Senator Susan Collins of Maine is a pragmatic, rational, New England Republican who represents her constituents. To the right wing of the GOP she is a RINO and a moderate, titles that are not derogatory to everyone, but to the Maine residents she is exactly who they want standing up for them.
This Bangor interview from Monday’s MSNBC is a good look at where Sen. Collins stands. Take a listen with an open mind.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
A Facebook post by an Arizona college student of a quote from George W. Bush’s remarks on the day almost two years ago — April 25, 2013 — when the George W. Bush Presidential Library was dedicated made me re-read that extraordinary speech.
Typical of this compassionate conservative, Bush’s words were uplifting, positive, a reminder of duty and service, and always brought hope that America would prevail. That was part of the legacy of George W. Bush. He never apologized to the world for America, he always saw the best in us, and he was a steadying and reassuring force in his leadership even during the dark days following the Islamic terrorism attacks on America on 9/11.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
State Senator Emmett Hanger: “I’m not sure they [opponents] can really flank me to the right without falling off the table because on social issues I’ve been pretty much 100 percent if something’s in the Bible I get my directions there. Yet one of the things I have demonstrated over the years is I’m willing to work across the aisle in order to affect good government.”
By Gregg Hilton
Guest Post
Flashback: The 2010 Delaware U.S. Senate Race
Erick Erickson of Red State has once again written his efforts in one of the top Tea Party triumphs of 2010. Five years later he is still proud of his role.
Erickson writes, “In Delaware, many conservative, myself included, made the conscious decision that it would be far better to have the Democrat win than Rep. Mike Castle because of what Castle would do whispering in the ears of Republican leaders. Few of us thought Christine O’Donnell could win. But Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint get particular blame for their endorsements.”
O’Donnell received tremendous national attention that year and her nomination changed the focus away from the economy and Obamacare. Reporters instead wrote about O’Donnell’s opposition to pre-marital sex, masturbation and pornography, and her links to witchcraft. After winning the nomination on September 15th, she hid from the media for three weeks.
O’Donnell claimed to have a master’s degree during her first campaign when she did not have a college degree. She had no job during the five preceding years, and had been fired by a conservative organization.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Jeb Bush came out again on the side of common sense and pragmatic leadership when he addressed The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting (see Jeb Bush details political vision at The Hill). Noting that the GOP nominee should “lose the primary to win the general without violating your principles,” he expanded on that:
He said voters are looking for an “uplifting, much more positive message.”
Bush’s apparent strategy not to try to appeal to the most conservative elements of the party contrasts to some degree with Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign, where some questioned whether he tacked too far to the right in the primary, hurting his ability to get back toward the center for the general election.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling has an excellent op-ed in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch where he noted that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ed Gillespie was able to pull many factions on the right together to come within a less than a point of beating incumbent Mark Warner. While that’s good, it’s still a loss for the Virginia Republican Party which has lost “nine of the past 10 top-of-the-ticket statewide campaigns in Virginia.”
By Lynn R. Mitchell
“I’ll be the first to tell you I was devastated the night Eric Cantor lost. We lost the House majority leader. We’ve never had a speaker in Virginia history; I would love for Eric Cantor to have become speaker.” –Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA)
In an interview during Channel 4 NBC Washington’s “Ask the Governor,” Virginia’s Governor Terry McAuliffe said in a nutshell what so many Republicans want: a leader who will work with those across the political aisle (see Virginia Gov. McAuliffe ‘heartsick’ over Eric Cantor’s primary loss).
Noting that Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA 7th) was very easy to work with, the governor said:
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Recent tweets of interest, thanks to Practical Politicking:
@PRyan: We need to stop listening to the loudest voice in the room and start listening to the smartest voice in the room.
And then there’s this one:
Hey Tea Party – just so ya know, the election is 100 days away and you’re still focusing on Republicans. How about a shift, huh? #JustAnIdea
Amen.
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