Posted on 08/20/2013 5:04:24 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander struck the latest blow in the ongoing Republican intraparty squabble between ideologues and pragmatists – or, in Chris Christie-speak, “winners” and “college professors” — in an op-ed published in the Tennessean newspaper Tuesday.
The entire piece, which was written in response to calls from tea party groups for Alexander to step aside due to his willingness to work across the aisle, is worth reading but one paragraph stood out to us. Here it is:
That’s as good an explanation of the philosophy that animates the pragmatist wing of the Republican party as we have read. It’s based on a belief that prizes the accomplishment even if that accomplishment is short of your preferred goal. It’s based on the belief that the goal of governing is to address — via legislation — the problems facing the country.“I learned to count in Maryville City Schools. So I know that if you only have 45 votes and you need 60 senators to get something important done like balancing the budget and fixing the debt, then you have to work with other people — that is, IF you really care about solving the problem, IF you really want to get a result, instead of just making a speech.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I only compromise when I will gain.
The republicans seem to compromise just to get along.
TN has an old-guard “moderate” leadership that goes back to Howard Henry Baker, Jr. People there truly believe in “moderation”. They voted for LBJ and Carter then apologized by backing Nixon and Reagan. Now with Lamar! and Corker, nothing conservative will ever get done out of a supposedly conservative state.
So, do you remember the “Pardon me Ray” tee shirts from that fateful year? :) (I had one!)
Good. Another chance to remove another RINO.
He’s reached across the aisle many times and I don’t want to think about where that hand has been.
Still it’s not “fair” to primary Lamar! and let Thad Cochran, his neighbor to the south off scott free.
“I learned to count in Maryville City Schools. So I know that if you only have 45 votes and you need 60 senators to get something important done like balancing the budget and fixing the debt, then you have to work with other people — that is, IF you really care about solving the problem, IF you really want to get a result, instead of just making a speech.”
The problem is, this liberal SOB has never done anything of the kind. He’s never voted to balance any budget since he’s been in the senate. His idea of balancing budgets has always been , raising taxes. We have a sales tax on groceries in TN thanks to Mr conservative, and he wanted a state payroll tax while governor. He is now a big supporter of a tax on internet sales. No more Alexander
Remember the old saying...
If you’ll compromise once, you’ll compromise twice.
“Republicans try to keep the status quo, Marxists ask for the stars and settle for the moon.”
Republicans always react and play defense. Never go on offense and are too willing to compromise their principles.
Republicans want all the perks of Washington, with none of the responsibility.
Here, here. They don’t have the stomach for it.
If you missed it, watch the replay or record it later.
The first 20 minutes.
Mark earned the name 'Great One' again tonight!
Told it like it is.
The (Tea Party?) commercial Hannity previewed afterwards -with the chickens - telling McConnell to LEAD, was hilarious, too.
Lamar now has an opponent in Joe Carr, who is running on three issues: Lamar’s support for amnesty, his failure to fight Obamacare, and the fact that he votes with Obama the majority of the time.
I hope Tennessee Republicans vote out Lamar this summer. Vote for Joe Carr.
He also showed what a desperate situation we are in if we don't act.
"Don't expect the present Republicans to help us" is what I took away from his comments.
The truth of our situation looks bad at this point, but it is the truth.
Why isn’t that empty shirt out attacking Obamacare and the democrat-socialist leftists? He’s gotta attack the Tea parties -— he’s more worried about a little tea party than he is about Our Country!
Have heard some reliable insider info that Lamar and Corker are on the inside track for themselves and their pals for the purchase (for relative peanuts) of the TVA.
That possible? If so, means pretzel logic against conservative values and for FDR style big govt. pocket lining, like was seen when the TVA came in is now in order. How they got to the immigration “gang of 8” decision and rollover.
Exactly at what point does a USA NATIONALIST PARTY form and start to push back against the sex perverts, race baiters, communists, baby killers, trial lawyers, forced unionism in the public and private sector, and the DC political class (both parties)?
The GOP could become the weak third party sister overnight if a party that attracted TAXPAYING PATRIOTIC AMERICANS was formed with the right leadership.
The GOP cannot be reformed from within, and neither can the parasites in DC.
The solution is a sustained and overwhelming ideological attack the federal apparatchiks and their supporters , and that includes class war against the scumbags who surround us that vote for marxists and then collect their benefits while our wages are extorted, make it an us against them.
There are still more of us, and more will join if the message is strong.
They've lost all focus of the concepts & principles our nation was founded on and all respect for those who fall outside of the power elite. We The People are now on the outside looking in while the power drunk elites fiddle while our nation and all that it once stood for figuratively burns to the ground.
The Democratic and Republican parties? It's a sham. It's a two party pretense of opposition but ran by a corrupt oligarchy that will not tolerate outsiders questioning their authority or especially challenging them for their offices.
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