Laffey Takes Commanding Lead in Republican U. S. Senate Primary

RHode Island College ^ | Date Posted: August 31, 2006 | Rhode Island College

[bybybill]

Can Laffey win this fall?

[Gay State Conservative]

There's *no* way....no way *whatsoever*...for a *real* Republican to win in RI.

In Novemeber,it will either be Chafee,who votes for us once in a while,or a *real* democRAT,who will never,*ever* vote with us.

That's the sad reality of the political landscape in New England today.

A Laffey victory in the primary will make some "purists" feel good,but it will prove to be a pyrric one next January.

[Mo1]

Someone explain this to me. Chafee rarely supports Bush. Is Laffey saying he'd support Bush even less?

It doesn't really matter ... the chances of getting a real conservative elected up there is very slim

But I sure will enjoy seeing Chafee get his fat rear kicked to the curb

[aShepard]

.............Oh, you mean like Lincoln Chafee who worked as a blacksmith before inheriting the Senate seat from his dad.................

Yeah, Chafee was also a small town mayor (Warwick) when his dad's seat was given to him.

I'll say it again - It's too bad that RI can't nominate someone who is up to the responsibilities of a Senator.

That goes both for Laffee, Chafee, John Reed, Patches, whoever!

[.cnI redruM]

Honestly, I don't believe he can. What he can do is embarrass Sheldon Whorehouse on substantiative issues so badly that he won't be any better than a backbencher in DC. Oh, he can also retire the only GOP Senator to vote AGAINST the sitting President's reelection in 2004.

[CPT Clay]

bump

must have been the osama comment,

[End Times Sentinel]

This seems to be good news.

Owl_Eagle

If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.

[MplsSteve]

I wouldn't.

Chaffee is good for one vote. The organizing of the Senate.

Beyond that, he can't be counted on.

As Hugh Hewitt said in a recent book "Can you count to 51?"

We need 51 votes to organize the Senate along GOP lines. Let's get the 51 votes and then we'll go from there.

Having said all that, I'm glad Laffey is ahead in the polls. The question is whether he can win in November. Most polls should him performing worse than Chaffee.

We'll have to see what happens...

[JerseyDvl]

Send a message to the winning RINO not to act like the losing lib RINO.

[pissant]

Laffey is a better than Chafee, but barely. And my guess is he will lose RI. But the upside is getting rid of chafee.

[Toidylop]

Good catch. The reporter smoked something... What a crock!!!

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Chafee will pull a Lieberman, and run as an independant just to screw the party."

---

It's too late for him to run as an independent, but if it was possible it would be the best thing that could possibly happen to us. In a two-man race, Laffey will be the underdog against Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in November (as would Chafee if he manages to win the GOP primary), but if Chafee ran as an independent he would split the liberal vote with Whitehouse and Laffey would be elected to the Senate with 38%.

[tennmountainman]

That Includes LINDSEY "WEAK kneed" GRAHAM.

[California Patriot]

You forget that most Senators aren't up to their responsibilities anyway. That certainly includes Chafee.

Ideally, all Republican Senate candidates, especially challengers, would have statewide name recognition before they even run. Personally, I think all Senators should have experience as either a governor, a congressman, or something very, very distinguished in the private sector. But a mayor of even a medium-sized town, if that town has problems, has had valuable experience making things happen against Rat opposition -- or trying to. Laffey isn't ideally qualified, but I think he's more qualified than he may seem.

[billhilly]

"Laffey is just a small town mayor. It's too bad that RI can't come up with a pubbie candidate who's up to the responsibilities befitting a Senator."

Chaffee was a farrier. He tried on horse slippers.

[caresistance]

I would view this as a positive, considering what elitist career politicians have done to the country. Why not try real citizen legislators again?

[spinestein]

The same thing needs to happen in Arizona.

[The Old Hoosier]

It's too late for him to run as an independent.

[goldfinch]

The smell of victory. I'd rather actually have a DEM in the Senate than Lincoln Chaffage.

Victory, indeed. A Democrat controlled Senate would be a real victory for conservatives everywhere. /s

[ExSoldier]

I'd like to know how the challenger stands on immigration issues. This is the single area where GW has failed miserably.

IIRC Bush actually campaigned for Chaffee, right? If such is the case, then maybe guilt by association really was at work here in the negative sense of attaching the President to a candidate. That could be good in this specific case, but bad elsewhere.