Chafee quietly quits the GOP

[splat]

Source: Providence Journal

PROVIDENCE — Lincoln D. Chafee, who lost his Senate seat in the wave of anti-Republican sentiment in last November’s election, said yesterday that he has left the party.

Chafee said he disaffiliated with the party he had helped lead, and his father had led before him, because the national Republican Party has gone too far away from his stance on too many critical issues, from war to economics to the environment. “It’s not my party any more,” he said.

Chafee’s departure is another step in the waning of the strain of moderate Republicanism that was once a winning political philosophy from Rhode Island and Connecticut to the Canadian border. For the first time since the Civil War, the six New England states combined now have only one Republican U.S. House member, Connecticut’s Christopher Shays.

Chafee said he disaffiliated from the party “in June or July,” making him an unaffiliated voter. He did so quietly, and until yesterday, he said, “No one’s asked me about it.” He said he made the move because “I want my affiliation to accurately reflect my status.”


Read more: http://www.projo.com/news/content/CHAFEE_GOP_09-16-07_DP751KF.31dd3fe.html

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Dem Sheldon Whitehouse defeated him in November.

[LiberalFighter]

1. The tide is ebbing fast for the Republicans.

[EST]

2. Had he the courage to defect four years ago,

it would have a real significance. Now, not so much.

[Carolina]

3. Exactly!

Too bad this so-called moderate didn't take a public stand when he was in a position of power.

Once again, too little, too late.

[dickbearton]

24. Anyone still in the Republican Party is complicit with the Criminal Bush...

They, like Bush, are traitors and war criminals; accomplices
after the fact.

[eallen]

4. I agree. If Snowe has any sense, she'll do so now.

[Captain Hilts]

10. Yes, she should. But it's weird some of the times she stays on the reservation. nt

[ChairmanAgnostic]

14. this statement "If Snowe had any sense. . ."

says it all right there.
She has sniffeth the Kool-Aid and seen the light as described by Bush.

[ptolle]

19. Collins too

Snow, and Susan Collins as well, though despite her occasional forays into common sense I expect she's too firmly entrenched in the nearer fringes of the wingnut encampment to break free.

[Teaser]

20. He'd probably still have a job too

.

[rgbecker]

5. Not the only Republican to realize his party has been Hijacked.

My grandfather is rolling in his grave realizing the party of Lincoln has been hijacked by the remains of the southern segregationists and southern religion-in-your face mentality. You could see Chafee grimacing all during the 2006 election, having to justify the Republican party line. Now even my father, a Goldwater Republican, age 94, shakes his head in disbelief at the turn the party has taken. If the Democrats can't take advantage of this situation and win both houses and the white house in 2008, all is lost.

[SharonAnn]

6. My siblings now call themselves "Independents" like I did 25 year.s when I left the GOP

Then I realized that there was a political party that stood for the things I believe in and that it was the Democratic Party.

Of course, I was a Moderate/Liberal Republican and they just don't have those any longer. Actually, they have fewer and fewer true Conservative Republicans any more. But they do have plenty of crooks, cheaters, neo-cons, hypocrites, sex-obsessed, misogynist, anti-tolerance, cronyists.

[Tab]

13. Same with me

I started off Republican, mainly because I didn't know any better and just believed the shit I heard on TV. As I became more aware, I gravitated over to Independent, and as I continued to learn, I became solidly Democratic (basically just giving up on the Republicans at all). That was 15 or so years ago. They haven't redeemed themselves since, and although I have some issues with the Democrat's "performance" - if only in just countering the Republican attacks, until I see a better alternative (which I won't in my lifetime), a Democrat I am and a Democrat I will stay. These GOP fucks have soiled the country.

I think that last line says it all. And we're left to change the diapers.

[Baby Snooks]

11. Well, look around...

Some of those same "southern segregationists" with their "southern religion-in-your face mentality" also hijacked the Democratic Party. Or more accurately, just remained in the Democratic Party.

It is odd that the party that freed the slaves is the party that wants to put them back on the old plantation or put them in prison. And basically give them a choice between the two. If they could get away with it, the Republicans would put it in their party platform. Maybe next year they will. Now that they have hijacked the Justice Department and there is no longer any such thing as civil rights violations. Maybe be a little discreet about it. Something along the lines of "Return this country to the rule of those who founded it." And watch the Blue Dog Democrats start voting Republican again if they do.

I suspect Lincoln is rolling in his grave as well.

[pop goes the weasel]

18. It's not a hijacking

It can't be called a hijacking if you deliberately take passengers into your car as part of your own plan to destroy your enemies. And that plan was hatched by Nixon, a Californian, and furthered by Reagan, another Californian. The South had been trying to rein in its vicious contingent when the Republican Southern strategy was launched to not only appeal to the unReconstructed, but to increase their number. The Democrats during the same approximate time period had, under a Southerner (LBJ) chosen to take a political hit in order to do the right thing, and the Republicans jumped at the chance of gathering up the detritus the Democrats had shed. The Republican party has only itself to blame for its current sorry state.

[datavg]

22. Everything You Say...

...is true, but I've lived in the South and there are a hell of a lot of those people down there. They're putting up new highways, schools and churches so fast in Austin that the concrete companies can't keep up with the demand. Austin will be completely surrounded by brand new, gorgeous six and eight lane toll roads five years from now. Even Dallas is in the middle of a ten year initiative to completely revamp its infrastructure.

Something is going on down there, and as liberals we ignore them at our peril. These people get what they want.

A lot of this is about NAFTA...but Clinton signed it and there's nothing we can do about it now.

These people are wealthy, powerful and (most importantly) angry. They're always pissed off at something, which I think has to do with a large percentage of them still fighting the Civil War.

Do you realize that, as bad as the Republicans have been lately, we could STILL wind up with one of them in the White House next time around? Do you know why? Texas has 34 Electoral votes, Florida has 27 and when you add in the rest of the Old Confederacy, the total adds up to way more than California and west coast.

Democrats have to find a way to win down there. Elizabeth Edwards says the DNC is making the same mistakes for 2008 that it made in 2000 and 2004 because it doesn't know how to handle the whole God thing. Social movements in the South don't come from academia. They despise academia...especially in Texas. The action is in the evangelical churches...and that's gonna be a real problem for the Left. You can't sell abortion rights, gay rights and feminism to someone with a Bible in their hand. I don't care how much money these groups contribute. I don't care how wealthy they are.

What we're doing doesn't work. I'm not sure it will ever work. This isn't 1965 anymore.

California should just secede and get it over with. A lot of people I know here agree with me.

[SharonAnn]

42. "They despise academia." - Yes, the anti-inellectualism is stunning at times.

There was a Letter to the Editor in the Knoxville News Sentinel about 6 years ago that pretty much said it:

"Demagoguery, anti-intellectualism, and deep, deep ignorance."

[BreweryYardRat]

44. You're right about the number of far-right jackoffs down here, but we DID win Florida in 2000.

They just stole our win. We have to prevent that in '08. And Texas is trending purple from sheer disgust at the Chimp. I SERIOUSLY doubt it'll go blue in '08, but maybe...

Also:

What the hell are we supposed to do with the evangelicals? Those folks have their heads so far up their asses that even if we say "hey, ignore the whole abortion/gays/feminism deal, and focus on everything else we can do for you," they won't listen.

And I don't think secession is necessary. Maybe re-write how the electoral vote works, so that it goes by districts instead of whole states? Seems to me that'd balance out the swarms of right-wing jackoffs quite nicely.

[tekisui]

7. If he had done this summer of '06, he'd still be a senator.--nt

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

8. Better late than never...

I agree, he probably would still be in the Senate if he'd done this sooner. But he realizes just how badly his party screwed him, and hindsight is often 20/20. He did vote against the war, and often reached out to "our" side of the aisle when the chips were down, and I respect him for that. Best of luck to him.

[rodeodance]

9. and Shays said he will quit if he does NOT get the chairmanship.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

12. Republicans and Democrats alike

appear to be spineless and intimidated by the current administration's agenda.

[shenmue]

15. Yay!

:patriot:

Mazel tov!

[Odin2005]

16. More like the GOP left Chafee.

The GOP of his father's time is no more, it all Fundies, militarists, and Randoids now days. "Rockefeller Republicans" like Chafee are a critically endangered species.

I hope he joins the Dems.

[SusanaMontana41]

23. Me too

He's much more of a Democrat than LIEberman ever was.

[Vidar]

25. Chafee's a good man. I wish him well.

[edhopper]

17. How many times

in the six Bush years he was Senator, did he vote against the President?

[rep the dems]

27. I don't know, but I do know one vote he made against the President

that many Democratic Senators did not: the Iraq War Resolution.

He's got my respect.

[never_get_over_it]

29. And

He was the ONLY repunk to vote against IWR - so good on him - and I called his office SEVERAL times and told him to switch parties.....

if he had left earlier he would still be in the Senate - and except for control of the Senate - I was very torn in that race - but I have to tell you that Sheldon Whitehouse is freaking awesome - from what I have seen of him....

[rep the dems]

33. Oh I know what you mean. That was definitely a win-win situation,

except that a Chafee victory would have kept the Senate in GOP Control. But I'm also very happy with Whitehouse. Probably my favorite of our freshmen Senators.

[bdamomma]

21. what news, I wish more repigs would realize that their party

is gone, I guess as far as two evils the Dems still have their ideals as long as they find their will to fight these neo cons.

[liberal N proud]

26. Is the writing on the wall?

Are the republican party's days numbered?

[baldguy]

28. Typical Republican coward

Chafee acquiesced to & helped the rise of the fascists is his party, until the voters of RI got wise & kicked him out on his ass. NOW he's whining about very depravities that he benefited from. If he really cared about his country and his party he would have left loudly, with great deal of noise & he would be fighting to return his GOP to its founding principles.

[reggie the dog]

34. a bit harsh

for someone who voted AGAINST the war in Iraq.

[mvd]

36. He supported the Repuke leadership at a time when..

the Iraq war was escalating. He could have made a difference when the Repukes had a 51-48-1 advantage.

[gaspee]

40. Yeah, real coward

Who actually voted against the Iraq War Resolution, unlike so many of our own Dems - keep right on believing that about him. He voted against his own party, actually read the REAL intel and made a vote he could live with. Unlike about 1/2 of all dems who were to scared to against the Bush propaganda juggernaut.

Until recently, he thought reason might allow him to help change his party back into the party it was.

And, for a Chafee to leave the Republican party is a big deal. The Chafees pretty much are the republican party in RI.

Coward, yeah, right.

[rasputin1952]

30. He's about 15 years behind Goldwater.

Before Goldwater died, he called the current GOP a "bunch of shitheads".

Intersting how, when they lose dramatically, someof them have an epiphany...but when they are riding high, the Second Coming of Christ would be missed by most of them.

[9119495]

31. well you know what they say...

If your yound and not a liberal, you don't have a heart. If you're old and not a conservative, you have a heart and a brain.

[EST]

32. Well...no I haven't often heard it said that way.

I agree with your version.

[9119495]

37. Fucking Churchill

The right thinks he was a philosopher just because he was witty and helped win a war. Philosophers achievements are far greater than that usually. He's just another short cut to not thinking for them. I think some do go through a conservative phase, but we do get so many back when they start to think about the planet they want to leave behind.

[mvd]

35. Chafee leaves too late

O'Connor leaves too early. Chafee's departure won't help us, except maybe Chafee will support the Democratic challenger to Lieberman next time.

[pettypace]

38. I've liked Chafee since 2002

He was a Republican you could hang your hat on, perhaps the last one.

Here's a scorecard just for laughs.

Iraq War Resolution

Voting Yes
Clinton
Kerry
Edwards
Biden
Bayh
Reid
Dodd
Daschle
Schumer

Voting No
Chafee

[lebkuchen]

39. Had he quit during his political career, what's the worst that could have happened?

that he would lose his senate seat?

[gaspee]

41. In RI

The Chafee family pretty much is the repuke party - or it used to be. Carcieri (governor) is a dickhead, but the old school repukes in RI are much more similar and more to the left, politically, than coservative Dems in other parts of the country.

He's actually making a pretty big move by leaving the party.

I say good for him and he'd still have his seat if he did it before the election. I think he knows that - I know a few people who have told him that personally - including a former staffer of his who is a very close friend of mine.

RI is a very, very small place.

[Supersedeas]

43. Nothing to see here -- feed them more OJ, more Patraeus hero shots, more McCanns

[hogwyld]

45. Is this the final end to the repukes?

Will the GOP finally join the whigs, and the bull-moose party on the ash heap of history? I certainly hope so!

[Carrieyazel]

46. Hillary should learn some lessons from a man who showed great courage 5 years ago

Chafee was the only Republic who voted against the war. He knew it was an illegal, unconstitutional disaster in the making. For that he should be commended as a visionary.

How come Hillary didn't have any vision??? Voting for this catastrophic war!

[Marrah_G]

47. I cried for him the night he was voted out

If he had left the GOP before then he would have still had his seat. He really is a good man that was a member of a bad party.

I wish him well and I would like to see him run as an Independent or Dem for Gov or some other office.

He is the only Republican I ever voted for.

I am very glad he finally came to his senses and did what he should have done years ago.