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**MilenaJaf** · 09-04-2006, 05:18 AM

Originally posted by Admiral
While I'm as much in favor of the Dems taking back the Senate as the next guy, to do so would involve basically every even romotely competitive senate race going to the Dems. And barring that, I think I'd like to see Chafee stay in the Senate.

The fact is, the Republican move farther and farther to the right is hurting the country. While in 2006, the Dems might retake Congress, that isn't really a solution. For there to be restored balance, there absolutely needs to be room for moderates in the GOP. And right now, Chafee is one of a very few Republicans who dares to disagree with the extremist party line. Throwing him from the party would be another Jeffords incident, and would seriously hurt any notions of diversity in the GOP.

So I hope that Chafee wins the primary, and the DSCC spends its money elsewhere. I couldn't disagree more. I actually think Chaffee's a good guy, but he doesn't belong in the GOP. Part of what's hurting the Dems is that conservative Democrats don't seem to have many qualms about bolting party (Richard Shelby, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, and a host of lesser lights) or noisily supporting the GOP over their own party (Zell Miller). But moderate-to-liberal Republicans won't do the same or, when they do, leave teh GOP but don't join the Dems (Jeffords, Lowell Weicker). Chaffee is a Democrat in all but name, but why should the Dems settle for that instead of an actual Democrat? They only gain substantive votes on occasion, and lose his procedural votes almost all the time. Out with him!

09-04-2006, 05:18 AM	#3
MilenaJaf Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 436 Senior Member	Originally posted by Admiral While I'm as much in favor of the Dems taking back the Senate as the next guy, to do so would involve basically every even romotely competitive senate race going to the Dems. And barring that, I think I'd like to see Chafee stay in the Senate. The fact is, the Republican move farther and farther to the right is hurting the country. While in 2006, the Dems might retake Congress, that isn't really a solution. For there to be restored balance, there absolutely needs to be room for moderates in the GOP. And right now, Chafee is one of a very few Republicans who dares to disagree with the extremist party line. Throwing him from the party would be another Jeffords incident, and would seriously hurt any notions of diversity in the GOP. So I hope that Chafee wins the primary, and the DSCC spends its money elsewhere. I couldn't disagree more. I actually think Chaffee's a good guy, but he doesn't belong in the GOP. Part of what's hurting the Dems is that conservative Democrats don't seem to have many qualms about bolting party (Richard Shelby, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, and a host of lesser lights) or noisily supporting the GOP over their own party (Zell Miller). But moderate-to-liberal Republicans won't do the same or, when they do, leave teh GOP but don't join the Dems (Jeffords, Lowell Weicker). Chaffee is a Democrat in all but name, but why should the Dems settle for that instead of an actual Democrat? They only gain substantive votes on occasion, and lose his procedural votes almost all the time. Out with him!
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