How to get moderate Republicans to behave rationally
If this is true, and four Wisconsin Republicans break with Scott Walker, the country will owe Wisconsin protesters and state senators a huge debt.
We’ll owe them for showing the country that moderate Republicans can behave rationally, and for showing the lengths that you need to go to in order to get moderate Republicans to behave rationally.
As far as I’m concerned, even if Walker wins this battle we owe the WI 14 a huge debt. Their actions accomplished exactly what they hoped to accomplish – it made Walker’s extremism front and center and allowed protesters (and public opinion) to out pressure on the GOP. Don’t you think the new Rasmussen poll showing Walker with 57% disapproval (48% strong) makes it much more likely some RS will defect?
I agree. The narrative has turned against the Republican extremists, but as one Plumbline commenter noted – the Republicans are all about extremism, so moderate Republicans who break will be in deep trouble with the base.
Is there such a thing as a Republican in office who isn’t in
trouble with their base? Seems to me that the only thing the Tea
Partiers are good at is making trouble.
I think Republicans are past the point where the Tea Parties are useful. In the beginning, it allowed the GOP to rebrand and brought a boost of energy. Soon they took over the party and demanded hardline adherence to their principles. Now the GOP is stuck with them.
Not just the GOP, UI. We’re all stuck with them. Unfortunately, as the Delware Republicans have learned, they are a very destructive force in American politics today. We are a two party system and if one of those parties is crippled by extremists it damages the whole system. Thank you Rupert Murdock and your brain washing machine.
At this point, the Independent brand is the one with the greatest growth potential, currently at the expense of the GOP. But liberation is very infectious. Imagine the liberty of voting for the candidate that most represents your views and not just because they are a (D) or (R) but in spite of that affliation. The ranks of the Independents continue to expand as more and more citizens recognize that it’s not about the party, it’s about the individuals, what they believe in, and how they will act.
There is no one associated with the GOP brand that has a prayer in the 2012 election. Obama will win handily precisely because he is able to capture the Independent vote by being a centrist and moderate.
I have no respect for Indies. The basic formula for indy voters seems to be, If Republicans say “100” and Democrats say “1” the answer must be around “50.”
It is bunk. They give way too much weight to a conservative ideology that has been throughly discredited and have thereby allowed Republican extremists to continually move the Overton window.
I have no respect for anyone who pulls a lever based on a (D) or (R). Sheep are sheep. I am all for the Overton window. It has moved the center to where I want it and pretty much that’s all that really counts. As long as the far left and far right are marginalized, America has a chance.
Generally I believe that there are Democrats, Republicans, and Americans. I choose to be an American. Your failure is to understand that Independents do not want to split the difference. Independents recognize that nothing is a case of “either/or”, “yes/no” “true/false”, “on/off”. As an example, the Health Care Act has some good things in it. But it really doesn’t do much for the rising cost of Medicare. The reality is that it is neither all good or all bad. Abortion is another issue where common sense would be that when abortions approach 1M per year that maybe someone should do something about unwanted pregnancy. So those who are anti abortion ought to be pro contraception. That’s an independent, moderate, centrist position. We don’t split the difference we balance objectives. Sometimes, those objectives are competing, sometimes not. But one thing we are not, is binary.
” I am all for the Overton window. It has moved the center…” You have exposed yourself dummy. You are a lunatic. I’m done with you.
Dave sounds like a Democrat when he talks about the ACA and abortion. He doesn’t realize it because he’s bought into The Right’s meme of “Dems love the ACA and think it’s the most perfect thing ever” and that “Dems love, love, love abortion and can’t wait until their daughters have one.”
He balances this fairy tale against the Republican view (ACA is socialism that will destroy the country and abortion should be illegal 100% of the time).
Many Independents play this game of being above the fray. They see themselves as referees – which they aren’t, mainly because they hear the R message (which comes through loud and clear) and then assign Ds the exact opposite position of the Rs.
Independent doesn’t mean “middle” ground. It should mean thinking for yourself, and that means, at times, picking a side.
Very well put. The “holier than thou” “a pox on both your houses” bullshit that streams from independents is stomach churning.
Yeah, that’s right Jason, fire out them insults because someone disagrees with you.
Independents are not above the fray. We just don’t see life in a binary manner.
And yes being Independent means thinking for yourself and part of that means picking a position. Independents never choose “sides” because they simply don’t things as a war, game, or combat where sides are chosen. As much as you try to stereotype Independents their value is their refusal to be stereotyped. So as much as you comment on whether they are RINOs, DINOs, closet coservatives, people of no values, dummies, or whatever. It’s all good because it means they don’t pretend to have all the answers and don’t demonize one side or the other, which makes them anathema to both sides.
I thought I would post here to see what kind of folks were around with whom I might share common ground. Message received loud and clear. I get it.
Sorry, Dave, but I don’t like people assigning positions to me any more than you do. Sorry again, but I believe the reason you do this is because you start with the Republican argument and then apply the exact (and I mean exact) opposite to Democrats.
And, please… for a guy filling up pages of comments over at delaware politics to take their ball and go home is quite silly. But I get how easy it is to play intellectual giant over there.
Someone tell Dave that I’m not insulting him because he disagrees with me. I’m insulting him because he is stupid.