Chafee quietly quits the GOP

[ProSense]

Chafee quietly quits the GOP

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, September 16, 2007

By Bruce Landis

Journal Staff Writer

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

PROVIDENCE — Lincoln D. Chafee, who lost his Senate seat in the wave of anti-Republican sentiment in last November’s election, said yesterday that he has left the party.

Chafee said he disaffiliated with the party he had helped lead, and his father had led before him, because the national Republican Party has gone too far away from his stance on too many critical issues, from war to economics to the environment.

“It’s not my party any more,” he said.

Chafee’s departure is another step in the waning of the strain of moderate Republicanism that was once a winning political philosophy from Rhode Island and Connecticut to the Canadian border. For the first time since the Civil War, the six New England states combined now have only one Republican U.S. House member, Connecticut’s Christopher Shays.

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[MonkeyFunk]

1. He should've done that before the election

he might still be Senator Chafee.

[Captain Hilts]

19. True. nt

[NMDemDist2]

2. hmmm, as above, he should have gone independent BEFORE and he

might have saved his seat.

rats from a sinking ship....

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

3. Good for him. I've always liked Chaffee.

In fact, he's probably the only repug that I bother to capitalize.

He can join our team. We have a good team!

[madokie]

33. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one

who find it painful to capitalize a re:puke:'s name or anything repukelicon party

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

41. Capitalizing is hard work (plus endangers my nails).

Why should I extend myself or break a nail for them? :rofl:

:hi:

[JohnnyLib2]

4. Glad to hear it.

But, too little, too late.

[hang a left]

30. Everyone is running for cover.

They are all gathering their milked cows and going home.

I say Fuck Em!!!

[sandnsea]

5. Greens & Democrats

It would be great if the Greens could come up strong from the left and marginalize the Republicans as the radical fringe.

[bahrbearian]

18. It is my duty to "Alert" the F**k Nader camp to your post..

Prepare to be Flamed.

[sandnsea]

23. Only if the right is marginalized

I have advocated this for years. I've encouraged a stronger Green voice, separate from Democrats. One that attacks the right, however. Let the two party system be Green and Dem.

But if the Greens can't figure out how to take advantage of this enormous opportunity, then they deserve to be on the fringes and will just have to suck it up in tight elections. Nader hasn't figure it out, so I agree, fuck him.

[bahrbearian]

38. I always thought there should be some kind of Coalition Party

[sandnsea]

39. Of Greens & Dems?

No, that's the problem right now. Greens think they're the real Democrats when they're closer to socialists. The real FDR Democrats get lost with the fight between DLC Dems and Greens. If we pushed Republicans to the fringe, then the working class could come back to the Democratic Party and Greens could represent the more liberal social and economic agenda. I would much rather have the debate on health care be between single payer and subsidized insurance, than between muddled "universal" proposals and free market. See what I mean?

[defendandprotect]

48. Once checked on Green success internationally + they didn't seem to ever get more than . . .

10% of the vote. But, Europeans have many parties -- and still we can see that they were pulled to the right. Whether it was a legitimate pull or more dirty tricks by the CIA, I don't know.

US worked from the end of WWII probably til now to ensure that no truly liberal/socialist government could arise.

And certainly an environmentally concerned party would have been seen as radical.

The Green Party platform is great -- and I worked with the Greens while Nader was running -- though I didn't vote for him because my kids were scared that Bush would get elected!!! --

BUT . . . NOTICE . . . rather than the Democrats trying to use the Greens to do just that -- bring the parties to the left -- the Democrats have done all they can to keep third parties at bay --
and to co-opt the Green Party -- in fact, trying to pull the Green Party to the right!!!

The "scapegoating" of Nader which was so highly successful in taking attention off the many criminal things that happened in the 2000 election . . . from black box voting and uncounted ballots to butterfly ballots -- from the fascist GOP rally at Miami-Dade Election HQs to shutdown the vote counting -- to the final AX of the Supreme Gang of 5 putting Bush in the White House . . .
created such venom among Democrats who believed this lie that I think the GOP have succeeded in keeping Dems and Greens from uniting or working together in any way against them.

[jillan]

6. He was a good guy But -

I really, really like who replaced him even more.

Senator Whitehouse.

[aquart]

8. Senator Whitehouse is an amazing gift to America.

[Captain Hilts]

37. YES! Whitehouse is great! RI's got two winners in the senate. Too bad PatK is a loser. nt

[Kahuna]

11. Whitehouse rocks!

:loveya:

[jillan]

14. I'm rollling on the floor here looking at your picture!

C'mon kid - pull a little harder :P

[trashcanistanista]

26. Whitehouse is

an outstanding Senator. Chaffe was good, though and I'm glad he finally saw the light.

[cali]

32. Me too! Love Senator Whitehouse

He really impresses the hell out of me.

[in_cog_ni_to]

36. Whitehouse is one of the best Senators this country has ever had!

:loveya:

[Richard Steele]

7. One of the last few HONEST & DECENT Republicans. He didn't leave that Party...

...he just finally accepted that it left him a few years back.

[Captain Hilts]

21. But he was a lazy ass that wasn't that interested in being in the senate....

I worked with one of his campaigns. It was like pushing spaghetti through a strainer.

[Richard Steele]

28. You should really take the time to tell that story in detail someday.

Maybe it wouldn't be long enough for a book,
but it would surely make for a good long "Vanity Fair" article.

[Captain Hilts]

34. As was the case with Chuck Robb's last campaign for the senate...

it was his wife, not he, who really wanted him to stay. Chaffee is a decent, and good guy, who would read Sports Illustrated during Warwick city council meetings while mayor.

He's just not that motivated. The people on his campaign were much like he was: all gatherers and no hunters. It was obvious that he would have won his last election had he switched parties, but Reed was/is a good guy, and Rhode Islanders put two and two together and realized Chaffee's status as an R, helped keep Sunblet creeps like Lott, in charge.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Better late than never, I guess, Linc.

Ya shoulda done it years ago...

[AlCzervik]

10. i think Chafee thought his party would break away from the death grip the

lunatic wings has on it.

[Warpy]

12. He should have shouted it from the rooftops,

but he's always been a much gentler soul than that.

I hope politics hasn't seen the last of him.

[Nutmegger]

13. He's a decent person.

I disagree with him on many things, but he was the lone Republican to vote against Bush Inc's adventure. That takes guts right there.

Maybe he thought things would change, but Bush Inc and the neocons have perverted the party beyond repair. It's forcing the decent ones out.

[cascadiance]

15. Interesting that even the now weakened "centrist" GOP PAC had ties to the Swift Boaters!

These guys are in big trouble! They've now replaced their treasurer, Chistopher J. Ward, who had a professional link to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth with Sue Kelly, who was one of the many "centrist" Republicans who lost seats in last election.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/former-rep.-sue-kelly-takes-over-as-treasurer-of-centrist-house-gop-pac-2007-09-12.html

Former Rep. Sue Kelly takes over as treasurer of centrist House GOP PAC

By Alexander Bolton
September 12, 2007
Sue Kelly, the centrist House Republican from New York who lost reelection last year, has taken over as treasurer of the Tuesday Group PAC, replacing a campaign operative whose firm had received thousands of dollars from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

The PAC raises money for the caucus of about 40 centrist House Republicans who used to meet every Tuesday in the Capitol, but now sometimes meet on Wednesdays.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), the co-chairman of the caucus, said that prior to a July 31 article in The Hill, he was not aware that former treasurer Christopher J. Ward had a professional link to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. However, Kirk said that had no impact on the decision to hire Kelly.

Ward’s firm, Political Compliance Services Inc., received nearly $230,000 for services from the controversial political group, which derailed the 2004 presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) by attacking his record of service in Vietnam.

...

Chaffee must be reading between a LOT of lines. As was John Warner of Virginia, and perhaps Chuck Hagel now too... I wonder if we're going to see a lot of "exiting rats" soon!

[patrice]

16. We should call Chafee and congratulate him. nt

[Cha]

17. I'm sorry it's so "quietly"..it should

be shouted from the rooftops!! Isn't this why the Dems were voted in 2006? To change buSHIT Idiot policies?

[Roland99]

20. I beat him to the punch by 4 years

;)

[derby378]

22. Too little, too late

The time for Chafee to leave the Republican Party was in March 2003, when Bush ordered troops into Iraq.

[jaysunb]

24. Glad he waited til now...

cause we got one helluva good Democrat in his place.....

[hfojvt]

25. very good Mr, Chafee, but that's only halfway

You probably need to renounce a few of your core conservative 'principles' and then join the Democratic Party.

[Raine]

27. Good for him...

I wish he had done it sooner, he might still be holding office.

[autorank]

29. I've heard very good things about him from someone I respect greatly...

Very decent guy. It was destined to happen.

[Chipper Chat]

31. Gore/Chafee?

Gore/Hagel?

Rebirth of the Whig Party?

[autorank]

47. Ruh roh!

Remind me not to cross wits wit you;)

No Hagel but he does know about all those machines...

[Chipper Chat]

52. Perhaps we could use the inside information.

I'm sure he knows how Chambliss swiped it from Cleland.

[autorank]

54. Ralph Reed (? spelling) knows too...

Maybe it will all come out in one of those murder trials about to pop...

[Chipper Chat]

55. Hope it pops about August 2008.

The fundies wouldn't go near a voting booth in Nov.

[lumberjack_jeff]

35. I'm of two minds here.

I want to end the uber-conservative strain of Republicanism that exists today, but there are some who won't become Democrats no matter what. With that in mind, as neoconservatism implodes, where do the refugees go? It would be better for the world if there were a viable non-crazy alternative ideology available to them. Lincoln Chaffee's kind of ideology was the best alternative.

[BrainGlutton]

40. If there's a centrist third-party bid for the presidency . . .

With moderate Pubs or ex-Pubs like Chafee in it . . . would that take more votes away from the Dem or the Pub nominee in 2008?

[ForeignSpectator]

42. Interesting that these people just quit when there's nothing left...

...in it for them anymore or they were screwed over by their own lot or whatever. It is THEN when they quit, speak out and whatnot, not when it really could make a difference...

[ossman]

44. Example = Alan Greenspan

Another rat speaking out when it doesnt matter. Wilkerson too. Useless... CYA for the history books.

[cali]

53. Two words for you:

Jim Jeffords.

[MasonJar]

43. The dem who took his seat is a real asset so far in his positions and voting patterns.

[L0oniX]

45. Better late than never

[ossman]

46. Why better late than never?

So stand up when you don't have the power to do shit?

Wow. What courage.

[defendandprotect]

49. Chafee's father wasn't a neo-con, but he certainly helped this GOP get where it is now --

[Subdivisions]

50. Chafee was a Puke I could at least like as a person. I'm

glad he's seen the error of his ways.

[Blue_Tires]

51. i've actually met him a couple of times

i saw this coming a long time ago...