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Who Killed the Responsible Republican? Bill Kristol, of course.
Slate ^ | 17 April 2010 | Jacob Weisberg

Posted on 04/18/2010 6:16:48 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

Do you remember the Responsible Republicans? In the 1980s, small herds of them still roamed freely around Washington. In 1982, they stampeded over Ronald Reagan's veto of the largest tax increase in history to mitigate the fiscal harm of his 1981 tax cut. In 1983, they converged on Capitol Hill to pass a package of tax increases and benefit cuts recommended by the Greenspan Commission to keep Social Security solvent. In 1986, they followed Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson to pass bipartisan immigration reform legislation by a large majority. In 1990, several were spotted with President George H.W. Bush (the Responsible one) at Andrews Air Force Base, conspiring to reduce the deficit.

After the Andrews summit, however, glimpses of them outside captivity became increasingly rare. With their habitats in the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest under threat and their natural predators on the rise, the status of the species moved from "threatened" to "endangered." Though occasionally spotted on the rocky shoals of Maine's Penobscot Bay and in beach houses up and down the California coast, they now rarely emerge from the wilderness. During the health care battle, President Obama was unable to find a single Responsible Republican to serve as a mascot. There continue to be rumors of the Double R's return around issues such as immigration, financial reform, and climate change. Yet we have now gone several years without a confirmed sighting.

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
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To: Cincinnatus.45-70
"socialist collaborator"? "stooge RINO delux"?

This is about conflicts amongst the NeoCons.

David Frum may have criticized the GOP and the NeoCons' choice of Sarah Palin but he never pointed the finger at Bill Kristol. But that did open the door for other people to criticize Kristol over Palin.

Likewise, Frum criticized the decision not to negotiate on healthcare, but he never pointed the finger at Kristol. But Frum's article opened the door for others to point the finger at Kristol. Now weeks/months later here is thes Slate artile doing the same thing.

Like wise with Liz Cheney. What she said about the Justice Dept lawywers was eventually blamed on Kristol.

Bill Kristol has become a lightning rod for the GOP and, more broadly, the NeoCons have become a lightning rod for the GOP.

21 posted on 04/18/2010 7:40:39 AM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

The last paragraph takes the cake. The man is hallucinating.


22 posted on 04/18/2010 7:44:02 AM PDT by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

RINO, Neo-Con = GOP LIberal

Sounds like the line-up on MSFoxNews....how many real conservatives host or moderate their programs....


23 posted on 04/18/2010 7:50:28 AM PDT by UCFRoadWarrior (JD Hayworth for Senate ..... jdforsenate.com)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

“....stampeded over Ronald Reagan’s veto of the largest tax increase in history to mitigate the fiscal harm of his 1981 tax cut....”

That superb example of a multi-word oxymoron aptly demonstrates the intellectual vacuity of the left.

Fiscal harm indeed. Journalists are so very......well, dumb. Oh, forgot, that’s why they became journalists whilst the rest of us were actually producing things of value.


24 posted on 04/18/2010 7:56:10 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Who Killed the Responsible RINO Republican? Bill Kristol The Tea Party & Free Republic, of course.

there...that's better.

25 posted on 04/18/2010 8:00:47 AM PDT by Outlaw Woman (Control the American people? Herding cats would be easier.)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

Given our current situation, maybe a more relevant question Weisberg should ask is “who killed the responsible Democrats?”


26 posted on 04/18/2010 8:03:56 AM PDT by cookcounty ("When they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun," --"Brawls for Radicals" --by Barack Alinsky)
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To: Touch Not the Cat

Not satire. This libscum has written books such as “The Bush Tragedy.” He’s serious.


27 posted on 04/18/2010 8:10:15 AM PDT by piytar (Ammo is hard to find! Bought some lately? Please share where at www.ammo-finder.com)
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To: Touch Not the Cat

You nailed it. From that context, adding this to ...

Obama-nomics link-list
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2464021/posts

Along with related links:

0bama-nomics vs. China’s Deregulation:
China’s economy marches on as growth rate soars by nearly 12%...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1266166/Chinas-economy-marches-growth-rate-soars-nearly-12.html

ABUSE OF POWER? Wall Street suspects GOLDMAN charges ‘not coincidental’ to financial reform effort...
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/thespread/wall_street_suspects_goldman_charges_KE4YoDNxaxrZFSkHea0MqI

FEAR: Obama claims fresh crisis without new financial rules...
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100417/D9F4QH4O0.html

Loony Left Overwhelms Onion: THE ONION SHUTS DOWN: “NO MORE SATIRE POSSIBLE”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2495449/posts
... first published in 1756 ... Said the owner, “No more satire is possible. Nothing can beat the outrageousness of what comes out of Washington today. In a sentence: We are plum out of satire.”


28 posted on 04/18/2010 8:17:24 AM PDT by Arthur Wildfire! March (Weakening McCain strengthens our borders, weakens guest worker aka amnesty)
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To: misterrob

.
Or the patriotic Democrats.

They are as extinct as the Saber Tooth Tiger.


29 posted on 04/18/2010 8:34:41 AM PDT by Touch Not the Cat (Where is the light? Wonder if it's weeping somewhere...)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

Definition of a Responsible Republican: one whose lips are firmly glued to the posterior of a bigshot Democrat.


30 posted on 04/18/2010 9:10:22 AM PDT by driftless2 (for long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion)
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To: Touch Not the Cat
Yeah, I was wondering if it was satire, too. Then this line...

"During the health care battle, President Obama was unable to find a single Responsible Republican to serve as a mascot."

...tipped me off that it IS satire. LOL, it's amazing how easy it is to read a couple of paragraphs and conclude that the author is just another hand-wringing socialist pantload.

31 posted on 04/18/2010 9:20:11 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Ben Ficklin

Well, if there is anything the GOP will try to avoid, it’s lightning rods. If they became controversial, someone might think they could eventually even oppose the DemocRats, instead of being their lapdogs.

William Kristol is not one tenth the threat to progressives that his mother, Gertrude Himmelfarb, is. As Rush pointed out 15 years ago, she has their number cold. But everyone ignores her books.

As long as Neocons oppose something the ‘Rats favor, I have no problem with them. If they want to fight amongst themselves and throw some of their more progressive element, good on ‘em.

(When they are not opposed to the ‘Rats, most of what they say is not worth the powder to blow their noses, I’ll grant you that.)


32 posted on 04/18/2010 9:28:06 AM PDT by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

Good satire. I like how the link to “heretics” goes to an article on Cheney.


33 posted on 04/18/2010 9:41:01 AM PDT by rae4palin (RESIST--REPEAL--IMPEACH)
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