Seeking a Return to Republican Virtue (before you scoff automatically...)

Before you scoff automatically, read this -- looking forward to reading the comments of those who read the whole article.

http://www.tracypress.com/voice/2005-11-09-his-voice.php

Seeking a return to Republican virtue

by Pete McCloskey (R-CA 1967-83)

Revolt of the Elders Coalition

The Revolt of the Elders Coalition is an initiative organized by older Republicans who have served in Congress or in the executive branch and are deeply concerned about the present Republican leadership in the House. Our purpose is to educate the public about the DeLay Republicans, whom we believe have not only abandoned traditional Republican values, but also have dishonored and disgraced the party with their unethical conduct.

Our coalition was formed originally in response to the new ethics rules adopted by the Republican leadership to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay. At that time, DeLay, already admonished by the Ethics Committee three times for his previous contact, was being threatened by possible criminal charges relating to corporate campaign contributions in Texas, threats that have materialized into two indictments against him.

~snip~

For these reasons, we have formed a 501 (c) (4) nonprofit corporation to examine and publish the actions and views of the DeLay Republicans for the edification of the voting public. We believe that a respected and balanced Republican leadership in the House will be beneficial to the nation and we would like to see a return of the kind of bi-partisan cooperation and courtesy on critical issues, which brought this nation world leadership and respect after World War II. These are not matters of Republican vs. Democrat or conservative vs. liberal; we see them as issues that transcend party loyalty and political philosophy.

~end~

It's time for them to move on and find a new place, a new party, to call home.

That's perfectly in keeping with the history of politial parties in the United States, and requires no hand-wringing on the part of Democrats focused on doing what's best for our country, our communities and the world we inhabit.

Maybe they need to do this; there certainly is precedent for it (the southern racist migration after civil rights), but i don't know if it's someting we should welcome.

Do they come to the Democratic Party? Or do they go to their own party? Or the Liberarian Party? If they come to our party, they will push is further towards the center and possibly beyond it. We'll still be better than the outright lunacy of the Republicans, but we won't be as liberal (and we aren't all that liberal now).

If they go to the LIbertarians or some other party, however, well, they run the risk of becoming irrelevent entirely.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

... that they join the Democratic Party. I think a good interim step for these folks is to register as Independents, and pick and choose which candidates they'll support from there.

As for becoming irelevent entirely, I'm afraid they already are, in the eyes of the Republican party. Their ideas no longer matter to the GOP party bosses, their traditional notions of government have been spurned outright.

... Watching Repugnantcans turn on each other: PRICELESS!

Thank you for the post, bertha! It's really heartening to see even members of their own party turn on the "DeLay Republicans."

"....they also were deliberately abandoning traditional Republican principles .... fiscal responsibility with the goal of balanced budgets, progressive taxation, environmental protection, freedom of individual choices, limited powers of the federal government, paper-verification of voting results, judicial independence, prohibition of torture of prisoners and separation of church and state."

Can't argue with that. We need an educated populace and a balanced government to represent us all. The current Republican leadership is in no way conservative OR Republican - they're the far far right using the christo-fascists to establish their "permanent dominant party." - quote by DeLay himeself wasn't it?????

in the USMC, and was a Republican all his life (unlike his wife and us kids, poor guy). He was an honorable man. He would not have needed a refresher course in fucking ETHICS. He would be disgusted and appalled by the current corruption in the WH. I am glad to see the old-timers drawing a sharp distinction between "Republicans" and "DeLay Republicans". It may be too late, but I am hopeful they can make a difference in their party's "moral health" (if that is the proper phrase).

Class: "Ohhhhh... NOT. You mean instead of lyinmg and cheating, we should NOT lie and cheat."

Chimp-like student slumped in the back row: "Is this going to be on the test?" :dunce:

This just confirms it. As if they used to be the good guys. I like the idea of them stating publicly their concerns but they are like "Remember the good old fifties" Everything was peachy for the whiteman back then but not for the nation. This is how they remember the Republican Party. It is a little more out in the open now but it is still the same old Party that hated FDR and all his programs.

The Republican insane of those days were Birchers and McCarthyites. Now, with the former Southern Dems forming the core of the neocon right, we're seeing an amalgam of racism, classism, and fascism on the right. All those constituencies are fertilized by greed in the soil of ignorance - ignorance tilled by lies and disinformation.

People like Pete McCloskey, Gerry Ford, Bob Michel and other old-school Repubs are REAL Republicans. They are miles away from the Talibornagain loonies and mouth-breathing bottom dwelling goons like DeLay who have taken over the party. There's plenty of opportunity to make common cause with disaffected traditional Repubs. Hell, McCloskey sounds like Bill Clinton in this piece.

This is a very interesting and a very encouraging development. You have to realize that democrats will not hold every seat in government nor can you expect one party to control every aspect of government for an extended period of time. I don't believe that's healthy anyway, witness the mess we are in now. What we need to insure is that we are never, ever again, in the situation we are in now where the radical element of one party controls the entire national agenda and attempts to fix the game to keep that control. There will always be swings of control between democrats and republicans. I believe (I hope) that we are about to experience a swing back to democratic control. After that, the next time things cycle back to the republicans (and it will happen at some point) the country will be far better off if it goes into the hands of moderate clear thinking people who just see the world a little differently than we do and not the coalition of fundamentalists and the criminal element intent on pillaging and domination that we find in charge now.

I'm glad my dad died before * ruined the country.