Another “Moderate” Republican Jumps Ship
Jul 20th, 2010 by Frank Knotts
The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed the nomination of Elena Kagan for the United States Supreme Court. This vote now sends the nomination to the full floor of the Senate. The committee vote was 13-6.
Only one Republican Senator voted with the Democrats. That was Senator Lindsey Graham (R,SC). Senator Graham is well-known for his tendency to vote with the Democrats.
This is just another example of why we can no longer afford to tolerate these so-called “MODERATE” Republicans. We gain nothing from them except uncertainty.
We the GOP voters must send the message to the establishment of the GOP party, that we will no longer stand for or behind the Lindsey Graham, or the John McCain and certainly not the Mike Castle type Republicans.
We must demand and vote for a more conservative type of candidate. It begins in the primaries. We must weed out these aisle crossers. We must elect candidates that understand and hold to conservative values and principles.
Wow. If Lindsay Graham is now considered a “moderate” you guys have really gone off the deep end.
Let me clarify. On judicial issues it would seem as if Sen. Graham tends to vote with the Democrats quite a bit. Here are a couple of examples.
“Confirmation Thomas I. Vanaskie, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit” With the Democrats.
“Confirmation Christopher H. Schroeder, of North Carolina, to be an Assistant Attorney General”. With the Democrats.
“Nomination of Thomas E. Perez, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General”. With the Democrats.
And here is a whopper, “Confirmation Sonia Sotomayor, of New York, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court”. With the Democrats.
In my view this makes Sen. Graham a moderate. He tends to see himself as a bridge builder. He would be better served as a base builder.
What Conservative Values and principals? please explain. I would love to understand what exactly our so called “Great Conservative Picnic Party”, “9/12″ and “Tea Party” are looking for in a candidate.
I am a lifelong Republican and a Mike Castle supporter. Although I have voted for a Democrat once or twice I am a republican. If we get any of these self proclaimed I am more conservative then you people on the ballot representing our party in November I can assure you every single 9/12, Tea Party Candidate is going to be crushed.
Get Behind our Front Running Candidates Support Mike Castle and Michelle Rollins.
I see… So in order to be a good conservative (not a Republican, but a supposedly independent TeaPartier) you have to vote the opposite of the Democrats all the time.
Great strategy!
Conservative blogs are strange. This post is about making the GOP pure by purging anyone who is not 100% in agreement. The post before this by Fay V. is about how evil Stalin was for cleansing the Communist Party. What’s up with that?
Don’t worry. This is as though Stalin had tried to execute a “purge” by deploying an army of senior citizens armed with popguns. Enjoy the comedy while it lasts.
well Frank – I’m a GOP voter too and guess what?? you do not speak for me – not in the least
I suggest you leave the GOP and go with some of other right-wing nuts out there….
your ilk have destroyed the GOP, with fear and hate-mongering – conservatives have been given a bad name and in my book a “moderate” is a good thing to be
The problem with folks like you is that is is a ‘my way or the highway” attitude – well friend – don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya
stop taking the GOP to the ground – in order to succeed as nation we NEED moderates and differing opinions – and people willing to work together – not stall due to just plain obstinate obstructionism for its own sake!!
go buy an island and set up your own kingdom – where King Frank can rule – good luck with that – there is no difference between you and that way of thinking and other tyrannical despots that have tried to destroy hunaminty with hatred.
we – the moderate, thinking, feeling voters from both sides – who are willing to civilly dissent- will continue making the word better for everyone – even you, if you have the good sense to enjoy it.
Here is the point about Graham. He said he would not have chosen Kagan but the President chose her and he chose well.
I don’t get it at all.
As for the the trials and tribulations of the GOP by those who remain anonymous, who cares?
All are free to criticize the conservative views and policies but we have tried the liberal views and policies with Obama and nothing has worked, absolutely nothing.
Mike Protack
apo whippersnapper,
Would you describe Obama as a “moderate” Democrat…who reaches out and works with others…to make this world a better place? Would you?
Why is being a “moderate” a good thing?
There is no such thing as a “moderate” position on any issue. There’s a liberal side and a conservative side. In Congress, you can’t cast half a vote one way and half the other way.
Those who call themselves “moderates” are actually one of two wildly different things. You are either a “Castle” moderate, with an unusual amalgamation of conservative and liberal positions, or you are a “Gergen” moderate, named for former Ford, Reagan and Clinton aide David Gergen, who can serve presidents of three wildly different base philosophies because he himself believes in nothing. For Castle-types, if you’re a fiscal conservative and social issues are secondary in importance, you’ll more likely find your home in the Republican Party.
Apo also made the rather wild claim that being “conservative” is a bad thing. If that is so, why do a solid plurality of Americans call themselves “conservatives” When Rasmussen last polled this, some 40% of Americans called themselves “conservatives.” About 35% say they are moderates and 25% say they are liberals.
Apo only gets one thing right in his post. We conservatives are nothing without our party’s moderate wing, except a minority party. Reagan knew this and worked to persuade them to his point of view and was willing to accept compromise to get them to follow (for example he originally wanted a 30% tax cut, but settled for 25% to bring some less conservative Republicans along, and he agreed to a phase in approach, rather than an all in).
Apo, Frank and his “ilk” did not destroy the GOP, they made it. Ronald Reagan was no one’s moderate and he led this party from the Dark Ages to three presidential landslides, (including 1988) and control of the Senate when we were as deep in the hole as we are now. Newt Gingrich is no moderate and he led the party almost by himself to the historic 1994 takeover of Congress. For as long as the party stuck to its conservative ideals, it made a small majority last twelve years. When we grew weak and allowed our “moderates” to win out, we were turned out. And in 2006, we richly deserved it. We need our “moderates” to form a majority. We’re all better off though if they are Castles who at least believe in part of what we do, and not Gergens who believe in nothing.
Remember, we are the nation’s Conservative Party, where moderates who agree with us more than they disagree are welcome with open arms. We are not the Moderate Party, that happens to tolerate conservatives.
Newt Gingrich is no moderate, but tax-hiking, profligate-spending, amnesty-giving Ronald Reagan would be considered a moderate and would undoubtedly be purged by today’s ultra-rightwing.
Michael, you can’t define either moderate or conservative, although your attempt is not without merit. Today’s conservatives bear little resemblance to the long and documented history of conservatism, which goes back beyond Burke to elements of Aristotle.
“Moderate” is what people are called when they don’t tow the ideological line. There are many people who think taking care of the environment is conservative, but they are called moderate. Many who think that the state should not be involved in personal life, including what happens in the bedroom, and they are called moderate. There are those in faith communities who believe that we should treat illegal immigrants like humans instead of filthy subhuman criminals, and they are called moderate.
Moderate is a convenient term for people to use when they can’t otherwise define what they see. And the definition thereof continues to move to the right.
And, for the sake of discussion, I’ll pose the question back to you: “Why is being a ‘conservative’ a good thing?”
“As for the the trials and tribulations of the GOP by those who remain anonymous, who cares?”
Mike Protack -Why do you care who is anonymous, and who isn’t. This is a forum of ideas and opinions. You obviously feel it is a place to massage your own ego.
Some people who post in here may have clientele that might not appreciate their political opinions, so anonymity is used for financial reasons. BTW, why do you sign your name at the end of your posts, when your name is already on it ?
Well said Michael.
Mike Protack is not anonymous because he is looking for recognition to serve his own ends.
I have heard him speak in several venues and watched as he pandered to each venue – no principals there
I don’t carry water for any party – nor tow an idealology – I tend to vote issues and candidate – not blindly follow a perty that tells what to thing
I – while a GOP voter – may also vote DNC at times – I am an true independant – I am the demographic each party wants to win over at election time – the swing voter
I am extremely conservative on some issues and liberal on others
Beacuse I was taught and raised to be an analytical thinker
that won’t just go for the “pig in the poke” because I like the wrapping
But hey – dissention keeps the Democracy just what it is – and the right wing has failed and failed and failed to change that fact
Mike Protack for all his comments has not once answered my question – if you want to do away with the 14th ammendment – how far back will you make it retroactive??
Far enought to make sure his family is included in birthright citizenship I will bet
keep flying Mike – coz your feet are not on Terra Firma
que pasa – ummm yes I would – like Reagan was as well
and nice touch with the name calling – mature
you should change your name to : que paso – but you will – in November
I appreciate Mike Protack as well, but I was talking about Michael Borgia. Sorry for the confusion. I thought he hit it out of the ball park.
Mr Borgia – you stated that – “Apo also made the rather wild claim that being “conservative” is a bad thing”
would you like to support that with direct reference/ quote from my text???
What I said was that “conservatives where being given a bad name” I never said being a conservative was a bad thing
you working for FOX news or just read Mr. Brietbart book on how to decieve –
context is everything
Graham is as good as gone, next election. SC is waking-up, seeing him as just another RINO appeaser.
Indeed ole Light Lindsay is a statist neocon always happy to be patted on the head by the leftist media for splitting the difference and thinking half-a-loaf of socialist big government is twice as yummy.
Also folks, it’s toe the line, not “tow”.