be happy with Rooty?
How many years ago? The Republican Party has been a coalition of moderates (liberals) and conservatives since the 1800s. From the time of Bob LaFollete and Theodore Roosevelt to the Rockefeller/Scranton wing that broke with Goldwater and up through today we have fought a continuous battle for control of the Republican Party. We have had six Republican presidents since WWII and I would catagorize only one (Reagan) as a true conservative. If you go back and study the history of the Republican Party you will find it to be the party for and of conservatives but it has seldom been The Conservative Party.
In other words, flood the caucuses, you liberal RINOs !
Good riddance!
RINOS out!
Dang it, I don’t want any Republicrats running for President. Once next year’s election rolls around we’ll end up having to choose between Dumb and Dumber.
I love that.
But I DON'T want them runnin' the show this time around. No more Bush-Dole-Bush RINO stuff for me.
A rose by any other name still smells like crap.
The “independents” won’t hear much “moderate” talk from the Democrats. They can go with the Democrats dreams of a socialist utopia, but they won’t find much opportunity to have “just a little socialism” or an exit claus.
Why? Is there something wrong with their tried-and-true course for electoral defeat? It's worked so well for all these years.
“The Republican Party has been a coalition of moderates (liberals) and conservatives...”
That is only when there is widespread rational interest in winning.
There does not appear to be the case, this cycle. Too much interest in who might be pure conservative enough; little to no interest in who can actually win.
Reagan hasn’t and will not be reincarnated any time soon.
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