tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21079623.post5061366086681063532..comments2023-04-20T23:23:08.705-07:00Comments on NeoMugwump: Why Moderate Republicans MatterDennis Sandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06115504318620722199noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21079623.post-36814941235867668472009-05-06T13:00:00.000-07:002009-05-06T13:00:00.000-07:00My response to this is up...My response to this is up...Mike at The Big Stickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11510309563965977831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21079623.post-46459568719650294022009-05-06T12:18:00.000-07:002009-05-06T12:18:00.000-07:00Moderate Republicans have one big problem above al...Moderate Republicans have one big problem above all others...they are too damn polite. For too long they have not asserted their majority in the GOP...that is right I said majority...<br /><br />Even Lee Atwater (who was a friend of mine) knew that the majority in the GOP are fiscal conservatives, strong on national defense but social moderates...which actually makes them more consistently conservative than those we call conservative today.<br /><br />Today's conservatives are a far cry from traditional Republican philosophy...many of them are cultural conservatives but on matters of limited government many of their leaders believe in big government as long as they are in power....it was faux Republicans of this ilk that led the Bush folks astray...Bush Junior did not have the ideological grounding as a real Republican to resist the lure of big government and the power that came with it.<br /><br />Nancy Johnson, Susan Molinari and I founded Republicans for Choice in 1990 in reaction to the Webster Decision by the Supreme Court after a long conversation with Lee. He agreed with me that the GOP majority was exactly where I described earlier and that the anti choice stance by the Party was inconsistent with basic Republican principles of "keep government out of our lives" and the government that governs least, governs best....<br />He said to me ..."what do you want me to do...go to George Bush (41) and say oops I screwed up...I got him to change his position on abortion for the (1988)primaries." I told him if Bush Sr. really believed in his anti choice position now..so be it ...but let the Party go back to where it belongs....Lee went on to coin the term "Big Tent" for the GOP but he died before the 1992 convention...otherwise things today might be different....aewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03493437255264856663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21079623.post-63084946906596517022009-05-05T17:22:00.000-07:002009-05-05T17:22:00.000-07:00Dennis,
I'd like to have a conversation with you ...Dennis,<br /><br />I'd like to have a conversation with you about this...maybe via both our blogs. Please drop me a line and let me know if you are up for it.Mike at The Big Stickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11510309563965977831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21079623.post-14469079814167352932009-05-05T16:09:00.000-07:002009-05-05T16:09:00.000-07:00A terrific article. I posted a link to this on my...A terrific article. I posted a link to this on my blog - Plaintalk From the Texas Hill Country - It's My party Too. <br /><br />http://plaintalkgop.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/why-moderate-republicans-matter/<br /><br />Great job with this commentary.Plain Talk From The Texas Hill Countryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04939195560025145373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21079623.post-87086129194969386292009-05-05T13:00:00.000-07:002009-05-05T13:00:00.000-07:00Thanks for this thoughtful post.
Would that we co...Thanks for this thoughtful post.<br /><br />Would that we could foster, across the political spectrum, a climate in which bridge-building was not equated with selling out your own party. I'm really weary of the "shrillest voice gets a platform" mentality--the divisiveness that seems to have been building over the last couple of decades. <br /><br />Here's hoping we can start valuing conversation, substance and thoughtfulness more than sound bytes! Good on ya for your careful breakout here.Choralgrrlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06657324651887737580noreply@blogger.com