Lincoln Chafee Leaves The Republican Party

[© tweed]

That whiny little bitch should have left a long time ago.

"Woe is me, the Republican Party has been taken over by the Far Right ..."  What a sissy.  He should just drop out of politics altogether and just go back to smoking pot.

it's snorting cocaine, not pot.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

I could theoretically see a political party led by figures such as Lincoln Chafee, Jim Jeffords and Lowell Weicker becoming, not just an influence in New England, but the dominant party in the region. I would support it. (Call it the Federalist Party to complete the New England cycle!)

If it's economically conservative and social moderate/liberal it could even compete with the dems/GOP out west.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I feel sorry today for the thousands of Rhode Island Republicans who dedicated their time and treasure to re-elect a much-needed moderate Republican voice to the Senate.   Giving up just seems like the wrong thing to do.

[HardRCafé]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

[Joe Republic]

I feel sorry today for the thousands of Rhode Island Republicans who dedicated their time and treasure to re-elect a much-needed moderate Republican voice to the Senate.   Giving up just seems like the wrong thing to do.

That 'dedication' came to nothing in November 2006, so I don't know why you're feeling sorry for them now.  Chafee is a private citizen now, so I don't think it matters to anybody else but himself which party he is in.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

The wrong thing to do was for Steve Laffey to run in the primary when we needed to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I feel sorry today for the thousands of Rhode Island Republicans who dedicated their time and treasure to re-elect a much-needed moderate Republican voice to the Senate.   Giving up just seems like the wrong thing to do.

That 'dedication' came to nothing in November 2006, so I don't know why you're feeling sorry for them now.  Chafee is a private citizen now, so I don't think it matters to anybody else but himself which party he is in.

We need every sane voice we can get in the Republican Party.  Losing even one hurts the cause.

[HardRCafé]

Chafee was poised to switch if he won.  He was generous with this information the weekend before the election.

[Smash255]

I feel sorry today for the thousands of Rhode Island Republicans who dedicated their time and treasure to re-elect a much-needed moderate Republican voice to the Senate.   Giving up just seems like the wrong thing to do.

He probably got  bit of help from Independents as well.  Fact of the matter is the GOP left Chafee no other choice but to leave the party with their direction.

[WalterMitty]

Chafee was poised to switch if he won.  He was generous with this information the weekend before the election.

what exactly did he say?

[SPC]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

The wrong thing to do was for Steve Laffey to run in the primary when we needed to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.

Could it be that Laffey cared more about reviving the Republican platform than keeping a seat in the hands of someone who is Republican in merely name? While Chafee does deserve respect for voting against the War, he deserves criticism for 80% of his other votes.

(Also don't criticize me for double standard. In retrospect, I wish Lieberman lost.)

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

The wrong thing to do was for Steve Laffey to run in the primary when we needed to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.

Could it be that Laffey cared more about reviving the Republican platform than keeping a seat in the hands of someone who is Republican in merely name? While Chafee does deserve respect for voting against the War, he deserves criticism for 80% of his other votes.

(Also don't criticize me for double standard. In retrospect, I wish Lieberman lost.)

Laffey could have—and I know this is a wild idea—chased after one of the other seats in Rhode Island held by Democrats such as, perhaps—again, wild idea—the Rhode Island Senate seat not held by a Republican?

He got wrapped up in his own hype, and ruined what could have been a solid career.

[Smash255]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

The wrong thing to do was for Steve Laffey to run in the primary when we needed to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.

Could it be that Laffey cared more about reviving the Republican platform than keeping a seat in the hands of someone who is Republican in merely name? While Chafee does deserve respect for voting against the War, he deserves criticism for 80% of his other votes.

(Also don't criticize me for double standard. In retrospect, I wish Lieberman lost.)

Laffey could have—and I know this is a wild idea—chased after one of the other seats in Rhode Island held by Democrats such as, perhaps—again, wild idea—the Rhode Island Senate seat not held by a Republican?

He got wrapped up in his own hype, and ruined what could have been a solid career.

While I think it was absurd to challenge Chafee its not like Laffey had many options in the state.  He is WAYYY to conservative to win statewide.  On top of that to go up against Reed who has one of the highest approval ratings (if not the highest) of the entire Senate, in a Presidential year in a heavily Democratic state, when he won his last election by almost 60 points in a heavily Republican year is well.....

Laffey was finished in the Senate regardless, but losing in a Primary to Chafee probably did less damage to his career than getting absolutely pulverized by Reed in 08.

[they don't love you like i love you]

If Laffey had actually cared about winning something he should've waited and ran for Governor in 2010 or ran for Lt. Gov. that year, not that he would win necessarily but he would at least have some chance instead of zero chance which he would have at beating Reed or Whitehouse assuming he did win the primary.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

The wrong thing to do was for Steve Laffey to run in the primary when we needed to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.   

Could it be that Laffey cared more about reviving the Republican platform than keeping a seat in the hands of someone who is Republican in merely name? While Chafee does deserve respect for voting against the War, he deserves criticism for 80% of his other votes.

(Also don't criticize me for double standard. In retrospect, I wish Lieberman lost.)

Laffey could have—and I know this is a wild idea—chased after one of the other seats in Rhode Island held by Democrats such as, perhaps—again, wild idea—the Rhode Island Senate seat not held by a Republican?

He got wrapped up in his own hype, and ruined what could have been a solid career.

While I think it was absurd to challenge Chafee its not like Laffey had many options in the state.  He is WAYYY to conservative to win statewide.  On top of that to go up against Reed who has one of the highest approval ratings (if not the highest) of the entire Senate, in a Presidential year in a heavily Democratic state, when he won his last election by almost 60 points in a heavily Republican year is well.....

Laffey was finished in the Senate regardless, but losing in a Primary to Chafee probably did less damage to his career than getting absolutely pulverized by Reed in 08.

Oh, I don't think that Laffey would have made a good U.S. Senate candidate—I know what happened to a top-flight candidate like Rep. Claudine Schnieder in 1990.

Laffey would have been FAR better suited for one of Rhode Island's constitutional offices.  He'd have been a stellar candidate for Lt. Governor in 2006.

After all, given what a rough year it was for Republicans, they still came within seven points of picking up the Secretary of State's office.  And don't give me this "too conservative to win" stuff—Gov. Carcieri is no moderate.

[SPC]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

The wrong thing to do was for Steve Laffey to run in the primary when we needed to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.

Could it be that Laffey cared more about reviving the Republican platform than keeping a seat in the hands of someone who is Republican in merely name? While Chafee does deserve respect for voting against the War, he deserves criticism for 80% of his other votes.

(Also don't criticize me for double standard. In retrospect, I wish Lieberman lost.)

Laffey could have—and I know this is a wild idea—chased after one of the other seats in Rhode Island held by Democrats such as, perhaps—again, wild idea—the Rhode Island Senate seat not held by a Republican?

He got wrapped up in his own hype, and ruined what could have been a solid career.

Well, Chafee had the voting record of a Democrat, and was basically a Democrat in everything but caucus, so what difference would it make whether he challenged Chafee or Reed?

[HardRCafé]

About thirty percentage points.

[Smash255]

The wrong thing to do was intervene in the primary when Talent, Burns, and Allen needed the money more than Chafee.

The wrong thing to do was for Steve Laffey to run in the primary when we needed to keep the U.S. Senate in Republican hands.   

Could it be that Laffey cared more about reviving the Republican platform than keeping a seat in the hands of someone who is Republican in merely name? While Chafee does deserve respect for voting against the War, he deserves criticism for 80% of his other votes.

(Also don't criticize me for double standard. In retrospect, I wish Lieberman lost.)

Laffey could have—and I know this is a wild idea—chased after one of the other seats in Rhode Island held by Democrats such as, perhaps—again, wild idea—the Rhode Island Senate seat not held by a Republican?

He got wrapped up in his own hype, and ruined what could have been a solid career.

While I think it was absurd to challenge Chafee its not like Laffey had many options in the state.  He is WAYYY to conservative to win statewide.  On top of that to go up against Reed who has one of the highest approval ratings (if not the highest) of the entire Senate, in a Presidential year in a heavily Democratic state, when he won his last election by almost 60 points in a heavily Republican year is well.....

Laffey was finished in the Senate regardless, but losing in a Primary to Chafee probably did less damage to his career than getting absolutely pulverized by Reed in 08.

Oh, I don't think that Laffey would have made a good U.S. Senate candidate—I know what happened to a top-flight candidate like Rep. Claudine Schnieder in 1990.

Laffey would have been FAR better suited for one of Rhode Island's constitutional offices.  He'd have been a stellar candidate for Lt. Governor in 2006.

After all, given what a rough year it was for Republicans, they still came within seven points of picking up the Secretary of State's office.  And don't give me this "too conservative to win" stuff—Gov. Carcieri is no moderate.

Carcieri barely got re-elected, Laffey is to the right of him.  Also I was mostly talking about the Senate or perhaps Congress.   Also being liberal or conservative has less of an impact on a state level office than representing the state on the national level would.

[HardRCafé]

Carcieri barely got re-elected,

In 2006, the year of the Democrat watershed.

In Rhode Island, which Bush lost to Gore and Kerry by more than in Massachusetts.

For a Conservative such as Carcieri to hang on at all while a rudderless rowboat such as Chafee went down is nothing short of astonishing.

Maybe if you put "barely" in boldface, you can convince me.

[Smash255]

Carcieri barely got re-elected,

In 2006, the year of the Democrat watershed.

In Rhode Island, which Bush lost to Gore and Kerry by more than in Massachusetts.

For a Conservative such as Carcieri to hang on at all while a rudderless rowboat such as Chafee went down is nothing short of astonishing.

Maybe if you put "barely" in boldface, you can convince me.

Well for starters Whitehouse was a stronger candidate than Fogarty and Carceri had a large $$ advantage IIRC.  Also a statewide race is a bit different than a race for a federal seat.  Whitehouse would have gotten 65% and possibly 70% against Laffey.

[Gustaf]

If Chaffee had registered as an independent before the election he would have lost worse than he did.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Whitehouse would have gotten 65% and possibly 70% against Laffey.

70% in an open seat?  Even though it's Rhode Island, no effin way.

[Smash255]

Whitehouse would have gotten 65% and possibly 70% against Laffey.

70% in an open seat?  Even though it's Rhode Island, no effin way.

I said possible, not that it would have happened, but 65% is very likely.   Issues in a race for Gov is quite different than a race for Senate.  Laffey was quite conservative on pretty much every single issue, he would have gotten just obliterated in a state like Rhode Island running for Senate.   Someone who ran a primary campaign that Chafee went against the national GOP and Bush too much in a state where Bush's approval was 20% was going to get demolished in the General.

[Joe Republic]

Whitehouse would have gotten 65% and possibly 70% against Laffey.

70% in an open seat?  Even though it's Rhode Island, no effin way.

See Illinois in 2004.

[HardRCafé]

Laffey came close in the Rhode Island primary.  Keyes did not run in the Illinois primary because he had never lived in Illinois, and advanced to the general with less than twenty votes.  The two open seats are therefore not really comparable.