The GOP is starting to sound more and more like the Communist Party of North Korea every day. Moderates used to have a place in the GOP, but it's becoming that Republican leaders want synchophants and not leaders who can think for themselves. Witness what happened to Sheila Kiscaden a former moderate Republican senator from the Southeastern part of Minnesota. She did not win her primary in 2002 and was on the outs because of her moderate stance on issues like abortion. She switched to the Independence Party and won. She decided to caucus with the GOP. Her support for a Democratic tax bill and calling for a bipartisan agreement on spending sealed her fate. She said,
"I never tried to undermine the caucus and I supported caucus positions 95 percent of the time. That wasn't good enough for Dick Day." (state Senate Republican leader.)
So, the caucus loses and independent voice and the GOP becomes more inflexible. I don't know how this will be a winning strategy for them.
It makes me wonder if I should be an independent.
Posted by Dennis at May 7, 2004 01:39 AMLarry Said: "I think that I want to become a Liberal Republican(shudder the thought!),any advice?"
Attend and vote in the Republican party caucus in your senate district or county unit.
Posted by: dorsano at September 12, 2004 02:08 AMI think that I want to become a Liberal Republican(shudder the thought!),any advice?
Posted by: LARRY at September 11, 2004 06:56 PMGreat site fatty lose weight with reductil and reductil uk
Posted by: reductil uk at July 8, 2004 11:59 PMGet it up boy! She will be happy!
Posted by: Cialis at July 7, 2004 04:43 PMThe MN state senate isn't up for reelection this year.
Do you think Democrats will win any House seats?
Posted by: James at June 4, 2004 11:23 PMJames from MI wrote:
"Keep the faith, and keep in touch with all of us. And thank you for being here and keep this line of communication up."
I second that Dennis.
Posted by: dorsano at May 8, 2004 12:54 AMSome errata. I meant to say "This is nothing new." This has been something evolving for some time. It took a critical mass when the "establishment" Republican party, lead by the current president's father, made peace with the activists recruited and led by Pat Robertson during the '88 campaign. Right now, there is really no incentive (nor inclination to change), as the Republicans have unprecedented power in most state legislatures, and dominate both houses of Congress and the White House, something Republicans haven't enjoyed in nearly a century.
As a liberal Republican (I am not ashamed of that label, for though I am a fiscal conservative--I believe in the free enterprise system), who cares about the environment and is outright liberal on most social issues, I refuse to let the intolerant voices of hate and prejudice become the primary message of our party.
Dennis, I appreciate your particular anguish over this, and I happen to share it. Sometimes it is a matter of personal integrity to our own conscience and to our loved ones and friends to ask if people like us can truly call ourselves Republicans. I have read your blog off and on over the past several months, and have had seen plenty of frothing-at-the-mouth right-wingers say that we shouldn't call ourselves Republicans unless we toe that rigid line.
With in spite of what happened to the Minnesota state senator, and what nearly happened to Arlen Specter, we cannot let the turkeys get us down.
Keep the faith, and keep in touch with all of us. And thank you for being here and keep this line of communication up.
Posted by: James from Michigan at May 8, 2004 12:10 AMDennis,
I'm not so sure. We are seeing the endgame of the right-wingers in action. You are right about the totalitarian mind-set. In my view this is something new. There is so much more I want to say but I don't want to do it in a public blog, here (my first time ever to posting in something like this).
North Korea, eh? I wouldn't go that far. That would mean the cult of personality, and we aren't quite there. I would say the current Republican party, nationally, and as it appears, like your state, behaves like the Soviet Union, in a rigidly bound, top-down manner.
Good luck w/your job search.
Posted by: James from Michigan at May 7, 2004 11:58 PM"There are very few moderate Republicans left in the Legislature," Kiscaden said.
Some of the State House seats in our great state Dennis, turned on only a couple of hundred votes. State wide, the total margin for all races was in only four digits (if I'm not mistaken).
It looks as if this Nov will bring record turnouts. Perhaps losing some House and Senate seats will bring moderate Republicans and Independents in the state to the Republican Primaries in 2006 and 2008 and we will run more candidates like Sheila Kiscaden.
Minnesota is not TX or GA and when it becomes clear to more people about what is happening, they'll say no.
Posted by: dorsano at May 7, 2004 07:33 PM