I agree that the Republican Party has let too many liberals hijack the party.
Let’s examine why. My hypothesis would be that liberal Republicans are often the “marginal” voters, meaning that they are disproportionately the swing/deciding votes on close calls in the House and Senate.
These folks are entitled to their positions, and being middle-of-the-road and stuck with only two parties, they have every right to be centrists. Why hate on them? Why force them into the arms of Democrats?
So how to deal with them? I have some ideas. First, don’t systematically cave. Second, set expecations for deference and respect for party colleagues — to apply both to moderates and to conservatives. These include an abundance of deference and respect for party colleagues and positions, even when we disagree. Etc.
I guess my larger point is that I despise A. Specter not because of the moderate positions he holds, but because he’s a dis-loyal, look-out-for-#1 d-bag who dis-respects the Party and gets his way far too often.
And where I fault conservatives is that they attack his positions (which he is entitled to hold, of course, of course) rather than his character, temperament, and behavior.
If Republicans are going to rebuild their party, we need to do better making distinctions such as these.
Well the R had better do SOMETHING different, because the wussy way they conduct themselves is not working!!
And ok, ok, I agree with everything in this post too. Darn you, I’m going to be taking your side if we don’t watch it!
Thanks for the posts and now i will say “keep ‘em coming”!
Not that anyone cares, but let me elaborate with two specific examples: Robert Bork and John Bolton. Two absolutely great, powerful, compelling conservative minds. And at the same time whiners whose input on many matters of overriding importance ends up counterproductive.
I write specifically of Bork’s writings around H. Meiers and Bolton’s writings around Bush policies on Iran. After it was increasingly apparent that Bush would withdraw the Meiers nomination, Bork published an Op-Ed piece in the WSJ that was so over-the-top critical of Bush, and on issues having nothing to do with Harriet M, that I lost all respect for him as an individual. He ended up being a tool of the Left (Republicans ‘eating their own’ etc etc).
Same thing with Bolton. Bush expended a lot of political capital bringing him in to his Administration, and since leaving Bolton has been unrelenting in his criticism of Bush and somehow unable to draw any meaningful distinctions between Bush and Obama. Again, the MSM points to Bolton both as a right-winger and as evidence that Republicans are at war with each other. So while I hang on every word that Bolton says and writes, I think at the same time that he’s a menace. Not to be trusted. Working against the best interests of the party. Bad news.