The attempt to attract sane republicans like Huntsman disenfranchises the working class.

[dameocrat67]

Republicans like Huntsman still support free trade instead of fair trade.

They still support privatizing social security.

They still support focusing on balanced budgets instead of helping the economy grow.

They are still antiunion.

It maybe good for the party to get all that republican money but it is not good for ordinary democrats particularly working class people

It is also not good for America to have a two party system consisting of conservative party and fascist party. By encouraging sane republicans to join us, you are not only disenfranchising the working class, you are also mainstreaming a fascist party as the only alternative in a two party system. That is bad for America, and the working class.

Sane republicans like Huntsman should stay in the republican party.

[Autumn]

1. They should work to change their party from within. I don't want

them in my party.

True words right here.

"It is also not good for America to have a two party system consisting of conservative party and fascist party. By encouraging sane republicans to join us, you are not only disenfranchising the working class, you are mainstreaming a fascist party as the only alternative in a two party system. That is bad for America, and the working class."

[dameocrat67]

4. thanks

n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

2. I reject the "sane huntsman" meme every time it shows up here.

That loon is only slightly less looney than the rest of the pack. On almost every issue of importance he is straight out rightwing loon.

[arcane1]

3. Why on earth would anyone want to attract him out of his party?

I don't get it

[dameocrat67]

5. based on the theory that it is good for dem candidates

to get sane republican voters, but it also a subtle insidious way of pushing the party right. I think our problems with Obama and other dlcers have been caused by the sane republican meme.

[arcane1]

12. This is the first time I've heard such a thing

I hope it's the last.

[dameocrat67]

14. see reply 13 for links

n/t

[arcane1]

15. A grand total of one person made the suggestion that he become a Dem

I hardly call that an "attempt" to attract him. And that one post by that one person was hardly worth this OP, I thought you were claiming that there is in fact an "attempt" being made.

[dameocrat67]

16. that was but one example

you are also ignoring other examples provided in the thread, like Arlen Specter, and Olympia Snow. Not to mention people like Marshall Whitman, Andrew Sullivan and the entire staff of tnr.

[Kalidurga]

6. There are no sane Republicans...

very few if any sane Conservatives. I say this coming from a place of trying to understand them for years decades even. My family is mostly Conservative, whether they vote Democrat or Republican, they have a lot of right leaning tendencies. Anyway, I tried very hard to understand them and not think they are loony tunes. I only have one pretty cool aunt that was sort of hippie like back in the day and and uncle that took forestry classes.

[TheKentuckian]

7. If it was a matter of attracting them as an alternative to the fuckwits they allowed to take over

their native party in a cynical game of politics that they can no longer control, it would be one thing but the actual tactic to attract them is to hand them the keys to the party and wholsesale assimilation of their ideology while telling those of us that have busted ass and given to the party our whole lives to deal with the lesser of two evils and to not only accept the ideology we have always opposed but to embrace and endorse it with the vigor we would our own or suffer the consequences.

Attract and sell out to are not the same things in my book, I say the hell with them. If they will not accept liberal policy and insist we must become what they were before they allowed the bigots, theocrats, and Birchers to rule their party then I prefer a tour in the wilderness than to accept their terms of ideological surrender that dooms the nation to a downward spiral of failure since their ideology is just as bankrupt as those they allowed to take over, just better able to not make asses of themselves and somewhat less openly delusional. The difference being mostly brashness between the "sane" and "the crazies that have taken over".

Their essential objectives and worldview are the same. By accepting their failed ideology we become guilty of advancing the right wing agenda.

[LiberalAndProud]

8. Did someone invite him to join the Democrats?

Huntsman is the type of Republican my traditional Republican uncle would vote for; me -- not so much.

Rush Limbaugh and Sara Palin have never been an attractive contingent in my uncle's mind. He would welcome a return to more mainstream candidates from his party. This is one view I share with my uncle. I root for Huntsman to gain traction within his own party. It would serve our country well if they would recover some semblance of sanity.

[dameocrat67]

13. Yes they are

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002136129

It is an old meme too. They did it with Arlen Specter, Olympia Snow and many others.

[LiberalAndProud]

17. I'm not convinced by your link.

Unfortunately, the state of the Republican party today does make Huntsman appear to be fringe, an outlier within his party. He doesn't appear to be a psychopath so that sets him apart from the rest of the prominent Republicans. That doesn't automatically make him a fit for our party, though. I take your point regarding Arlen Specter and Olympia Snowe -- two more examples proving that a saner Republican party would be better for all of us. When two such as those no longer have a home in the other party, we are in deep deep shit.

[dameocrat67]

9. reply to reply 7 You should post this as a separate essay

That was perfect. I wish I could articulate my frustration that well!

Evidently opera does not work with the new du format all that well and replys only show up for the op.

[phleshdef]

10. I don't want to attract any conservatives to our party. I just want statesmen to act like statesmen.

The conservative side of the ideological spectrum has become so unhinged, nasty and childish. I can live with the existence of conservatives. Hell, I have to. America will probably always have a sizeable number of them, at least for my lifetime. But I'd rather live with ones that bring their point of view forward in the manner that John Huntsman does because he acts like an adult about it. President Obama is the same way. And so are a good number of other Democratic and/or liberal politicians. But its a rarity among today's Republican party. If more Republicans approached politics with the attitude that Huntsman approaches it with, we probably would have a much healthier discourse in the disagreements over our ideological politics.

I wouldn't vote for John Huntsman to run a lemonade stand. But if we have to have a group of people or a party to do ideological combat with, a Republican party full of John Huntsman's would be a thousand times preferable than what we have.

[JI7]

11. i don't see anyone trying to attract him, it's him who is trying to attract dems and indies