You know, there are moderate Republicans. There are even socially liberal folks who consider themselves Republicans due to their financial misconceptions or some sense of family or social-group loyalty. Not so many these days, but they’re out there – largely in Vermont, but still.
These must be bittersweet days for that crowd. The massive pendulum-power surge of their party is underway nationally (joy!)… but in the process, many of their party-mates around the nation are feeling unencumbered by the need to look civilized due to the euphoria of their newfound power. Here are some examples via TPM. One:
Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R) says that she’s seen “a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”
…Kern also claimed that “gays are infiltrating city councils” and gay people are “the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam, which I think is a big threat.”
“I gotta tell you something: if you support Medicare the way it is now, you can kiss the United States of America goodbye,” (GOP US Congressman from Florida Allen) West said
And then, of course, there’s this guy:
“Today I am very proud of myself because I have accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish.”
Hey Moderate Rs: is it really worth empowering these types of people with your dollars, your votes, and your institutional allegiance? Really?
As the Doster might have put it: “If there there is no Democratic Party, everything is permissible.” What we’re looking at, if 2012 is a disaster, is some kind of Corporate/Rich/Republican Aristocracy ruling the country while us peons are ‘tokenly’ represented by a sort of ‘figurehead’ party that has no real power, that is just there for the ‘appearance’ of Democracy. So we can bomb and plunder smaller nations and say we’re bringing them our democracy.
Dems gotta get tough. This is no time for Friendly Persuasion.
http://www.rasmussenreports.co…
None of that matters in my town of 880 people. The moderates here, that should be voting Democratic because they are in favor of taxing the rich and helping the middle class, only ever vote Republican.
These folks insist on voting for the party whose stated goal is their own complete impoverishment for only one reason. It makes no difference how insane the GOP get, my neighbors will ALWAYS vote Republican. The GOP could announce the end of Medicare and SS, institute Death Panels for Grandma through private insurance companies, could raise their taxes by 20%, and these folks would still only ever vote Republican.
Why do my neighbors always vote Republican no matter how brazenly evil the Republican Party confirms itself to be?
Because the Democrats are going to take away their guns!
Fair points about the Republican Party moving further and further
insaneright.The question though is whether you’d ask the same question of progressive’s (small or large P, I guess) and their general if occational support of Dems. Moderate (sane, if maybe not maybe mis-guided) conservatives should seriously question their continued support of the Republican Party. Progressives and labor, however, should be doing the same of the Dems.
to unite the sane dems, progs, independents, libertarians & conservatives. It’s the vast majority. I’d say 60-65% are center left, center & center right.
So far, they all suck. Obama will never get my vote though I was an outspoken supporter. If the election were held today & any of the contenders were running, I wouldn’t vote at all & probably still won’t.
Since the right has done so much damage esp during the Bush years I will never vote for one as potus.
I sometimes find myself leaning Paul despite his support for nuclear power since he does seem somewhat moderate & wants to get rid of the Fed. The nuclear industry is being crushed of its own weight & self destructing so I’m not really that worried.