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As a Republican, I love seeing a center-right GOP candidate (like Jon Huntsman) run. All the liberals spend their time complaining about how they dislike the "far-rigth" and "RWNJ's" but when a lot of them see a moderate GOP candidate running they usually seem to have better things to say about them. Now...I'm not saying the GOP should base what it pools in candidates off of what the other side would want but ultimately isn't the objective to gain the most broad appeal? A moderate GOP candidate, like a Jon Huntsman, stands a much better chance of winning a general election than someone further to the right because they stand a smaller chance of alienating moderate voters that lean to the right on fiscal issues while being more to the left on social issues like gay marriage, abortion, or international intervention.
Think about it. Would a VERY far right GOP voter vote for a moderate Republican or a liberal Democrat like Obama? It's pretty clear that they would vote for the GOP candidate because, while they may not line up 100%, they line up maybe 85% whereas they would likely up with Obama next to none. I think if the GOP ran a moderate candidate that was socially liberal to some degree but fiscally conservative (not to the extremes of a die hard Libertarian) the GOP would win election after election with moderate ease because ultimately the base is going to vote for their party. The moderate voters decide elections and always have. Why not pander to them?
I don't understand why the GOP doesn't move to the middle more often.
The explanation is really quite simple:
The GOP has been taken over by the lunatic religious fringe. Unthinking, compliant individuals who react to any noncomformance with hatred. The GOP's corporate bosses find them very convenient pawns. Just convince them that every election is about gods, guns, and gays.
The GOP has been taken over by the lunatic religious fringe. Unthinking, compliant individuals who react to any noncomformance with hatred. The GOP's corporate bosses find them very convenient pawns. Just convince them that every election is about gods, guns, and gays.
This.
The current GOP is controlled by the American Taliban Teavangelical movement. If Obama wins, they will only take that as a sign that next time they have to be even crazier in support of their desire to remake America into a fundamentalist Christian theocracy.
The GOP has been taken over by the lunatic religious fringe. Unthinking, compliant individuals who react to any noncomformance with hatred. The GOP's corporate bosses find them very convenient pawns. Just convince them that every election is about gods, guns, and gays.
Agreed but I see the same problems on the far left..
I just don't think that the "crazies" are more prevalent in the GOP than the Democrats. The "crazy" people may just be a little louder in the GOP. The Democrats are full of fringe nut jobs as well...I just think they maybe keep to themselves a bit more but ultimately all parties have their nut jobs.
If the GOP moves to the middle a bit more on social issues I sincerely think they would come away with a lot of elections with increased ease.
Coming from AZ you should know that the moderates of either party can't get nominated anymore. It's not just in AZ either. Look at MO senate, NV in 2010 and Indiana. Moderate Lugar loses to a kook in the primary. If you can't get on the ballot, you can't be elected. HUntsman would have probably been elected. But he would not have been nominated and never will be in the Republican party. To get nominated he would have had to pander to the right wing. Unlike Romney he was too honest to do that.
I just don't think that the "crazies" are more prevalent in the GOP than the Democrats. The "crazy" people may just be a little louder in the GOP. The Democrats are full of fringe nut jobs as well...I just think they maybe keep to themselves a bit more but ultimately all parties have their nut jobs.
If the GOP moves to the middle a bit more on social issues I sincerely think they would come away with a lot of elections with increased ease.
I don't know if you've been paying attention, but the Democrats have moved increasingly to the right, and you're hard pressed to find more than a handful of true left wing liberals holding national office. I don't think the crazies control the entire GOP--about 30% of the base are still moderates--but the people being elected are nuts--there are virtually no moderates left in the Senate or the House.
When you have the GOP running far right candidates against their fellow more moderate members in primaries across the country, there's a serious problem. Here's an example: Out of all of the republicans running for Senate this time, 15 of them oppose abortion rights for rape and incest victims, and some even oppose it when the life or health of the mother is in danger. Until very recently, many leaders in the GOP supported abortion rights, period (Barbara and Laura Bush, etc.) The far right radical evangelical end of the base has taken over the party, and created a situation where centrists have a hard time backing them.
The truth is that Obama should be losing by a landslide in this election based on the economy alone, but he's not because the GOP has gone off the deep end. As the country becomes increasing ethnically diverse, and as the GOP becomes more and more radical, this election may well be the last hurrah for the GOP. It's sad. Richard Mourdock One Of At Least 15 GOP Senate Candidates Who Oppose Abortion For Rape Victims
Coming from AZ you should know that the moderates of either party can't get nominated anymore. It's not just in AZ either. Look at MO senate, NV in 2010 and Indiana. Moderate Lugar loses to a kook in the primary. If you can't get on the ballot, you can't be elected.
I agree...I'm sure that you see the Flake and Carmona ad on literally ALL the time. They are ridiculous. It just irritates me that these days you can't see two moderate politicians talk about the issues in a reasonable fashion. To me the 2012 GOP, if they had any sense, would have nominated Jon Huntsman to run against Obama but moderates just can't survive in the fringes of the primaries. The papers characterized Huntsman as a liberal despite one of the most conservative fiscal records in Utah all the while earning the nod of being the most well managed state in the country...I just don't get it.
But even moderate politicians change their politics when getting the party nod. McCain moved more to the right when he was running in 2008...Carmona moved to the left after he was tapped to be the Dem for senate...Flake has moved more to the right since running for senate as well. For once, I would love to see a candidate just stay where they really are.
The GOP has been taken over by the lunatic religious fringe. Unthinking, compliant individuals who react to any noncomformance with hatred. The GOP's corporate bosses find them very convenient pawns. Just convince them that every election is about gods, guns, and gays.
This.^^^ I left the Gop and became an independent when the 'moral majority' took over.
I also agree with this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by wnewberry22
I just don't think that the "crazies" are more prevalent in the GOP than the Democrats. The "crazy" people may just be a little louder in the GOP. The Democrats are full of fringe nut jobs as well...I just think they maybe keep to themselves a bit more but ultimately all parties have their nut jobs.
If the GOP moves to the middle a bit more on social issues I sincerely think they would come away with a lot of elections with increased ease.
Unfortunately, the fringe members of each side are the one's that make the news. Look at today. We are talking about Trump and Mourdock.
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I don't understand why the GOP doesn't move to the middle more often.
