Moderates ask GOP to come back to the mainstream

[GreenPartyVoter]

NEW YORK (AP) - A group of moderate Republicans, many long out of office, called on President Bush and the Republican party to "come back to the mainstream" on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

"Instead of partisan ideology - which increasingly has led moderates to leave the party - what's needed is a speedy return to the pragmatic, problem-solving mainstream," the group called Mainstream 2004 said in newspaper advertisements to be published Monday.

The "Come Back To The Mainstream" ads say what many moderate Republicans are thinking, said A. Linwood Holton, who was Virginia governor from 1970-74.

The problem lies with the "extremist element that controls the Republican party," Holton said, "which has polarized this country."

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20040829/D84P33P00.html

[madaboutharry]

1. Mr. Holton needs to read

"What's The Matter With Kansas" and he'll understand why it is too late to bring the republican party back to the middle. Their power is found in the extremes.

[acmavm]

2. Fat chance of that happening. They couldn't loot this country and take

over the Middle Eastern oil fields and promote the interests of the Likkud if they did that.

[eleny]

3. Too little too late

[enough]

4. a little late

snip>

"I see the ads as an effort to try to get the Republican party to widen its appeal" to moderates around the country, Holton said. "Bush talks that way, but I don't see him or the rest of the party doing that."

The group in its ads called on Bush and the GOP to "stop weakening environmental law"; start using "pay-as-you-go" budget discipline to end deficits; clear the way for embryonic stem cell research; and appoint mainstream federal judges.

The way the party is now, Holton said he wouldn't vote for President Bush. "Not unless they change substantially between now and November," he said.

snip>

[iconoclastic cat]

5. Ten bucks says that when Kerry wins, the Repub party shreds itself.

I can't wait. Get ready for the rise of the Libertarians.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Fracture into the Libs and the Constitutionalists maybe?

[iconoclastic cat]

8. Maybe. Then we could be more like Canada!

I like the idea of 5 proportionally equal parties, don't you?

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. I actually don't care how many parties there are

as long as the requirements for counting as a "major" party aren't held way up out of reach of smaller parties as they are now.

[iconoclastic cat]

12. Exactly.

And I don't have the slightest idea about how to make that happen.

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Well, getting ranked voting, clean elections, and open debates

would be a start. (see my site for more on that)

Here in Maine we have volunatry clean elections, and I feel it has been helpful. Would love to see ranked voting, but so far two IRV bills have been shot down (I'm more partial to Borda, but could live with IRV I think) and one more got tabled so that it wouldn't interfere during a major election year. :eyes:

[blondeatlast]

9. I 'd much rather see the return of the Goldwater type Republicans. nt

[iconoclastic cat]

10. Oh, sure.

But I'm saying that if we had the Greens, Libertarians, Democrats, Republicans, and whoever in equal amounts, we would have a better and stronger republic.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. I think it's great

The point is this is happening on the eve of the Republican Convention. It calls out the current leadership of the Republican Party just when they are trying to push their "feel good/feel tough" unity script. Sure we want moderate Republicans to leave the Republican Party, but the way that usually happens is first they get the courage to say that their Party has been hijacked, then they vote for Kerry when they are ignored, THEN they become Democrats, or something like that anyway. This is good.