How can the GOP be brought back to being a more moderate party?

[Simfan34]

The question is: can moderate Republicans be able to remain in the Party, or will they be chased away? If they remain Republican, then continued losses would most likely lead to them taking over and kicking out the teabaggers, and re-making it moderate.

[Simfan34]

The question is: can moderate Republicans be able to remain in the Party, or will they be chased away? If they remain Republican, then continued losses would most likely lead to them taking over and kicking out the teabaggers, and re-making it moderate.

The corollary was that if the moderates do leave, there is no check on the right, and further losses serve no persuasive purpose. At this point some Progressive Party to the left of the Democratic Party (which at this point is likely as conservative as Lugar, Romney, Collins, et al) emerges, thus throwing the nation back to the left.

The question is: can moderate Republicans be able to remain in the Party, or will they be chased away? If they remain Republican, then continued losses would most likely lead to them taking over and kicking out the teabaggers, and re-making it moderate.

Wait, are you saying that there are still "moderate" Republicans outside of the Northeast?

Sure, in well say, a certain part of California.

Sure! There are other enclaves of moderate Republican activity. It just isn't a national phenomenon.

I am a moderate Republican, in practice.

[Simfan34]

The question is: can moderate Republicans be able to remain in the Party, or will they be chased away? If they remain Republican, then continued losses would most likely lead to them taking over and kicking out the teabaggers, and re-making it moderate.

The corollary was that if the moderates do leave, there is no check on the right, and further losses serve no persuasive purpose. At this point some Progressive Party to the left of the Democratic Party (which at this point is likely as conservative as Lugar, Romney, Collins, et al) emerges, thus throwing the nation back to the left.

I am a moderate Republican, in practice.

To me, "moderates" = people like Chafee, Specter, Castle, Scozzafava; I suppose we're using the term differently.

I'd call them Rockefeller Republicans, but I'm as moderate as Jon Huntsman... and I'm not being facetious, I don't think there's another politician whose political views match mine as closely as him (except Fareed Zakaria, but he's not a politician.

[Simfan34]

Besides there were actually real environmental issues in the 70s. At one point a whole damn river was on fire. Today you see this focus on Carbon because they are running out of real pollutants to be worried about.

...

Ever heard of the "Burning Cuyahoga"?

I love that dirty water!