Snowe and Graham blast repuke conservatives over Arlen's switch

[cali]

Moderates blame conservatives
By LISA LERER | 4/28/09 2:09 PM EDT Text Size:


Sen. Olympia Snowe and Sen. Lindsay Graham say Arlen Specter's decision to become a Democrat highlights the hostility moderates feel from an increasingly conservative GOP.
Photo: AP




Two leading Republican moderates say Sen. Arlen Specter's decision to become a Democrat highlights the hostility moderates feel from an increasingly conservative GOP.

“You haven't certainly heard warm encouraging words about how views moderates,” said Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, one of the few remaining moderate Republicans in the Senate.

Snowe said the party's message has been, “Either you're with us or you’re against us.”

Her frustration was shared by Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), who slammed right-wing interest groups for pushing moderates out of the party.

Specter switched parties Tuesday after a recent poll showed him badly losing a Pennsylvania Republican primary next year to Club for Growth founder Pat Toomey. Toomey’s staunchly fiscally conservative political action committee backs only those Republicans who support a low-tax, limited-government agenda and comes down hard on those who break with party orthodoxy.

<snip>

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21802.html

Now come on Olympia, wouldn't you be happier as a Maine Dem?

[Drunken Irishman]

1. Oh Lindsey, you're part of the problem!

[tishaLA]

10. no shit. How is graham going to pretend to be anything other

than a tool who goes as far to the right as the Hannity/Limbaugh/Beck/Levinshovics push him?

[Drunken Irishman]

12. I don't get why he's now considered a moderate?

[tishaLA]

13. well, the media always had a narrative about McCain's moderation, too

so maybe Graham is moderate by osmosis. It sure isn't his voting record. He's a cretin.

[iamthebandfanman]

17. because, its just words.

republicans have been good at manipulating political termonology the last 10-15 years if you hadnt noticed.


apparently proclaiming yourself something is enough to make you that said something.



i think ill go around calling myself a pink and yellow zebra.

i think so therefor i am.

lol.

[sharp_stick]

20. As the true moderates

continue to abandon the good ship RW insanity their ranks are filled by the least crazy of those left in the asylum. Graham is a moderate compared to the rest of the RW nutjobs left in there right now. At least that's the only reason I can see, he's not even close to a moderate IMO, even the Blue Dogs think he's a raving loon.

[ieoeja]

23. I don't think they're calling him moderate.

I read this as a staunch conservative criticizing his fellow conservatives for purging the party of moderate allies.

[Hippo_Tron]

22. Lindsey has a conservative voting record but he doesn't support the fringe right

He was a McCain supporter fairly early on as I recall.

[Bankhead_ATL]

2. hmmmm interesting

[Laelth]

3. Delete.

:dem:

-Laelth

Edit:Laelth--all good.

[Arkana]

4. The only one I don't want in the party of the four of them is Scumbag Graham.

[tridim]

5. IMO they should wait until Franken is seated.

Let him be #60, he deserves it.

Then, let'er rip. Collins and snow switching would be a KO blow to the GOP.

[AtomicKitten]

6. What's that? The death throes of moderation in the Republican Party. n/t

[Cha]

7. Wow, I can see Snowe saying this but

lindsay!! :wow:

[C_U_L8R]

8. Wait.... What !

I just read this.... whoa. I need to go catch up.
Not surprising but still... a big surprise.
A big nice surprise.
Welcome aboard Arlen, play nice now : - )))

[AspenRose]

9. Come on over Olympia! The water's fine!

Is it too late to send Biden over on a charm offensive for Senator Snowe?

[napoleon_in_rags]

15. That's exactly what I was going to say.

I'd take a Sen. Snowe in a heartbeat!

[question everything]

11. Which means how careful we have to be

not to do the same thing, from the opposite side.

[Thrill]

14. Olympia Snowne is more liberal than Evan Bayh

She should switch

[napoleon_in_rags]

16. She voted 54% with her party:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/s000663/

[Thrill]

21. Yeah but shes still more liberal

Check out the latest National Journal Rankings

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2008voteratings/

[napoleon_in_rags]

25. Oh yeah, I'm agreeing with you.

I think she would be a great addition.

[CreekDog]

18. 61? Well, she doesn't have a Republican primary until 2012

and it may be an open primary up there.

but those are strong words from Snowe.

[grantcart]

19. Lindsay Graham can count - who knew?

[Hippo_Tron]

24. I love how there's dissent in the ranks about criticizng Specter

When Jeffords switched it was a unanimously negative response from the GOP. With Specter he's getting a lot of sympathy from some Republicans and a lot of bashing from Cornyn.

[11 Bravo]

26. If Lindsay Graham is a moderate, then I'm a fucking astronaut!

[Vidar]

33. Moderate Republican not moderate in any absloute sense.

[BeyondGeography]

27. Wonderful

[nomaco-10]

28. Snowe and Collins are clueless about true repuke politics...

they are NE politicians that have shown that they rarely relate to southern senators like saxby chambliss, bunting or demint.

The very fact that they are clueless is all the more reason they should go, sooner rather than later.


ALL IN GOOD TIME.

[genna]

34. Saxby Chambliss is my senator. You put a few notions together about Southern politics.

Just because we have a Senator like Chambliss does not mean that we don't have people who will continue to vote for Obama. Chambliss is not paradise for us either.

[IndianaGreen]

29. I think the handwriting is on the wall for Senator Snow.

The GOP is becoming an angry regional party run by Taleban ideologues.

[Generator]

30. Two words

Sarah Palin. George Bush in a dress. She sums up the entire Republican party now. As long as you are extremely religious and attractive, you can be as dumb as box of rocks and be president! WHO cares that you start a nuclear war or let millions die from flu?

That's the Republican party of today. They watched eight years of Bush-and anyone with a brain realizes if they think Sarah Palin is the future and going to keep them safe-it's time to switch to Dem.

And of course, the whole "Obama is a communist and is gonna take y're guns away" wing. That is all that is left of the Republican party. Bush killed it. Like he killed ever other damn thing he touched.

[MiniMe]

31. On Insannity's board,

they have a post about how Palin/Cheney would wipe the floor with Obama. I was thinking that we would cheer that ticket. 2 of the most hated repubs running together, it would be bigger than the McCain/Palin loss.

[nomaco-10]

32. This is the quote that makes Snowe lose all credibility:

"Her frustration was shared by Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), who slammed right-wing interest groups for pushing moderates out of the party"


Anybody that shares a view with Lindsay Graham, has lost all credibility with me.

[demwing]

35. That's clever

“Dr. King’s legacy is secure in American history and he will be viewed by generations to come as transforming our nation for the better. At great personal risk, both to his family and himself, he challenged the status quo of segregation. Through his words and deeds, Dr. King transformed a nation. His legacy and works will be celebrated as long as our country remains free. Dr. King is a true American hero.”

I believe everyone at DU would agree with this point of view, spoken by Senator Graham on the 40th anniversary of MLK Jr's death.

In fact, if anyone were to disagree with such a comment, just because it was spoken by Graham, then they would lose all credibility with - wel...gosh, with everyone I know. It would be universally stupid.

[esfergus]

36. Graham's a moderate?

Graham's a moderate? I would have never guessed that.

[LostinVA]

37. Olympia, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE become an "I" and caucus with the Dems

Which you usually do already.