McCloskey fights GOP values he abhors

Sacramento Bee ^ | December 11, 2005 | Herbert A. Sample

[calcowgirl]

RUMSEY - During his career in politics, Pete McCloskey has gone up against the likes of Shirley Temple Black, Richard Nixon and Pete Wilson.

Now the former environmental lawyer and Republican congressman from the San Mateo area is seriously pondering doing battle in the GOP primary next June against Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy, whom McCloskey regards as an affront to the Republican principles of his day.

McCloskey also is taking aim at a Pombo ally, GOP Rep. John Doolittle of Roseville, by financing acerbic billboard ads and scouting for primary election challengers.

(snip)

He has been increasingly irritated with his party's direction on environmental policy, ethics, the Iraq war and other issues, prodding him and nine other former GOP House members to write a series of critical letters to Republican congressional leaders earlier this year.

He also formed Revolt of the Elders, an independent expenditure committee that works against Republicans he and allies consider dubious. The group financed anti-Doolittle ads on a Roseville billboard last summer. He's also been speaking out around the nation as well, even visiting Houston to call for the defeat of Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas.

"I think he - and that includes me - is totally (ticked) off about what has happened to the Republican Party," said Lewis H. Butler, an old McCloskey pal who left the Nixon administration in 1971 over Vietnam policy. "Here's a guy like Pombo just desecrating the environmental laws that we worked on 30 years ago."

Pombo, a longtime foe of the Endangered Species Act, has been pushing a major rewrite of the law, which McCloskey co-sponsored in 1973.

(snip)

[TCats]

Is he (McCloskey) motivated by protecting his legacy or is he willing to to a good look at some of the more egregious aspects of the environmental rules he helped write decades ago. This might well be more about him and his own reputation than serious disagreement with the tack the Reps are taking.

[skaterboy]

Go to bed old man

[sphinx]

McCloskey regards as an affront to the Republican principles of his day.

Wow, that's a blast from the past. Pete McCloskey is an honorable guy, but he is a liberal. When he served in Congress, Republicans were a perpetual minority and the dominant wing of the congressional party was content in its dhimmi status. The "Republican principles" of McCloskey's circle, in that era, consisted largely of surrendering gracefully. Then came the Newster, et.al. Some of the old guard have never forgiven the backbench conservatives for upsetting the status quo.

[speedy]

McCloskey paying homage to the Harold Stassen wing of the Republican Party. He's been irrelevant to the national GOP from the moment he was elected to Congress.

[JimSEA]

The "Revolt of the Elders" McCloskey has founded to oppose DeLay and others seeks to support candidates who are . . ."pro-choice, pro-environment, pro-separation of church and state, pro-fiscal responsibility (balanced budget goals), pro-international cooperation and suspicious of excessive governmental power"

I always thought Democrats labeled themselves in this manner. Of course, the "suspicious of excessive governmental power" only applies when a Republican is in office. Will they seek out Cindy to run for office? She and Pete would make a good pair.

[Prost1]

"Pombo, a longtime foe of the Endangered Species Act, has been pushing a major rewrite of the law, which McCloskey cosponsored in 1973."

Pombo is a shoe-in for reelection. He not only is advocate for his district but also for the sensible forest and natural resource management.

The dems position is "do not cut trees, let them burn!"
A reasoned approach is to thin the forests, get the cash crop, and create a habitat for wildlife. Anathema to the tree-huggers.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Last I heard Pete was finding "Jews" under every bed. His obsession with this idea cost him his Representative job and left most of us (a one time supporter) feeling that he had lost it.

I did not remember that he co-sponsored the endangered species act, but this act has grown into an industry for the environmentalists. It should be curtailed.

As far as Pete being back, its nice to have another democrat to kick around again.

[peyton randolph]

Revolt of the Elders?

More like Revolting RINOs.

[Galveston Grl]

This anti-Republican Republican needs to be beaten to a pulp in any election he takes on. He needs to become a Democrat in Arnie's party.