Issue of the Week: Where Are the Moderate Republicans?
Plus Hero and Jerk of the Week
Not only that, but a whopping 93% of Republican
convention attendees said they support the Tea Party movement, according
to a
straw poll conducted by Wispolitics.com. Only 20 of 457 delegates,
alternates
and guests said they did not.
So where does that leave moderate Republicans?
Well, if they’re like Lora Rae Anderson, a senior at
UW-Eau Claire and the former chair of the Wisconsin College Republicans,
you
try to reform the party from within—say, by advocating for same-sex
marriage,
fiscal responsibility and innovative education reform.
But Anderson
got nowhere with her fellow young Republicans, so she jumped ship. Last
week,
she formally became a member of the Democratic Party. She told the Shepherd
that Democrats were more
willing to debate issues—education reform is one of her passions—and not
just
blindly accept positions carved out by party leaders.
If Republicans are going to expand their base beyond
ultra-conservative Tea Partiers, they’ll have to find a way to bring
moderates
like Anderson
back into their fold instead of shouting them down. Until then, it looks
like
moderates are looking for a new home.
Heroes of the Week
Wisconsin’s Veterans
Thirty-five years after the fall of Saigon and the
end of the Vietnam War, Wisconsin veterans from the conflict were honored last
weekend at Green Bay’s
Lambeau Field. Since returning Vietnam
veterans often did not receive a warm welcome, LZ Lambeau was organized as an
official state “thank you” to the men and women who served during that war. The
overdue heroes’ welcome was attended by more than 25,000 veterans, friends and
family members. Wisconsin Public Television documented the event, footage of
which will air May 27 at 8 p.m.
The group Veterans for Peace, which felt the Lambeau
event was too pro-military, organized an alternative event last weekend (also
in Green Bay)
called “Operation Honor the Dead, Heal the Wounded, Wage Peace Not War.”
No matter what their political views, the Shepherd thanks all of our state’s
veterans for their service and sacrifices.
Jerk of the
Week
Milwaukee County Republican Chair Bob Spindell
How’s this for nasty? The chair of the Milwaukee
County Republicans claimed that Democrats commit voter fraud to win elections.
According to Wispolitics.com, Bob Spindell said of Democrats: “We know they will do anything to win, vote fraud, whatever it take[s].
We must always remember they don’t need 50% plus one. They need less than that.
We need 50% plus a lot more to get through all those shenanigans.” Spindell
isn’t doing his party any favors by indulging in this paranoid urban myth.
Numerous studies, even the U.S. Attorney’s office, show voter fraud is not
widespread in Wisconsin.
And when there are miscast votes there’s no evidence that they overwhelmingly
favor Democrats. (Didn’t one couple allegedly get fired up to double-vote after
listening to right-wing talk radio? Something to think about.) When Republicans
lose elections, it’s because they lose fair and square.
The problem with identifying a "Moderate" Republican is that when a left-leaning person/publication does so, it is doing so from the point of view that their postion is the norm and thus center or at worst center-left. So, what a Republican might feel is a moderate does not jibe with what, say, the Shepheard Express might view as "moderate."
Bob Spindell is NOT Milwaukee County Republican Chairman. He holds several important titles, but that's not one of them. Furthermore, you called him a jerk because you say voter fraud is not "widespread". How bad is it? What's wrong with wanting honest elections? Where's your head at? Bob bears no label, he is just honest.