Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Doing an interview for his new radio talk show, he shot back at Rush Limbaugh, and also discussed why he had no interest in joining the political arena this election season. "Huckabee told the Times that he chose not to run this year because of what he perceived to be a "toxic" atmosphere in the Republican Party. “The atmosphere was so toxic that it would not be an atmosphere in which I would breathe well,” he said in the interview. “There is almost a hyperorthodoxy that is gripping the party that you have to go out and prove that you can be tougher, meaner, more hard-line than anybody else on the stage. "It may lead to effective campaigning if the goal is to be the most ideological puritan on the platform, but the ultimate goal is more of what I’d call a true Reagan model. Not the Reagan model that has been invoked — but Ronald Reagan who understood that governing is an art.”" <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Huckabee-Limbaugh-critical-wrong/2012/07/07/id/444666" target="_blank">http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfro...d/444666</a> It's amazing what's happened since the last election cycle. In 2008 it seemed that things were pretty hard right in the Republican party. But, to see those who were the darlings then, say that it's too toxic, and conservative for them? It's just weird. I really do wonder if the Tea Party will be the ultimate end of the Republican Party as we know it. If so, I hope something more moderate is born from the ashes.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< “There is almost a hyperorthodoxy that is gripping the party that you have to go out and prove that you can be tougher, meaner, more hard-line than anybody else on the stage. >>> Almost? I noticed something very interesting in the Republican primary here recently. Typically, when the barrage of emails and snail mail starts coming, even during the primary, you see candidates identify themselves by name followed by their party, as in: "Rick Perry - Republican" This season, I starting seeing certain candidates self-identify themselves as Conservative, rather than Republican. And, one of those that did so was financing banner ads that appeared on Drudge, labeling his opponent in the GOP primary "Moderate" as if that was a dirty word. That's how shrill it has become, where "moderate" is considered a negative label, probably almost as bad as "liberal."
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 And "conservative" has become just as bad. Sure, they mean to wear it as a badge, but they've also co-opted it to mean socially conservative, and kind of all-encompassing. So, anybody who is fiscally conservative, isn't quite good enough if they also don't toe the party line. I really dislike how ordinary, innocuous terms like "liberal" and "conservative" have now become pejorative...it's stupid.
