GOP Establishment Rallying Around RINO Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)

The Boston Globe ^ | December 5, 2005 | Rick Klein

[Clintonfatigued]

But with the Republican Party's hold on the Senate looking tenuous, the party of Wall Street and the religious right is suddenly chummy with its most prominent environmentalist. With a tough race looming, and a solid conservative challenging Chafee in the primary, Republican elites are sending checks to Rhode Island -- to help Chafee.

[Owen]

>RINO's are far more tolerable when they're from Liberal states.

>RINO's from Conservative states are not acceptable.

This is indeed the way the world works. RINOs in conservative states can be replaced. RINOs from liberal states deserve every bit of support we can give them.

[hispanichoosier]

Considering Kerry won PA by 145,000 votes it would have been very hard for Toomey to have won. Toomey and Bush would have gotten the same voters.

I disagree. Toomey's down-home style would've gotten him many votes from blue-collar Dems in the southwestern part of the state that may have automatically voted against the President. Moreover, Toomey would have had volunteers at his disposal that the President could only have dreamed about; many of these volunteers refused to budge for the Bush campaign because of the President's support of SnArlen. Finally, Hoeffel himself is not the most charismatic guy around and, thus, would not have been a top tier opponent.

There's also the intangibles factor: Toomey came within 17,146 votes in the entire Commonwealth (1.6% of total votes cast) of defeating an incumbent that had been a fixture in PA politics for decades. For a young congressman to be able to mount such a challenge speaks to his ability to organize and execute a nearly flawless campaign.

[hispanichoosier]

The reason the Republican Party backs rinos and people like Specter is because they are numbers in the Republican column regardless if the vote like Democrats. That affects the majority/minority status which determines who makes the rules and heads the committees. That is more important than you may think.

While you are correct in noting this, the influence that RINOs play is more subtle. They can block legislation, water down important bills, and employ RINO staffers in their offices and on committees. Thus, the "RINO cycle" is repeated. More vile is the fact that RINO officeholders can form PACs to fund other RINOs' campaigns and raise money for organizations such as the WISH List.

While your point is correct in terms of short-term strategy, getting rid of all RINOs will lead to a more lasting victory. When the opportunity to knock out a RINO like Chaffee with a charismatic, well-funded conservative opponent like Laffey comes around, I argue that we should take it. Whether or not the U.S. Senate seat remains Republican, the influence Chaffee and his ilk can weild is too detrimental to the long-term conservative cause.

[aligncare]

Which brings me back to the earlier post: We're doomed and all is lost.

There are only two horses in the race and both are dogs. I agree that the pubs have failed miserably under this presidents leadership in areas domestic and social. But, he is the first U.S. president to fight back against a growing Islamofascist movement. Even, Ronald Wilson Reagan, (Did everyone stand up?) pulled out of the middle east when the marines were attacked.

It took instinct, guts and determination to decide to bring a nation to war. Man, I don't have that kind of grit in me.

So, let's not forget. If Kerry or Gore (or any other dem for that matter, except for Lieberman and Zell) were president that day what our American response would have been.

No. We've only got the pubbie, so we've got to change them...somehow...someway.

[aligncare]

-RINOs from liberal states deserve every bit of support we can give them.-

Interesting. Care to expound on why supporting RINO's strengthen our conservative cause.

[aligncare]

-That affects the majority/minority status which determines who makes the rules and heads the committees.-

The power to set the agenda is important, if you want to get your legislation through.

Translation into American English: WE BRINGIN' HOME DA POUK, NOW!

[Mind-numbed Robot]

I am in favor of going for broke and I wish the administration was. However, there is some wisdom to what they are doing.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Translation into American English: WE BRINGIN' HOME DA POUK, NOW!

That is pretty much it and it is something i and many conservatives are against. I don;t give a damn about a new post office or a new highway cut-across, or library. I want military bases to be where they are best utilized, not where the politicians can get the most credit. I don't want any farm supports or other interference in the free market. However, we must deal with what we have until we change it.

[Antoninus]

Odds are that amongst the team that goes to bail out Chaffee will be Ricky Santorum.

Please provide some proof of that asinine statement. You're pathological obsession with hating Santorum is wearing very thin. Everyone knows you're a libertarian who hates Santorum not because he's a "RINO" but because he's a social conservative--something Linc Chafee is definitely not.

[hispanichoosier]

You're pathological obsession with hating Santorum is wearing very thin.

Look, libertarian or not, Santorum's support of SnArlen probably cost Pat Toomey the primary in '04. Conservative activists are still fumin' about it and haven't buried the hatchet. I made the roadie to western PA to help Pat out, and I understand how demoralized and betrayed PA activists feel. It's going to take years for them to get over Santorum's betrayal (despite his positive qualities), and brow-beating them isn't going to help.

Strategically and logically, the Toomey/Specter race should be water under the bridge. Emotionally, it's not. Only time will tell whether Santorum made the most giagantic miscalculation of his political career.

[aligncare]

I agree. I think that as the Internet gains in its' capacity to uncover facts rapidly and fully, we will see less RINO's because they will have no place to hide. In the old days, Sen. Blowhard could go back home and act all conservative in the local newspaper, then come to Washington, party with the elites, vote with the dems, and still be reelected. Politics. Sheesh.

[libertyman]

I think Presiudent Reagan did the right thing by pulling our troops out of Lebanon (we shouldn't have been over there in the 1st place, & had we not been there such a disaster would never have happened. But that's the price we pay for interventionism!).

I think Congress blew it by not writing Letters of Marque & Reprisal to go after & destroy those who were responsible for the attack....& then consider declaring war if a nation (which I suspect may have been Syria???) was involved.

Please don't accept the BS you are being told that "there are only two horses in the race". HOGWASH! There are other candidates & parties who believe in restoring our Constitution out there...& regardless of what our fellow FReepers say, they deserve your support.

[aligncare]

What's wrong with PA? Why do the people of what should be a conservative state, keep giving us the likes of Sen. Specter?

[Antoninus]

Look, libertarian or not, Santorum's support of SnArlen probably cost Pat Toomey the primary in '04. Conservative activists are still fumin' about it and haven't buried the hatchet. I made the roadie to western PA to help Pat out, and I understand how demoralized and betrayed PA activists feel.

Why? Pat Toomey endorsed Santorum for reelection in 2006. Is Pat a "sellout" now too? And most of these "demoralized, betrayed" activists pulled the lever for Bush in 2004. The president had a lot more to do with carrying Specter over the finish line in the primary than Santorum did.

There are a few folks (emphasis on the word "few") who have a vendetta against Santorum for his social conservative stands--though they'll never admit it in a million years. It is these people who constantly pick at the scab of the Specter endorsement and try to get people riled up about it over and over again. It's a complete red herring at this point, but it serves their goal--they'd rather see a democrat in that seat than Rick Santorum.

[Antoninus]

What's wrong with PA?

One word: Philadelphia.

[zbigreddogz]

Well, they are afraid of him because he probably can't win.

That said, I couldn't care less if Chafee loses, and if there is even a remote chance that Laffey would win, which there is a remote chance, I'd vote for him in the primary.

I would consider voting for the Dem over Chafee.

And I supported Specter in 2004.

[libertyman]

I respect your long-term approach. Returning our federal government back to its limited constitutional functions ain't gonna happen over a couple of election cycles or 2.

Sure, a few Dims may end up in the Oval Office while we try to (a) disinfect the GOP from its RINO Establishment & majority, or (b) support 3rd parties who already exist & base their beliefs on PRINCIPLE & don't need to be "cleaned out" like the GOP does.

I prefer option (b), 'cuz the GOP Establishment does its best to prevent honorable folks like Representative RON PAUL or Senator Tom Coburn from getting elected. It is doing the work of the Dims at a much slower pace than the Dims themselves are, thus making it look like there really is a major difference betw. the 2 parties, 'cuz the Dims get upset that they can't get what they want as fast as they want.

[aligncare]

Regarding Syria, the boil festered in the region and events being what they were, now comes Usama Bin Laden, and the horrible death of 3,000 American citizens, and war with an international network of terrorist that had twenty-five years to mature and gather resources before they attacked again, stronger than ever.

[streetpreacher]

If Reagan could win California...

In 1966...

[libertyman]

Care to expound on why supporting RINO's strenghten our conservative cause [?]

Good question--that line of thinking is similar to members of Congress who say that a smaller increase in federal spending is actually a CUT in spending, isn't it???