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Chafee: Moderates 'taken out' of party
Politico ^ | 5/30/13 | Breanna Edwards

Posted on 05/31/2013 5:40:29 AM PDT by cotton1706

Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee says he didn’t just switch parties to earn brownie points among Democrats — he did so because of the changing dynamics of the Republican party.

“The Southerners…just had a different view of where the Republican party should be and as a result the North Easteners and some of the other moderate Republicans slowly were taken out of the party, either by elections or by choice,” Chafee explained to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Thursday. “The shift occured down to the south. My dad [former Sen. John Chafee] lost his leadership position to Sen. Cochran from Mississippi, and then the next year Sen. Simpson from Wyoming was too moderate and lost his leadership position too.”

Chafee officially switched his party registration Thursday going from independent to Democrat, after initially being a Republican. And if his words are anything to go by, he’s not going to miss the GOP.

“Some of the policies they have advanced and having lost the ‘08 election and now the ‘12 election, I know there’s a lot of introspection by the Republicans,” Chafee said. “I’m just happy to have found a home, myself, with the Democrats. As I’ve worked with the governors, all the governors in the NGA as an independent. I’m happy to now join with those Democratic governors. It’s like-minded philosophy.”

When pushed by Matthews as to whether or not he would consider going back to being a Republican should the party change its ways, Chafee said “no.”

“You don’t want to be zigzagging around,” he said. “And I was wondering, is the party going to come back to my way of thinking?…And I just made that decision, it’s not coming back.”


TOPICS: Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: 2014mmidterms; chafee; ri2014; rinos
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This is why I am not voting for Gabriel Gomez on June 25th. This is why I left my ballot blank last November for Scott Brown's office. This is why I left my ballot blank in 2010 for the governor's office.

These worthless, milque-toast, democrat-leaning politicians who are not republicans always say later when they switch "the party moved away from me"

Jim Jeffords, Arlen Specter, Charlie Crist, Lisa Murkowski, Dede Scozzafava, John Huntsman, Lincoln Chafee, etc.

Scott Brown even ran as an independent in some areas. And guaranteed, Chris Cristie will, before long, be an "independent."

I will not help these people get elected. I will withold my vote from any moderate republican, for they are just closet democrats to hold the seats till a real democrat is elected, while still having the same policies move forward.

1 posted on 05/31/2013 5:40:29 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706

I know moderates. Moderates are friends of mine. And YOU, Lincoln Chafee, are no moderate. . . .

(stealing a line from Ronaldus Magnus. . . )


2 posted on 05/31/2013 5:44:28 AM PDT by Salgak
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To: cotton1706

Whaaambulance alert!


3 posted on 05/31/2013 5:45:23 AM PDT by showme_the_Glory (ILLEGAL: prohibited by law. ALIEN: Owing political allegiance to another country or government)
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To: cotton1706

The GOP has been moving left for years. If he’s outpaced the GOP, it says more about him than it does the party.

The man was never a Republican.


4 posted on 05/31/2013 5:45:50 AM PDT by Egon (Apparently, Jimmy Carter DOES need a third term.)
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To: Egon

When will Mccain and Graham come out of the closet.


5 posted on 05/31/2013 5:47:15 AM PDT by RummyChick
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To: Egon

I have a list a mile long of other politicians who should leave the Republican Party.

In fact they already have but they stay to assure it’s destruction. McCain , Graham and Hatch are at the head of that list.


6 posted on 05/31/2013 5:48:57 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: cotton1706

That’s fine. The country is being divided in half. Southern states are getting rid of income taxes and getting jobs. North Eastern states are becoming Europe.

Fine.

What he means to say is he is a European socialist. A British loyalist. Fine. At least people have stopped pretending to be conservative Americans are getting honest about their intentions. Get them out of the party.

It is all Whigs and Tories all over again.


7 posted on 05/31/2013 5:49:44 AM PDT by Truth2012
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To: cotton1706

Not sure what he’s complaining about. He wasn’t a Republican at the time of the switch.


8 posted on 05/31/2013 5:50:42 AM PDT by Poison Pill (Take your silver lining and SHOVE IT!)
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To: cotton1706

What a fool. Moderate GOPes own and run the GOPe.

That is why it loses.


9 posted on 05/31/2013 5:52:31 AM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: cotton1706; GOPsterinMA; Clintonfatigued; AuH2ORepublican; BillyBoy; Clemenza; campaignPete R-CT; ..

More whining from a far-left moonbat spoiled snot. Missing Linc Chafee was so leftist that all of the liberal Democrats he faced (except for Whitehouse) were more to the right than he. His voting record was identical to Hillary Clinton’s in the Senate, which tells you all you need to know. He also is THE most unpopular Governor in the nation. Missing Linc Chafee, always in the wrong and always out of step with reality.


10 posted on 05/31/2013 5:58:44 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: cotton1706

wow now Linc gets to be a very special .... democrat
instead of a so-called maverick republican

maybe the only reason Linc Chafeee ever made any news was because he was such a different... republican. A republican who bashed republicans and governed and voted like a democrat. The media’s favorite kind of republican, the kind they call a “moderate”

I predict his views and votes will no longer be of interest to anyone. Even the media, now that he is just another....democrat


11 posted on 05/31/2013 5:59:29 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: cotton1706

I wish.
The only things in the middle of the road are a yellow streak and roadkill.


12 posted on 05/31/2013 6:00:51 AM PDT by Little Ray (How did I end up in this hand-basket, and why is it gettingthe so hot?)
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To: cotton1706

Either you stand for something, or you don’t.


13 posted on 05/31/2013 6:01:58 AM PDT by jersey117
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To: cotton1706
Jim Jeffords, Arlen Specter, Charlie Crist, Lisa Murkowski, Dede Scozzafava, John Huntsman, Lincoln Chafee, etc.

You can throw in Mike Bloomberg.
14 posted on 05/31/2013 6:07:03 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There's no salvation in politics.)
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To: cotton1706

He isn’t asking about moderates. Moderates and RINOs run the Republican Party. He wants unabashed liberals to run it.


15 posted on 05/31/2013 6:14:47 AM PDT by plain talk
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To: Dr. Sivana

Oh, yeah. I forgot about Mike Bloomberg, who was a republican when it was all the rage when Giuliani and Bush were in office, then he switched to independent after he convinced the city council to get rid of the mayoral term limit. Now he’s just an all-powerful autocrat.


16 posted on 05/31/2013 6:15:12 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706
Oh, yeah. I forgot about Mike Bloomberg, who was a republican when it was all the rage when Giuliani and Bush were in office the Democratic primary had five other people in it while in the Republican primary he had only one opponent.

Four of the five Dem primary candidates got more votes in their primary than Bloomberg did in the Republican primary.

17 posted on 05/31/2013 6:23:58 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Choose one: the yellow and black flag of the Tea Party or the white flag of the Republican Party.)
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To: cotton1706

Chafee comes out of the closet and admits that he’s a liberal ‘RAT and the “media” thinks it’s news. Chafee NEVER was a Republican. A RINO maybe but not a Republican. He has always been a commie ‘RAT.


18 posted on 05/31/2013 6:29:02 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (If you think ObamaCare is a train wreck, wait until you see the amnesty bill.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

Political JELLYFISH.. All.


19 posted on 05/31/2013 6:30:12 AM PDT by Tugo (Never Submit!)
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To: cotton1706

“Moderates” are nothing more than Kapo republicans kissing demonazi ass for a few perks.

Its high time we confronted them with one simple question.

“Why do you continue to attack conservatives of your own party that has already been moderated into a coma while the democrat party consists entirely of fascist extremists”?

The answer is pretty obvious.


20 posted on 05/31/2013 6:33:12 AM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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