Huckleberries Online

Missing Moderates

Posted by Cindy

Dec. 23, 2009 10 a.m. • 14 comments

“Many have bemoaned the near-extinction of the political species known as the moderate Republican. Once thriving in cold habitats, particularly New England, socially liberal but fiscally conservative Republicans were gradually displaced by Democrats. The loss of these bridge-builders has left the Republican Party largely in the hands of the bridge-burners, and to the detriment of America.

I’ve missed the moderate Republicans, but the recent gang warfare over health care reform has aroused second thoughts. Maine’s Sen. Olympia Snowe is supposed to be one of the last of the breed, but exactly what was the point of her?” More here.

Do you agree with Froma Harrop? Are true GOP moderates MIA?

14 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Cabbage Boy on December 23 at 10:05 a.m.
No they aren’t lost. Moderate Republican’s are alive and well in Washington DC. In fact, they are pretty much the dominant breed on their side of the aisle.

Just because the left has moved even further left doesn’t mean there aren’t any liberal GOP anymore.
Smacky on December 23 at 10:05 a.m.
Because of the shift of republican leadership to extreme conservatism, repulican moderates are now called democrats. They haven’t gone, they just received a new name.
ShoshoneConservative on December 23 at 10:18 a.m.
“Because of the shift of republican leadership to extreme conservatism, ….”

From such moderate stalwarts as Robert Taft, Joseph McCarthy, (early) Barry Goldwater, and Richard Nixon (during his days in the House)? The GOP has always had both a moderate and a conservative branch, going back to the days of Lincoln, but was in the late 1960’s through the 1970’s when the moderates had their time in the sun. Before, and since, conservatives have generally held the party leadership.
Smacky on December 23 at 10:20 a.m.
Yep, and now they have no party.
Sisyphus on December 23 at 10:24 a.m.
They’re being purged from the party. NY-23 last November is a prime example. And its being lead by Palin and Limbaugh.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2009/11/03/limbaugh-palin-urge-right-to-purge-moderates-from-republican-party.html
scootermom on December 23 at 10:31 a.m.
Moderate Republicans are certainly missing at the Statehouse. Idaho has taken a hard turn to the right.
Phaedrus on December 23 at 10:33 a.m.
Just because the left has moved even further left doesn’t mean there aren’t any liberal GOP anymore.-_CB

LOL! It truly is a matter of perspective. From his perch on the political spectrum, Cabbage Boy, sees moderates in the GOP and the left moving further left. From my spot, I don’t think that I have moved to the left, rather the right has gone to such an extreme as to have taken away athe middle nd left me on the left.

We have always had extremists on the left and the right, in this country.However, I believe the greater problem is the hardening of partisan politics that hinders free thinking and compromise. take for example the recent Consumer Protection Act passed in the House, not one Republican vote. Was the legislation so bad that no one in the GOP could support it? Are the GOP lawmakers the only ones who know hat is good legislation? Are all the Democrat legislators corrupt? Are they all so stupid as to be incapable of recognizing bad legislation? I’d venture that the answer to all those questions is no. But the GOP caucus isn’t out to legislate, they are only interested in defeating Democrats in the next round of elections. And after 6 years in the back of the Congressional bus, the Democrats, for the most part, are only interested in pushing through their agenda.
In the health care debate, the GOP spent more time and effort sending out memos to their own caucus with instructions on how to slow down the legislative process than they did in offering suggestions to help craft the bill. Even after some of their suggestions were accepted they unanimously voted against it anyway.
So, when the GOP regains a majority in the House and/or Senate, and they will someday, we can expect to see them ramrodding bills through on party line votes while the Democrats filibuster for the sake of slowing down the process.

We have received the government we deserve.
Cabbage Boy on December 23 at 10:45 a.m.
@Phead,
Are all the Democrat legislators corrupt? Are they all so stupid as to be incapable of recognizing bad legislation?

I’ll wager yes and raise you that fits most of the GOP is DC.

I have to laugh at your “From his perch” jab at my vantage point. You then go on to rail from your perch that you are the definitive norm of all the political spectrum.

Partisan politics, yeah, and the Democrats are such angelic beings of bi-partisanship. Wow Phaed.
jreighley on December 23 at 11:00 a.m.
Last I checked, the GOP nominated a Moderate for president. Left those of us more conservative folks kinda irked.

The truth is that it is that even the moderate democrats are needing substantial bribes to support the agenda of the democratic leadership. - They have moved too far to the left.

Oddly, Bush was more centrist than Obama.
Smacky on December 23 at 11:03 a.m.
jreighley, that is tooo funny. Yah, Bush was a centrist and a uniter. Too funny.
Cabbage Boy on December 23 at 11:06 a.m.
Smacky, from “my perch” that Bush was a centrist is true. Your comment is just evident of how perception has changed. Hence my first comment.
Phaedrus on December 23 at 11:09 a.m.
CB, over react much?

I said from your perch and then spoke from my perch (spot). No jab. What’s the problem?
Lizard_People on December 23 at 12:34 p.m.
Moderates are the true extremists. Giuliani, for example. “right wing” foreign policy (Pro-warfare state) and socially liberal (Pro-welfare state). Wants to do everything to everybody, steal the resources of others for everything. Almost exactly the same as Hiliary Clinton.

How is that different than Bush or Obama?

Left Wing Extremists, God love ‘em, want to take my money and give it to their favorite causes, but end our empire projection.

Right wing Extremists, in the crazy sense, want endless war but will tell the poor to screw themselves.

I’ll take either of those than your “moderate republicans”. With Juan McCain we’d have open borders AND war with Iran right now. Thanks, moderates.

Come to think of it, we’re on that road with Obama anyway.

If only Kucinich had won. Or Ron Paul. Or any Extremist.
spokelooneh on December 23 at 11:59 p.m.
The ultra conservative Republicans took the moderate Republicans and shot them dead, sorry about that, had to be done, no offense, culling the herd and such.

Nixon and Ike would be flaming liberals compared to these ultra-conservative anti-science, Bible -thumping bunch of Republicans around today.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.