[Mb-civic] Bush's Re-Election Would Doom Moderate Republicans

[ean at sbcglobal.net]

Published on Friday, October 15, 2004 by CommonDreams.org  
Bush's Re-Election Would Doom Moderate Republicans  
by Michael Cudahy 
  http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1015-27.htm

If President George W. Bush is reelected, the direction of the Republican 
Party is likely to undergo a massive and fundamental shift. Long-held 
principles of liberty, integrity and respect for human rights -- established by 
Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower -- could be 
relegated to the pages of history books. 
Should the president win reelection we could see national identity cards, a 
continuation of irresponsible fiscal policies, and a foreign policy that rejects a 
decades long respect for multilateralism. These are positions that have 
defined the party for the better part of the 20th century and are deserving of 
this president’s consideration. 

Ironically, the decision rests in the hands of the centrist or “moderate” wing of 
the Republican Party -- the very people whose values will be devalued if this 
administration is permitted another four years in office. Representing only 18-
20% of registered Republicans nationwide, they are in a position to supply 
Democrat John Kerry with the 3-5% points he needs to win an extremely 
close presidential election. 

During the 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush mesmerized many 
of his party’s centrist members with talk of “compassionate conservatism,” 
and a desire for bipartisanship cooperation. 

“President Bush’s rhetoric during the 2000 campaign held the promise for a 
significant change of direction,” said Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI). “There was 
a strong bipartisan desire for mutual respect and cooperation -- for the good 
of the country. We were exhausted by the bitter partisan infighting, but this 
administration’s behavior has only made the problem worse.” 

“We are seeing policy initiatives that are diametrically opposed to the 
promises we heard four years ago,” Chafee says. “The president is 
advancing an extreme agenda that rejects everything from worldwide 
environmental cooperation to the banning of access to abortions for service 
members overseas." 

“Moderates were in a position to provide significant assistance to this 
president,” says Chafee. "Sadly, he chose a different direction." 

The question that needs to be addressed is the commitment and courage of 
rank and file Republican centrists. Are they prepared to overthrow the neo-
conservative Republicans that betrayed President George H.W. Bush in 
1992, or has their will been broken by the strong-arm tactics of the last 12 
years? 

“The problem with moderates,” says Ann Stone Chairman of Republicans for 
Choice, “is that they are so moderate, so civil, and generally so silent. 
Nonetheless,” Stone says, “only 38% of her membership will be supporting 
President Bush.” 

In talking with Republican activists who have consistently supported 
moderate positions for decades, I discovered that none were willing to speak 
on the record. To a person they are intimidated by the extremely personal 
and well organized attacks by members of the Bush administration’s political 
operation. 

"When I talk anecdotally to moderate Republicans, it's very hard to find one 
who is going to vote for Bush,” said John Zogby, president and CEO of the 
polling firm Zogby International, in an interview with Salon.com. "On the other 
hand, it's not showing up in our polling." In fact, Zogby's latest polls show 87 
percent of Republicans backing Bush. "I'm just watching and waiting and 
saying to myself maybe there's something going on here, because I'm 
hearing it." 

Consequently, it is hard to understand why respected and visible moderate 
Republican leaders like Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator John 
McCain, and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani went to such lengths 
at the Republican Convention in New York to provide President Bush with 
important political cover. It is particularly difficult to understand when this 
administration has done virtually nothing to support their concerns. 

While some political analysts suggest it is a strategy to reestablish influence 
for the centrist Republican agenda, other observers question whether the 
benefits will be worth the price. 

“A second Bush term would be a disaster for American women,” said, Evelyn 
Becker Deputy Communications Director at NARAL. “We would see an effort 
to pack the U.S. Supreme Court with ultraconservative justices in an attempt 
to overturn Roe v. Wade, as well as continued and aggressive legislative 
moves to limit women’s access to birth control, proper family planning and 
health care services,” she said. 

The November election will also decide other major legislative battles critical 
to party moderates. We are certain to see the Bush administration set new 
standards in partisan politics. This extreme behavior could precipitate a 
serious economic crisis, as a result of irresponsible tax policies and out of 
control government spending, while threatening the American tradition of free 
speech with measures such as the USA Patriot Act. 

We will find out in a few short weeks whether Republican moderates can be 
bought off by the occasional bone and a seat at the children’s table, or 
whether they will regain their voice and become major players in setting the 
party’s political agenda for future generations. 

Michael Cudahy (strtfocus at earthlink.net) is a political writer and analyst from 
Massachusetts. He was a former national campaign staff member for 
President George H.W. Bush, Executive Director for Elliot Richardson's 
Committee for Responsible Government, and National Communications 
Director for the Republican Coalition for Choice. 

###
 

-- 
You are currently on Mha Atma's Earth Action Network email list, option D 
(up to 3 emails/day).  To be removed, or to switch options (option A - 
1x/week, option B - 3/wk, option C - up to 1x/day, option D - up to 3x/day) 
please reply and let us know!  If someone forwarded you this email and you 
want to be on our list, send an email to ean at sbcglobal.net and tell us which 
option you'd like.



Action is the antidote to despair.  ----Joan Baez
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.islandlists.com/pipermail/mb-civic/attachments/20041015/479b597b/attachment.htm