GOP moderates in Congress get cold shoulder

[lovuian]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2912590

GOP moderates in Congress get cold shoulder
By GEBE MARTINEZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
WASHINGTON - As the Republican Party's conservative leaders moved to consolidate power through rules changes and other maneuvers last week, GOP moderates watched with jaws dropping.

They are struggling to find their place and their voice in a Congress that will clearly be governed by the right
more...
It wasn't a win for Republicans It was a win for FAR RIGHT REPUBLICANS

Welcome to Reality Republicans your Party has been Hijacked!!!

[saracat]

1. And they would be surprised ,why????

[ooglymoogly]

44. honey i'm home

[VivaKerry]

2. governed by the right,,,, MORE

Gee, they don't get it, do they. Their party was hijacked. Ignoramuses.

[renaissanceguy]

3. I have a feeling

that by the time this nightmare is over in four years, there will be a HUGE backlash against the religious right. What do you guys think?

[Indy_OK]

9. I agree

Considering how much they have overreached in just 3 weeks you know that they will go over the top even for the 'liberal media' sometime within the next four years. Probably much sooner!

[skooooo]

34. I'll believe it when I see it..

..These are dark times. There should have already been a backlash.

[alfredo]

43. There wasn't a backlash against Hitler until

the allies had reduced their country to ruins.

[leQ]

26. name one thing the far-right has done that hasn't backfired.

n/t

[jwirr]

27. I think you are absolutely correct

because every time religion uses it's power to influence government they are the ones to take the blame. This time they really have it coming. I long ago started using my church contributions to support liberal programs I believe in. A little boycotting of the church would go a long ways! The preachers get paid by contributions.

[Laelth]

36. Wishful thinking (a backlash against the religious right)

I hope you're right, of course, but I doubt it. More likely, when the votes have all been "fixed" to show another Republican victory, the analysts will all scratch their heads in wonder and proclaim that it must have been all those "moral values" voters that, once again, gave us a Republican agenda.

Things will get much worse before they get better, I'm afraid.

-Laelth

[paulk]

38. it's already happened here in Colorado

Where Democrats took both of the State Houses for the first time in over forty years - in a state dominated by Republicans.

Voters finally got sick of the fundie right pushing meaningless social/moral issues in the face of the very real budgetary and economic problems the state faces.

It can happen - have some faith!

[Laelth]

40. Your words are encouraging.

I, on the other hand, live in a state that, in 2002, got its first Republican governor in over 100 years. As of this year our state House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans for the first time in over 100 years, and we have 2 Republican Senators, now, for the first time in over 100 years. Things looks bad from my end, and we have all electronic voting machines with no paper trail whatsoever. No way to prove what many of us believe, that this past election was outright fraud.

Perhaps I should move to Colorado. Georgia, for the foreseeable future, seems hopeless.

-Laelth

[AndyTiedye]

42. What Makes You Think It Will be Over in 4 Years?

[On Par]

50. There Was A Backlash This Time!

But, for Democrats, it's the same as playing the slots in Las Vegas. The odds of beating the machines are against you, and the hotels continue to get larger.

OP

[murielm99]

4. This is not all that new. Fitzgerald of Illinois got the cold

shoulder for being somewhat moderate.

He did not run again, so we have Obama.

[GinaMaria]

20. fitzgerald wasn't all that moderate

I write my congress critters at least weekly, fitzpuppet always towed the party line. his responses always blamed Clinton and included all the gop talking points no matter how extreme. He didn't run because he could not have won.

[salin]

47. sad, isn't it.... when he ran against Mosley Braun

he seemed to fit the far right description... then the far right moved unbelievably far right, and he suddenly seems "moderate" - and his party-line (most of the time) "moderation" earned him the cold shoulder from the powers that be in Congress (there side doesn't go around pushing the... a "real conservative, conservative could never be elected in a Blue State like Illinois, so we had better be understanding, because any R is a good R" heck look at the newly reelected Spector - they backed him to the senate and now have mortified him to make sure he will be obedient to the radical right as judicial committee chair...

[burrowowl]

5. BS

If little old humble citizen me knows what the hell is going on, they who are on the scene and know these neo-con should know what the hell is going on.
It is called either denial or connivance or cupable ignorance and negligence. I bet on the latter, makes some Repukes look 'good'.

[aquart]

6. Aw, poor fellas.

Poor little fellow travelers.

Maybe the only thing I've ever liked about George is the way he will screw over anyone and anything.

Go Republicans. Lick Georgie's custom made boots with the Presidential seal. He likes that.

[The Zanti Regent]

7. Gee, $pe¢ter is already doing that!

Acting like a nice gelded little pony...

[AndyTiedye]

8. Perhaps Those Poor Moderate Repubs Would Like to Come into Our Tent

It shouldn't take much to get Lincoln Chafee to jump ship,
and the Maine contingent may not be far behind. Sen Specter
may stick with the Repubs if he has his chairmanship, but
sooner or later either they will turn on him, at which point
he might as well come to join us.

Even if they do, it may not be enough. It appears that the
Dominion will have a majority in both houses as of January,
so it may no longer matter what anyone else does.

[BlueManDude]

12. Snowe and Collins? No chance either will jump ship.

They are both RWers who happen to be pro-choice women so people think they are moderates. They are not moderates. Collins in particular will do whatever AWOL wants her to do.

[MADem]

22. They are pro military

Because of Kittery and Bath Iron Works. Big chunk of the ME economy. And let us not forget NAS Brunswick, which has five active and two reserve squadrons.

[RaleighNCDUer]

54. And they will be so surprised when they get shafted by their own

party, because of the religiouos right.

They just don't get it.

[BlueManDude]

10. they are masochists - they love the abuse.

[0rganism]

11. *shrug* fuck 'em, bunch of useless bastards

They'll cave. It's one of a few happenings that are practically guaranteed over the next few years. On any touchy issue, they'll fall right into lockstep and do exactly what their party bosses demand.

Because the one thing harder for these blokes than kissing ass is losing a position of privelege and power.

[Straight Shooter]

30. You nailed it.

Power and privilege. Nothing else matters to these ego-bound fools.

[annabanana]

13. This will be a telling "content of character" time.....

It is "put up or shut up" time in high relief. Some will look in the mirror and some will cover the mirror. It should be interesting.

[TaleWgnDg]

14. WOW !!! What a surprise! n/t

[flordehinojos]

15. What a shocker! Do Republicans even have any MODERATES?

THAT IS NEWS TO ME BECAUSE THEY ALL SEEM SO OUT OF THE MAINSTREAM TO ME....INCLUDING SHAYS AND SPECTER AND ALL THE REST.

[dbt]

16. Yeah! How many "Moderate Republicans" are there, anywho?

What are we talking here, half a dozen? Hell, I thought "Moderate GOP" was a conflict of terms!

:freak:
dbt

[paulk]

39. if they're out of the mainstream

how do they manage to get elected?

Specter has served for over 40 years in the Senate - in a state that's often gone Democratic in the presidential race. He must be getting his votes from somewhere.... you think?

[flordehinojos]

45. yes, he gets them from the fringe, i think. don't you?

;)

[cali]

17. Tough.

I hope those spineless moderates spend a miserable few years. I hope their right wing compatriots screw them to the wall.
If they had any conscience or guts, they'd switch or become independents.

[Bark Bark Bark]

18. Could Be The "Dixiecrat" Moment of The 21st Century

When the Klansmen "Dixiecrats" maggoting up the Dems were finally made aware they were no longer welcome, they jumped to the GOP, where they were welcomed with open arms and a common hatred. This is arguably the spawning point of today's Neo-Cons.

The Neo-Cons have so infested the GOP that it's very possible that everyone left with a shred of dignity or intelligence (they aren't ALL complete and utter scumbags, and many will have themselves a little epiphany over the next four years) will sail over to our side in the same sort of mass movement.

This won't be a permanent change, of course; without a common enemy, we'll start dividing among ourselves and the GOP will grow again. (The only thing stupider than a two-party system is a one-party system.) In the meantime, we should focus on crushing that common enemy--the Neo-Cons--until they're extinguished.

[wildflower]

24. Yes, what if they could be brought over to the democratic side...

and help the dems have a majority again, or something approaching it, in Congress.

Working on the ideological differences would come after that. But first, the normal republicans/paleoconservatives would join with us to become an opposition party to the neoconservatives.

Then maybe, eventually, we could get back to normal elections between two reasonable parties?

I know I'm oversimplifying. But it could happen if we are willing to build common ground with the true conservatives (not the neoconservatives).

There are already things we have in common, such as a desire for fiscal responsibility.

I wish I could find that quote from Randi Rhodes about how she knows real conservatives, and while she disagrees with them on many issues, they all agree that this administration has formed a completely different party.

-wildflower

[BlueStatesForever]

29. You're forgetting

that the moderates are elected by REPUBLICANS. If they switch to the Democratic party, they may not win their next election.

I hope they don't switch, but instead fight this tooth and nail.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

37. But the moderate Rep VOTERS will also be alienated...like me

I'm already alienated from the Republican party. To me the (R) now stands for "Rapturists". As Bushies wreck havoc for the next 4 years with their holier-than-thou agenda, my answer is, "Don't blame me. I voted for the smart guy".

Democrats: Take us away.

[sunnystarr]

57. It's more likely they won't win the next election

if they don't jump ship. Give the neocons 2 years and the people will be jumping through hoops to vote them out. Watch what happens in '06.

[Claire Beth]

25. I agree! n/t

[Barrett808]

28. Come on over, moderates! n/t

[bunkerbuster1]

31. The water's fine. And our shindigs kick ass.

c'mon. You know you want to.

[leesa]

19. Good! I hope they get their asses kicked. The vote in lockstep with

these lunatics without ever engaging their brains. Now they can pay the price.

[Rambis]

21. Outlaw divorce!

I am calling for it on behalf of all the fundie crazies:)

[Endangered Specie]

23. Good, I hope they get alienated BIGTIME

and come join the true party of decency, moderatism, and progressivism.

[mondo joe]

32. Dems should sit back and let them fight each other

Dems have provided the buffer that allowed the moderate repigs to sit back and play it safe, because they knew the dems would do the fighting.

It's time for the dems to abstain whenever possible and let the repigs fight with each other.

[jwirr]

33. I read somewhere the John McCain

is still expecting to run for prez someday. He'll never jump ship. Also if about outlawing divorce! I hope they don't make the retroactive! They will have to institute poligamy. Utah repugs will be happy about that.

[hatrack]

35. Hot, bitter tears are trickling down my cheeks!

I weep for you, poor oppressed moderate Republicans, I weep for you. :evilgrin:

[Bleacher Creature]

41. Wow. This came out of nowhere.

NOT!

[Zorra]

46. "Moderates" should mutiny en masse and smackdown the fascist agenda.

[indepat]

48. Wonder how those Republicans who are getting the cold shoulder

are going to vote on key issues and nominations. Will they tow the party line by voting in lockstep like good little soldiers, like lemming rushing out to sea?

[lovuian]

49. The Far right is ruthless If your not with them Your against them

I believe the moderates will know how the Dems feel!!!

[goforit]

51. LOL!!!!...Why have a Congress? Their just YESmen to Bush!!!

Waste of unecessary funds!!!!

[shuffnew]

56. ONLY IF THEY CONTINUE TO CHOOSE TO BE "YES MEN"...

Bush cannot force them to vote his way ... they are elected representatives (not Bushie appointments) and don't have to vote with the Bush far-right loonies! If they do, then losing an identity in life is warranted! It's their choice. Note a few Republicans did vote NAY to the latest bill.

[struggle4progress]

52. kick

:kick:

[genieroze]

53. Tell them to switch parties

That would put a bee in the Reich Wing bonnet

[shuffnew]

55. Response they should use for this treatment...

UNITE DISCARDED REPUBLICANS W/ DEMOCRATS AND TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY IN "EVERY VOTE"! BUSHIES CAN'T FIRE ELECTED OFFICIALS UNITL 2006 or later!
THE DEMOCRATS AND DISCARDED REPUBLICANS SHOULD UNITE AND OPPOSE EVERYTHING THAT COMES ACROSS THEIR DESKS THAT IS BAD (WHICH MOST WILL BE OF COURSE)!

[Barkley]

58. This why the "Moderate Majority" crap will fail - nt