2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumFormer Nev. Lt. Gov. Says She's Leaving 'Tea-Party Orientated' GOP
CAITLIN MACNEAL JANUARY 29, 2014, 4:14 PM EST
Former Nevada Lt. Gov. Sue Wagner said Tuesday that she recently left the Republican party.
"It's grown so conservative and tea-party orientated and I just can't buy into that," Wagner told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I've left the Republican Party and it's left me, at the same time."
Wagner reflected on a party that has changed over the past few years.
"I did it as a symbol, I guess, that I do not like the Republican Party and what they stand for today," Wagner said. "I've been a Republican all my life. My dad was active (in the GOP) in the state of Maine where I was born. It was more of a moderate, liberal Republican Party."
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/lt-gov-wagner-leaving-gop-tea-party
monmouth3
(3,871 posts)conservative but they always voted republican, except for FDR. My mother adored him so I doubt she wouldn't have voted for him.
Cha
(297,517 posts)the depths of hell.
kwolf68
(7,365 posts)Instead of serious concern the Republican Reich will rejoice at her leaving, which moves them one step closer to ideological purity, not to mention irrelevance.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)of staying and fighting, the wackier the Party becomes. And if the moderate Republicans join the Democratic Party, they pull the party to the right. If this doesnt stop, we will end up with one Conservative Party and one Nutso Party. A win-win for the Powers To Be. Democrats pushing the TPP or Republicans pushing the TPP.
kwolf68
(7,365 posts)Still, I think the first order of business is full exposure of the radical right. Moving the Dems to the right is a gamble I would take for a short time while the theocrats, fascists and other radicals are put to pasture.
struggle4progress
(118,330 posts)Proud Liberal Dem
(24,436 posts)That Republicans leaving the Party and becoming Dems necessarily pulls the Dems to the right? There will be and already are some more conservative Dems but there are still plenty of progressive Dems and there are signs that the conservative "Blue Dog" Dem wing is losing influence (and seats) and the progressive wing is gaining more traction- unless I'm misreading the current trajectory.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)one more vote against progressive ideas.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,436 posts)The reason they're joining the Dems is that we're not a party of insane slash n'burn reactionaries. If they weren't interested in being progressive many of them would probably just become independents or something, wouldn't they?