It's My Party and I'll Flee If I Want To

[kentuck]

Some Republicans are getting as far away as they can from Bush and the national election Party. I'm hoping their "Democratic" supporters don't buy it this time. We need to replace these "moderate" Republicans. They serve no useful purpose to the Democratic Party or the nation, in these times.
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http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1218989,00.html

<snip>
For anxious Republicans in Washington about to head home for a month-long recess, there's growing worry about keeping the party's core conservative supporters excited about this fall's elections. That's why, in the last two weeks, the House of Representatives has tried to pass bills that would ban gay marriage and strip power from the federal courts to rule on cases involving the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. This week House leaders will take on two other causes that conservatives have been unhappy about President Bush's leadership on: in three different hearings, they’ll continue bashing the Senate-passed immigration bill that would create a guest worker program for illegal immigrants, while on the House floor, they will likely pass two bills that would create commissions to look for ways to cut wasteful federal spending.

<snip>
Chris Shays, who represents southern Connecticut, says the GOP's values agenda, like the Pledge of Allegiance bill, is a “bit of a distraction and detour” from taking on more pressing matters, like global warming. On the campaign and official websites of Nancy Johnson, the 12-term congresswoman from the western part of the state appears in pictures with two senators and one President: Bill Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Ted Kennedy, the chief writer of the Senate immigration bill her GOP colleagues despise. Rob Simmons, who represents the eastern part of the state, doesn't just brag about the pork he's brought back home to the state; it's actually one of the main themes of his re-election campaign.

Such dissonance between the campaign tactics of Republicans in the Northeast and the Midwest will be hard to miss this fall. Of the 36 Republican-controlled congressional districts that should be very competitive this year, according to rankings from the non-partisan Cook Political Report, half of them are in just six states: Connecticut, Kentucky, Indiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Democrats will bombard these states with the bulk of the $30 million they plan to spend on ads attacking Republicans this fall. This sets up what almost appears to be a three-front regional war, where both parties know the national battle will ultimately be won or lost.

<snip>
While their opponents bash them as too close to Bush and the Republican leadership, these members are constantly emphasizing their differences with leading Republicans, occasionally to the point of sounding like Democrats. Simmons in Connecticut is touting his endorsements from labor unions, while Johnson is calling on Bush to get rid of the penalty for seniors who sign up late for the prescription drug plan. And all three supported the stem-cell bill that Bush vetoed. In this part of the country, every step that GOP candidates take away from Bush may be one step closer to reelection.

....more

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Time to get out the tar & the Bush Brush.

Actually, all kinds of tar images come to mind when I think about the Puggies.
Tarbaby, the San Andreas tar pits (full of extinct critters that got stuck there), tar & feathers...

[KoKo]

2. What a great Subject Line! Lamont should use this in his Campaign..

Every day the news about Lieberman gets worse. I'm getting more convinced that he conspired with the Repugs to throw 2000 Selection to Bush. Aside from the military ballots and his behavior, it might be there was some collusion behind the scenes of a more sinister nature. Like...his being a "mole."