The Republican Defections Continue

Created: September 16th, 2007 | Written By: Michael Tedesco

As I eluded to on Friday with this video of Chuck Hagel, we are beginning to see the moderate old-school conservatives disavow themselves from this extremist new version of the party.

Lincoln D. Chafee, who lost his Senate seat in the wave of anti-Republican sentiment in last November’s election, said yesterday that he has left the party.

Chafee said he disaffiliated with the party he had helped lead, and his father had led before him, because the national Republican Party has gone too far away from his stance on too many critical issues, from war to economics to the environment.

“It’s not my party any more,” he said.

Now I know what my detractors are going to say, in fact let’s look at a quote from a good friend of this blog XRanger,

Ya know, I wouldn’t read too much into this. Hagel left the Rep reservation a while ago, and he knows he is a paraia (SP?). That’s why he quietly decided not to run for Prez or re-election.

He couldn’t win dogcatcher now.

X is right on one point, these defectors know they could not win “dog-catcher” but isn’t that exactly the point? Chafee and Hagel represent the few remnants of a the Republican party that helped usher in the era of Reagan. Sadly, with all their talk of Reagan, this new Republican party is moving further and further away from his vision.

If I can say so, I knew the party of Reagan - was a member as some of you may recall - and you people are no longer the party of Reagan. If you ever wish to win an election north of Gettysburg again, you had better rethink the road you have chosen.

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9 Responses to “The Republican Defections Continue”

mick on September 16th, 2007 4:38 pm

X is right on one point, these defectors know they could not win “dog-catcher” but isn’t that exactly the point?

Yeah, it is. It’s important to recognize that the Republican rush to self-destruction isn’t limited to a few radical leaders. The entire GOP hierarchy is shot thru with radcons coast-to-coast thanks to Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman. Worse, the only voting citizens who are sticking with the GOP are those who comprise the 27% that are dead-enders. Pub primary voters won’t back a moderate any more. Judging from the silly performance of the GOP pres candidates, the 27% want more insanity, not less.

The GOP hasn’t had real centrists in over a decade, and in that time it has become more extreme, not less. People are turning away in droves. All Hagel and Chafee et al are doing is saying so.
matttbastard on September 16th, 2007 5:31 pm

I dunno - Chafee is certainly one thing, but labelling Hagel as ‘moderate’ still rubs me the wrong way. Ideological consistency /= ‘moderate’. See also the John Birch Society-approved Ron Paul (favourite quote: “I have a lot of friends in the John Birch Society. They’re generally well educated, and they understand the Constitution. I don’t know how many positions they would have that I don’t agree with.” That distant *thunk* you hear is my head striking the well-dented surface of my desk, over and over.)
Kyle E. Moore on September 16th, 2007 5:48 pm

Yeah, Hagel’s a moderate in the same way I’m a three toed sloth.

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Chuck_Hagel.htm

(note: I’ve looked up dozens of politicians, and I’ve NEVER seen one that sits on the red line before, not even Ron Paul)
Lincoln Chafee Leaves the G.O.P. - The Detroit Times on September 16th, 2007 6:46 pm

[...] DownWithTyranny!, Blogs for Bush, Macsmind, unbossed.com, SteveAudio, Comments From Left Field, The Politico, The Newshoggers, Liberal Values, Donklephant, The American Street, The Next Hurrah, [...]
Michael Tedesco on September 16th, 2007 6:50 pm

Boy oh boy, Kyle has been waiting for someone to gang up on since yesterday’s fracus huh?

So maybe I should not have used moderate and old-school in the same sentence. Sue me. My point is that the conservatives that have been able to win in the traditionally blue states, and who have done so basically since Reagan, are jumping ship. Let’s not get confused about who is moderate and who is not. These people are certainly considered out of step with the rest of today’s wacko party.
mick on September 16th, 2007 6:58 pm

I assumed you meant “moderate” as in, you know, the Republican version of a moderate, ie, someone who isn’t an actual mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, xenophobic troglodyte who thinks the trouble with Adolf Hitler was that, lacking the courage of his convictions, he just didn’t go far enough. I think by that definition, Hagel probably is a “moderate”.
Michael Tedesco on September 16th, 2007 7:15 pm

My point exactly.
Kyle E. Moore on September 16th, 2007 7:22 pm

Actually, I just saw an opening to look someone up on “On the issues”. I have fun doing that.
Kyle E. Moore on September 16th, 2007 7:26 pm

I mean, let’s be real here dudes, my brain won’t even turn back on until about 9, 10 o’clock tomorrow morning.