If memory serves me, the primary function of the Gestapo was to keep the Nazi faithful just that, faithful and pure. Any party members who dared to waiver from the party line risked a date with some piano wire.

Now the Republicans have this 527 group known as "The Club for Growth" which apparently has appointed itself the internal polizei of the Conservative movement, dedicated to rooting out the insufficiently pure of thought. They devoted their funds to ousting Arlen Specter and tried to recruit a more intellectually pure candidate to run against John McCain.

The good news is that they have had no success in devouring Republican moderates. The bad news is that they show no signs of running out of cash and will undoubtedly keep trying.

Club for Growth

I find no shortage of examples of groups who would like to see the Republican party move even further to the right. They are cetainly not balanced out by any groups seeking to move the party back to the middle which leads me to believe that the Party is nowhere near done moving ever rightward. I think it is an interesting question to ask, just how far to the right will be too far? That is a question only Republican voters themselves can answer. Give me some help here guys, how far would be too far for those of you who voted for Bush?

Have some beers like I am, and chill out, Mick. Paranoia seems to be eating at you. This nation isn't falling down the toilet because Bush won, and it wouldn't fall down the toilet if Kerry won...

What do you want? Prior restraint of ideas and speech?

Probably a misrepresentaton of the Gestapo.

Not a misrepresentation of the "Club for Growth", it seems...

When I start hearing goosesteps.

Ohhh, believe me... If it happens again, this time they will be wiser... A lot subtler.

You probably won't even know you are under the "spell."

But apparently you will. Thanks for taking point.

I never said that! Sorry to cnvey that sentiment, I didn't mean to!

Really? Scroll through these words from 1963 and ask yourself how many have come to pass...# 15 and on have some current import...# 24, 25 and 26 should be quite recognizable...as are others...

http://www.uhuh.com/nwo/communism/comgoals.htm

hey man, you didn't get this from me, but this website might help keep out those evil republican mind control waves

I guess there is a lot to laugh at today... My typing and proof reading is way off.

So what are you saying?... The Republicans are working with the commies.

Don't act so thick, Ex. It is the leftist agenda of the past and the present.

It is the leftist agenda to put the republicans in office???


I am not acting thick... Just thick!

Tell me who has power? Who is in total control? And do you see any change for the future in the power arrangement?

After all, if the left keeps it up... They can kiss '08 good bye? That would be 12 years of executive monopoly... Legislative goes back 22 in '08?

Maybe you believe it is like a Bugs Bunny toon where Bugs finally gets Daffy to agree with him by changing his (Bug's) opinion to Daffy's... Only to have Daffy object and to agree to Bug's original position?...

I think this all a bit "daffy"

Dammit Mickey,

We had the uniforms made and were going to hand them out next week. You found us out!

I sincerely hope they picked the plaid ensemble. I look friggin' smashing in plaid.

Did you even read the article that you linked to?

You've demonstrated your intelligence often on this board. Unless proven otherwise, I refuse to believe this post was made in good faith. Republicans are nazis, how facist is too facist for you? - please.

Actually, they almost succeeded in getting Pat Toomey through the Republican Senatorial primary, much to Specter's dismay.

Who said anything about the country going down the toilet?

The right has been complaining that the country is going to hell in a handbasket because it has moved so far to the left since about 1958 or so. Certainly, if moving too far to the left can be a problem, at least in theory, moving too far to the right could also be a problem. I have heard from a few conservatives on this board that the political pendulum will inevitably swing back to the middle because conservatives will over reach, lurching too far to the right. I have also heard from a number of conservatives that the extremists among them do not have the pull they think they do. I am not so sure that there will be a saturation point when it comes to moving to the right or that extremists are not driving the red bus.

The best way to find that out is to see where the line is for republican voters, moderates and not so moderate voters alike which are pretty well represented here. So I am asking, where is the line for you guys, seriously? I don't mean to be implying that we are within inches of a Nuremberg rally or anything. I actually think that the democrats have to try and change to reflect some of the views of mariginal Republican voters. My theory and it is just that, a theory, is that there are pro-choice Republicans who are pretty uncomfortable being on the same side as the Bob Joneses of the world but would rather be there than with the democrats on balance. I want to know where their limits are.

You need to read the post again. I did not call all Republicans Nazi's, what I did was actually complain about the far right picking on moderate Republicans. If the Club For Growth is somehow representative of all Republicans, it is news to me. I would think that many, many republicans would despise this group as much as I do. I think very highly of John McCain and I have some respect but less so for Arlen Specter. They are republicans.

Why not address the issue of one Republican group actually targeting for destruction other Republicans whose views are not sufficiently extreme? That kind of behaviour is very much the kind of thing the Gestapo did. I am sure there are many dissimilarities between this group and the Gestapo. Cooler uniforms for example. I am concerned however with their tactics and there is no denying what they are doing. Just ask Specter and McCain.

Mickey...

Two words for you to ponder.... Soros, Moore.....

Yeah, I sure did. Beyond the Mainstreet Republicans, can you name me any other organizations or groups dedicated to moderate republicans? Take all such groups and compare them to those pushing the party further to the right. Does it look like a balanced situation to you? Club for Growth, as I pointed out, has not won any victories.....yet. They were close to taking out Specter and they aren't going away.

Doesn't exactly jibe with the "big tent" claim does it? Some Republicans are trying to toss other Republicans out of that tent.

We can start another thread on Soros and Moore and their effect on the democrats if you like. I am not aware of them trying to get any democrats out of office for not being "liberal" enough during the last election cycle.

I'll ask the question again, how far is too far right? I know there are conservatives who cringe at the Bob Joneses of the world but at the same time, can't possible voter for a democrat because of tax issues or whatever. My question for them is just how much Bob Jonesing can you stand? In fact, it would be a good question for pro-choice republicans like Specter. If you are pro-choice, why are you a member of a party that is seeking to eliminate choice? I suspect that the answer is that on the whole, that particular issue just isn't enough. Well, how much is enough? What else does the pro-choice party have to do to lure pro-choice republicans and what would pro-life republicans have to do to fatally alienate pro-choice republicans?

This isn't a "ha-ha-ha Republicans s#ck" kind of post. I am simply asking a question of republican voters, how right is too far right?

Hmm

Republicans = Nazis

Keep making comments like this and the democratic party will further decline. I just don't understand how naive you people are?

Please point out where I called all Republicans Nazis or explain why you interpret my defense of moderate republicans like McCain and Specter tantamount to calling them Nazis.

I don't at all equate criticism of The Club for Growth as criticism of all republicans because I don't see them as being representative of all republicans. If in fact you do see them as representative of all republicans, please state that clearly, without equivocation and in all future posts I will treat them as representative of the heart and soul of the party and accept all their actions as having been endorsed by a clear majority of the party.

You wouldn't be asking the question if you didn't know the answer, counselor.

While both parties revile the opponents' vocal extremes, the reality is that there are a lot more REP McCains, Guilianis, Schwartzneggers and DEM Liebermans & Warners than the extremes on either side.

The pro-choice party should recognize that many pro-choice voters are actually against abortion - they just don't think it should be illegal. Convince them the party is the place for them by continuing to support Roe V Wade, but also supporting efforts such as parental notification in the case of minors, banning late-term abortions, etc. Demonstrate that their other efforts (support for specific social programs) would actually reduce the demand for abortions. Make a point of not being the party of abortion at any time, for any reason. Just a thought.

Don't be paranoid, I am asking because I really want to know. This isn't a set up to some sort of home run follow up question. I think the democrats have to do more to attract marginal republicans and beyond changing their position on taxing the rich, I am not sure what will work. So I'm asking. Moreover, it is not a question simply of what the democrats can do to change, I think it also is a question of whether or not the republican party might move so far to the right that they will alienate republican moderates enough for them to consider voting for a democrat. Sooooo..... how far right it too far? I am sure the answer to that is different for every republican depending on how moderate or not so moderate they are.

I thought that Clinton's position that they should be safe, legal and rare said pretty much the same thing. That would be a good issue to explore though, how to put more emphasis on the "rare" idea as opposed to the "legal" idea.

That is correct, and you won't get an answer until the actual issues are brought up to vote in the mid term elections in 2006 and the big election in 2008.

Bingo. Who was the last Democrat to be elected president? It's not that tough to figure out a winning position on this issue.