Moderate Republicans are great public servants, but they win in seats that conservatives could never win and then they go on to vote for right wing leadership. The right wing nuts run our government because of moderate Republicans.
Sadly, its time for an end to "vote the person not the party".
Moderate Republicans are a rare and treasured commodity. They bring the traditions of Teddy Roosevelt's conservationism, Barry Goldwater's fiscal conservatism, Richard Nixon's global strategic view and George H.W. Bush's intellectual humility.
Some of America's finest public servants are moderate Republicans: Chris Sheys, Chuck Hagel, Olimpia Snowe and Lincoln Chaffee.
They are, by far, the most dangerous and intellectually deceitful politicians in America today.
Congressional politics is team politics. You are a Republican or a Democrat. There are no other teams. That's it. When Congress meets in January of odd numbered years, Members of Congress cast the only vote--truly the ONLY vote--that matters. They vote for leadership.
Once the leadership is in place, committee chairs are selected, committee assignments are allocated and the agendas are set. This legislative structure, for better or worse, is our system and it has become the very definition of partisanship.
Suppose a moderate Republican gets elected and casts his vote for leadership and from that point forward, votes with the Democrats 100% of the time. No one cares. The power in Congress is in the leadership and the committee structure that derives its power from the leadership.
The Republican Party leadership represents some of the most backwards and corrupted thinking that America has ever seen in such high office. Because this Congress refused to criticize or question the Bush Administration, we are in a bloody, costly war in Iraq with no end in sight. We have an energy policy that funds both sides of the war on terror. This Congress has tolerated the Administration's cronyism (until Harriet Myers) that resulted in the alleged Katrina response. Congressional leadership believes in the primacy of religion (read: Christian) over science. Republican leaders have detailed viewpoints on the Rapture, but scant, dismissive thoughts on global warming.
This Congress has a fabric of corruption that goes so much deeper than garden variety bribery. Under the diabolical leadership of Tom Delay, the only lobbyists who could get the time of day from anyone that mattered were Republican lobbyists--the kind who contributed exclusively to Republicans. Information, grievances, viewpoints or just friendly calls were not welcome or even tolerated from any other source.
Moderate Republicans may or may not have participated in this wholesale corruption, but they voted for the leaderships that created it. They don't believe that many of our social problems find their roots in the teaching of evolution. But they voted for the leadership that does. They might believe that the cost and delivery of health care to average Americans is a vital and growing issue. But they voted for a leadership that does not.
Imagine for a moment the thought of Tom DeLay running for Congress in Chris Shays' district. The Connecticut 4th is a sophisticated community of educated people (home to 6 universities). They deserve representation such as Chris Shays. But with it, they get leadership such as Tom DeLay. The Connecticut 4th would probably give Tom DeLay about 20% of the vote, but DeLay gets 100% of Shays' leadership vote. And that's all that really matters.
Throughout the country, moderate Republicans are putting distance between themselves and the President and the Congressional leadership. They can show a thousand ways to distinguish themselves from the kooky right wing zealots who control the GOP. And typically, moderate Republicans are the very best public servants. But by voting for the corrupting and corroding Republican leadership, they have invoked the old Roman proverb, corruptio optimi pessima--the corruption of the best is the worst.