[goldstategop]

I won't be shocked if the GOP loses control of Congress in November. A party that stands for nothing deserves to lose. That's true of a party that supports a LIBERAL just to remain in power. Whatever happened to the party that once stood for limited government, federalism, individual rights and right and wrong? It became like the Democrats, worshipping government as its own end. If RINOs lost, what would happen? They would be replaced by real Democrats. At the end of the day, the GOP has to decide if it is a conservative party or a liberal party. It cannot straddle the fence in the name of protecting incumbency. Power won't get the GOP far if it repudiates everything for which it stood to keep it.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

[S.S. Monkeyface]

Better be careful. The automatic, yellow-dog Republicans around here will try to get you for this.

[msnimje]

People seem to forget that Texans are not the ones who chose the Senators in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is a liberal state and as much as conservatives do not like it, Lincoln Chafee is the most conservative person Rhode Island is willing to send to the Senate at this point in time.

Chafee voted with President Bush 70% of the time. How often do you think Whitehouse will vote with him or the Republicans in the Senate?

I really dislike Chafee and wish things were different in Rhode Island but not enough to let the Dems have control of the Congress.

[traviskicks]

The solution, I think, is relatively simple. Just give $$$ to the Club For Growth from now on, as they are the only ones that fund true economic conservatives, who actually want to shrink government.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

If we were not in a life and death struggle with Islamofacist, I could handle the Dems controlling at least one house, to keep the Pubs on their toes. But too much is at stake for our soldiers to allow them to disgrace our military, and all they have worked to achieve in the Middle East. So I will hold my nose, and toe the party line a little while longer, even though we will never know if a conservative could win in R.I., because he never got a chance.

[america-rules]

This is real special.

A bunch of people from other states telling people in RI how to vote.

[onyx]

You don't vote, so why do you care?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

"If GOP Stands For Nothing, It Deserves To Lose".

---

If GOP stands for nothing, why the hell should I trust it to stand for me? What am I supposed to do, trust them to stray away for a while, based on promises that they will eventually come back and support me? Hell, I don't think so! My momma never raised any idiots!
I never bought a used car that turned out to be a lemon, either! I don't plan to start being stupid now!

[My2Cents]

I feel your pain, but the Senate Republican Campaign Committee and the RNC exist for only one reason: to elect Republicans, and they don't care what those Republicans stand for...just as long as they get elected. It's baldfaced pragmatism, intended to keep their majority. Don't expect ideological purity from the SRCC or the RNC.

[Once-Ler]

Jane Chastain wants to elect rats.

[NickatNite2003]

This Laffey-Chaffey betrayal of Republican
and core beliefs...deeply disturbs me about
the future of the GOP.

This is a bad thing that has been done here.

[Mogollon]

Laffey sounds like a rino too in a lot of ways. So the choice is between Chafee a known rino and Laffey a rino we don't know. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know the old saying goes.

[wouldntbprudent]

No, we don't "deserve to lose" in November just b/c a liberal won in R.I.

All politics is NATIONAL.

[Rockingham]

Political parties straddle and are expedient because America, in elections at least, is neither a liberal county nor a conservative one, and has conservative states and liberal ones -- like Rhode Island. As a practical matter, political party committees almost always support incumbents, and they usually prefer to win rather than lose. Hence, Chafee, a disloyal liberal Republican flake who is an incumbent, gets RNC and NRSC support in a primary because he is an incumbent and is most likely to win the the general election in a hopelessly liberal state. In the even more important election after the election -- the one for control of the US Senate -- Chafee will vote Republican. We conservatives may dislike the necessity, but we will be immensely grateful for Chaffee's vote if we need it to keep control of the Senate.

[jmaroneps37]

Please take some realities into account.
Above Maryland elected officials can only be "just so Republican."


Below Maryland elected officials can only be "just so Democrat."


You can make believe all you want but this country is NOT 60/40 conservative. It is just about the 53/47 W did last time out.


Chafee has a 30 ACU rating. That is better than all rat senators except both Nelsons.


The scumbag that would have been elected in chafee's place would get about a 2 ACU if that and make every bad vote chafee would/will make.


But somewhere in that 30% there will be good things.


In politics perception is reality. If people see our numbers they see strength. They really don't no what a pain in the ash he is.


The way to look at chafee is this: Imagine if he was a rat would for some reason changed parties. That would be a good thing, something to be happy about. We have that condition. Let's be happy about another seat. Let's be happy about not having to use time and money trying to save that seat and use this "gift" to work elsewhere.



The best way to clean out rinos is to VOTE REPUBLICAN! Yes VOTE Republican. The more Republicans we have the more conservatives we will have and the easier it will be to build the type of margins we need to get rid of guys like chafee. Until then let's just look at it as it is:
Another seat saved, another problem for schumer.

[RobFromGa]

I find it difficult to get all worked up over whether a Liberal Republican or a Liberal Democrat gets elected in liberal RI. I just don't care, and Laffey had no chance to win, so the whole thing is just nothing to get too excited about. Rock, or hard place?

[airborne]

The RNC isn't concerned with electing conservatives.

They're job is to elect Republicans.

Even if that means Republicans In Name Only.

And even if that means more years of weak kneed Congressmen who repeatedly back down to the minority Dems.

[Labyrinthos]

Excellent post. I've said this before and I'll say this again -- We do have choices. First, quit the Republican Party and enroll in the Conservative Party. You can still vote for the Republican candidate if you are concerned about wasting a vote and giving the seat to a democrat, and in many races the Conservative and Republican candidate will be one in the same in any event. But a mass exodus from the Republican Party will send a strong message to Party leaders and their candidates that they need to move to the right if they want to keep control of their seats. Second, don't give your hard earned money to the National Republican Party and its PAC's. Give the money to the Conservative Party, which is more likely to spend it on candidates who support our values and/or give the money directly to the candidate. Money talks, and if Republican candidates want the Conservative endorsement and more importantly (for them), Conservative money, they will have to move to the right.

[.cnI redruM]

Licoln Chafee is a butt-pimple. I could truly care less about his fate. The NRSC should redirect his funding to Santorum, Talent and Corker and Burns.

[aShepard]

Hey Goldie - Stuff it

I voted for Chaffee, because the Rats have Sheldon Whitehouse running for the seat. Whitehouse is a highly popular ex Atty General.

All polls had Laffee losing to Whitehouse by 40 points in the November general; much closer for a Chaffee/Whitehouse contest.

I'll take my chances with a RINO if it keeps Dingy Harry away from controlling the Senate!

[prion]

Chafee won by about 8,000 votes. By far the majority of voters in RI are registered Independents, and it's a cinch that many of them crossed over for the primary.

What does that mean? I don't know. But I'd love to see what would have happened if the national party hadn't run attack ads on Laffey and hadn't helped Chafee outspend the man two to one.

Wouldn't that money have been better spent on a Santorum?