Richard Lugar and the End of Moderate Republicanism

Nation ^ | 5-8-12 | Ari Berman

[tcrlaf]

If Indiana Senator Dick Lugar loses his Republican primary race to Tea Party challenger Richard Mourdock tonight, as polls indicate is likely, his defeat will signal the end of moderate Republican internationalism in the US Senate and the GOP more broadly.

Lugar, a two time chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee best known for his work on arms control and nonproliferation treaties, used to be one of the GOP’s leading figures on foreign policy. Now he’s an outlier.

The Senate Republican caucus was once filled with the likes of Dick Lugar—sensible realists such as Lincoln Chafee, Chuck Hagel, George Voinovich and Olympia Snowe. Now they’re all gone or going, casualties of a Republican party where diplomacy, multilateralism and bipartisanship are dirty words. (A Mourdock ad called Lugar “Obama’s favorite Republican.”)

[N. Theknow]

What are dog biscuits made of?

Fi-dough!

[FatherofFive]

If Indiana Senator Dick Lugar loses his Republican primary race to Tea Party challenger Richard Mourdock tonight, as polls indicate is likely, his defeat will signal the end of moderate Republican internationalism in the US Senate and the GOP more broadly.

About time.

[muawiyah]

Boehner is in the House. He is elected from a district pretty much the same as every Congressional district.

Those people do what they want. I suppose you could go there to campaign against him but then you'd have the problem of convincing them they need somebody else.

[muawiyah]

When the officers came to check out the scene one of them triggered the device that dropped his erection to a more normal, average condition.

Nope, wasn't a library, or at least not one where you lounge around naked with a prostitute.

Never heard of one like that.

[GeronL]

“Moderate” means leftsist these days I guess. Heck even Hollende is a “centrist” to the MSM

[muawiyah]

Two choices on that ~ (1) Senator Hatch who will become the seniormost Republican Senator, or (2) Thad Cochran. Wiki says "Cochran's voting record is considered fairly moderate by Southern Republican standards. He has a lifetime rating of 80 from the American Conservative Union. In 2008, he garnered a rating of 68 from the ACU; the only Republican Senators from Southern states to score lower were Mel Martinez of Florida and John Warner of Virginia."

You guys sure scored a major victory ~ gave it to a Souvrn'Leftwingtard. THEY (meaning Souvrn'rs) never vote them out!

[VRW Conspirator]

As long as the federal budget ends in “trillion dollars”, we will have sell-outs and “moderate” republicans.

[rightwingextremist1776]

There are no acts of subversion and treason any clearer then that.

Maybe it’s time to band together and sue the bastards....if I can sue for stubbing my toe I wounder why not for treason? Class action type....hmmmmmm......

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

Anyone want to shut up a Demon-Rat especially when they start babbling about the lack of "Bi-partisanship" on the part of Republi-Tards in Congress?

Simply ask them to name one (JUST ONE) DINO (Democrat in Name Only).

Oh, and qualify that by saying they must be ones who ROUTINELY and REGULARLY cross the aisle and support/vote for Republican initiated bills in either chamber, much the same as Republicans do when supporting the RAT agenda

While we can name dozens off the top of our heads (McPain, Lugar, the Maine Beatch Sisters, Scott Brown, et al) they will be unable to come up with a single one.

[Liberty Wins]

Thought I had heard everything the guvmint could regulate. But today our school had a visit from Smokey Bear. As we were conversing backstage, he told me laughingly about the number of laws governing Smokey. Pages and pages of FEDERAL laws about what Smokey can and can’t do when he is wearing the costume. Can’t talk. No chewing gum. No one can touch him without permission. No this, no that, no anything basically. Does this person in a costume rate the attention of Congress and the law-making process?

[rex regnum insanit]

I heard he died wearing a tu-tu and a Minnie Mouse mask and that it took 20 minutes to get him down off the chandelier before help could be summoned.

[Waryone]

"The Senate Republican caucus was once filled with the likes of Dick Lugar—sensible realists such as Lincoln Chafee, Chuck Hagel, George Voinovich and Olympia Snowe."

I agree with you. Democrats speak such an odd language.

sensible realists = traitors

[Avoiding_Sulla]

RINOs, or as I prefer, SKUNCs — statists knowingly undermining national charters — have been the beneficiaries of the radical left. The more radical the Leftists became the more they seemed a voice of reason. But as the damage from a century of incremental statism becomes more apparent even to a American sheeple, there is simply no way any SKUNC can continue to act like compromise is acceptable and expect to get reelected.

Now watch out for the new forms of GOP-E. They won’t look like Lugar. They’ll only look a little less like Boehner (whose act has worn thin already.) SKUNCs are all internationalists, so watch out for them letting nasty treaties get passed.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Polls closed at 6PM EDT for most of the state; open till 7PM EDT for parts of NW, SW Indiana.

Fragmentary returns...

U.S. Senate - GOP Primary
May 08, 2012 - 06:30PM ET
Indiana - 55 of 5330 Precincts Reporting - 1%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Mourdock , Richard GOP 5,444 56%
Lugar , Richard (i) GOP 4,225 44%

[lentulusgracchus]

Democrats lamenting the loss of Democrat-voting Republicans. FUGG'em....

Amen, brother. Yeah, what are they going to do without their favorite chumps, guys they could con with that phony "collegial" crap? Boo frickin' hoo, Bozo! See you in Fist City!

[depressed in 06]

We are a nation with three parties, TEA party, Democratic party (we call them RINOs), and communist party (I call them Bolshecrats).

[CharacterCounts]

If Indiana Senator Dick Lugar loses his Republican primary race to Tea Party challenger Richard Mourdock tonight, he will either support the Democrat in November or run as a write in candidate with the tacit support of the GOP.

[SaraJohnson]

We have the pinkos whinning! Way to go Tea Party.

When you are a Republian and have the Nation looking at you like a Profile in Courage, you are a real wacko. I wish they would make a list of all their favorite comrades in the GOP.

[sweetiepiezer]

Mourdock, Richard GOP 91,554 61%
Lugar, Richard (i) GOP 59,035 39%

1084 of 5330 Precincts Reporting - 20%

[lentulusgracchus]

If Mourdock wins, THANK SARAH PALIN, because it will be her endorsement that is responsible for it.

So noted.

Any chance Barky and his thugs can call out a bunch of Dims to crossover-vote for Lugar at the last minute?

I think they have Gary and Hammond to work with, and the university pukes in South Bend and Bloomington.