Chaffee: It's a good thing I lost.

[lillilbigone]

When asked whether he felt that his loss may have helped the country by switching control of power in Congress, he replied: "To be honest, yes."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/11/09/chafee_unsure_of_staying_with_gop_after_losing_election/

If the country is better off because you lost, why were you running in the first place? duh

[Captain Hilts]

1. Then why the #@*! is he still a Republican? Daddy's party has left him behind. nt

[Cooley Hurd]

2. You can't help but to respect him...

:patriot:

[yellowcanine]

6. Agreed. He was asked a question. He answered honestly. Maybe

he was planning to caucus with the Dems if he won and the Senate was tied. Who knows?

[aquart]

15. Maybe this is the man the Republicans should run for President.

An honest answer has gotten rare as hen's teeth. And far more precious.

[KoKo]

52. As only Repug to vote against Iraq Invasion his life must have been hell

up on the Hill. He said he was trying to remain as a Repug to represent his state in the Majority (probably to bring home some pork).

At least he was honest. I thought it was an answer that sounded credible and gives me some respect for him. :shrug: In the Senate hearings Chafee often seemed out of it. He would ask a few sharp questions and then drift out. From reading this...maybe it was because he felt he could only go "so far" in going against his Repugs.

I wish him well for his honesty.

[lapfog_1]

3. If he had won, I suspect he would have pulled a "jeffords"

I don't think he likes the people in his party.

Don't be surprised if he doesn't run for Senate again... as a Dem.

[Warpy]

7. I think he despises the people in control

which begs the question of why he voted for all their garbage.

My guess is that they had something on him. My guess is he's relieved they can't use it any more.

[etherealtruth]

10. I don't think he did vote for "all their garbage"

... did he? I could be wrong, but I think he broke ranks quite often.

[Warpy]

22. Not often enough.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/04/AR2006110401025.html

[etherealtruth]

30. I'm not trying to be cute ...

(I think I'm coming down with a virus .... so I could just be missing the point) ... how does the article at the link relate to Chaffee.

If it's obvious to all but me, I swear my throat is killing me and my head is throbbing (whine, whine, whine)

[blondeatlast]

36. It isn't just the virus talking--I'm fine and I'm confused too. nt

[Warpy]

39. If you scroll down a bit, you'll find voting catgories.

Click on any category that's of interest to you. See how often he followed the progressive vote on all issues. A very ugly picture starts to appear.

This site is just laid out a little better for a quick check than http://www.votesmart.org is.

[etherealtruth]

53. Check this thread out

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2664233&mesg_id=2664233

Lots of info in the posts. That is the opinion I've had of Chaffee.

Thanks for the links

[DaveinMD]

14. that wouldn't have been good

much better to gain the majority like we did.

[lapfog_1]

23. I wasn't cheer leading for him to win

But it's only my humble opinion of what might have happened if he did win.

BTW, there is a news report that in the rump session, he will NOT support Bolton for UN ambassador. Bolton is officially toast. Chaffee could have easily "punished" Dems for defeating him by supporting this POS. I, for one, would like to thank Chaffee for this action.

[DaveinMD]

24. I know

I just think its much better to win the majority at the polls than by a party switch.

[lapfog_1]

33. Absolutely, I wish it was by one more

then we could thumb our noses at Joe.

[MADem]

21. RI has two Dems now--one would have to move on...

http://reed.senate.gov/ This guy is still young, but he's got some good committee assignments. Don't expect him to dance offstage any time soon.

Maybe he can run for governor--as a Dem. That would be nice! The only Dem to lose in RI was the guy running against their GOP governor. Linc could wipe the floor with Carcieri... http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17442564&BRD=1713&PAG=461&dept_id=24491&rfi=6

[Arugula Latte]

49. He's had ample opportunity and prompting to pull a Jeffords.

He did not.

[NJ Democrats]

4. I can't think of one reason he is still a Republican

[Fabio]

19. Understood, but I think an over simplification...

Chaffee ran and legislated on the basis of a legacy. He is a moderate republican in the mold of his later father or like john heinz was in pa. to adandon that very personal legacy, to not seek to lead the republican party back to the center, would probably be very hard for him.

[cnlst8]

32. He said he wanted to bring the Republican back to the center.

To bad it didn't work.

I actually prefer Chafee compare to a number of Dem Senators.

[Dogmudgeon]

5. Think he'll cross over and become a Democrat?

I think it's possible, based on his attitudes and opinions, but I don't know how much loyalty the Chaffee name commands -- or demands.

--p!

[etherealtruth]

8. I've always found him to be one of the few very decent Republicans

He voted his conscience ... not his party affiliation. Though I didn't agree with his every vote or position I do respect the man.

[MADem]

9. I gotta say, I respect the HELL out of Linc Chaffee

He's one of the Republicans with Integrity. And he doesn't bullshit.

Maybe he'll run for another office, say, Governor, one day. If he could bring himself to switch parties, I suspect he'd win in a landslide.

[MannyGoldstein]

11. Get Off of His Back

Look, he was being honest - I'm sure that it wasn't an easy decision for him, he seems like a good guy.

[Casablanca]

26. No.

He cast some good votes, but when it came down to the wire he folded and voted with the rest of the Repug fascists.

The Republican Borg was never going to be reformed from the inside, and he should have been one of the first to recognize that. From his comment, it's clear that he did recognize that and still chose to play the political expediency game.

In some ways, he's worse than the Frat Boy-in-Chief, who has been bred to be ignorant and deluded.

Chafee, stop sleeping with the fascists (and pay the price for doing so), and sin no more.

[MADem]

28. Did you read the article, and see what he said?

"I haven't made any decisions. I just haven't even thought about where my place is," Chafee said at a news conference when asked whether he would stick with the Republican Party or switch to be an independent or Democrat.

When asked if his comments meant he thought he might not belong in the Republican Party, he replied: "That's fair."

Chafee, 53, is the most liberal Republican in the Senate and was the sole Senate Republican to vote against the war in Iraq. That was not enough to save his seat against the winner, Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, who shared many of Chafee's views but was a member of the dominant party in a state where Democrats far outnumber Republicans.

When asked whether he felt that his loss may have helped the country by switching control of power in Congress, he replied: "To be honest, yes."

"The people have spoken all across America. They want the Democrats and Republicans to work together," Chafee added. "I think the president now is going to have to talk to the Democrats. I think that's going to be good for America."

[Casablanca]

31. Yeah, how does that change anything?

He still has the deluded belief that the bipartisanship is what America voted for. He thinks that Bush's coffee klatsches with Pelosi signifies a new direction, but it's just the same old tired one. He hasn't learned (or is pretending not to so that he won't have to offend his masters - who don't give a toss about him).

[MADem]

34. ....deluded belief that the bipartisanship is what America voted for

I have some bad news for you. It IS what they voted for. They want CHANGE, yes, but they want the Congress to work together, not engage in senseless bickering and acts of revenge. They want adult discussion and they want consensus, not contention. They want competence instead of drama.

If you read what the article said, you didn't take the trouble to comprehend anything about the man. He's one of the most principled politicians alive today:

A lifelong Republican who succeeded his father in the U.S. Senate, Chafee said he waged a lonely campaign to try to bring the party to the middle. He described attending weekly Thursday lunches with fellow Republican senators and standing up to argue his point of view, often alone.

"There were times walking into my caucus room where it wasn't fun," he said.

Chafee said he stuck with the party in large part because it allowed him to bring federal dollars home to Rhode Island. He said he did not regret not switching parties before the election because he felt it kept him in the best position to help Rhode Island to remain with what was then the majority party.

He also described himself as a loyal Rhode Island Republican, and said he didn't want to communicate that he was suddenly "flying the coop." He said he worked to build the party since he was a child, when his father first won elected office when he was three years old.

Chafee, who built his reputation willingness to vote independently and speak more openly than many other senators about controversial issues, said he was surprised at the "pack mentality" that dominates among politicians in Washington.

"People don't like to step out," Chafee said. "They need a pack to go anywhere. That's not good for the country."

[Casablanca]

41. Again, your article quotes have proven nothing different about Chafee.

"People don't like to step out," Chafee said. "They need a pack to go anywhere. That's not good for the country.""

Yet in many crucial votes he never stepped out. He submitted to the pack pressure. Now he complains about the pack. And while Chafee is far better than Rush, the fact remains that Rush produced the same rhetoric yesterday on his show.


"There were times walking into my caucus room where it wasn't fun," he said.

Who cares? Going up against power, especially when one is a beneficiary of some of that power, is never fun or safe. But Chafee should know, as Jeffords did, when it is necessary.

"He's one of the most principled politicians alive today ..."

What does his voting record say about his principles? He votes against the fascists when it is safe, and with them when it isn't. He could have switched parties and voted with his conscience more often. He would have fit in with the corporatist DLC perfectly, but chose not to do that.

You'll believe what you want about Chafee, but my opinions about him have been formed by how he has voted, not by supporters' talk about him. Not politically expedient, but necessary.

[MADem]

43. Check his voting record. He's left of many Democrats. NT

[Casablanca]

44. I tracked his voting record for two solid years, I don't need to check it again.

Voting slightly to the left of Breaux isn't good enough when you're up against the Republican Borg.

And as for the glories of bipartisanship, Stan Goff addresses that well in this article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-goff/the-bipartisan-ship_b_33710.html

[MADem]

46. Well, you didn't track it very closely if you think he's slightly left of Breax.

He voted against Iraq, he voted against protecting gun manufacturers from lawsuits, he voted against the flag burning nonsense, he voted against that Medicare Part D horseshit. He's pro-choice, pro-gay rights to include marriage, pro-stem cell research, pro-gun control, pro-estate tax, anti-death penalty and against drilling in ANWR.

If that's what you call "slightly to the left of Breaux" (not that he's voting for anything these days, given that he left Congress two years ago) then maybe you need to do a little callibrating. Chaffee's positions are safely to the left of Jack Murtha, of Harold Ford, and of a number of Blue Dogs both currently serving and who were elected this go-round. He's certainly to the right of Ted Kennedy, but he'd fit into a Democratic delegation just fine, except for his leadership votes--and that's the real reason, likely the ONLY reason, why he wasn't returned to the Senate.

Stan Goff may be a nice fellow, but he's no leader on the national scene. And in his brief biography, I don't see much, indeed, any, experience on the Hill to recommend his opinions on the subject.

If you think bipartisanship means caving in, that's nonsense. Bipartisanship is being civil, listening, not attacking rudely, knocking down objections with debate and not histronics, and, at the end of the day, letting the majority do what it does--which is rule.

We don't need to behave like the GOP does. We've always been better than they are. And with luck and dignity, we'll continue to be.

If Bush wants to be an obstructionist after we exhaust a reasonable amount of parliamentary niceties and veto the bread-and-butter legislation we send him, then it's Bush that comes off as an asshole, and by extension, the members of his party in the legislature. We don't have to be childish and petulant to get our way. We don't even have to be vengeful, all we need to do is be businesslike, buckle down, get to work, and craft some legislation that makes a difference to everyday Americans.

[W_HAMILTON]

12. I almost feel a little bad for him

I don't know his history, so maybe there's something in it that would make me think otherwise...

But he seemed like a decent enough guy. I would think in a perfect world, having a politician like him wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Unfortunately, Republicans had pretty much perverted our government (figuratively, as well as literally I guess), and we had to reclaim the government back from them. That involved voting him out. He's probably better than 99% of the Republicans out there, but he had to go.

[MADem]

25. He's a nice guy. Used to be a blacksmith. Richer than a Roosevelt.

From a stinking rich, well liked, respected and well known family. A good soul. And a New England Republican, and those in many ways are more liberal than southern Democrats. So, if you can ignore labels (which the GOP won't let us do with their obnoxious, spiteful, partisan shit) you'd actually find a lot to like about him.

[Thrill]

13. Chafee should of switched when Jeffords did

This guy has never really been a Republican. Check out the voting record

[BootinUp]

16. Thats just rich ain't it? So its all about keepin your job Senator?

[lillilbigone]

40. Exactly. Better for the country if he lost. So he wasn't running for the benefit

of the country. Obviously.

[Robbien]

17. He was running because he was needed there in case

the Blue Wave didn't happen. Remember the Club for Growth put up a real piece of work running against Chaffee. Chaffee was needed to keep the Club for Growth from grabbing another seat.

[fujiyama]

45. I'm confused

Regardless of whether there was a wave or not this season, the club for growth candidate Laffer or whatever his name is, wasn't going to win.

The only reason Chafee is well liked there is because his last name is Chafee, and he is relatively moderate.

[Fovea]

18. Sen Chaffee

I wish you could have followed your heart
to the Democratic Party.

[stellanoir]

20. He's the only one member of the Repug senate that voted against

IWR. He ran against an old friend. He wrote in GHWB's name in the '04 election. Yeah I didn't like some of his votes but he was hardly no where near the neocon agenda.

He's an eccentric and I didn't like voting against him, but I did.

I hope he continues on in his public service. He's a character.

[peacetalksforall]

27. He appears to be a good man who was used. He would voice

an opinion that seemed very American-U.S. to my way of defining it and I really thought he was going to vote in opposition to Frist and the PNACing WH. But, in the end, he'd vote with them. I could just hear his arm being twisted and threatened. If anyone hears him say anything more about why he did that whether in general or on a specific issue, I'd like to hear about it. What did they say to Chaffee, Snowe, Collins - they got their opinion in and then - pow! - destruction for America.

I think he should run for President. He seems like he wants to be an honorable person. Too bad he was in the Senate during the reign of PNACers, new-cons, and puppets like Frist.

[Odin2005]

29. Mr. Chaffee is one of the last good Republicans left.

His party left him.

The same thing happoened here in Minnesota, the MNGOP got stuffed with culture warriors and left former governors Elmer Anderson and Arnie Carlson behind.

[Marrah_G]

35. It was bitter-sweet

I live in mass, but I spent 12 years on the other side of the border. To those who live here, it's pretty much the same place. bellingham/woonsocket to attleboro/pawtucket, etc.

I cried when RI was called for us on Tuesday, tears of joy for the country and tears of sadness because RI did indeed lose a good man. The sentiment locally was much the same from those I spoke to. They voted against someone they both liked and respected. They voted for a Democratic Majority and not for Whitehouse. Had this not been about taking back control he would have won again. I have no doubt of that.

I hope he stays in public life. He might make a good Governor. I won't tear him down. I will just smile and wish him the best.

[Little Star]

37. Mr. Chaffee should still be in politics as an independent.

He needs to come out of that independent closet and quite pretending to be a Republican. That party left him long ago. He is really a good human being.

[madfloridian]

38. He said the hatred of our president is too great to overcome.

He's a good man.

[Barack_America]

42. Chafee not sure he'll remain a Republican!

Another gem from FauxNews

"I haven't made any decisions. I just haven't even thought about where my place is," Chafee said at a news conference when asked whether he would stick with the Republican Party or switch to be an independent or Democrat.

When asked if his comments meant he thought he might not belong in the Republican Party, he replied: "That's fair."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228464,00.html


edited to include quote

[AntiWarPoster]

47. He should have switched parties- he coujld have stayed Senator

he was moving to the left anyway

[nickinSTL]

48. If he'd changed over to Dem before the election...

Would he have kept his seat?

[renate]

50. I hope he becomes the next John McCain... in a good way

I don't know whether McCain ever truly was a maverick--he's so disgusting now I can't look at him through naive glasses any more--but Chafee always certainly seems to have voted his conscience rather than along party lines. The way it used to seem that McCain did.

It goes without saying that I want a Democrat (and one in particular--guess who, from my avatar?) to win the White House in 2008, but a race between Chafee and a Democrat to be named later would be, if not a win-win situation, at least a not-lose--win contest.

[Clarkie1]

51. Chaffee's a good guy. He gave the people a choice, and the people decided.

I respect him.