Republican co-worker TRASHED the GOP at a social gathering tonight. Music to my ears.

[RBInMaine]

Unreal. I have a middle aged white male co-worker who is a life-long Republican. Nice guy actually. His father was a several-term Republican Maine legislator years ago. He actually held his nose and voted for our TeaBag governor in 2010 (though he voted for a moderate Repub in their primary). Tonight, here is what he said at a social gathering:

"Our governor is shameful and I will not vote for him again if he runs in 2014. In fact, the only reason he got in last time was because the Democrats and moderate independents split between Cutler and Mitchell. The Republican party is in a mess right now. The governor constantly makes a fool of himself. And all this Tea Party stuff is just ridiculous."

He is a rational, well educated, professional, more moderately conservative Republican of the old New England tradition who just sees the writing on the wall. These were entirely honest statements. He is truly dismayed with his party. Truth be told, many rational and a bit more moderate ones left in that party feel just the same way, and they truly are dismayed that their party has been taken over by the far right wing. Problem for them is, IT IS JUST GOING TO GET WORSE. Look at them right now. The TeaPubs in Congress will not allow the Bush tax cuts for the rich to expire. They are fighting it tooth and nail. THEY ARE DOOMED. JUST DOOMED. FAKE NEWS and old Pills Limbaugh are just doubling down. And the remaining SANE R's know it, and they are scared SHITLESS. Make no mistake, this last election has scared the SHIT out of the sane members left in the GOP.

[patrice]

1. You're right. It will only get worse. Look at Kansas, success makes them even meaner. nt

[iemitsu]

7. Kansas and poor Michigan.

That state has gone over the deep end. How can the citizens of that state stand the radical and dictatorial changes made by their majority republican legislature?

[SharonAnn]

8. And even if they had won, it still should've scared the sh*t out of them.

Those people are really frightening.

[southerncrone]

2. And that is why you are seeing changes like this!

Charlie Crist is becoming a Democrat!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014329846

[Gman]

3. Then the sane ones realize the Democratic Party is not so bad

ex. Charlie Crist. We have our share of nuts, but at least they don't hate everyone that's not white and carry guns, and getting ready for a revolution.

[Jennicut]

4. Look at what happened to New England. There is only two Repub Senators and no Repub House members

in our region. I am from Connecticut.
The Republicans are being killed in New England by their views on social issues. There are really no Fundies here in New England. Abortion was an issue most people here think was already decided a long time ago. Gay marriage in legal in five of the six New England states. There is a different culture in New England then most of the other regions of the United States. It is more of a "mind your own business" mindset. And Republicans have hurt their own party here in New England by being nuts on these issues in other parts of the country.

[iemitsu]

5. Its about time that some of them woke up.

Because it is becoming harder to look at republicans and not think they are stupid, racist, or just plain mean (or all three).
The ones with any brains or character will soon or have already disassociated themselves with the party of ugly and greedy.

[1StrongBlackMan]

6. While ...

I'm enjoying the republican implosion ... I'd prefer republicans like Cristie not join the democratic Party, because he is not a Democrat and will not support a Democratic agenda.

[lunasun]

9. Agree

Prefer they are removed from further politics - go out in a big fail or flame - otherwise they have too much conservative influence whereever they go

[RBInMaine]

16. He worked HARD for Obama. GO CRIST ! YAY ! Purity is what killed us in 2010. NO MORE IF IT !!!

Please, we don't need to be the left's version of the TeaBaggers. WAY too many Dems stayed home and whined and pissed and moaned because they got PROGRESS instead of PURITY from 2008-2010, and look what the hell happened. NO MORE !!! Let the TeaBaggers be in the INSANE PURISTS. THAT is what making them implode RIGHT NOW. I wholeheartedly WELCOME moderate Republicans into the Democratic Party. THAT is one more way WE will become OVERWHELMINGLY the new NATIONAL PARTY EVERYWHERE. Moderates are no where near as bad as the TeaCRAZIES. I WELCOME THEM !!!

[Skittles]

10. I AGREE

WE DON'T NEED DINOS ANY MORE THAN WE NEED REPUKES

[Walk away]

14. And yet that kind of attitude is what is currently killing the republican party.

I don't have a problem with moderates as long as there are more progressives. It may be frustrating but a pure party is a dead party.

[Kahuna]

20. I agree with you and RBinMaine..nt

[Skittles]

24. DINOS ARE NOT MODERATES

THEY ARE REGRESSIVES

[RBInMaine]

17. You purists are thinking just like left wing TeaBaggers. ENOUGH of the PURITY NONSENSE !!!

Crist worked HARD for Obama. Take the purity SHIT and stick it right in the trash compactor. Let the Baggers be the CRAZY PURISTS. There has to be some amount of diversity in a national party. Your thinking is the left's version of the TeaBaggers. ENOUGH OF THAT SHIT !!

[Skittles]

23. I AM NOT A PURIST

I simply expect my representatives to be PROGRESSIVE and NOT REGRESSIVE

[Baitball Blogger]

31. Perhaps someone in Maine isn't the right one to tell us about a politician from Florida.

Are you all really in that much of a hurry to follow Florida's political model?

It ain't all that. The first thing they do is dismiss the Fourteenth Amendment.

[HooptieWagon]

12. I know the DINOs are aggravating...

but isn't one better than a teabagger? Get progressives elected in blue states and congressional districts, get DINOs elected in the red areas.

[truebluegreen]

18. NO! Not if they pull our party even further to the right.

The DLC and Third Way and that crowd and, yes, even Obama have done far too much of that already.

Moderate Republicans need to reform their OWN party, or form a new one and wait for the Teahadists to implode. We still need two parties that are rational. It will mean years in the wilderness for them, and an ongoing struggle for us, but that's too bad. It is necessary! Taking the easy way out will only make things worse, as they have since at least the 90s.

[forestpath]

21. +1

[pbrower2a]

25. We don't have time

These times are just too dangerous to give any openings to the extremists in the GOP. Just look at what the Reactionary Party is doing in Michigan -- and they will do even more harm until they are defeated in 2014. Maybe in 2015 Michigan will restore women's rights and endorse gay marriage -- but in a state ravaged by sweetheart deals with corporate looters and with practically no middle class. What thee Reactionary Party is doing in Michigan it will also do in any State in which they get a chance -- and then they will rig things so that the profiteers are unassailable.

The Republican Party needs to DIE. It has no virtues. It is more the Party of Mussolini than the Party of Lincoln.

[truebluegreen]

28. It's true that time is an issue

and the dangers are great. But at least the masks are off, and the Republican Party can't hide what they are anymore.

Now we have to look to our own party. I know we are not homogenous and we have many different issues that need to be addressed, but we have to hold to our basic principles. We have to better define what those are, and not run as Marginally Better Than The Insane Party. We can't keep voting for the lesser of two evils, or even for the candidate that tosses us a social issue bone once in a while.

But you are right: the Republican Party HAS no virtues.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

13. I think that you're right. If he didn't support Democratic principles before, why would he do so now

[RBInMaine]

15. Sorry, but you are being too purist. He WORKED HARD FOR OBAMA. GO CRIST ! OUR NEWEST DEM !

[truebluegreen]

19. The Blue Dogs "worked hard" for the "Dems" too

and look where that got us.

It's great that moderate Republicans are finally getting fed up, but they need to fix their own party--which they allowed to go off the rails. They sat back and didn't speak up, they allowed all of these whack jobs to lead them, they voted for them. Now they get to pay the piper (along with the rest of us, unfortunately).

Our coalition is big enough and strong enough to defeat the whack jobs, IF our politicians do what the people actually want and keep voting for, and don't fall into the "moderate", bipartisan-y trap. A tent can get TOO big.

[forestpath]

22. Exactly. Can't understand why anyone would get excited about Crist. He couldn't win

as a Republican, that's why he joined the Democratic party. It certainly wasn't about President Obama. It was mostly political opportunism, IMO.

[HooptieWagon]

29. He only didn't win a closed republican primary.

He has a solid record winning statewide elections. As an Independant, he did well in a US Senate race, getting more votes than the Dem candidate.
Perhaps you aren't aware of the status of Florida's Democratic Party. Not only is it dysfunctional, but they work against progressives. Quite simply, a progressive can win a congressional race, but cannot win a state-wide race. Now, Alex Sink is a fine woman, and would be a good Governor; but she was a bland candidate and already lost to Scott once. Crist is the biggest name on the Dem primary ballot. He polls well ahead of Scott. Yes, he's not my favorite, but he's a hell of a lot better than Scott. Given that the legislature will likely remain Rep majority, it would be a HUGE mistake to nominate a Dem Gov candidate who can't win the GE. There is simply too much at stake to waste time and resources on a purity temper-tantrum.

[forestpath]

30. A "purity temper-tantrum"? Is that the latest meme now for those of us who expect the

Democratic Party to have certain standards? Sorry, but you can denigrate me all you want and I will never agree. If the Democratic Party is incapable of running decent candidates and must resort to retread Republicans, then it might as well hang it up. Crist knew what the Republican Party was when he was part of it but gee, all of a sudden he had a big problem with it when he couldn't win as a Republican so he switched parties. The only purity here is his pure opportunism and generally when people have a choice between a Republican and a Democrat who might as well be a Republican, they choose the Republican.

[pbrower2a]

26. Blue Dogs -- just look at the alternative.

Better the capricious Blue Dog Democrats in the South and the Great Plains than the lockstep Republicans who replaced them. The Blue Dogs are right some of the time. The Southern Republicans always sell the common man out to the super-rich.

[truebluegreen]

27. On the other hand,

the Blue Dogs fooled at least some people into thinking they were actually Democrats. The Teahadists fool NO ONE, which is their only virtue.

There will only be a backlash, and a change of course, if there are obvious differences.

[Cha]

11. Thank Goodness for sane Repubs.. I know we got some

of their votes in the Pres Election. Thanks for sharing this, RBInMaine.. It's Always Encouraging to hear about.