Posted on 11/12/2006 4:09:19 AM PST by Mobile Vulgus
Holding to the Center, Losing My Seat By Lincoln D, Chafee
LAST Tuesday, I was one of the many moderate Republican casualties of the anti-Bush virulence that swept the country. Despite my having voted against the Iraq war resolution, my reputation for independence, the editorial endorsement of virtually every newspaper in my state, and a job approval rating of 63 percent, I did not win. Why?
Back in December 2000, after one of the closest elections in our nation’s history, Vice President-elect Dick Cheney was the guest at a weekly lunch meeting of a small group of centrist Republicans. Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and I were honored to have the opportunity to visit with him on the eve of a session of Congress in which, because of Republican defeats, the Senate would be evenly divided at 50-50.
(read rest of this laugherRest of story)
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
But a dead Armadillo must be good for something....like voting Democrat.
oh, an armadillo can be a political whore to be sure...
Oklahoma armadillos, unlike more moraled Texas armadillos. have been known to play possum in the middle of the road in hopes a wanton buzzard might land. Horney little devils those Oklahoma armadillos. So of course they tend libral.
Maybe not having a backbone has more to do with it then Bush hmmmmmm(BOLTON for example)
I guess Linclon Chafee cannot remember the 1960 presidential election? JFK , his daddy and the unions took that election from the people. I guess Chafee thinks the senate seat was his for life? The people of Rhode Island cannot tell you from a secular progressive pinko and that is why you lost. Democrat politics aced you out Chafee. You can thank moveon.org and a host of other liberal groups and not GW Bush. Any state that keeps Patrick Kennedy as congressman is beyond hope. What committee will Patches take over?
LOL LOL LOL
This "man", weak as mush, is not fit to wipe the shoes of a REAL Republican: Rick Santorum (PA)!!
You do no not hear "real" "men" like Rick Santorum and George Allen whining like this fool!
Nancee
"I guess he has forgotten that Bush saved Specter's butt in his last election..."
How much better spent would the Republican Party's money have been here in Pennsylvania in this election on a genuine Republican; i.e., Rick Santorum than throwing it away on this alleged "Centrist"!!!!
Nancee
What I ask is a moderate Republician. It is someone who supports abortion on demand, is aganist the 2nd amendment, is for gay rights, will raise taxes, is anti-war, supports a moderate welfare state. What is it that makes them a Republician. Nothing. Good riddance to a wussy effiminate Moderate. I bet he gets his nails manicured and has never been fishing or hunting or sat in a pickem up truck or drank anything but imported beer. Sillly metrosexual mouse he is.
This article got me thinking. Chaffee thinks he is moderate, but I always thought he was very left.
So I went to the ACU website to see who really is in the "center", figuring anyone with a score between 40-60 could qualify.
I was surprised at the rarity of true center scores. I found:
Olympia Snowe (60)
Nelson of Nebraska (52)
Chaffee (Surprise!) with a 40, he barely made it, but he is there.
That's it. Three members in the true middle, 2 of which are republicans. So next time anyone tells you the repubs are more extreme, tell them there are more radical dems than repubs. Nelson is the only one in the true middle.
Good riddance. He can't even tell himself the truth.
Original draft of Chafee's letter before his aides "corrected" it:
LAST Tuesday, I was one of the many liberal RINO casualties of the anti-GOP virulence that swept the country. Despite my having voted against the Iraq war resolution, supporting abortion on demand, working to ban guns, marry men with other men, being an envirowacko, and working to elect Kerry, I did not win a state that supports my “values”. Why?
Well, it wasn’t because I’m a limp-wristed little douchebag who spent most of my college career snorting cocaine and was only elected to public service because my daddy was a boy scout and considered an icon here, not to mention we Chafees have held ever office in Rhode Island for about 300 years. No sireeee. Although that’s true about me, it’s actually I think that’s why Bush was elected, because I read Molly Ivers book and believe her innuendo.
Back in December 2000, after one of the closest elections in our nation’s history, Vice President-elect Dick Cheney was being accused of having stolen the election during a weekly lunch meeting of a small group of RINOs. Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and I were disgusted that he visited with us on the eve of a session of Congress in which, because of backstabbers like us, the Senate would be evenly divided at 50-50.
As we sat in Senator Specter’s big cozy taxpayer funded office and discussed the coming session, I was startled to hear the vice president dismiss our whiny liberal agenda and instead emphasize a Republican agenda that included significant tax cuts, traditional values, and a muscular, pro-active foreign policy.
I was incredulous. WE RINOs gave them the majority by pretending to Republicans. Why don’t they do our bidding?
In response to the vice president’s comments I quickly sent him a letter and threatened to jump ship if he did not reinforce the views I expressed at the lunch. Excerpts follow:
“As a follow-up to our meeting, I would like to pose a few threats”
“In my view, your guy stole the election from my buddy Al Gore”
“As a ‘fiscal conservative’, I believe we need more taxes on the rich, and hell, on the middle class too, if we can get away with it. This time of continued relative prosperity and peace is an extremely important opportunity to raise taxes.”
“Democrats in Congress expressed support in the past year for the estate tax and continuing the marriage tax penalty. Bi-partisan means we give them what they want, Dick”
“Since Al Gore is the real President, progress on environmental issues could do much to appease tree huggers. I hope the new administration will be open to proposals to ban light bulbs in the name of the environment and raise the gasoline tax to $5.00 a gallon so those wacky SUV drivers will convert to bicycle use.”
“I hope we can work together to pass some of the issues that Democrats advocated during the campaign. If we could take such issues off the table in the early part of the new administration, I believe it would strengthen public support since the majority wanted Al Gore to lead this nation”
Obviously, my threats were not heeded, so my pal Jim Jeffords jumped ship and gave the Senate to Daschle after lying throughout the campaign and claiming he was a loyal Republican. Our country faces daunting challenges. I believe my letter of six years ago is worth reviewing as Democrats prepare contemplate the direction our party, oops, I mean, theirs will head in the future.
Do I have any regrets about Tuesday’s outcome? Yes. I regret that I will no longer be on the government payroll because my famous last name. Democrats and Republicans are going to get serious about tossing out elite snobs like me.
I hope the new Congress and the administration that received, in the president’s words, “a thumping,” can do the Democrats bidding.
Actually, he's right about that. The exit polls showed him with a 63 percent approval rating. But he had an R after his name in a state that, as far as I can tell, is left of Michael Moore. The fact that he never acted like a Republican couldn't save him.
"There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil."
AYN RAND
Given the fact that Chafee very publicly "toyed" with the idea of going Democrat several times since 2000, I have a suspicion that he probably went to the Democrats to cut a deal, and they wouldn't give him the seniority perks he had with the GOP. He gambled that the Republicans would at least hold the Senate, and lost. I doubt that there were ten voters in Rhode Island who didn't know that "Linc" was a RINO critic of the President. Blaming George Bush for his defeat was the last despicable act of a despicable politician.
That is the best guess I have seen about Linc!
I'll bet you are right.
He bet on the GOP for the FIRST time in his life!!!
Glad he lost!
The center means sitting on the fence
Or covering up for what you really are or even waiting with finger held up in the wind to see where everyone else is going. No real guts or principles there.
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