Posted on 06/12/2007 11:18:58 AM PDT by dangus
RINOS could be gone in six years. For starters, Conservatives can prevent the renomination of three of the worst RINOs, with minimal danger of losing their seats to the Democrats:
Sen. Chuck Hagel, although only 60, was thought to be possibly retiring at the end of this session of Congress. He has been the leading Republican supporter of surrender to Islamofascism. He was a member of the gang of Seven Republicans who opposed the use of Senate Rules to prevent a Supreme Court filibuster, as well as a champion of liberal Senator Arlen Specter. And, behind only John McCain and Lindsey Graham, is the third biggest promoter of the Senate Amnesty bill. He is opposed in the 2008 by Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning.
Sen. John Warner opposed the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the United States Supreme Court. Although he has drifted slowly to the Republican mainstream, he even voted to bar gays from the Boy Scouts, and has been the fifth biggest promoter of the Felon Importation Act (also known as the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill.) At 80, he could easily retire after this Congress. Then again, a campaign by former Gov. Gilmore or (I kid you not) Attorney General Killgore might help inspire to retire with his dignity intact.
Sen. Lindsay Graham has to be about the most hated man in South Carolina. Elected in 2002 as a conservative crusader, Graham quickly moved hard to the left, becoming the poster child of sleazy inside-the-beltway whoring up to the liberals and "mavericks." Happy to vote conservative whenever his vote isn't needed, Graham was a founder of the Gang of Seven, he supported the McCain-Feingold Corrupt Incumbent Protection Act, and was the main point man on the Kennedy Immigration bill that even Jon Kyl disassociated himself from. He seems to have a preternatural knack for inspiring hatred, such as calling the vast majority of South Carolinians (black AND white) who oppose amnesty, "bigots," and sobbing to Barrack Hussein Obama that Obama was betraying conservatives who had "walked the plank" for him. If ever any Republican needs a knife in the back, Graham has always been most willing to deliver it. Fortunately, there is an ample supply of potential primary opponents.
Ted Stevens is pro-choice, pro-gay, and pro-illegal; he is also 83 years old.
By ousting Graham, Hagel, Warner, or Stevens, conservatives would almost certainly get someone more conservative to represent them. It's a little trickier to call for the ouster of Pete Domenici, who is also up for re-election. Domenici tends to be pro-life, but he has been a fervent supporter of illegal immigration. With New Mexico trending more and more liberal, what follows him could be worse. Personally, if no strong candidate emerges as a challenger, I'd hold my nose and re-elect Domenici. At 76, he is probably will serve only 7 more years, until 2014, by which time hopefully the New Mexico Republican Party will have re-established itself much better.
Thad Cochran is also up for re-election in 2008. He is fairly non-offensive, but has established a decidedly centrist voting record, taking choosing to side with Kennedy over conservatives a full 1/3rd of the time, making him more liberal than many of the very few notable white Democrats from Mississippi (such as DINO Rep. Gene Taylor). He will be 72 years old before being sworn in again. If he declines to run for re-election, he will almost certainly be replaced by someone more conservative.
2010:
George Bush and Rick Santorum pulled out all the stops to ensure the re-election of Arlen Specter over conservative challenger Pat Toomey. Santorum's re-election effort was doomed when Specter immediately pledged as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee to keep pro-lifers off the Supreme Court. Specter is not only the most liberal Republican, he seems to relish heaping cruelties apon staffers and purposely sabotaging other Republicans. Sadly, it may only be his health that keeps him from running for re-election; he is a 77-year-old cancer survivor.
Media whore, thy name is John McCain. But the man who consistently ensures he represents the Republicans on the Sunday talk shows by crusading for whatever pet issue 60 Minutes has drummed up is not looking likely to be re-elected. He is 72, but the savage brutality heaped apon him by his Vietnamese captors leaves him older and more distempered than most septuagenarians. More significantly, his once rock-steady 70% approval ratings have plummeted to below break-even. Surely, challengers must smell blood in the water of his red state. (Frankly, I hope State Senator Russel Pearce runs.)
After watching fellow liberal Ohioan Mike DeWine obliterated in his re-election effort, George Voinovich seems only to have redoubled his effort to infuriate the Republican base. Can the Republican Party of Ohio, devestated by liberalism and corruption rebuild itself by 2010? Those who defeated DeWine look like they will be soon feasting on the main course. Voinovich will be 72 in 2008, so he may even simply retire due to age.
2012
How bland is Dick Lugar? He ran for president, and couldn't even attract enough attention to have people make fun of his name. He has escaped conservative criticism in the very red state of Indiana, despite compiling one of the most liberal voting records in all of Washington. He is a member of the gang of seven, a pro-illegal stalwart, but he's also already 74. He may need help retiring, anyway.
Either the RINOS go or the whole Republican party does a Whig.
To paraphrase another Freeper:
Sen. Graham, if you make enemies in certain high places, you’re doing something right. But if every last living soul spits on the ground you walk on, you’re a frickin’ idiot.
We still have to deal with Mexican Mel down here in Florida as well.
You forgot Collins, up for re-election in 2008, and Snowe, up in 2010.
I am going to spend every spare minute and every spare dime I have to defeat all RINO candidates, and to get some new conservative blood in office. Our nation depends on it.
Your headline begs the question: if moderate republicans (and Hagel, incidentally DOES NOT belong on this list, appropos his opposition to the war), then what, pray tell, are they to be replaced with?
Seems to me the choice then lay between democrats and One-percenter republicans.
In that case, I’d rather have your “RINOs”, thnak you.
A bizarre statement I made on another thread has appeared where “Dangus” should appear as author.
>> You forgot Collins, up for re-election in 2008, and Snowe, up in 2010. <<
Check the headline.
Unfortunately, while these guys don’t represent the GOP, they have been successful in acquiring enough Dem votes to stay in office. The place to beat them is the primary.
Here in Michigan we got rid of RINO Joe Schwarz and replaced him with conservative Tim Walberg.
My biggest problem with Ted Stevens has nothing to do with social issues.
It’s his blatant and unashamed use of pork barrel projects and earmarks for Alaska.
His attitude during last year’s “Bridge To Nowhere” fracas showed how arrogant and out of touch he is.
John Warner has no dignity. He is a RINO of the worst type - openly contemptuous of conservatives, and of the Virginia Republican party. He is a true Country Club Republican, most comfortable when in the minority.
Guys like Coleman in Minnesota, I can stand him because at least he seems like he's on our side. When he goes against us, like on environmental issues, at least it's understandable due to the kind of state he's from. Hagel and McCain have no need to be libs; their states are conservative. They are doing it for attention and because they are not really with us. I say the hell with them, get rid of them, rebuild with a stronger group of conservatives and get something done next time. There will always be RINOs, but if a few of them are kicked out, and we elect a conservative President, the RINOs that remain will go along with the program.
Wow! You surrender so quickly, the French are in awe! You’ll notice that Stevens, Cochran, Warner, Hagel and Graham are all from solidly red states. Hagel already trails a statewide office-holder in primary polls. I didn’t explicitly didn’t target Domenici because he’s probably as good as we could hope for. Aside from Warner, who I expect to retire, Hagel has the most prominent Democrat elected to statewide office, Ben Nelson. And Nelson is more conservative than Hagel!
Why bother electing Republicans if you think there’s no hope of doing better than Hagel or Graham?
>> Unfortunately, while these guys don’t represent the GOP, they have been successful in acquiring enough Dem votes to stay in office. <<
That and the fact that the opposition in the general election is frequently worse!
>> The place to beat them is the primary. <<
Absolutely! I am most decidedly NOT calling for the election of Democrats, and I’m NOT delusional enough to think that voting for third parties does much more than give Democrats half my vote.
I don’t like RINO’s, but lets worry about winning elections from the democrats first.
You are so right about Warner: he has total contempt for the gullible people who have supported him over the years.
>> I don’t like RINO’s, but lets worry about winning elections from the democrats first. <<
Two big problems with your theory:
1. If you play by that strategy, you will always find you need just a few more Republicans.
2. The primaries come first.
Chuck Hagel was NOT a member of the Gang of 14. Get your facts straight.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.