GOP Likes Chafee As Best Chance in R.I.

AP ^ | 11/15/5 | M.L. JOHNSON

[SmithL]

Warwick, R.I. -- Liberal Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee refused to support President Bush in the last election, opposed the GOP tax cuts and was the only Republican to vote against the use of military force in Iraq, a war he has likened to Vietnam.

So why, a year before the election, is the GOP embracing Chafee and spending close to $200,000 on television ads aimed at undercutting his conservative rival in the Republican primary, Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey?

Like him or not, Republicans consider Chafee their best chance to win in heavily Democratic Rhode Island.

[rhombus]

If too many people did a couple of decades ago, we would have never had Ronald Reagan as President.

Saint Ronald who I very much admire was human too and has his own RINO marks (e.g., signing the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act which raised taxes by $37.5 billion a year and the Highway Revenue Act of 1982 which raised the gasoline tax by another $3.3 billion, he also cut and ran in Lebanon after our marines were killed). Surely he still did great things and he made compromises where he had to in order to do these great things. However, after running and losing a number of times, somehow Reagan realized like we all should that winning is everything and those who don't win don't get to accomplish anything.

[California Patriot]

The national party has no business interfering in a primary. No money for these people. Contribute only to individual campaigns.

[jamese777]

Chafee's current job approval rating in Rhode Island is 57% approval and 37% disapproval. Rhode Island's senior senator, liberal Democrat Jack Reed is at 67% approval and
26% disapproval.
That puts Chafee's support into proper political context for me.

[stocksthatgoup]

Clip the bastard's wings. NO SOUP FOR YOUR MR. CHAFFEE

[Dansong]

Here's the deal from a local perspective: Laffey seemed promising, but in a shock to all conservatives, he actually came out left of center; saying in his first ads that he would shut down "big oil" in Washington and fight "the special interests" - right out of the Hilary handbook! He also is very soft on immigration - even adopting a sister city in central America as Mayor of Cranston.

Meanwhile, Chaffee is more savy. He brings tons of Federal money to the city's and towns and attends every groundbreaking in sight. He's modest and predictable. Laffey will never out-liberal him and without a true conservative message, Laffey's toast

[Burf]

"The national Republican Party has sort of lost its way," he said.

Kinda sums it up.

[G.Mason]

" I saw that. Funny, but I take it you are saying it's best to lose on principle... you must respect the Greenies and Nadarites, eh?"

Not at all. I simply believe that there are but two party's that have a realistic chance to hold national elected positions.

The RINO's are, in fact Democrats. As such they are much like moles in the Republican Party. They are aware of the Republican plans and designs and stymie them at most every turn.

The only chance Conservatives have is to remove all who would be "moles" and charlatans disguised as Republicans.

Should that mean replacing them with Democrats, so be it. Personally I could care less about committee seats and a majority we can't use.

[Spiff]

Yep, that's life for most of us that know what's going on. But since you are so politically astute why don't you go over to Rhode Island, recruit a good conservative candidate and convince the voters there to vote for real conservatives? Let us know how you do.

And President Jimmy Carter served two terms, followed by Presidents Dukakis, Mitchell, and Kerry. The Soviet Union is still exists and has been using Islamic groups as a front for their continued global expansion. Former California Governor Ronald Reagan died last year and was honored, as the former President of the Screen Actor's Guild, by the Academy at last year's Oscars. Double digit inflation continues into its 3rd decade despite attempts by the Democrat controlled White House and Congress to curb it through further regulation and taxes. Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D-WV) is quoted as saying, "The last over half a century of Democrat control has been a learning experience for all of us. And if it takes another half a century to fix the economy, we're prepared to stay here for the long run." He went on to attack the Republicans for their negativity in their use of terms such as "big government" and "recession".

All of that may be the political reality today if we believed the political "reality" in the early 80's and again in the early 90's.

[Dan from Michigan]

I think it's pure bullshit that the NRSC is spending $200,000 opposing a Republican instead of opposing democrats like Bob Casey Jr and Debbie Stabenow.

[penowa]

NO conservative should EVER give a dime to any of the various committees that gather $ from individuals and dole it out to those running for office. (RNC, Senatorial Campaign Committee, etc.) Every penny of that $ goes to the loathsome RINOs because conservatives don't have any problem raising their own funds from conservatives who like how they vote and open their purses. Nobody supports the RINOs except these groups because anybody who likes the way these people vote wants a real Democrat, not a pseudo one, in their place. Who cares if any of these people are re-elected? They can't be counted on to ever do the right thing, especially if they think it is an opportunity to stick it to the party who put them there. Let a real Democrat have the seat instead of these parasites who always vote like Democrats. At least conservatives will know where we stand when everything shakes out and the only real difference will be the Republicans in the Senate will no longer be Chairmen with all the perks. Republicans are not the majority party now, can't move an agenda except what the Democrats want done, so let them take the RINO seats like Chafee's. Good riddance.

[rhombus]

I guess we'll see if Alito, the "real" conservartive gets seated. If not, perhaps your purge is in order.

[DeweyCA]

I loathe the RINOs, but here is the problem. The state is DemocRATic and liberal, insuring that a conservative will not win. We have to face that. We can hope and hope and hope, but it won't happen. Occasionally, he might vote correctly. But the one thing we do need is to remain in the majority. We cannot let the DemocRATS get control of the committe chairmanships again. It is easy to say --- screw the RINO, let the DemocRAT win. But that position is just plain foolish. Politics is the art of the possible.

Very true. Elect RINOs in the Blue states. And then work like crazy in the primaries to get conservatives elected in the Red states. Eventually we will probably lose the GOP RINO senators from Maine, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. In the meantime, we must get more GOP senators from the Dakotas. And more conservative senators to replace RINO senators from Red states.

[funkywbr]

Man a 3rd party is sure seming surer as of late.

I mean Hell, Chaffee makes Rinos seem conservative.

[dfwgator]

But if you're a liberal in RI, why would you vote for a liberal Republican, when you can have a liberal Democrat?

[penowa]

Democrats + RINOs like Chafee = Democrat majority without the Chairmanships. I don't really care who gets to be Chairman and the perks that go with it. Do you?

[savedbygrace]

This is the perverted reasoning that has given us the current RINO majority in the Senate.

It stinks.

[newcthem]

When in hell is the GOP going to get a set of balls and squash these RINO's? About two or three should about set the tone.

[Dan from Michigan]

Every penny of that $ goes to the loathsome RINOs

Some of that money also goes to attacking Republicans.

[NeoCaveman]

NO conservative should EVER give a dime to any of the various committees that gather $ from individuals and dole it out to those running for office. (RNC, Senatorial Campaign Committee, etc.) Every penny of that $ goes to the loathsome RINOs

Only donate to individual candidates and the Club for Growth.