Why Are 7 Prominent Republican Conservatives Supporting Democratic Victory in 2006?

[Amy6627]

http://www.republicansforhumility.com/

Why Are 7 Prominent Republican Conservatives Supporting Democratic Victory in 2006?

by William Frey, M. D.

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“Let's face it .... When one out of three of your own party wants you to lose control of Congress, it's time to take a long look ....”
- former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough, (R-Florida, 1st District, 1995-2001)

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Why are Republican conservatives calling for an end to One Party GOP Rule?

Why are many now discussing the virtues of divided government?

On what basis do they believe One Party Rule has dishonored conservative values?

The 7 prominent Republican conservatives who contributed to the Washington Monthly remarkable feature article, "Time for Us to Go: Conservatives on Why the GOP Should Lose in 2006," did not dwell on contrived wedge issues promoted by Republican marketing consultants.

They focused, instead, on the neglected limited government ideals on which the conservative movement was founded:

individual freedom,
fiscal responsibility,
constitutional restraints on unchecked executive power,
prudent and principled foreign policy.
Why do these conservatives believe today's Republican Party has betrayed these values?

How has it come about that today's authoritarian, big government GOP has maintained the language of traditional conservatism even while mutating into a governing party whose policies produce the opposite?

Principled conservatives now widely recognize that the authoritarian, fear mongering, Big Brother, big government ideology peddled by GOP politicians and pseudo-populist radio demagogues is anything but conservative.

More here: http://www.republicansforhumility.com/

[saltpoint]

1. 'Cuz we're a happenin' bunch.

[longship]

2. Add this to the anecdotal evidence

We're not hearing of any Democrats flipping over to the Repukes but the contrary is all over the news this year. Five former mainstream Republicans in KS running under the Dem label. People removing their Chimp bumperstickers and announcing their intentions to vote Democratic. Prominent conservative pundits taking strong, principled stances against ChimpCo policies. This kind of stuff is happening all over the country.

The polls aren't measuring this. Why? Simple. They are using the data models which have worked the best in previous elections. But this election is decidedly *not* like previous elections.

Look at my journal for some of the reasons why the GOP is going to lose big this November and why vote rigging isn't going to be a large issue this time.

[flowomo]

3. here are the 7 and their article titles:

Let's quit while we're behind
By Christopher Buckley

Bring on Pelosi
By Bruce Bartlett

And we thought Clinton had no self-control
By Joe Scarborough

Give divided government a chance
By William A. Niskanen

Restrain this White House
By Bruce Fein

Idéologie has taken over
By Jeffrey Hart

The show must not go on
By Richard A. Viguerie

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0610.forum.html

[Faryn Balyncd]

4. This has been picked up by Robert Parry's Consortium News

Why are Republican conservatives calling for an end to One Party GOP Rule?

"Principled conservatives now widely recognize that the authoritarian, fear mongering, Big Brother, big government ideology peddled by GOP politicians and pseudo-populist radio demagogues is anything but conservative..........Our nation's founders did not even consider such values to be "conservative" at all, but characterized such a philosophy centered on liberty as, of all things, "liberal"..............But whatever name is applied to these quintessentially American values, it is clear that today's authoritarian GOP has forsaken them........

"Establishment GOP politicians who have abandoned their fundamental ideals are now aghast that principled conservative Republicans are seeking allies among Democrats......But the principles that are most dear to principled conservatives - individual liberty protected by the rule of law - transcend partisanship.

"While principled liberals and conservatives have substantial differences regarding the interpretation and implementation of these principles, the tragic reality is that a power-drunk big government GOP establishment now threatens the very constitutional restraints that protect our liberties, our democracy, and our free and open society."

[Faryn Balyncd]

7. This needs to be emailed to every moderate/INDEPENDENT brother-in-law....

....and swing voters from work.

[greeneyedboy]

5. because not all Republicans are completely insane, thank goodness.

[Phillycat]

6. Hey, look, ACTUAL Republicans.

I didn't think those existed anymore.

[cascadiance]

8. I have another thread on this topic...

Just created a little while ago here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2486301&mesg_id=2486301

There are many Republicans that are "looking for a home" now, that are principled and feel abandoned by their party. There are many degrees of this "leaving the Republican Party" that are happening. Some of it is just "posturing" so as to not be tied to George Bush and his losing causes, and otherwise duplicitous about one's motivations, but there are many out there that are even going to the point of risking their jobs, health and families' lives in resisting this Republican monstrosity that's there now.

I think when we appeal to these disaffected Republicans, try to appeal to them with the examples by the better "leaders" of dissent that are shown in these threads, so that they don't just think we're trying to "convert" them, but that we're representing all decent and concerned *Americans* that want our country back, and that in order to affect change, they need to at least at this point vote to put the Dems in power.

Emphasize that we're wanting to hold our party accountable too, when they get put in power, and that we'll not accept corporate lobby control over our elections too, and warn them about the DLC influence and how many of us are aware of that corruption too and will fight it when we get the chance. Emphasize things like prop 89, which should reverse this sort of power, so that we can have both parties go back to the more civil disagreements but consensus building that we used to do before instead of one trying to form a totalitarian dictatorship at ALL of our expense.

It's REALLY critical that these last two weeks we get an overwhelming majority of Americans voting out these Republicans so that even election fraudsters trying to throw the election won't be able to do that.

[gordianot]

9. Even if it was/is an illusion the Republic is worth saving.

The Neo-Cons are not Conservative, Neo-Cons are radical in their pursuit of their agenda.

[saracat]

10. WOW! Scarborough is one of the 7!

[Jack Rabbit]

11. If the the shoe were on the other foot

If the leadership of a Democratic-controlled Congress were as crooked and inept as the GOP leadership has been and allowed a Democratic president to violate the Bill of Rights or commit war crimes with impunity, even explicitly granting such impunity, then I would expect many conscientious liberals and progressives to speak out against the party leadership and even vote Republican or stay home. I would probably vote for a third party, knowing very well that it would hand control of Congress to the Republicans. I would hope that many here would do the same.

It isn't just that the present Republican leadership is deficient in conservative values (some of which, broadly speaking, are shared by this progressive), but it is deficient in the values of what broadly would be considered good government, regardless of what priorities are set.

Before any politician talks about whether he's a Republican for lower taxes or a Democrat for increased spending on public education and health, he should be against graft and the kind of favoritism that allows incompetents to win public contracts and fleece the taxpayers or congressmen to stalk attractive congressional employees.

No definition of fiscal responsibility allows for the government to increase spending while reducing revenues. No definition of checks and balances allows the chief executive to decide who is a criminal and lock him up without formal charges or the right to a fair trial. A chief executive who exercises such authority is himself a criminal, regardless of the guilt or innocence of any one he acts against. No foreign policy that is centered on an unnecessary war predicated by lies with no realistic plans for beyond its first objective is prudent; if Iraq was not a threat, then invading Iraq could not have made Americans safer.

I have nothing but the greatest respect for the Republicans who have come to realize that their party has been taken over by elements that are not conservative in the least and those who have more loyalty to men at the top than in principles. Should the time come that Democrats in Congress and in the White House act in an unprincipled way to grant arbitrary power to a chief executive, then I hope to follow their example.

[cascadiance]

12. Seems like many liberals did this during Vietnam

with LBJ in power... And of course LBJ at least had a lot more positive things to value over his flaws with lying about the war in Vietnam (Civil Rights Act, etc.)

And I still want to get rid of the corporate controlled Dems too. But that has to happen in "phase II". The first poison to exorcise are the corrupt Republicans who are far worse!