Media needs to stop calling Murkowski, Alexander, Romney or Collins

[NewJeffCT]

"Moderate" Republicans - they're all conservatives, and Murkowski and Alexander could be considered very conservative. They're conservatives who occasionally express concern or disapproval before voting the party line, or they appear rational every once in a while. The true moderates are Joe Manchin, Jon Tester and Kristen Synema.

Even McCain, who had some high profile disagreements with Donny Dollhands was quite conservative most of the time. Maybe in 2000 when he ran against Bush, he may have been somewhat of a moderate, but he learned his lesson and lurched rightwards by 2008.

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended.

This is a subset of the "there are still rational GOP politicians" argument.

[NewJeffCT]

3. they make rare forays into rationality

far fewer of them after that July 4 trip to Moscow in 2018...

[Leghorn21]

2. Well Jeff, I just keep it simple and call them

LOSERS

every last fkn one of em

[C_U_L8R]

4. They're just un-rabid.

The lack of spittle spray rantings ought not be conflated with normalcy.

[dalton99a]

5. They're con artists

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

6. There's nothing 'conservative' about them either. They're all right wing reactionaries. nt

[dlk]

7. They are reactionaries

The GOP has become an extremist cult. I don’t think there is such a thing as a “moderate” reactionary. Wishful thinking by the mainstream media or consistent inaccurate portrayal of any Republican as moderate won’t change the unpleasant reality.

[mountain grammy]

8. 1000 times YES!

And they have to stop saying “Democrats say” about things so obviously 🙄 true. In other words, be journalists!

[Delmette2.0]

9. WTF Jon Tester is a Democrat

Please explain why you included him with the Repugs.

[BlueMTexpat]

10. As are Manchin and Synema!

What is in the OP's head?

[Delmette2.0]

11. Tester is from Eastern Montana.

Eastern Montana is mostly Republican. He needs to make some compromises to keep his seat on the important bills.
The Repugs are about to take over the entire State government, just like they did in Kansas.

One concern i have is the EPA relaxing pollution of rivers and streams. Montana is just one state that crosses the Continental Divide. The headwaters of the Missouri and the headwaters of the Columbia are both in Montana. According the Trump it's alright to pollute half of Eastern US and some of Northwestern US.

[BlueMTexpat]

12. As a Montanan born, raised and mostly educated there,

I absolutely understand why Tester walks the political tightrope.

Politically, Montana is NO LONGER the state of my youth, when Mike Mansfield and Lee Metcalf were staunch Democrats and PROUD to be so.

But this OP basically lumps Tester in with Republicans. He is a "moderate," to be sure, but he IS a Democrat.

**********
And I too excoriate every single one of the Criminally Deranged Occupier of the WH's actions wrt relaxing EPA restrictions.

[Delmette2.0]

19. I will always hope and work to change Montana back to all Blue.

[BlueMTexpat]

20. Thanks for your efforts. I can only

support from afar. And contribute, of course!

[Delmette2.0]

21. ......

[NewJeffCT]

15. I didn't call them Republicans

I said that Tester, Manchin, etc are the ones that are the real moderates. There aren't any moderates in the GOP anymore.

[GemDigger]

13. If we stop calling on them then we are no better than fox news.

We will hear only what we want to hear, just like fox news.

I thought we were better than that in many ways...

[NewJeffCT]

16. I'm not sure what you mean by "calling on" them?

But, why not call them Republicans instead of Moderate Republicans?

Rational Republicans instead of Moderate Republicans?

Republicans for the Rule of Law?

By calling Republicans whose voting records are actually conservative to very conservative "moderate" you're moving the Overton window farther to the right.

[Locutusofborg]

14. The American Conservative Union rates every member of Congress

on how they vote on issues that advance the conservative agenda. Collins has a lifetime ACU rating of 44.82, Murkowski is at 57.70, Alexander is at 72.68 and Romney is too new to have a rating. By way of contrast, Mike Lee votes the ACU position on issues 99.50, Ted Cruz is at 98.25 and Rand Paul is at 96.58. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia votes conservative 2.16, Tammy Baldwin is at 2.08, and Mazie Hirono votes conservative 1.06.
http://acuratings.conservative.org/acu-federal-legislative-ratings/?year1=2018&chamber=13&state1=0&sortable=1

[NewJeffCT]

17. I saw something that so far

Marsha Blackburn is 100%

Collins sometimes votes against the GOP majority if the vote is already decided because her 1 vote wouldn't matter (with McConnell's blessing) because Mitch knows it plays well in her state.

Collins has also gotten more conservative over time as well - despite Obama proposing a lot of moderate to center/left legislation, collins stood wtih the GOP to block almost everything from Obama. And, she voted for Gorusch and Kavanaugh

[spanone]

18. these days 'moderate republicans' is an oxymoron