Chaffee is the Republican's Joe Lieberman ?

[kentuck]

Just as the Democrats were pissed off at Lieberman for being too close to the embecile in the White House, the Republicans believe the exact opposite about Senator Chaffee in Rhode Island. There is a good chance he will be defeated by a more conservative Republican in a primary. It seems that the electorate may be headed toward polar opposites? And the guy that may beat him spells his name La----?
Laffey?

[WI_DEM]

1. but if he is defeated in his primary will the media say that the GOP

has been taken over by the extremists who won't allow a "moderate" in the party? Nah, it's only the Democrats who have "crazy extremists".

[quiet.american]

2. The thing about Chafee is he makes "moderate" noises, but --

-- rarely carries through to vote against the rightist extremists, otherwise known as the GOP, in the Senate.

[kentuck]

4. I would think a Democrat would stand a better chance at winning..

the seat if Chaffee loses the primary?

[DirtyJersey]

5. Actually...

Chafee votes against the GOP far more often than Lieberman does the Dems. The reason I hate Lieberman is his unwavering support of the Iraq War, whereas Chafee actually voted against the Iraq War and continues to be against it. That alone makes Chafee a better guy than Lieberman in my book.

[quiet.american]

12. No doubt casting a vote against IWR didn't endear him to "the base"

But his most recent moderate noises, then party-line votes, still don't endear him to me either.

[NNN0LHI]

3. No he isn't. Chaffee still votes with his party when it really counts

Lieberman votes for the opposing party when it really counts.

Huge difference.

Don

[warrens]

6. Good chance this seat is going to flip

The voters loyal to his father are dying out. The war is a huge issue in New England. He votes with the GOP most of the time, just like Joe voted with the Dems most of the time. We have a very divided electorate, trending Democrat, and neither side is going to forgive someone who is sleeping with the enemy, even if it's only once a week.

[Name removed]

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[skipos]

9. It is technically impossible for him to do that.

[skipos]

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

We want Laffey to win the republican primary, since Whitehouse (D) would have a much easier time beating him.

[w4rma]

10. No. Chaffee is more like a Republican Nelson.

Chaffee is a moderate Republican holding a liberal seat.
Nelson is a moderate Democrat holding a conservative seat. (btw, it doesn't matter which Nelson I'm talking about for this example.)

LIEberman is a "moderate" Democrat holding a liberal seat.

In other words, Chaffee's primary challenge really is a case of the extremists going after any and every "moderate".

[Sydnie]

11. Early in the campaign season I saw an ad by Laffey that baffles me

He was talking about his record and showing local locations with a voice over. In the middle of the damn commercial, he throws in a picture of a Dunkin Donuts and the voice over says "I love Dunkin Donuts". The commercial then goes on to talk about his agenda if elected. It was surreal and disjointed and has haunted me since the first time I saw it. I can't put my finger on just why he would throw that in the middle of his ad like that. Was it a code phrase to the GOP? Was it a deal he made to get funding from some group or was it an ad for Dunkin Donuts, plain and simple?

He presents himself as a very moderate republican in his ads and I can see, from the tv ads anyway, how he might appeal to the Chaffee voters in RI. There's just something about him that gives me the creeps more than the usual GOPer does. I just can't shake that feeling either.