Posted on 01/20/2010 10:25:30 AM PST by bmweezer
Massachusetts voters have created a political upheaval not seen in recent memory. However, now that the red, white and blue balloons in Boston have come down, it’s time for Republicans to have a reality check.
Scott Brown is a moderate Republican, at best
There once was a time when the Republican Party was truly a big tent, in the sense that conservative and moderates a like worked together for the good of the country and to a lesser extent, for the party. However, in recent years, as the balance of power in Washington got so close between Republicans and Democrats, causing one or two votes separating the two sides, on key issues certain Republicans were forced to show their left-of-center hands, with some leaving the party all together. (Think: Arlen Specter, Jeff Jeffords, to name two.)
While we are all thrilled about Brown’s victory, in some respects he will quickly become a disappointment. While the Senator-elect will be with us on health care, defense and on ways we can create private sector jobs (less government), he won’t make us happy on other issues. For example, while Brown confirms that he will vote against the current health care package (whatever that is), he also indicated that he is open to restarting the debate to get a bill passed. In addition, don’t forget that Brown is pro-choice, which down the road will certainly cause some conservatives pause. And let us not forget that he will represent blue-state Massachusetts and will be up for reelection in just three years time.
It’s only 41 seats
Brown’s accession will quickly slow down President Obama’s agenda, but not completely. One might recall that when the president was inaugurated, the Democrats did a lot in the U.S. Senate when they also had (just) 59 seats. Then, Arlen Specter caucused with the Republicans, but the president was still able to get enough Republican support to push through the stimulus plan and the like, because people like Specter supported the president. While the GOP now has 41 seats again (the Democrats gained their 60th seat when Specter switched parties last spring), it only takes the Democrats to peel off one GOPer to move their legislation through. The only way a filibuster can stop the president is if all 41 members of the Republican team stay in place and that might not happen in certain cases.
We need moderate Republicans in moderate states, like it or not.
Most of us on the right would like to believe that the entire nation is conservative and because of that, all moderate and left-wingers are bad people with bad ideas. However, Brown's victory needs to show us that for the GOP to survive (and govern), the party needs to return to the days of a 'Big Tent Strategy.' In blue-states in particular, a tried-and-true conservative will most likely not win. However, moderate GOPers will. Therefore, we need to keep that in mind when we discuss our party's goal of taking back the majority - it cannot happen with just conservatives, like it or not. Conservatives, therefore should praise the recruitment of moderate candidates in areas where they are required, while helping to defeat less conservative Democrats in states where true GOP conservatives can be elected. (Think Arkansas, Indiana)
However, 2010 isn’t 2009
And yet, we should be optimistic about the year ahead. First and foremost, the Brown election proves that the president’s popularity is indeed waning. Representatives on the Hill react to presidential poll numbers and with the 2010 mid-terms looming, Democrats know their days could be numbered. Unlike in 2008 and 2009 when all woes could be blamed on George W. Bush, in 2010, it is the Democrats that will get the blame on the economy, national security and the like if things don’t change. Therefore, Brown’s election is simply one battle won in a long war ahead.
we will replace all of them in order..
I see it's already started...
Unitl yesterday, having a moderatate Republican senator in Massachusetts was unthinkable, much less a conservative Republican.
I guess it is all relative. I would rather see Mitt Romney than John Kerry.
It can be done.
The PEOPLE must be ACTIVE in doing this.
Forget putting up your feet and smiling like a Cheshire cat. The REAL work remains. Get Brown on board with Reagan's successful policies.
The Brown win is going to make a lot of moderate Democrats uneasy following Obama, Pelosi, and Reid down the radical road. That is the good news.
Brown won because of the Independent vote. Will other Republicans have to move to the center in order to win?
Right now, anything is better than a “Kennedy Democrat” in that seat!!
The RINO brigade was bound to come down on Brown. Surprised it happened so quickly.
While I am NO fan of John McCain, I would still rather have him in office than the raging marxist Obama. There were many in here in 2008 that tried to make the case that there was zero difference between the two.
Here we go again......This could be the end of FR.
Being the underdog never deters a driven Brown (his unusual background)
And an Excerpt from the Boston.com article:
****************************EXCERPT******************************
Brown has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and in the past has been an advocate for a ballot question to amend the state constitution and ban same-sex marriage.
This guy is much more conservative that what you would normally get from a NE Republican moderate.
If he’s strong on fiscal and defense issues then who cares if he’s a little squishy on the Social stuff.
It started last night a couple of hours after he won. Maybe a couple, maybe one.
We’ll just have to wait and see how he does. And put pressure on him when he goes off track.
For now, can’t we just be happy?
For some, the only way they can be happy is to be pissed off...
excellent ....... who cares about gop, dems, etc.... they are now irrelevant to this wave...
NEVER REELECT ANYONE.... HAVE THE VOTES ADOPT THIS AND YOU DONT NEED TERM LIMITS..... WE CAN DO IT OUR SELVES.
But we can and should do a lot better than squishy moderates like Lindsey Grahamnesty in a state like South Carolina.
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