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June 19, 2013
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 The Next Republican PartyPosted on Apr 22, 2012LOS ANGELES—Once upon a time there was a political tribe called "liberal Republicans," led by chieftains named Nelson Rockefeller, Jacob Javits, Mac Mathias and others. They were generally liberal on social issues and relatively conservative on fiscal issues.
They are extinct now. They were caught in a kind of pincer movement between conservative Republicans demanding ideological purity in their own party and more liberal Democrats, who were able to replace them by attacking them for not being liberal enough, particularly on issues like Vietnam and welfare. They were too liberal for their own party, but not quite liberal enough for the opposition. Some, in fact, like John Lindsay, just gave up and became Democrats. That never really worked, although conservative Democrats from the South, among them Strom Thurmond and Richard Shelby, were able to find Southern comfort in the Republican Party.
Then there were "moderate Republicans," say, Arlen Specter and Olympia Snowe. They occasionally voted with Democrats, and harder-line Republicans punished them, driving them out of the party or out of politics altogether.
I have been thinking about those good old days, before politics turned toxic. There was a time, at least in Washington, when people in both parties were often neighbors and friends. Their children went to the same schools and the parents would chat on the sidelines of soccer games and such. They had dinners at each other’s houses, even on holidays like Thanksgiving and Passover. And, yes, they often voted and debated against each other in Congress, then had a drink or two after the last gavel and talked about kids and the country.
No more. The halls of the Capitol are filled with hate and dirty looks.
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"The New Debate in the Republican Party Needs to Be Between Conservatives and Libertarians."
So much for moderates and moderation. Gillespie and Welch began their piece with a DeMint remark widely quoted in Republican circles:
"Right after the 2010 midterm elections brought a wave of DeMint-backed tea party freshmen to Capitol Hill, the Palmetto State’s junior senator proclaimed that ‘you can’t be a fiscal conservative and not be a social conservative,’ a comment that was widely viewed as a slap at libertarians. DeMint, a reliable defender of the Patriot Act and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is an avowed opponent of what he calls the ‘destructive forces of secularism.’ He is a staunch pro-lifer, has favored a constitutional ban on flag burning, and is on the record saying that gays shouldn’t be allowed to teach in public schools."
In the interview, DeMint makes an obvious attempt to make peace with libertarians—who disagree with him on all those conservative personal and military issues—or at least begin a dialogue between the two right wings of his party. Again and again, he praises libertarian icon Ron Paul and says conservatives like himself have got to listen to the cranky old Texas congressman (and father of Rand Paul).
"I don’t like it when folks say I’m Senator Tea Party," said DeMint. "I didn’t start the tea party, but they came along and they were espousing the same concerns I had. This is a very divergent group of Americans. I find libertarians, conservatives, independents, people who’ve never been involved with politics, some recovering liberals—they’re just concerned mostly about the spending and the debt and the growing, intrusive government. That’s uniting people. They don’t agree on the social issues, they don’t agree on the military and all of those things, but they know our country is in trouble, and that’s why they’re so potent. They are the united aspect of what the Republican Party needs to embrace right now."
He emphasizes the issues old-line conservatives agree on, especially smaller and decentralized government, and makes a stab at supporting the individual freedom libertarians adore. Enough. He says much more; he is the man with a plan to create a new, united Republican Party and we will be hearing a lot more of him in the coming years.
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By Ed Romano, April 28, 2012 at 8:03 am Link to this comment
Good Morning Comrades, If you think Nelson ( Attica tat tat) Rockefeller and Jacob( Are my lips moving ) Javits were in any way “liberal”..... you have either just arrived on the planet or recently fallen off the vegetable truck.
Report thisBy BR549, April 23, 2012 at 4:12 pm Link to this comment
berniem, April 23 at 2:40 pm Link to this comment
“Enough of calling these ignorant, intolerant, bigoted, mean spirited, and greedy creatures “conservative”! What they are are reactionary, proto-fascists determined to bend society to their myopic and narrow minded world view and punish in any way they can legally ram thru a corrupted system of government anyone who questions their motives or devine authority.”
BINGO!
What was interesting in some of material I posted earlier is that conservative politicians of 200 years ago held views of BOTH the current parties. Both of these parties bear no ideologic resemblance to any of the former parties of the same name; ...... and yet people still think that “their” party is sacrosanct and can do no wrong. Pablum anyone?
Report thisBy berniem, April 23, 2012 at 3:40 pm Link to this comment
Enough of calling these ignorant, intolerant, bigoted, mean spirited, and greedy creatures “conservative”! What they are are reactionary, proto-fascists determined to bend society to their myopic and narrow minded world view and punish in any way they can legally ram thru a corrupted system of government anyone who questions their motives or devine authority. Also, enough of this garbage about “values” that are nothing more than rhetorical cudgels to beat down any views contrary to theirs regarding what should constitute a righteous civil society. Living in that part of Pa. between Philly & Pgh. (AKA Alabama), I find so many of my fellow inhabitants to be difficult to be around for any length of time because they inexorably turn to scapegoating and obnoxious references to racial and other ethnic/minority groups whenever discussing the woes facing our nation. Logic and reason find no home here and in so many other parts of this country as can be seen in the current political climate!
Report thisBy MariaEugenia, April 23, 2012 at 3:05 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I saw my “ex” at lunch & we discussed the possibility that the US will invade Iran or Venezuela or another country before the year ends; “I don’t think so; the US is a country of peace”, says he who had to migrate to the US because of the “peace” we brought to his native Central America. His mind has been made up, and nothing or nobody will change it. No, I did not choose him for his brain exactly, and I don’t argue with him.
Report thisBy Ed Romano, April 23, 2012 at 1:04 pm Link to this comment
The difference between a “liberal” Republican and a hard line Republican? The hard liner wants to skin the majority of the population entirely….the liberal says…No,only half way. I think Elko John hit it on the head…The Democrats today are really the only old line liberal Republicans…..and as mass murderer Harry Truman once remarked….If you give the public a choice between a Republican and a Republican, they’ll choose the Republican every time.
Report thisBy ElkoJohn, April 23, 2012 at 9:27 am Link to this comment
The moderate Republican Party didn’t disappear,
Report thisit’s now called the Democratic Party.
By Brad Cole, April 23, 2012 at 8:55 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Gerard:
You’re losing it. Perhaps you’ve already lost it. It’s even possible you never had it.
Report thisBy peterjkraus, April 23, 2012 at 8:11 am Link to this comment
“DeMint, a reliable defender of the
Patriot Act and the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, is an avowed opponent of what
he calls the ‘destructive forces of
secularism.’ He is a staunch pro-lifer,
has favored a constitutional ban on flag
burning, and is on the record saying that
gays shouldn’t be allowed to teach in
public schools.”
Well, DeMint, assholes shouldn´t be
Report thisallowed to sit in the Senate.
By BR549, April 23, 2012 at 6:46 am Link to this comment
I dunno. Reeve’s second to last paragraph actually says a lot, but one point to note; the Tea Party, the original one, was started by Ron Paul supporters during his [Paul’s] campaign in 2007. Paul did not start it. But then the Republican Party was so bereft of traction that it immediately seized on the opportunity to give the American voting public at least the illusion of having reinvented itself.
The Republican Party, today, is nothing more than a globalist magic show for half the week, while the Democrat Party fills the bill for the rest of the week. While the audience goes Ohhhh and Ahhhh, both parties’ members have either been corrupted or asleep at the switch. It’s just as true for the Democrats. All the while, the finger pointing continues, but no one ever points their fingers at the real problem for fear of being pushed off the gravy train, as what happened with Cynthia McKinney and Alan Grayson,
both of whom had the gaul to just say “no”.
The problem is far larger than the petty party ideologies. While members on Congress banter back and forth over minor issues it believes we should be involved in, it ignores completely any PUBLIC discussion of the Bilderberg Group and its corrupt involvement with the Trilateral Commission and Council on Foreign Relations. When Rep Jack Brook attempted to address Col. Oliver North’s potential involvement in the Continuity of Government, Sen. Dan Inouye squashed that discussion is a hurry ...... and Inouye was a veteran. Amazing. The can of worms that Brooks would have opened was enormous, even at that time, for it would given the public a chance to see just how the government had been able to funnel trillions of taxpayer dollars off so that a select group of America’s political and non-political elite could defend itself against any threat ...... all coming from OUR taxes.
Report thisBy MariaEugenia, April 23, 2012 at 5:50 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
For both the Reps & the Dems, domestic politics will be a mere distraction as the sheeple can be kept busy fighting each other (Hunger Games) over crumbs, over Kiribati, over whatever; the ball game is taking China through GoldMan SacKs so as to serve Mammon better.
Report thisBy Mekhong Kurt, April 23, 2012 at 5:44 am Link to this comment
Ah, I see Surfboy’s here weighing in.
Never seen a minority small business owner or employee, factory workers (sometimes in managerial positions), service people in firms ranging from restaurants to department stores to construction, musicians, private tech and research outfits—well, the list is virtually endless.
You must live in an unusual place—maybe one of the smallest atolls in Kiribati? Oh, wait—almost EVERYONE there is a minority, so that wouldn’t be a place you’d want to live, I don’t imagine. But since almost everybody there IS a “minority” (I’m sure it wouldn’t matter that there YOU would be the actual minority), you’d get to see plenty working in jobs other than those you listed.
Shoot. Kiribati won’t do; it’s not part of the U.S., even as a possession. well, let’s see.
Try New Mexico or Hawaii, the two states where minorities are numerically the majority. That’d make you violin bow hum!
(Geez . . .)
Report thisBy Gene Hoglan, April 23, 2012 at 3:23 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Ahh yes, a 60 year old southern white man; the future
Report thisof the Republican party indeed.
By ReadingJones, April 22, 2012 at 10:29 pm Link to this comment
gerard “something seems to have fallen out of the
bottom of this article and lies shattered along the
side of the road somewhere.”
A great sentence. I think you may have grasped Reeves
Report thisreal intent but it is hard to be sure. Maybe he was
drunk, or getting senile, or….maybe he was attempting
to preserve a source for future use. I’ll be damned if
I know.
By sandy, April 22, 2012 at 9:41 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The New GOP as described is nothing new. The new GOP
Report thisone would hope, will be more libertarian, that is
socially liberal and fiscally conservative. The so-
called moderate Republicans have not been fiscally
conservative…the GOP needs to get rid of social wedge
issues if they are to survive. The Tea Party is not
concerned with social issues. That’s the big
misunderstanding, myth being perpetuated.
By gerard, April 22, 2012 at 7:06 pm Link to this comment
These paragraphs from Reeves don’t make a lot of sense, do they?
“This is a VERY DIVERGENT group of Americans. I find libertarians, conservatives, independents, people who’ve NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN POLITICS, some recovering liberals—they’re JUST CONCERNED MOSTLY ABOUT SPENDING (on what?) and THE DEBT and the GROWING INTRUSIVE GOVERNMENT (what specific intrusions?). That’s uniting people ?? They DON’T AGREE on the social issues, they DON’T AGREE on the military and all of THOSE THINGS (such as?), but THEY KNOW OUR COUNTRY IS IN TROUBLE, AND THAT’S WHY THEY ARE SO POTENT.(?) They ARE THE UNITED(?)ASPECT of what the Republican Party needs to embrace right now.”
“He (DeMint) emphasizes the issues old-line conservatives AGREE on, especially smaller and decentralized government, and makes a stab at supporting(?) the individual freedom libertarians adore.”
“Enough. He says much more; he is the man with a plan to create a new, united Republican Party and we will be hearing a lot more of him in the coming years.”
IMO, something seems to have fallen out of the bottom of this article and lies shattered along the side of the road somewhere. Or am I losing it?
Report this