Posted on 05/07/2009 12:03:33 PM PDT by calcowgirl
For those writing Republican centrism’s obituary after Arlen Specter’s party switch, holster your quills.
In fact, if the next few weeks go well for the GOP, it might pave the way for a whole new chapter in the left flank of the right-leaning party.
The month of May will be huge, recruiting-wise, for Senate Republicans, with decisions expected from several big-name candidates, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.) and possibly Rep. Mike Castle (Del.).
All would instantly be formidable — with Crist and Castle favored at the outset — and all are noted centrists. They would not only give Republicans a chance to win again, but give Republican centrists a chance to be a force again.
Kirk and Castle routinely rank among the top handful of GOP centrists in the House, and Crist and Ridge are already drawing heat from some conservatives for their decidedly middle-of-the-road records as governors.
But those aren’t the only potential GOP candidates with centrist credentials. Two possibilities in New York — former Gov. George Pataki and Rep. Pete King — are also strong examples, as would be former Sen. John Sununu in New Hampshire if he runs. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is strongly indicating that she’ll run in California, and Rep. Jim Gerlach is considering running in Pennsylvania.
Indeed, it seems almost every Republican recruit who will have any chance of winning this cycle will be a centrist.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Somebody please tell these @ssholes that Specter is NOT a moderate.
They're trying to recruit new birds:
Gerlach Discusses Possible Senate Run
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn, R-Texas, has spoken with U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-6th, of Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Lehigh counties, to discuss the possibility of his running for the U.S. Senate.
Again I will ask, is better to deny seats to democrats in areas where the electorate is mixed or try to be ideologically pure?
It’s My Party Too!
Republican Main Street Party
New Majority
Neuter’d Council for a New America
The hits just keep on comin’
See post #2
Third way — just win baby! /s
I personally demand a conservative for President.
I demand conservatives in conservative districts and states.
But (and I’ll duck)...in places like California and Connecticutt, if they want to run moderates with at least some conservative credentials....
I won’t balk at that. I live in Maryland so you have to just hope to get “as conservative as possible” in total one Party Lib Tard states.
How dumb do they think ‘WE’ are? :-\
Tell me that you believe that someone like Rick Santorum has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning in some place like NY, Maine or Michigan.
Go back and look at what the dems did to win in 2006 and 2008 in areas far less liberal than Mass, NJ or Wisconsin. When they need to go to the center they did. Where they could run hard left and get away with it they did that too.
Seems to have worked really well for them,no?
No. A RINO republican is just as bad as a democrat.
You don’t have to answer that ? :-}
I’m tired of this darn republican crap. The only repubs I would consider voting for are Sarah, Bobby, or possibly Newt. as far as I am concerned the rest of them can join the other marxist party. I’d rather go down holding my principles than sell out to global socialism. Keep the Tea Parties rolling!
See Republican Main Street Partnership (aka, Democrats).
I didn’t see any of our vets named in there.
Agreed. Do conservatives really think a Jindal is going to win a Senate seat in CA or NY at this point in history?
C'mon people. Maybe over time as GOP conservatives slowly overtake RINO's. But to expect them all to be true-blue in '10 is folly.
“.. but give Republican centrists a chance to be a force again.”
LOL!
Most don’t understand this. By all means get the candidates elected who are representtive of more conservative and limited government principles but if you think you can get someone with an ACU rating of 100 elected in Oregon then you are a moron.
Keep telling yourself that....
By having the majority in Congress and the Senate the democrats like Henry Waxmen, Pelosi, Frank and Durbin have real power.
The GOP needs to be stripped down to the grass roots and reconstituted with new folks who really do GET IT.
Third party looking more viable all the time.
Both/And - run third party candidates against these RINOs - even formidable RINOs (if that is the truth about them). But support vehemently the Conservative wing of the R party. That way, what you’re suggesting can happen and the R party will shift rightward.
I agree with others here about propaganda. The media and lefties want NOTHING more than for the Conservatives to cower in defeatism and back down. They KNOW we are the last line of defense between them and plundering this nation clean.
Those centrist RINOs will only accelerate the overall demise of the nation long term, while perhaps slightly slowing down the radical leftists immediate advance.
Let us not be fooled again. Fool me once, shame on me...but fool me 15 or 20 times??
If he was a woman, he’d have more competition for dumbest, what with Murray and Landrieu and others.
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