I read with some interest the article in the Nov. 10 edition about Buncombe County’s surprising poll results [“Buncombe Bucks the Trend,” Xpress].
As a normally Republican voter, I will say that I don't think Heath Shuler’s re-election has much to do with the Buncombe County Democrats’ organization as much as it had to do with his voting record. Until this year, I had not voted for Shuler. However, he seems to be an independent voice in the [U.S.] House [of Representatives] for Western North Carolina. He does not seem to be a lapdog for the Democratic [Party] leadership in Washington. Yes, as Mr. Miller’s ads suggested, [Shuler] “voted with Pelosi” 90-some percent of all votes. Of course, the majority of those votes were procedural votes and had nothing to do with policy. Of course, this is demonstrated by the fact that he is willing to challenge her leadership position. While I give him very little chance in unseating her, I admire his willingness to stand up as a moderate voice in a place that has been dominated by the loud few from the far right and far left.
I suggest that some of us Republicans toward the center and the Blue Dogs from the Democrats form a new political party. I suggest we call it the Dawg Party — Blue Dogs and Red Dogs who are willing to work together to get things done and leave the left and right outside in the rain. The time has come for the calm, reasonable and moderate majority to be large and in charge.
— Ron Grant
Arden
Not gonna join it. Better a dead dawg than a Red dawg.
[b]I admire his willingness to stand up as a moderate voice in a place that has been dominated by the loud few from the far right and far left.[/b]
Who are these voices from the ‘far left’ that are dominating the dialogue?
[b]I suggest we call it the Dawg Party — Blue Dogs and Red Dogs who are willing to work together to get things done and leave the left and right outside in the rain.[/b]
I strongly disagree with the implication that there is no co-operation from the left. The last two years, and the Health Care debate in specific, are nothing but examples of attempts at bi-partisanship from the Democrats, and have been greeted by a resounding ‘NO’ from every single Republican in Congress. Clearly the desire to not co-operate is coming heavily from the Republican party.
True moderates in the GOP like Olympia Snowe are blackballed by the party to vote against ANYTHING the Democrats propose,even on issues that she agrees on and would benefit her constituents. Clearly no one in the Republican party in DC has a desire to act on a bi-partisan agenda.
I think all Americans need a required primer on what the political spectrum is, and where the ‘middle’ actually resides. It would seem it is only a few on the left who even admit to being far-left, while conservatives of all stripes these days seem to consider themselves ‘moderate’.
Olympia Snowe is not a moderate, she is a liberal Republican, a leftover from the pre-1970s Republican majority which was mostly northeastern “limosine liberals” who lived the high life on their old world wealth and privelage while appearing progressive by sprinkling some wealth on selected liberal causes.
Blue Dawgs lost this election for the same reasons they won the last: they ran in conservative districts as conservative democrats at a time when Republicans had joined the post-9/11 spending sprees. When a new wave of conservatives have entered the republican party promising to take the budget seriously, the blue dawgs were “out-righted” by the real right.
Liberal Democrats in liberal districts retained most of their seats because they remained true to their party’s leanings.
Unless the Republicans make the mistake of (again) abandoning their core economic principles, the blue dawgs will have an uphill fight to regain these districts.
Dear Mr. Grant,
I am in full agreement with your stance on this vital issue of co-operation. It is about time!
Sincerely,
Mr. Carl Marks
Big Al,
Republicans have never stuck to the supposed “core” values. Time and time again they campaign on balancing the budget and smaller government, only to expand the size and scope of government along with the debt. It wasn’t just the “post 9/11” GOP who lost their way– give me a break! From Nixon to Reagan to Bush Sr. to Bush Jr., one thing holds true, Republicans trick uneducated people into voting for them. It’s like an abusive relationship where the husband keeps promising to change, only to beat the wife again. For the record, the only balanced budget (surplus in fact), was under Bill Clinton. Which W. quickly squandered. I would to see a true Goldwater conservative, but currently they are all thieves and liars.
[b]Olympia Snowe is not a moderate, she is a liberal Republican[/b]
She is widely considered a ‘moderate’ Republican. I think you just don’t really know what ‘moderate’ means and where it lies on the spectrum, or for that mater, that the spectrum is static
Just like the letter writer nor anyone else has been able to give an example of those from the [b]’far left’ who are ‘dominating the conversation’/b] because none of you seem to even have a grasp of where the center, right and left actually are.
The ‘Republicans’ will spend the next 18 months trying to portray themselves as the ‘moderates’, especially in contrast to the extreme-right of candidates like Rand Paul with letters like the above that desperately attempt to shift ‘center’ further and further to the right, while calling anyone actually in the center ‘extreme left’.
Hell, if they can whip up enough tea party frenzy, Mit Romney will look downright ‘moderate’ by comparison.
And it will work, because, like Clinton, the Obama White House will bend over backwards to capitulate to the Republicans in their quest to define the political spectrum around their corporate agenda.