Good riddance? GOP relies on Specter-like recruits

Politico ^ | May 6, 2009 | JOSH KRAUSHAAR

[rightwingintelligentsia]

For many Republicans, including Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, the reaction to Sen. Arlen Specter’s party switch was unequivocal: good riddance.

Yet even as his jilted former party slams the door behind him, the GOP is quietly pursuing a 2010 strategy that relies heavily on candidates nearly identical to Specter. The party’s road to winning back a Senate majority, it seems, is paved with moderates whose records are sure to make conservatives blanch.

For the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s recruitment list for 2010 reads like a roster of some of the party’s best-known RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and squishes — the derisive terms applied to centrists by movement conservatives.

The party’s top choice for Florida’s open Senate seat is popular Gov. Charlie Crist, who raised eyebrows earlier this year with his vigorous advocacy of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package — he even went so far as to appear with Obama at a Florida rally in February. In Connecticut, the national GOP has lobbied former Rep. Rob Simmons — who holds a higher lifetime rating from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action group than Specter does — to challenge Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

This move may be the death of the Grand Old Party...

[Doogle]

..”don't worry we can take over the ship when it sinks”

[Man50D]

Another reason for Conservatives to leave the Republicrat party.

[Steamburg]

The article sounds like a bit of disinformation designed to help in party destruction. There is a political eternity between now and the November 2010 election. If we can complete a good weeding of the garden by December this year, a very good slate could emerge. The RINO’s in our party are leaping out to the closet seeking recognition by their fellow travelers in the press. We are getting immeasurable help from the overreaching Democrats. I think the writer would do well to try those topics for a while.

[Vaquero]

Time for a schism in the party(a physical split into 2 parties not just the same old working arrangement between libs and real republicans).

..and perhaps some states need to secede.

What is in washington is NOT America...I miss America and will find it wherever it shows up.

[so_real]

What is in washington is NOT America...I miss America and will find it wherever it shows up.

That bears repeating. I'm not opposed to hanging a G.T.T. sign (or any "Gone To    (state)   " sign for that matter) on my door if it means returning to a life of liberty.

[Bookbuck]

I tend to agree with you. Libs know that BO may over-reach and weaken their position of power so they’re trying to pre-emptively split us up into pieces so that we’re fighting each other and not them. They’re trying to cause a civil war when really we should preparing for a revolutionary one.

[PALIN SMITH]

IF this is true, then Connecticut is light years ahead of other states! We are choosing strong conservative candidates to oppose the Democrat incumbents.

Whether it's against Chris Dodd or any of our Congressmen, the candidates we put up are like this fellow,

Justin Bernier R-CT District 5

[PALIN SMITH]

Justin is a 6’3” Tom Cruise............lol

[Le Chien Rouge]

The GOP needs to recruit candidates with the following:

1) Small government believers
2) Tax reformers who will eliminating the IRS
3) Small business supporters

NOTHING will change in this country until the federal government is neutered and starved of OUR money.

Economic liberty must the FIRST step.

[Bahbah]

The article sounds like a bit of disinformation designed to help in party destruction.

Yup. There will be lots of this. When you read a headline like "Bush Says 'Leave Reagan Behind'", read the article to find out what was actually said. (Note: I am not advocating for Jeb Bush. I am saying that we should resist this effort to manipulate us.)

[InterceptPoint]

Here is what needs to happen:

First, we need a MASSIVE turnout for the July 4th Tea Parties. Massive means a total of MILLIONS and some that exceed 50,000. Too big for the media and the Republican Party to ignore.

Second, Michael Steele and the Republican Party need to wake up and see that the "McCain Experiment" failed in 2008 and, if attempted in 2010 and 2012, it will fail again for the same reason - real Republicans will not vote in large numbers for RINOS. They just won't.

Third, we need the Republican Party and Michael Steele to recognize that the Tea Party movement is real, powerful and the obvious "leading indicator" of the fact that by 2010 enough of the public will have had their fill of the fascist/socialist Obama to vote Conservatives into office.

[DM1]

unfortunately there are some states that only a RINO could possibly win most of New England being the most obvious along with the Left Coast and NY

[bilhosty]

What the GOP and its moderates needs to do is be responsive to the people and its conservative base. If their was one word that describes the GOP over the past Bush years it can be described as unresponsive to everybody except its funders. This is why everybody is at everybody elses throat. Conservatives are blaming moderates and trying to throw them out of the party and moderates are leaving. Anybody who doesn't think that driving moderates out to the Dem's doesn't dis empower conservatives by creating a permanent minority is smoking crack. The moderates are needed. But to keep the moderates from being driven out they need to be responsive to conservatives and so does the national party.

[nyconse]

Very good post and quite true...driving moderates out will lead to a permanent minority status for the GOP...we can work together on important issues.

[SoFloFreeper]

If the story is right (and I am suspicious of everything from the beltway media), then the GOP will fail. Again.

[sionnsar]

This move may be the death of the Grand Old Party...

The party's been dead for some time now. The question is whether or not to attempt to revive the diseased carcass.

[KC_Conspirator]

No one compares to Sphincter, not even those 2 dopes in Maine.

[Beagle8U]

“driving moderates out will lead to a permanent minority status for the GOP...we can work together on important issues.”

The problem is that those “moderates” ( really liberals) have a distorted view of what the “important issues” are, and wind up teaming with the RATS to destroy the things that the majority of Americans want preserved!

Those little “insignificant” things like traditional families and marriage, the 2nd amendment, freedom and property rights, free speech, little stuff like that.

We don't need two liberal puke parties, just so pukes like Mutt Romney, McCain, Steele, etc. can have a home!