Guess the quote: "I am probably the least disappointed defeated member" of the vanished Republican

[Pirate Smile]

majority.

Who would have said this? Just guess, instead of googling. I'll edit to add the answer.


edit to add the answer below:



















A Veteran Moderate Moves On

By David S. Broder
Thursday, November 30, 2006; Page A23


-snip-
But he lost, 51 percent to 48 percent, to college professor David Loebsack, as Democrats won top-to-bottom victories in Iowa this month.

Leach, noted for his independence, was the only Iowa legislator to oppose going to war in Iraq. That kind of record helped him prevail in past races despite his heavily Democratic district, which gave a higher percentage of its presidential vote to John Kerry than any other district held by a Republican.

-snip-
"But the big force," Leach said in a conversation in his nearly empty office, "was the accountability thing -- the overwhelming dissatisfaction with the Republican Congress."

Because he can understand and even sympathize a bit with that feeling, Leach said, "I am probably the least disappointed defeated member" of the vanished Republican majority.

-snip-
"The Republicans have been governing from within" their party base, rather than reaching out to the other party, he said, and now that Democrats have the majority, they will be tempted by electoral dynamics to do the same thing.

It is possible, Leach said, that a new president could change the pattern, and he is rather hopeful that his early picks for the nominations -- Mitt Romney and Barack Obama -- might do that.

Meanwhile, he is weighing academic offers from his alma mater, Princeton, and other schools and a possible diplomatic post from the State Department.

But given what he has seen on Capitol Hill in his 30 years, it is possible to believe Leach when he says, "I feel kind of relieved" to be moving on.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112901268.html


Bye, Jim.

Welcome Congressman Loebsack

[warrens]

1. Chafee?

[Pirate Smile]

3. Good guess but no. It is the other person that lost that should have just

switched parties.

[NMDemDist2]

2. Newt?? n/t

[TayTay]

4. Jim Leach? n/t

[Pirate Smile]

7. Bingo. I'll add the context to the OP.

Tay Tay wins the prize.

[Karenca]

5. Chaffee? . nt

[Pirate Smile]

9. Good guess. It was Jim Leach.

[Kerrytravelers]

6. Rick Santorum.

Now he has more time to continue the brainwashing of his poor kids everyday.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Chafee?

n/t

[Pirate Smile]

11. Good guess. It was Jim Leach.

[Horse with no Name]

13. Great question!

:thumbsup:

[civildisoBDence]

10. When Thomas Jefferson left the White House, he said that no one man should

ever have that much power.

It's a catch-22: Those with the morals to make good legislators in this system are the most reluctant to enter it.

Newsprism

[Lexingtonian]

12. I would have thought Chafee

But Leach is wrong in one thing- yes, Republicans have lost control of the political center, and no, Democrats don't have control of the political center- yet. The Democratic Party of 2006 is not the Republican Party of 2006- there isn't a commitment to serve only the 32% hardcore 'base' among Democrats and ignore the needs and desires of the center in policy.

I think this Republican hope that Democrats are their own mirror image and make the same mistake(s) is a wierd and mistaken 'conventional wisdom' of the Beltway and the dying conservative-leaning centrism that defined the country for 35+ years. But without that hope, they know their chances of regaining power in 2008 are close to zero.

[vireo]

14. Good observation

The notion of equivalency that has been promulgated in recent months by "disaffected conservatives" such as Viguerie and Scarborough is rather tiresome and is intended, I believe, to undermine faith in Democrats.