Moderate Republicans - The key to ending the Iraq War

[Bobbieo]

And how do we approach them?

'GOP Needs To Change Its Ways'
Excerpts from a letter that appeared in The Arizona Republic, today.

"I am a lifelong Republican and I am very active in civic affairs. I knew Barry Goldwater very well and worked on his campaigns. I have been a lobbyist for 50 years. Today, I am increasingly apologetic, even ashamed, to admit I am a Republican. Their narrow and selfish views have drifted from my own.

---
"I will remain in the party for now, hoping enlightened leaders will emerge that recognize there is room for differing views among dedicated members. In the meantime, I will seek out candidates who are moderate and reasonable in their views.

"This approach is the exact voter behavior that has thrown out Republican candidates in recent years and will continue to do so if the party does not respond."

[saracat]

1. Absolutely.These are the people who can win this election for us.These are the people we need

to court. Many here on DU are infatuated with the left.The left is NOT going to win us this election.Many Democrats don't even vote.Ask anyone who has ever worked on a campaign. But these Repus always vote and we need it to be for us!

[MissMarple]

6. We need to find common ground with them, but cannot compromise our values.

People appear to be "moderate" or in the middle, because they have values that are held by the other "side". Most of us value human dignity, fairness, and the chance for individuals to succeed. Finding the best ways to insure these things for the American people in ways that are acceptable to the American people is doable. The radical right,however, has co opted the language and painted liberals as communists and socialists. The straw men that the right have created have poisoned the minds of people who used to be quite reasonable, quite humane. Now, only the lowest type of individual can succeed with the GOP.

That's my message, and I'm sticking to it. :)

[TwilightGardener]

2. Until "moderate" Republicans aren't marginalized and

attacked by their own party for opposing the war, you won't see any more jump on board, unfortunately. My own war-skeptic Senator (Hagel) may lose his Senate seat because Rove is promoting a BushBot to replace him, and this asshole is already ahead in polls among Repubs here. So what is their reward for doing the right thing? Political oblivion?

[MissMarple]

3. It is kind of sad for these guys. But couldn't they see how slimy these people are?

Their party was high jacked some time ago, and all they wanted to hear was the happy talk, the let us tell you how bad the liberals are talk. We need to communicate to them that today's "liberals", in many instances, are not dissimilar from the progressive conservatives of the 50's and 60's.

I think liberals of today have the same goals, want to address the same problems, but have a more experienced, pragmatic way of working through to viable solutions. We know more, the GOP is still in mid tantrum about the New Deal, and have decided total world domination is the solution. They have not grown up.

[Bobbieo]

5. We have to get them on our side, somehow,

if we want to impeach or end the war. Otherwise Bush will win, hands down, as he has been doing.

[MissMarple]

7. This seems to be a popular topic today.

This essay parallels your thought.

"It's not about left against right any more. It is about what is right."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?

[TwilightGardener]

8. They will lose campaign funding and support for re-election

if they go against Chimpy in any fashion. Unless they are in a safe blue state and get permission from their Senate and House party leaders to be "mavericks", their careers are doomed. It is a lot to expect out of them, unfortunately.

[MissMarple]

11. Any decent elected GOP are between a rock and a hard place.

At least the ones with a shred of integrity left. The others think things are bad only when their "permanent" majority is threatened. They are very angry with us right now. The Republicans we need to communicate with are the voters, the ones who always vote Republican because...that's what they have always done. They may have not noticed how badly their party has degenerated, or perhaps they are in denial. We can shed some light on that.

[TwilightGardener]

12. Very true, I wasn't thinking of regular Repub voters, just the politicians--

but reaching them is difficult when they seem to want to get their news only from Fox and Rush, and wait for local party leaders to tell them who to vote for. They are of too much of a "herd" mentality, at least where I live--even if they privately agree that the war sucks and that Chimpy is awful, they will end up rallying around "dear leader" or whomever the Repubs choose for a candidate, and most of them would rather die than vote for one of them Dem Libruls.

[w4rma]

15. No problem. They capitulate to us or we take their seats in 2008.

Either way we win. It sucks for the soldiers that those "moderate" Republicans sacrificed for a chance at keeping their seats though. I'd rather find a way to do it sooner, but it's really up to those "moderate" Republicans, not us.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Today's 'moderate' Republican is in pretty much the same place as those who came to be .........

...... known as Reagan Democrats back in the 1980s.

Their only viable plan is to join the Democrats.

[nevergiveup]

9. I know several Republicans

like this, some in my family, and most of them would seriously consider voting for either Obama or Edwards. My sister and her husband, both Republicans, sent Obama money. They are embarrassed to be Republicans and they have finally broken out of their silence and started talking.

[damntexdem]

10. The key to impeachment.

And winning in 2008 ... and 2012, 2016, .............

[CK_John]

13. There no such thing. These people are just enablers who don't have the courage

or the fortitude to act for the general good. They will never vote for a Democrat. The best we can hope for is they stay home and don't vote.

[TwilightGardener]

14. Anymore, I agree--closed-minded fearful sheep who only vote

for their own pocketbooks and religious beliefs.

[Clintonista2]

16. I always thought "moderate republican" was just an oxymoron. nt.

[MissMarple]

17. I think a "moderate" Republican is one who doesn't think government is all evil.

They support Social Security, sensible regulation, some sort of universal health care and fair taxation. They also allow themselves to get sidelined by the libertarian, family values, Horatio Alger mentality, and the liberals are evil socialists who want to take all your money for welfare queens claptrap that keeps drowning out the reasonable discourse this country desperately need to pursue. The other guys are totally around the bend sanity wise, or quite busy getting "theirs" while they can.