Moderate Republicans: An Endangered Species

[GoLeft TV]

Run time: 08:30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZGcpFYd4JQ   Posted on YouTube: August 31, 2010 By YouTube Member: golefttv Views on YouTube: 2   Posted on DU: August 31, 2010 By DU Member: GoLeft TV Views on DU: 519

 
When the first few Tea Parties started popping up across the country, they were nothing more than a fringe offshoot of the GOP. Unfortunately, Republican leaders decided to join forces with this fringe, pushing their party as far to the right as possible, and casting out any Republican politician who refused to pander to Party’s fringe. As a result, we’re left with a Republican Party that is so out of touch with society that they are doing serious harm to our country. Mike Papantonio discusses the GOP's continuing crusade to purge the Party of its remaining moderate voices with John Nichols, Washington Correspondent for The Nation Magazine.

[NewJeffCT]

1. Moderate Republicans are now the DLC

30 years ago, Ben Nelson & Mary Landreau would have been Republicans.

[digidigido]

2. You have to hand it to them, Rove was right

By moving the party to the extreme right, he's forced Republicans to either join him on the far right, or move the left more to the right of center by having them become the party that represents more mainstream views.
In that respect, he has created a Permanent Republican Majority. The bulk of Democrats in office are then trying to be more inclusive and by doing that have embraced the Right into their constituency.
It has marganilzed Progressives and Liberals. The answer of course is a viable 3rd party that recognizes this reality and then the left and right both have to become less extreme to form a coalition to govern with the center

[suzanner]

3. excellent comment