If Republicans left their Party, would there be room in the Democratic Party for them?

[kentuck]

Or is the Democratic Party's tent only large enough for progressive and liberal members?

Could someone like Mitt Romney or Liz Cheney fit into the Democratic Party?

Is there room in the Democratic Party for conservatives? (There was a time when a good percentage of the Democratic Party called themselves conservatives)

This is just for discussion. No one would ever expect Romney or Cheney to join the Democratic Party. The only thing worse than Trump, in their minds, are Democrats.

But there may be Republicans somewhere that are thinking of joining the Democrats?

Would they be welcome?

[pwb]

1. Wouldn't they be more Independent?

Like Sanders? Hope they would vote with us.

[doc03]

2. No I don't think so the both parties have gone to far from the center nt

[Bev54]

9. Really? what is the center anymore?

The majority of the American people like Joe Biden's policies, that would seem to me it is the center.

[Elessar Zappa]

13. Democratic policy is very popular right now.

I think the party is just where it needs to be ideologically.

[doc03]

26. Biden is far better than The Loser but Biden has turned out to be

a good bit more left than I would like.

[RKP5637]

3. Moderate republicans would be good, at least you can carry on an intelligent conversation

with them.

[Irish_Dem]

4. I am afraid they would pull our party too far right.

I am loving Biden being so progressive.

[Claire Oh Nette]

18. ACA, as much a Biden success as Obama's was ROmney's plan in MA

If we stopped fanning the culture wars, the never ending "Damn you kids, get offa my lawn," and governed instead of pandering (GOP), them Mitt would already be a conservative democrat.

The GOP as we used to know it is going to splinter. One party is openly anti democracy, pro fascism, and the Republicans who claim to be horrified, who registered independent or Democrat after Jan 6. will need to have choices and be welcome in our party. We've always had Heath Shulers and Joe Manchins.

If JRB is as FDR like as I think he could be, we'd do well to ACA other GOP successes to work for all of us. Let these conservadems press for Buy American and produce tax policies to bring manufacturing back, rather than rewarding it to leave.

[RKP5637]

19. Yep, I think you're quite correct! I really love having Biden as president. What a breath

of fresh air.

[Irish_Dem]

24. I'm in progressive heaven with Biden.

And I am about far left as you can get.

[RKP5637]

30. Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Irish_Dem]

31. Biden has given progressives permission to come out from the shadows.

We can show ourselves at long last.

I am a proud and loyal Democrat, but also a proud progressive.

A progressive agenda is how I see the best future for all.

I know we can do it.

[LakeArenal]

5. Actions will speak louder than words.

[Bev54]

6. The democratic party has Joe Manchin

[Irish_Dem]

33. And he is barely tolerated.

[Bev54]

34. Yes, he is the token and the position is filled.

[Irish_Dem]

35. Exactly, no more openings!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

7. Not by me!

[Mike Nelson]

8. Hmm...

... Cheney and Romney, big no. They are admirable in one respect, but their views are not going to change. Someone like Kinzinger could moderate, maybe... also, they can vote for the Dem.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. Depends on the Republican. Charlie Crist was a Republican...

...and he's a pretty reliable Democrat now.

The problem is that there aren't many moderate Republicans elected in congress anymore. They've all been purged from the party since the 2010 midterms. Hijacked by the extremists, as their districts were made more conservative through gerrymandering (or they lost in 2018 in seats now held by Democrats).

Candidates that might break away:

Brian Fitzpatrick, congressman serving Pennsylvania's 1st district. It's a swing district and his voting record shows it, as he's voted with Biden-backed legislation nearly 70% of the time, tho not the major bills like the stimulus. Chris Smith from New Jersey maybe... but unlikely.

That's about it from a reasonable point of view.

[markpkessinger]

11. I would welcome them only if . . .

. . . they renounced their hypocritical, "small government" bullshit!

[hedda_foil]

12. Almost all the actual moderate Republicans have quit over the last five years.

[IcyPeas]

14. no, they are both fair-weather friends.

[Autumn]

15. I sure as hell won't welcome any Republicans. They have their party, they can live with it.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

16. All memberships

will have to go through the politburo.

[Volaris]

17. Well, my supposition would be as follows:

Read the Democratic Party Policy Platform, and heres why:

If those former Republicans are on board with All That then they're welcome here. If a Former Republican could make themselves adhere to at least 85%, then theres drinks and cookies in the lobby

If not....

But heres the thing. That 15% that's left, IS WHATS LEFT, and for a lot of us to one extent or another, NOT being on board with THAT 15%, might be a bridge too far.

If were gonna be a Big Tent Party, we have to be willing to acknowledge that that tent has corners that some of us would rather not deal with, AND that those corners might occasionally, hurt us a good deal (manchin comes immediately to mind today).

[hunter]

20. I'd be happy if they simply gave up and quit voting.

I think we should do everything we can to drive Trump Republicans back into the holes they crawled out of.

It must be shameful to be a Republican these days.

[NewHendoLib]

21. I don't want them.

[Merlot]

22. No. They should become Independents if they no longer fit with their party.

[JHB]

23. I guess it depends. Do they want to be Reagan Republicans? Or Ike/Rockefeller Republicans?

We would fight with the Ike/Rockefeller Republicans over some things, but they understood and could support and advocate for infrastructure, some social programs, and taxes that weren't giveaways to the rich.

The conservatives that Reagan swept into power thought they were a pack of quislings and did their level best to eliminate anyone who couldn't get with their arch-conservative program.

We can deal with the first bunch. We did before, and we still do in that their political descendants are the rightward portion of the centrists already in the party.

The second bunch are the people who made the Republican party into what it presently is. They loved what the votes that anger-inducing demagoguery brought them, especially when they could sidestep what was actually said because it was a radio-ranter who said it. They just kept feeding the beast until they lost control of it.

If they want to acknowledge their role in what has happened, and are willing to shut up and just vote with us until the that beast of theirs dies from lack of victory, we could deal with that, too.

If they're going to what they've been doing, expecting us to make them all comfy while giving us bupkus, if they walk in the door they can leave, back through the door or out the window.

[mcar]

25. Cheney and Romney would never switch

I applaud their patriotic stances but they are ultra conservative. They are not Democrats at all

Best to hope for is the continued civil war within the GOP.

[bluedigger]

27. There's a lonely man waiting in West Virginia to guide them in Our Ways.

[rockfordfile]

28. Maybe

I would have said, no way, years ago.

[struggle4progress]

29. It depends: are we contemplating the Liars or the Suckers?

[gulliver]

32. Leave the racist policy, climate change denial, and voodoo economics at the door...

...and come on in, I say.

[FlyingPiggy]

36. Yes? Maybe then we can forget about labels and discuss true policy

That is a dream of mine. That one day we can take out the party and corporate money to just freaking govern w people’s interest as the driving force. Well, that’s a pipe dream of mine, anyways.

[NNadir]

37. I would rather they start a new party. The original Republican party arose in the same way.

Of course, the original Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Grant, and not the party of bozo racists.

[Vogon_Glory]

38. Which Ex-Republicans to welcome? That's hard to answer

I like to think there’d be room for intelligent, thoughtful former Republicans with ethics and who are solid members of the reality-based community.

On the other hand, I’d be far less welcoming to the opportunistic liars, scammers, and cultists that have run afoul of Orange Julius and seek safer harbors.

Likewise, I don’t think we should welcome former Dixiecrat (turncoats) or their progeny back into our ranks. They not only betrayed us, but their years in the Republican Party have shown what they do when unbound by compromise and feel free to exercise their political and ideological ids to maximum extent. When a man shows you what he is, believe him. And they have shown us what they are.

Let them remain in the political wilderness thrice as long as it took Moses and the Israelites to travel from Egypt to Canaan.!

[onenote]

39. Would any of the DUers critical of Manchin accept any Republicans? Of course not.