Will the GOP eventually bite the bullet and start nominating "moderates?"

[sg0508]

As a moderate that still remains committed to our party (the party that Lincoln and Barry G created), I am still hopeful that eventually, the party will move back to the middle socially and become more fiscally conservative.

You take a look at what Chuck Schumer (my Senator who I happen to like) has done in the House/Senate and it's very smart.  Democrats have made serious inroads into reddish states by nominating moderate to even some conservative congressmen, senators and Governors and most of them, seem to be doing well. 

Freudenthal, Henry, Sebelius, Napolitano, and Bredesen have all stayed very popular throughout their two terms.  We've done okay too with Douglas of VT, Pataki of NY (3 terms), Carcieri of RI and Rell of CT. 

In the house and Senate though, we've gotten murdered.  We're almost unelectable now in our own VA, CO has been a nightmare since 2002, MT we've lost ground on a local level, and other bluish states that we should have a chance at holding or picking up (WA, OR, WI, MN, MI, PA, NH, ME and NJ) it's like we're just clueless.

I don't know if it's George Bush, us putting up horrid candidates, being too conservative or what, but we're not even competitive anymore in any of these and it's embarrassing.  Maybe it's finally time to realize that the middle vote matters and that the pro choicers are important to our party's breadth and survival?

[Jayhawker]

Eventually...
Hopefully...
The Republican party will fail if we keep nominating people from the "far-right".

[sg0508]

We couldn't even hold IN or NC on a national level this past election.  IN?  We should NEVER lose there in a presidential race.  I know Evan is popular and that I understand, but that was embarrassing.

[Rob]

As a moderate that still remains committed to our party (the party that Lincoln and Barry G created)

What do Abraham Lincoln, Barry Goldwater, and centrism have in common?

[sg0508]

Because we used to be the socially moderate party and that's the basis why we were so successful for years on a national level (outside of the 60s when we just got killed in Congress). 

Barry stated before his death that the party went way too far right and that was back in 98.  I think he's rolling in his grave now considering where we are.

[Rob]

Barry stated before his death that the party went way too far right and that was back in 98.

Which is pretty funny, considering he opened the door for the racists and lunatics back in 1964. He wanted a conservative party, and he got one...

[Former Moderate]

The GOP's problem right now has nothing to do with moderates.

The problem is a war between a conservative leadership structure that failed and an even more conservative group of rank-and-file who think the failure was synonymous with a lack of conservative values.

Nominating a moderate candidate right now would further exascerbate the problems within the GOP.  The GOP could use a Goldwater-type candidate to burn the ultra-conservative arguements to the ground so that a more traditional, main-stream party can rise from those ashes.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

The GOP's problem right now has nothing to do with moderates.

The problem is a war between a conservative leadership structure that failed and an even more conservative group of rank-and-file who think the failure was synonymous with a lack of conservative values.

Nominating a moderate candidate right now would further exascerbate the problems within the GOP.  The GOP could use a Goldwater-type candidate to burn the ultra-conservative arguements to the ground so that a more traditional, main-stream party can rise from those ashes.

^^^ This.

[Keystone Phil]

I know one thing...

We definitely needed another one of these threads.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I know one thing...

We definitely needed another one of these threads.

sg0508 is new, he didn't realize that creating threads for fellow moderate Republicans to publish our sorrows was my job

[Tender Branson]

No, the GOP will never nominate moderates.  People like Mike Castle, Charlie Crist, Meg Whitman, Rob Simmons, Carly Fiorina, Mark Kirk, and George Pataki are anathema to the Republican Party and always will be.

[Magic 8-Ball]

No, the GOP will never nominate moderates.  People like Mike Castle, Charlie Crist, Meg Whitman, Rob Simmons, Carly Fiorina, Mark Kirk, and George Pataki are anathema to the Republican Party and always will be.

Yes, turning candidates like the aforementioned ones into bete noires is a phenomenal strategy for success in their respective regions.

[Verily]

As a moderate that still remains committed to our party (the party that Lincoln and Barry G created)

What do Abraham Lincoln, Barry Goldwater, and centrism have in common?

They all have Rs in them?

[Badger]

Barry stated before his death that the party went way too far right and that was back in 98.

Which is pretty funny, considering he opened the door for the racists and lunatics back in 1964. He wanted a conservative party, and he got one...

What Rob said. Tragic considering Goldwater personally didn't have a racist bone in his body.

[Lunar]

With Crist, Frazier, Guiliani, Simmons, Kirk, Gerlach etc. I think the GOP is attempting on doing a better job than usual this cycle.  Some of them won't run, but I don't see TOO many electable moderates going unnoticed

[Keystone Phil]

With Crist, Frazier, Guiliani, Simmons, Kirk, Gerlach etc. I think the GOP is attempting on doing a better job than usual this cycle.  Some of them won't run, but I don't see TOO many electable moderates going unnoticed

Gerlach isn't really a moderate and Rudy isn't running for anything.

[Vepres]

Apparently the RNCC is recruiting moderates for senatorial races. There are more moderate Republicans than people think, they just don't hold office right now.

[sg0508]

What is Simmons running for?  He got knocked out in 06 and Shays lost in 08.  At least Rell will get re-elected. 

It's a shame Castle from DE never runs for a Senate seat. 

The problem is, the ones in our party that keep losing are us RINOs.  Smith loses, Sununu loses, Chafee loses, Simmons loses, Shays loses, our 2 Rinos from NH lose (forget their names), and Hagel was forced to retirement. 

Meanwhile, idiots like DeMint are untouchable.  Guys like that are the definition of what's wrong with the party than right.

[SamInTheSouth]

Meanwhile, idiots like DeMint are untouchable.  Guys like that are the definition of what's wrong with the party than right.

What makes Jim DeMint an idiot?  You said yourself you wanted a party that is socially moderate and fiscally conservative.  DeMint is certainly a social conservative, but he doesn't run around with a holier than thou attitude wearing his morality on his sleeve, does he?  As for fiscal issues, DeMint is one of the strongest in the Senate in opposing reckless spending by both parties in Washington.

I myself am a social moderate, but I would take 100 senators in Washington like Jim DeMint any day.  If the GOP wants to become relevant again they need a strong platform of fiscal responsibility and limited government, exactly what DeMint has been advocating.

[CJK]

The problem with nominating "moderates" is that the northeastern region of the United States is not "moderate" anymore, it's far-left. You either run as a liberal or you're dead. I think one of the Maine Senators actually votes more with Democrats than the Republicans.

Currently, the South and the plain states are conservative while the northeast and the west coast are liberal. The midwest and the rocky mountain west are moderate. So its only natural that the conservative party does well in the conservative states while the liberal party does well in the liberal states. The region we should be putting up "moderates" should thus be in the moderate states.

I bring this up because so many commentators think the GOP is dead just because it lost the northeast, despite its corresponding gains in the South. The real states we need to worry about are Nevada, Colorado, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, etc.

[Lunar]

With Crist, Frazier, Guiliani, Simmons, Kirk, Gerlach etc. I think the GOP is attempting on doing a better job than usual this cycle.  Some of them won't run, but I don't see TOO many electable moderates going unnoticed

Gerlach isn't really a moderate and Rudy isn't running for anything.

Fair enough, I just meant that they were being recruited.

[??????????]

The GOP ran the most moderate candidate they could and got massacred. Yeah, that's what the people want. The problem is, people saw McCain and Obama and said, "What the hell is the difference?". If we had a fairly strong economic conservative running people would have had an actual choice. Why would anyone want a traitor like Colin Powell in their party? If he wants more moderates then why didn't he vote for McCain? Like I said before, we have a bunch of Zell Miller type Republicans telling the party what they should do. Roll over like dogs to the Democrats or you are going to get beaten.

[YRABNNRM]

If he wants more moderates then why didn't he vote for McCain?

Because McCain didn't run as a moderate.

[??????????]

If he wants more moderates then why didn't he vote for McCain?

Because McCain didn't run as a moderate.

Correct. He ran as a Democrat.

[??????????]

If he wants more moderates then why didn't he vote for McCain?

Because McCain didn't run as a moderate.

Correct. He ran as a Democrat.

Could you remind me of which of McCain's campaign themes were reminiscent of Democratic positions?

Support of the bailout for starters.