aw, isn't that cute?
Aug. 23rd, 2004 02:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sisyphusshruggedTom DeLay, that light-hearted fellow, is being humorous in the Times today
that, of course, would be The Club for Growth
Mr. DeLay says it's a mistake to think that the Republicans don't cherish their moderates
Despite Mr. DeLay's assurances of support, moderates seem a bit defensive
Maybe that's because unlike the readers of the Times, Republican moderates know that Mr. DeLay's PAC donated $50,000 to the Club for Growth in the last election
In fairness, that could be because the Club has funnelled $3,285,742 dollars in advertising spending through Red Sea LLC, a business owned by one of his former aides.
Small world, isn't it.
To the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, the ideological bent of some of the speakers set to star at the Republican National Convention is proof that there is plenty of room for diverse points of view under the Republican umbrella.
"We still have moderates in our party,'' said Representative DeLay, a Texas conservative. "We have so many moderates that that is all that is speaking at our national convention.''
Mr. DeLay's humor aside, the convention prominence being given to politicians like Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, George E. Pataki of New York and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York is fueling a debate over the role of Republicans who hew more to the center.
Those who once might have been called Rockefeller Republicans say the prime-time slots set aside to present a centrist image show that the leadership knows the party must broaden its appeal to retain the White House. But they worry about their real influence in a party dominated by conservatives at a time when the ranks of House moderates are thinning and an activist group zeros in on candidates it brands RINO's, Republican in Name Only.
that, of course, would be The Club for Growth
The philosophical fight has also played out in a battle between two groups that will be at the convention - the Republican Main Street Partnership and its conservative counterpart the Club for Growth. The groups have been backing candidates in select House and Senate races, each claiming some victories.
The Club for Growth very nearly bagged a big one, supporting Representative Patrick J. Toomey, a conservative, in his primary bid to unseat Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. Mr. Specter won narrowly. "That is what happens when you get attacked by your own party,'' Mrs. Whitman said.
Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, acknowledges that his organization's goal is to make moderate Republicans an endangered species. "The problem with the moderates in Congress is they basically water down the Republican message and what you get is something that infuriates the Republican base,'' Mr. Moore said.
Mr. DeLay says it's a mistake to think that the Republicans don't cherish their moderates
"There is no doubt that their moderates feel squeezed to the same degree that some of our conservatives did in the 1980's in the Democratic caucus,'' said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House. "I think their moderates have to feel they are not relevant and not welcome.''
Mr. DeLay disagrees and says Congressional Republicans tolerate a broader range of opinion than Democrats do. "Our moderates are more than included,'' he said. "We have moderates that are chairmen of committees, chairmen of subcommittees.''
Despite Mr. DeLay's assurances of support, moderates seem a bit defensive
Leaders of the Main Street group say that conservatives who enjoy one-party Republican rule in the nation's capital should not forget they would not be in that position were it not for moderates in the narrowly divided House and even narrower Senate. And when Republicans serving middle-of-the-road constituencies step down, their seats can be ripe for Democratic picking.
"Without us, they are in the minority,'' said Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, executive director of the Main Street Partnership, which hopes to help replenish the ranks of moderates this November.
Maybe that's because unlike the readers of the Times, Republican moderates know that Mr. DeLay's PAC donated $50,000 to the Club for Growth in the last election
In fairness, that could be because the Club has funnelled $3,285,742 dollars in advertising spending through Red Sea LLC, a business owned by one of his former aides.
Small world, isn't it.
