Michigan: Schwarz: 'Right-wing intimidators' driving moderates out of GOP

[Robbien]

WASHINGTON -- In the wake of his loss in the primary last month, U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz says he won't endorse or vote for the Republican pastor who defeated him and accused "right-wing intimidators" of running moderates like himself out of the party.

"The far right, the religious right are driving moderates out of the party. In the end, that can only hurt because it takes a critical mass to have a successful party," Schwarz said in his first extensive interview since losing the Aug. 8 primary to Tim Walberg.

The Battle Creek physician said several friends told him they plan to leave the party after watching him be hammered on social issues and then lose in spite of endorsements by establishment Republicans including President Bush and Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.

Schwarz said he could see circumstances under which he would join them. "We've created a situation, more and more, where centrist moderates who once identified with the Republican Party find themselves with no place to go. That will have national implications," he said.

Schwarz's race drew national attention because it pitted a moderate Republican freshman against a social conservative challenger backed by the powerful Club for Growth, whose members from around the country donated about $800,000 to the race.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060904/POLITICS01/609040357/1022/POLITICS

[Erika]

1. The neocons and the far right religious extremists

have formed a power group aimed to make the republican party their voice.

A true danger to America. Good for this moderate.

[Old and In the Way]

2. Looks like the Republican Express is starting to throw wheel bearings.

I think some of the passengers have decided that they have gone as far as they are willing to go with Casey Jones at the wheel.

"Trouble with you is
The trouble with me
Got two good eyes
but we still don't see
Come round the bend
You know it's the end
The fireman screams and
The engine just gleams

Drivin' that train
High on cocaine
Casey Jones you better
watch your speed
Trouble ahead
Trouble behind
and you know that notion
just crossed my mind"

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. That happened to us around here...

Club for Growth backed Scott Garrett and gave him lots of cash. He got elected and re-elected. Now, we are strapped with a do-nothing moron who couldn't give a crusty about his district.

Trouble is, the people around here vote Republican as a reflex, and are too stupid to figure out why things like piss for money for flood damage is SOP.

[Renew Deal]

4. Welcome to the party.

We'll need your help ridding the world of these assholes.

Where is that post about not messing up the furniture? It applies well here.

[sutz12]

5. Finally, some of them are starting to realize....

that these fundie assholes are not "mainstream."

[DeepModem Mom]

6. K&R

[beltanefauve]

7. I don't have a whole lot of sympathy

for these so-called "Moderates". How many times have these people held their noses and voted for right-wing whackjobs simply because of the "R" next to their names? How many of them have actually contributed to the hijacking of their party by choosing to look the other way? And now they find themselves without a place to call home. Boo fucking hoo.

[longship]

8. They have no home because they were driven away by nutcases.

Moderates have been totally ennervated by the rapture wing of the party. In no where is this more true than Michigan, where it all began when Pat Robertson's candidacy targetted the party at the precinct level. Those results have been replicated over and over again from coast to coast.

Moderates have no home in the Republican party because they're not ideologically pure enough. Speaking of divide and conquer... The Repukes have divided themselves. Now, the Dems can conquer. But let's not make the same mistake.

I'm a proud liberal who welcomes them with open arms.

[Le Taz Hot]

15. And how many times have WE

held our noses and voted for DLC whackjobs simply because of a "D" next to their names? Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman come to mind. As one from the Democrat faction of the Democratic party, I do have sympathy for them.

[Ignacio Upton]

9. To Freepers who bring up Lieberman-Lamont.....

...I'd like to know why you're such hypocrites.

[NVMojo]

10. bleed the fundies/neocons dry ...whatever it takes

[NOLADEM]

11. So should we send the wingnuts a card?

That would drive em batshit, so I am inclined to want to do it.

Anyone have any idea where we should send our supersized card thanking the loonies for driving Middle America back to us?

[Robbien]

12. We don't want to thank them. They have given the country some

very bad Congressmen. These guys are the ones behind all the taxcuts for the rich, repeal of the estate tax and privatization of social security.

The Club for Growth is a cancer on this country.

[NOLADEM]

19. Jeez, Mr. Serious

Lighten up, man...


Here...Have a beer.

:beer:

I was only saying we should thank the Repubes for nominating a candidate that can't possibly win.


:hi:

[bronxiteforever]

13. GOP=Radical Right Wing

moderates are fools who stay in that party. They hate moderates.

The goal of the GOP rulers is and always has been control of the tax code for the rich at the expense of other classes. Note that the club for growth has no health care agenda because they could give a rats' a** about your health care. If you don't have the money to pay-just die is their motto. The GOP throws out the religious ideology just to work up the lower classes but its all about the money.

[Vogon_Glory]

16. GOP Moderates Are The Radical Right's Useful Idiots

GOP moderates who continue to vote Republican or help to elect Republicans no matter how extreme those Republicans' views should wake up and realize that they are seen and treated as 'useful idiots.' Right-wing extremists have no intension of treating moderates with anything resembling decency and courtesy, have no tolerance for moderates' views, or even allowing moderates' views to be expressed within Republican Party circles. Right-wing extremists see moderates as useful only as voters or as stamp-lickers or headquarters drudges.

I realized what the Republican Party was turning into over twenty years ago and left. I hope that for their sake remaining moderates look around them and leave, too.

[tanyev]

14. GOP moderates knew the fundies were bat-shit crazy when they

invited them into the party. Now they've taken over. Boo-frickin-hoo.

[sofa king]

22. And they took over a long time ago.

What's this doofus trying to say? "Oh my, I've been duped for the past fifty-eight years!"

[stepnw1f]

17. You Let Them In.... (nt)

[applegrove]

18. I still say neocons want a three party country. They've looked at

Canada and see the middle party as winning the vast majority of elections because of three parties..and that is what they want.

Just a guess. Speculation.

But why else polarize all America? I don't think Karl Rove & his 30 year empire are smarter than the neocons. I think like a big pile of snakes ****ing.. some in the GOP do not know that the end game is a three party state. Will not work because * has disgusted and embarrassed Americans so much that they are turning Dem.

IMHO

[rman]

21. Many countries have more than two parties, the "middle party" does not

always win. In fact it usually does not - if there even is a middle party. Usually no single party gets a majority vote, and a coalition is formed to staff the government.

[Solon]

26. Most of those countries are Parlimentary Democracies...

The United States is not, we are a Federal, Democratic Republic, and the way our system is structured, only 2 parties can have dominance on the national scene for extended periods of time. This has been proven through our 200+ years of history. If we had, at least, PR representation in the House, with Districtless, state based allotment for Representatives, then yeah, 3 parties would be possible, but that can't happen at the moment

[MisterP]

27. but then again, Canada and the UK have no PR, just districts

and they have 3 major parties (NDP and LDP, respectively) and some North Irish parties

[Solon]

28. True, but I don't think they have a cap on the amount of Representatives..

in the Legislature. The cap is of course, 435 Reps, set back in 1912 or so, and isn't exactly Constitutional. Since then, we have added 3 states, and tripled our population, that's actually a big reason why we have the incumbency problem and a de facto permanent 2 party system.

Also, PR systems can have districts, I forget whether Canada or Great Britian use 1 candidate districts, or multi-candidate districts. The only reason why I mentioned districtless State based allotment is because state borders are by and large, immutable, and therefore gerrymandering wouldn't be possible. Have you seen the shapes of some of these districts? Its freakin' ridiculous what politicians get away with in this country.

I say remove the cap, then set the amount of representatives to a ratio, let's say 1:100,000, this would give us about 3,000 representatives. This would have two effects, the first is that third parties are more likely to elect candidates, and second is the individual power of each rep is reduced, drastically, so lobbying would actually be less effective. Imagine the expenses needed for Wal-Mart to try to bribe reps nationwide if it expands from 435 to over 3000, and that's just one company.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[knitter4democracy]

20. Some have even contacted our county office.

They want to know how to send Sharon Renier money and how to help her get elected. She's a moderate, and they're interested.

That so-called preacher is bad news. We knew, from what we were hearing, that he was going to win, but it still was a bit of a suprise. Honestly, I thought it would have been closer than by 6%.

Still, if we all work hard enough, we'll pick up that seat.

[yasmina27]

24. My husband - a lifelong Republican

wouldn't vote for anyone who supports these neo-cons. He believes his party has been hijacked by wackjobs. He has used his vote in the primaries to try to elect original Repubs and hasn't voted R in general elections since I've known him.

Yes - we've had some pretty intense discussions over the years :).

[JI7]

25. after these past 6 years, why are they surprised ?

and not just the 6 years, but the Clinton years and the disgusting way they went after him and other Dems.

[warrens]

29. They're headed for the fiery abyss

And the moderates who appealed to these animals have only themselves to blame. Live by the sword, die by the sword.