Comments on: GOP Resurgence Needs More than Run to the Center http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center Building a conservatism that can win again Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:50:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: 02/12/10 Gary Johnson Daily News Roundup « Johnson For America Blog http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82706 02/12/10 Gary Johnson Daily News Roundup « Johnson For America Blog Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:02:25 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82706 [...] GOP resurgence needs more than run to the center — FrumForum Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Best Lyme Quote – Philedelphia Daily News – September 28, 2009No TitleEx-NBA star World B. Free’s ex-lover slain outside family home in Brooklyn [...] [...] GOP resurgence needs more than run to the center — FrumForum Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Best Lyme Quote – Philedelphia Daily News – September 28, 2009No TitleEx-NBA star World B. Free’s ex-lover slain outside family home in Brooklyn [...]

]]> By: Republicans United. » Centrists + Ideas= GOP Resurgence http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82389 Republicans United. » Centrists + Ideas= GOP Resurgence Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:13:28 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82389 [...] is a response to a post written by ED Kain at Frum Forum.  He was responding a post I wrote at Frum Forum as [...] [...] is a response to a post written by ED Kain at Frum Forum.  He was responding a post I wrote at Frum Forum as [...]

]]> By: balconesfault http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82312 balconesfault Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:17:13 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82312 sinz: <b>It means that the right-wing of the GOP should have enthusiastically backed Scott Brown (look at how much Brown gained for the GOP), rather than refusing to work for his election due to his pro-choice stand on abortion.</b> Ironically, that might have been just the thing to scuttle the Brown bandwagon. sinz: It means that the right-wing of the GOP should have enthusiastically backed Scott Brown (look at how much Brown gained for the GOP), rather than refusing to work for his election due to his pro-choice stand on abortion.

Ironically, that might have been just the thing to scuttle the Brown bandwagon.

]]> By: sinz54 http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82307 sinz54 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:04:30 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82307 mpolito: <blockquote. But part of the deal of being in a big-tent party is backing each other up. </blockquote> "Backing each other up" works both ways. It means that the right-wing of the GOP should stop this crusade to purge so-called "RINOs" out of the party. It means that the right-wing of the GOP should have enthusiastically backed Scott Brown (look at how much Brown gained for the GOP), rather than refusing to work for his election due to his pro-choice stand on abortion. If another Scott Brown comes along (say a popular Republican running in VT or OR), the right-wing of the GOP must support him, not walk away from him because he fails one of their social litmus tests. mpolito: <blockquote. But part of the deal of being in a big-tent party is backing each other up.
“Backing each other up” works both ways.

It means that the right-wing of the GOP should stop this crusade to purge so-called “RINOs” out of the party.

It means that the right-wing of the GOP should have enthusiastically backed Scott Brown (look at how much Brown gained for the GOP), rather than refusing to work for his election due to his pro-choice stand on abortion.

If another Scott Brown comes along (say a popular Republican running in VT or OR), the right-wing of the GOP must support him, not walk away from him because he fails one of their social litmus tests.

]]> By: oldgal http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82299 oldgal Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:48:55 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82299 I don't care about the labels. I want to see candidates who show a good understanding of the problems the country faces , who entertain the ideas of others and who formulate well thought out solutions. Admittedly, this does pretty much rule out the ideologues of whatever stripe. I don’t care about the labels. I want to see candidates who show a good understanding of the problems the country faces , who entertain the ideas of others and who formulate well thought out solutions. Admittedly, this does pretty much rule out the ideologues of whatever stripe.

]]> By: Shawn Summers http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82218 Shawn Summers Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:19:47 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82218 Mpolito, while I agree with your overall point, that's a curious reading of history regarding Scozzafava. She was bullied out of the race by a national smear campaign and a third-party challenger from the right. The RNC may have been behind her, but practically no one else in the movement was. Once she dropped out, the RNC's money was lost, regardless of whether Hoffman or Owens won at that point. Would it have been better for her to have endorsed Hoffman and "rewarded" running insurgent conservative candidates against the RNC's wishes? Considering that it was Hoffman, not Owens, who had ruined her candidacy, I can't really blame her for being bitter about it. Mpolito, while I agree with your overall point, that’s a curious reading of history regarding Scozzafava. She was bullied out of the race by a national smear campaign and a third-party challenger from the right. The RNC may have been behind her, but practically no one else in the movement was. Once she dropped out, the RNC’s money was lost, regardless of whether Hoffman or Owens won at that point. Would it have been better for her to have endorsed Hoffman and “rewarded” running insurgent conservative candidates against the RNC’s wishes? Considering that it was Hoffman, not Owens, who had ruined her candidacy, I can’t really blame her for being bitter about it.

]]> By: mpolito http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82217 mpolito Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:04:00 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82217 In all fairness, moderates have to accept that since twice as many people call themselves "conservative" as call themselves "liberal" in this country, conservatives are, for the time being, going to be more important in the GOP than liberals are in the DNC. That does not mean conservatives alone win elections: of course they do not, at least not in most places. But part of the deal of being in a big-tent party is backing each other up. Dede Scozzafava, for example, was a moderate who stabbed conservatives in the back by endorsing the Democrat after dropping out! The RNC dumped tons of money into her campaign, and this was her repayment. I think conservatives should be willing to embrace moderates if they can expect to get a little back for doing so. In all fairness, moderates have to accept that since twice as many people call themselves “conservative” as call themselves “liberal” in this country, conservatives are, for the time being, going to be more important in the GOP than liberals are in the DNC. That does not mean conservatives alone win elections: of course they do not, at least not in most places. But part of the deal of being in a big-tent party is backing each other up. Dede Scozzafava, for example, was a moderate who stabbed conservatives in the back by endorsing the Democrat after dropping out! The RNC dumped tons of money into her campaign, and this was her repayment. I think conservatives should be willing to embrace moderates if they can expect to get a little back for doing so.

]]> By: aDude http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82198 aDude Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:51:21 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82198 It will be interesting to see what kind of Republican emerges in the race to fill the seat of the newly departed Murtha. Will we see a Brown/Christie or will this by NY-23 all over again? It will be interesting to see what kind of Republican emerges in the race to fill the seat of the newly departed Murtha. Will we see a Brown/Christie or will this by NY-23 all over again?

]]> By: E.D. Kain http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82194 E.D. Kain Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:54:38 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82194 sinz - I'm all for Big Tent conservatism. That's why Redstate just doesn't work for me. Mike - I think Gary Johnson is great. I've started posting about him at True/Slant as well, and plan on following him (and writing about him) fairly closely. It's premature, but I would plan on seeing me endorse him for the 2012 GOP nomination, and push pretty hard in that direction. sinz – I’m all for Big Tent conservatism. That’s why Redstate just doesn’t work for me.

Mike – I think Gary Johnson is great. I’ve started posting about him at True/Slant as well, and plan on following him (and writing about him) fairly closely. It’s premature, but I would plan on seeing me endorse him for the 2012 GOP nomination, and push pretty hard in that direction.

]]> By: Mike at The Big Stick http://www.frumforum.com/gop-resurgence-needs-more-than-run-to-the-center/comment-page-1#comment-82186 Mike at The Big Stick Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:40:57 +0000 http://www.frumforum.com/?p=21844#comment-82186 ED, your comments about Gary Johnson carry a lot of weight IMO. Johnson embodies what I believe about Republicans which is that all of these sub-labels are pointless. Yeah, he's uber conservative on fiscal policy...but could be considered moderate to liberal on drug laws. So then how do you label the guy? And truly, what is the point? It goes back again and again to our old conversation about labeling <i>positions</i> rather than labeling <i>people</i>. This gets to the meat of the matter and allows politicians to be flexible and appeal to the widest group of voters. ED, your comments about Gary Johnson carry a lot of weight IMO. Johnson embodies what I believe about Republicans which is that all of these sub-labels are pointless. Yeah, he’s uber conservative on fiscal policy…but could be considered moderate to liberal on drug laws. So then how do you label the guy? And truly, what is the point? It goes back again and again to our old conversation about labeling positions rather than labeling people. This gets to the meat of the matter and allows politicians to be flexible and appeal to the widest group of voters.

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