Guys, the GOP didn't kick their DLC equivalent out of the party to win [View All]

[Hippo_Tron]

True, they are now treating their moderates like complete dog shit because they have wide enough majorities in the House and Senate that they can afford to do this. But you can bet that when the majority was slim in the Senate, they were more than happy to have Snowe, Chafee, Collins, Specter, McCain and Jeffords who certainly don't fully represent the values (or there lack of) that the BFEE stands for. Remember when Jeffords bolted from the Republican party? Trent Lott was on his hands and knees begging him to stay because his leaving would turn the Senate over to the dems.

So what did the GOP do to bring the neocon and religious right message to the center stage? They elected Ronald Reagan the leader of their party. With Reagan (and later Geroge W Bush) as the leader of their party, the moderate wing didn't have the voice that they once had and it allowed them to preach the strict conservative message that they wanted to. You can bet that Reagan loved having the moderates voting to enable his agenda in the House and Senate but if they tried to voice their dissenting opinions they were told that Reagan is the leader of the party: get in line, support his agenda, and shut up.

Here's my point...

If we want to deal with the "DLC problem", then we need to get a progressive nominee in 2008 and get him/her in the white house like the GOP did with Reagan. The progressives will then control the direction of our party and our party's message. The DLC will have the option of supporting our nominee and our President (which I believe that they will) or they can walk out the door and support the Republicans, it will be entirely up to them.