Home › Blogs › Cahnman's blog ›

Rudy Giuliani, Arlen Specter, and the Two types of Republican "Moderation"

Submitted by Cahnman on Sat, 05/16/2009 - 22:10
in

With the recent defection of Arlen Specter and the entry of Charlie Crist into the Florida Senate race, much has been recently made of an alleged split between moderate and conservative Republicans.  While I think there's some truth to this argument, I also think it misses the point.  The problem is that "Republican Moderate" is such a broad category that it doesn't mean anything.

With that in mind, I want to differentiate between two types of Republican Moderates.  For the sake of clarity, I'm going to define them as the "Rudy Giuliani Moderates" and the "Arlen Specter Moderates."

Who are they?!?

Rudy Giuliani -- These are the Republicans who are Conservative on most issues and have a few issues where they legtimately disagree with the Republican base.  In Rudy's case, he's GREAT on National Security, the Economy, Health Care, Education, Crime, and a whole host of other issues.  At the same time, there are a few issues where Rudy differs from the GOP mainstream: Life, Gun Control, and Cross Dressing.

Moderates like Rudy are our friends.  When people talk about a big tent, that's fine.  We need to be inclusive of people who are with us on most of the issues even when they differ on a few.  Reagan said it best when he said: "My 80% friend is not my 20% enemy."

Recruiting candidates who fall into the Rudy Giuliani mold who are well suited to a particular district or state is a essential.  We can't be excessively doctriaire in who we recruit.

(Author's Note: John McCain, Lindsay Grahmnesty, Mark Kirk, and Sheriff Dave Reichart all fit into this category.)

That said, there's another type of "moderate" candidate we need to avoid like the plague.

Arlen Specter -- These are "Republicans" who find it politically expedient to run for office with an R after their name and are nothing more than gloified prostitutes seeking power and personal aggandizement.  While Specter was a respectable Judiciary commitee chairman and backed most of Reagan's defense buildup in the 1980's that's the only useful thing he's ever done in the United States Senate.  Otherwise, he's been a thorn in the side of Conservative reform for the past three decades.  Beyond his vote for Porkulus, Specter led the Smear Campaign against Judge Robert Bork, and he sold his soul to the trial lawyer lobby over the asbestos bailout.  Unlike the Giuliani style moderates, who actually care about Public Affairs, people like Arlen Specter are in Politics to increase their personal power and will do or say whatever it takes to make that happen.

Arlen Specter style prostitutes shred our credibility and dilute our message.

(Author's Note: George Pataki, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Colin Powell all fit into this category.)

As I said several months ago: Apostates are O.K.; Grandstanding RINO's are not.

Thoughts/Suggestions?!?

Cahnman out.

4.5
Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

Comments

Rudy Guliani and the urban Republican

Submitted by Freedoms Truth on Sat, 05/16/2009 - 22:59.

Rudy is an urban Republican. If we were to ask ourselves "How can we get elected mayor or members of Congress in urban areas? or in the northeast?" We may well up with Rudy G. as an archetype. 

The GOP, to be a 50-state party, and it needs to be, will need to develop and cultivate northeast an urban Republicans. Here's the thing: They will need to be distinct from Democrats and not just 'Dem-lite'. Rudy G. achieved this, as a crime-fighter and as someone who turned a city around. Tough on crime, fiscally conservative, pro-school choice, and urbane on social issues.

It's almost a pity he ran for President instead of sticking in New York building the brand there ... many of prolifers (eg like me) did not want Rudy in the 'big chair' for fear he wont  walk the walk on getting all the right SCOTUS appointees and other policies done, but will be more than happy to have him serve in other roles that wont force intraparty fights. eg, I've heard more than one so-con state that he would make a good AG for example. I personally think he needs to run for Governor of NY.

The real issue here are those who ruin the brand and or create divisions in the GOP either in HOW they behave (eg McCain dissing the base) or in WHAT they advocate (viz Ahnold in Cali, where he is running a moderate-to-liberal administration and has crossed MANY lines in big spending and higher taxes that he himself campaigned against! A true RINO whose R label at this point predicts nothing in terms of what he will do.)

Moderates like Rudy are our friends.  When people talk about a big tent, that's fine.  We need to be inclusive of people who are with us on most of the issues even when they differ on a few.  Reagan said it best when he said: "My 80% friend is not my 20% enemy."

Recruiting candidates who fall into the Rudy Giuliani mold who are well suited to a particular district or state is a essential.  We can't be excessively doctriaire in who we recruit.

I agree.

I do NOT agree that Lindsey Grahamnesty (lol) fits that category. My gosh, in the last election - THE DEMOCRAT WAS MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN HE WAS! How often has a Democrat been more conservative Senate candidate in our lifetimes? Not since Lowell Weiker v Lieberman I'd wager. Put Sen Graham down as far more liberal than he needs to be for his state, and of zero help to the Republican caucus in terms of unity and conservative agenda.  Frankly, because of the political makeup of his state  I find him less tolerable than Snowe of ME.

Screwups, unecessary base-bashing and big-spending is worst than honest differences on a few issues. Specter ruined the brand. Arnold likewise ruins the GOP brand and creates internal divisions.

Mark Kirk in IL - my question will be - insider/machine guy or outsider/principled guy? The way back for the IL GOP is to shed corruption and pandering/machine politics and stand for principles. The IL GOP is screwed up. Part of this is walking away from principles and the way the IL GOP put Peter Fitzgerald out in the cold is a great example. This wasnt moderate vs conservative, this was "insider pandering machine" vs "principled outsiders" Sen Fitzgerald got the cold shoulder because he refused to go to bat for earmarked projects in Illinois, and folks like Hastert and others ended up hating him for it; then Fitzgerald got everyone real mad by getting an effective prosecutor also named Fitzgerald to be appointed DOJ Attorney. Since then, he's taken out corrupt Repubs and Dems alike, including Gov Blago. Senator Fitzgerald's seat become Obama's seat, and now? IL GOP needs to clean house, get rid of the corrupt hack pols and run principled Republicans. Sen Fitzgerald was a principled conservative and he was the last conservative to win in Illinois, it can be done again.

Lindsay Grahm

Submitted by Cahnman on Sat, 05/16/2009 - 23:21.

I do agree that Grahm's unnecessarily liberal for his state.  That said, the reason I include him on the Giuliani list is that, at least in my view, his apostasies arise from his genuine thoughts on public policy and NOT a desire to build and maintain personal power.

Grahm's also been rock solid on the war and the surge, which counts for A LOT in my book.

Agreed

Submitted by Progressive Tra... on Sat, 05/16/2009 - 23:34.

It's almost a pity he ran for President...

And everything in that paragraph I would agree with, except the "almost."

As for Illinois, I've spent a lot of time around Belleville/ Mt Vernon/ West Franfort/ Marion-Carbondale, and I know the people there are waiting for the right kind of Republican to come along.  It is very much the case for a national impetus toward undifferentiated sameness among all of "Righthood" that would prevent them from doing so.  The spokesman for the people has to be from among the people.  The RNC's hand-picked man has no street cred with that crowd.

Those people are hungry, but you can't give away a shit sandwich for free and tell them it's Burger King.