Centerfield

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I don’t make a recommendation because I don’t know enough about Joe Hoeffel, but what appears to me to be an ever growing Republican intolerance for moderates is distressing.

Todd,

What do you mean by "Republican intolerance"? Do you mean the Bush Administration, the RNC, or Republican voters?

Here in California, there is some hope that the knuckleheads who ran the GOP in California are on the way out for more moderate candidates. Regardless of whether it's political maneuvering or closet-moderatism, the Bushies have been pretty consistent in trying to move the California GOP to the middle, at least for the Governor's Race.

From my view, the grip of social conservatives on the Republican party (at least in certain states, and maybe California is an exception) just continues to grow. In Minnesota, it is now impossible for anyone to be nominated by the GOP for a state-wide office if he or she is pro-choice. That was not the case 10 years ago. And I'm told by many who attended that the number one issue at the GOP caucuses this year was gay marriage.

Will is exactly right... Bush endorsed Specter and he also endorsed Riordan in the California primary over Bill Simon and Franks in New Jersey over Schundler. I am not sure this is done for any other reason though but to keep moderates happy and ensure his re-election.

I think Todd is right that the GOP is under a dark cloud of radical social conservatism, but this is politics and that cloud will probably pass just like it did with the Democrats in the early nineties with the big government liberals.

All this been said I would have not voted for Specter in the primary and I would not vote for him in the general election. His record on fiscal issues is awful and the guy has a record of standing in line for the pork just as much as anyone else. There is no cosistency in his voting record other than it benefits his political career. I think we need to elect principled centrists who do what is right, not more politicians who stick their finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing.

McCain, Feinstein, Collins, Chafee, Snowe, and Lincoln are public servants... Arlen Specter ain't nothing but a dirty politician.

Isn't Norm Coleman a pro-choice former Democrat who has voted against his own party on numerous occasions since he was elected to the Senate from Minnesota? I thought he was the guy that raised hell over drilling for oil in Alaska on the right side of the issue.

I am not surprised by the talk at Republican caucuses though. My last one was 1996 where I was practically stoned for endorsing a moderate candidate for Governor. I was sixteen years old and had so-called responsible, Christian adults shoving pictures of dead babies in my face. I was so turned off by the whole experience I haven't gone back.

Sorry for the three posts in a row, but I forgot to add that I would not call a two point victory over a two-term uknown Congressman who spent a third less in advertisement a victory. Especially if I had the name ID in my state that Arlen Specter has in his.

Norm Coleman is pro-life and, if memory serves, that was his primary justification for switching parties.

The GOP is at times an uneasy alliance with tension between libertarians who are small govt free market fiscal conservatives and the wing that is socially conservative. What this means is that the "big thing" at any given GOP gathering is going to depend on who's more riled up. Social conservatives are riled up about gay marriage right now.

It makes a lot of sense that a California Republican is a lot different from a Minnesota Republican. Politicians have to go where the votes are. In California, the votes are with the people who want the state budget under control. In Minnesota, maybe if you are GOP you need to court those gay marriage opponents. I feel pretty sure that many in the GOP are going to publicly support a constitutional amendment process not because they privately believe an amendment is necessarily the right thing, but because they think such a long drawn out process is the best way for Americans to slowly digest the idea of gay marriage.

From what I hear, Matt is very much on target in identifying Arlen Specter as a huge pork king. He may talk a good game on sensible policies, but when they open the trough, he's all about "Pennsylvania's got theirs."

Someone needs to stand up behind a reform effort on spending bills, and throwing unrelated giveaways into gigantic bills. It's a disgrace.

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