Chris Shays, the last Republican in the House from New England

[techs]

http://www.newsday.com/news/lo...9oct29,0,7578166.story

http://www.realclearpolitics.c..._4th_district-958.html

An Oct. 20 UConn-Hearst Newspapers poll shows Himes and Shays each supported by 44 percent of likely voters. The same poll showed voters in the district prefering Obama over McCain, 54 percent to 34 percent.

Shays is the only Republican representing New England in the House following Democratic wins in 2006.



I can remember when there was quite a large contingent of Republicans from New England in the House. I guess that's the result of the radical, right wing turn of the Republican party. As well as comments by national politicians such as the one Palin made about the supposed pro-America areas of the country.
It seems as if moderate Republicans have two opponents in their hopes for elections in the northeast. Their Democratic opponent and their own political party.
I hope Rush is happy. Another Big Tent Republican may be gone. Pretty soon the Republican party will only be full of right wing wackos and neo-cons.
Hey, Rush! Just so you know, the Big Tent Democrats are doing just fine. We even have a name for our newest ones, the Blue Dog Democrats.
Inclusiveness is fun. And it wins elections.

 

[Thump553]

Chris Shays is way too hawkish on the Iraq War for my tastes, but I will admit that he does his homework, has been to Iraq numerous times, etc. I admire him for actually thinking and legislating based on his own clearly thought out and articulated views, rather than some party line. It would be a shame to lose him, but I place the fault at the nature of the current GOP.

Until the GOP swallowed the dixiecrats New England (outside of the big cities) was solidly GOP-heck, the party was essentially born here.

The fundamentalist wing of the GOP is nearly universally abhorred around here as well, as being essentially in opposition to true Republican principals.

I live in a rare district, one that consistently flops back and forth between Dem & GOP. Our Congressman, Joe Courtney, is known in Washington as "Landslide Joe" because he won by the narrowest margin in 2006, about 100-200 votes. This time around he is up 20%+ on his rival.

 

[ayabe]

Well he's not a real Republican anyways:



NEW CANAAN, Conn. ? The first ballot has yet to be tallied, but some Republicans are already hammering nails into the McCain-Palin campaign?s coffin.

Locked in a tight congressional race, Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut?s 4th district is the latest in a slew of Republican incumbents, including Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, to concede a near-certain victory to the Obama camp.

?I just don?t see how [McCain] can win,? Shays said in an interview here on Sunday.

Shays, the Connecticut co-chair of McCain?s campaign, said he was disappointed by the standards of McCain?s race, which has increasingly relied on mudslinging.

?He has lost his brand as a maverick; he did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign,? Shays said.

But Shays ? who is famous for never running a negative campaign ad, even when behind ? said the negativity in the presidential race has nevertheless been flowing both ways. He said that though they have been diluted by positive ads, Sen. Obama?s campaign has empirically run a greater number of negative ones.

?Obama has four times the amount of money McCain has, so for every negative ad he runs he can balance it with an upbeat one,? Shays said. ?McCain, on the other hand, has been nearly 100 percent negative.?

Shays laid much of the blame on the far right, which, he said, has ?hijacked? the Republican Party, threatening to walk out if its demand are not met ? despite being in the minority.

He said this situation is a cautionary tale for the Democratic Party, whose Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and MoveOn.org have imposed their often-radical ideas on the rest of the party.

But Shays also said he was skeptical of Sen. Obama?s promise to rule from the political center.

?It?s what all presidents should do, but [Obama] has never been there,? he said, referring to Obama?s left-of-center congressional record.

McCain?s other Connecticut co-chair, Sen. Joseph Lieberman ?64 LAW ?67, has not publicly commented on McCain?s chances on Election Day, but he has continued to campaign for him, most recently in Florida on Monday.

Jeff Grappone, New England communications director for the McCain campaign, did not return several requests for comment Monday.


Text


Man I just love watching it all come crashing down. When you appeal only to apes don't be surprised when eventually the shit starts to fly.

 

[StageLeft]

If this keeps up give it another 5-10 years we'll have another civil war, sweet.

 

[techs]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
If this keeps up give it another 5-10 years we'll have another civil war, sweet.

This time maybe the North will get lucky and lose.

 

[DarrelSPowers]

Originally posted by: techs

Originally posted by: Skoorb
If this keeps up give it another 5-10 years we'll have another civil war, sweet.

This time maybe the North will get lucky and lose.

With our pussy ass gun laws, of course we would...

 

[Fern]

Shays laid much of the blame on the far right, which, he said, has ?hijacked? the Republican Party, threatening to walk out if its demand are not met ? despite being in the minority.

I remember not too long ago people around this forum posting that the (Neocon) Repub just used the RR to get elected then abandoned them.

Now many are blaming the RR for the Repub electoral losses. Hey Shays, if you guys used them, why should they be "happy campers".

Of course, he fails to lay blame for the Repub's using/abandoning the fiscal conservative too.

Otherwise, seems pretty stupid to come out and insult/criticize a part of your constituency on the cusp of an election. Yup, that oughtta help turnout (of course, there are few RR in his district, so he's just putting his own abitions above the party - par for the course I'd say)

Fern