AP: GOP defector says party is 'out of touch'

[Newsjock]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/266902_gammons17.html?dpfrom=thead

By DAVID AMMONS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OLYMPIA -- State Rep. Rodney Tom recently bailed out of the Republican Party, saying a rightward-drifting GOP has no room for progressives and moderates.

The Democrats are all too happy to agree with Tom, and see him as the poster child for Democrats making inroads in the changing battleground districts around Seattle.

... Tom found himself voting against his caucus and the state party when he was a "yes" on last year's big transportation tax package, which included massive appropriations for local and regional projects. His e-mail and phone lines were jammed with angry comments from Republican activists in his district.

That was probably the tipping point, he said, but he also broke with the party over simple-majority school levy approval, abortion rights, gay civil rights and children's services.

"The far right has taken over the party," and it was increasingly hard to properly represent the 48th as a Republican, he said.

more

[opihimoimoi]

1. Sanity and Reason comes into play...they are not MIA anymore

[Peter Frank]

2. If this were only this simple...

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12628.htm

[cassiepriam]

3. But the GOP is perfectly in touch with the baser instincts of human nature

greed, racism, fear.

[Canuckistanian]

4. Yeah, they sure have that vote sewn up

Not to mention the people who love war, anti church/state separation and the extreme misogynist vote.

And this is the "mainstream" they keep telling us about?

[cassiepriam]

11. Well actually it probably is the mainstream. We are the odd ones...

intelligent independent thinkers with a moral compass.
Go figure.

[Canuckistanian]

12. Look at the polls 35% support isn't mainstream at all

And 56% against pretty much shows that the tack taken by Bushco is WAY out of the mainstream.

As it should be. I hate to think you're a country that considers bigotry, hatred, war and corruption to be acceptable American values.

[cassiepriam]

13. We shall see how people vote in the Fall, that will tell the tale, nt

[Jemmons]

5. "The well-educated suburban district wants better

schools and transportation and the GOP always seems more preoccupied with cutting taxes, he said in an interview."

Democrats should educate themselves on how issues like this has build a solid base for socialdemocrats here in europe. In my own country, Denmark, there is no parties left who support the "less government" agenda, not even what is considered the far right here.

[Old and In the Way]

15. Republican business ethics grafted on our government.

Wonder why we don't manufacture anything? The business model is always immediate ROI. You can't plan more than 1-2 quarters, you can't justify the ROI. So they outsource everything. Same with their thinking on government. Invest in stuff that gets them a payback from a stockholder perspective (defense stocks), screw education, health,etc. There's no ROI for the Republican Syndicate on those investments.....their kids are taken care. Screw yours. They can always find another country to live in if things go to hell here.

[EVDebs]

6. GOP is anti-contraception and anti-commonsense, IMHO eom

[DUHandle]

7. Thank you for posting this

[Tiggeroshii]

8. I hope more people do this

... The more defects we get in state and national legislatures, the more likely Democrats will have a say in some of the most important issues.

[classysassy]

9. I don't trust

any type of republican,they will attemt to gain your trust and they always go back to their evil masters.

[Supersedeas]

17. yep, room to healthy sketicism but open the doors and amplify complaints

[cosmic _mind]

10. I hope others follow his example

I wanted to recommend this post but i don't have enough posts!:kick:

[Bake]

14. There's a reason they call it the "base."

Because they ARE pretty damn base!

Bake

[Raine]

16. That's what happened to me

of course it's been about 25 years ago since I was a repug but I knew I had to get out when Raygan and his ilk took the party over in 1980. x(