Clueless irony: Lincoln Chaffee

[PurityOfEssence]

If anybody can pull the text of his acceptance speech, please post it here. I heard it and its praise for New England Republicans, but every issue he cited was wildly off the mark. He stated that the values of NE Republicans were fiscal responsibility, care for the poor, environmental concern and reluctance of foreign entanglements.

On what fucking planet does he live?

The Republican Party has ALWAYS been an aristocracy bent on exploiting the weak and refusing to pay into the system that benefits us all.

The Republican Party USED to be isolationist, but ever since the onset of communism, it was all for smashing everybody everywhere to uphold the sanctity of personal wealth and control.

They used to be for balancing budgets, but since 1980 it has been the priority of this bunch to aid the rich and have the poor pay the tab regardless of the debt load.

As for environmental concerns, there's no sensible argument: although Nixon (dick though he was) started the EPA, the consistent thrust of the Republican Party has been to give business a free rein.

It would be the ultimate irony if the Republicans could retain control of the Senate because of the ONE Senate Republican who voted against the Iraq War Resolution. Make no mistake about it: Rhode Islanders are sympathetic toward him not because he's part of the old aristocracy (which he is, coming from one of the prominent families who founded the place in the late 1600s) but because he voted against authorizing the war.

I grew up in Rhode Island, and its liberalism (although steeped in ever-present religion) has imprinted itself on me.

His speech today was lie after lie: every trait of New England Republicans he cited was absolutely wrong. This is pure fiction.

Sorry to hope for the destruction of someone who's actually voted the ethical way in many instances, but he needs to go.

[redqueen]

1. How could he say such things with a straight face?

:wtf:

[PurityOfEssence]

4. Hang them with their own words

If this speech is on video, it'd make a great commercial: after each statement, counter it with reality.

Once upon a time the line was that Democrats got us into wars and Republicans got us into Depressions. Now, Republicans get us into both.

Yes, Clinton took us into the Balkans, but Reagan (despicable asshole tool of others) did Central America and grandstanded with Grenada and Bush 1 did Panama with pure ugliness.

The fiscal responsibility myth is laughable; Republicans are perfectly happy to destroy our economy as long as the hereditarily wealthy are sustained. The environment? Hahahahahahahahaha.

It's sad to see someone with an odd scruple here or there to be in the cross hairs, but he's a confused child of over ten generations of aristocratic privilege and he still sides with the forces of greed and exclusion.

This is quite intriguing if it weren't for the extremity of the overall situation.

Personally, I never thought the Senate could be reclaimed before '08, but since things are in play, we should steel ourselves to taking down someone who's actually been a reasonable voice for us all.

His performance in this speech shows him to be either extremely clueless or a liar of the first order; for either of these pronouncements, he should be removed.

[opihimoimoi]

2. Whitehouse gonna win...in this year...Pubs = BAD...

People are waking up....

[Finder]

3. He is not wrong...many Republicans in New England are more liberal than...

Dems.(with the exception of Mass.)
Socially that is.

[skipos]

5. A vote for Chaffee is a vote for a Republican senate majority

and all the horseshit that comes with it.

WHITEHOUSE is the only vote for progressives in RI.

[badgerpup]

6. I'm probably gonna get flamed for this...

but Lincoln Chaffee in himself isn't such a bad egg.
He's been described as a moderate, and his opponent, while a Dem, was also a conservative.

A Democrat-controlled Congress is a good thing to shoot for, but would it hurt to have moderates on BOTH sides of the aisle?
It's the conservatives and neocons who have swung the country so far right it's tipping over...

I know, I'm oversimplifying...

edit: spellcheck is my friend.

[TankLV]

7. In this case, YES. Repukes ALWAYS vote for PARTY FIRST when it comes to

crunch time.

Every.
FUCKING.
TIME.

Only when their vote won't count do they "vote their conscience".

Chaffee, like ALL REPUKES, are no friends to democrats OR our COUNTRY.

[redqueen]

8. No flames...

This has already been explained, but to sum up:

- voted to have Frist as leader of the Senate
- enables bush's agenda to control senate (iraq, trashing social security/medicare, federal fudning for church programs/religious schools, etc.
- votes for bush's judicial nominees (no moderates there)


A final point: bipartisanship is dead. Have liberal ideals not been pushed far enough away from center yet? How far to the right does the political landscape in this country go before some of us to stop allowing it to continue?

[badgerpup]

9. So, this race was pretty much a lose/lose proposition...

and the Democratic conservative candidate would have been the lesser of two evils.

Not being sarcastic or snotty, just asking.

[redqueen]

11. Yeah... I'm gonna pass on this. n/t

[bdamomma]

10. I hope Whitehouse is ready for a fight in November.

[Odin2005]

12. Chaffee should switch parties.

He's the Zell Miller of the Republican Party. He'd be much better off over here.