# What can moderate Republicans do to get their party back? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 2, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191 "2013-10-02T16:18:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/121 "2013-10-03T17:48:55Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > What they SHOULD have done was claim victory every time Obama or the dems tried to pass off center right policy as their own. But, then they couldn’t move the goalposts, you see. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/122 "2013-10-03T17:50:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Glad I made roll call! 😃 …and all this time I assumed he was talking about me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/123 "2013-10-03T17:55:31Z")
FWIW, **Debaser** , I think you’re participating in the spirit of the thread–it’s possible to oppose fiscal moderation and still talk about how fiscal moderates could take the GOP over. At this point I really wonder what would happen with Boehner if he did something as simple as shift emphasis: if he stopped taking marching orders from the Tea Party, could he retain his seat and speakership? It seems to me that if he steered a more moderate course–as it looks like he wants to do–and retained his Speakership, that would go like three quarters of the way toward putting moderates back in power. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/124 "2013-10-03T20:03:36Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I can think of a very GOOD reason for the Democrats to help the moderate Republicans: the good of the nation. The country NEEDS to purge the Tea Party from political relevance, to isolate and marginalize these fuckers. Not doing so makes it legitimate to throw at them the same accusation that was validly leveled at the Republicans during the Dark Times of the reign of George the Lesses: namely, that they are willing to put party above country. Nope. I just watched the Devin Nunes interview, and sure enough, he said the same thing. Democrats want to prolong the shutdown because it is punishing Republicans and because they are going to win. The logic is as clear as day. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/125 "2013-10-03T20:21:52Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > Nope. I just watched the Devin Nunes interview, and sure enough, he said the same thing. Democrats want to prolong the shutdown . . . And Nunes knows that how? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/126 "2013-10-03T20:24:29Z")
Because they aren’t groveling in surrender, which is what the script says! Try to keep up, won’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/127 "2013-10-03T20:33:55Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And Nunes knows that how? Does it matter? He claims it comes from private conversations, but really, who cares? Do you have a more compelling electoral explanation? “Nancy Pelosi wants her gavel back” rings awfully true. Obama linked the shutdown to the debt ceiling, and sure enough, Boehner says he will do a deal over _that_ with the Democrats. Now that some uncertainty is out of the picture, there seems to be little stopping the Democrats from letting the Republicans bleed out. ---
**Author:** ![Conservian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@Conservian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conservian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/128 "2013-10-03T21:18:43Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What he’s doing is drawing a comparison between the threat of the Third Reich and the threat of the ACA. You don’t have a problem with that?! lol! Now there’s a accurate example of p-r-o-j-e-c-t-i-o-n! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/129 "2013-10-03T21:25:52Z")
> [@Conservian](#): > > lol! Now there’s a accurate example of p-r-o-j-e-c-t-i-o-n! What? No it’s not, it’s exactly what Cruz said. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/130 "2013-10-03T21:27:10Z")
> [@Conservian](#): > > lol! Now there’s a accurate example of p-r-o-j-e-c-t-i-o-n! Just because something undercuts your point, and rightfully makes your hero look like an insipid clot of shit, doesn’t mean you should just laugh and pretend that everyone else is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Conservian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@Conservian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conservian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/131 "2013-10-03T21:31:06Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Actually I showed why nobody needs to take your views on this subject seriously. 😉 Lol. If you don’t say so yourself! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Conservian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@Conservian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conservian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/132 "2013-10-03T21:34:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > What? No it’s not, it’s exactly what Cruz said. 'What? it’s exactly what we think Cruz meant to say. ’ Fixed it for you.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Conservian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@Conservian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conservian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/133 "2013-10-03T21:40:59Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Just because something undercuts your point, and rightfully makes your hero look like an insipid clot of shit, doesn’t mean you should just laugh and pretend that everyone else is wrong. Whoa! Anger management can help. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/134 "2013-10-03T21:52:03Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > Does it matter? Of course it does, if Nunes is trying to cast the blame back on the Dems. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/135 "2013-10-03T21:53:46Z")
You seem to be very happy about your party committing suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/136 "2013-10-03T22:02:36Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > You seem to be very happy about your party committing suicide. I’d rather have no Republican party than Republican party that plays along with Democrats’ changing of the country into Europe-lite. If I wanted to live in Europe, I’d live in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/137 "2013-10-03T22:15:23Z")
> [@Conservian](#): > > 'What? it’s exactly what we think Cruz meant to say. ’ > Fixed it for you.😉 You’ve done a crappy job paraphrasing me. I wonder if you could try your hand at giving us an accurate paraphrase of Cruz’s statement, then? Unless his words are, like the Qu’ran, untranslatable. > [@Terr](#): > > I’d rather have no Republican party Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/138 "2013-10-03T22:43:55Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > … I’d live in Europe. Help you pack, loan you my pick-up. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/139 "2013-10-03T22:53:40Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Help you pack, loan you my pick-up. No thanks. Born there, lived there. Don’t wanna. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191/140 "2013-10-04T00:57:28Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I’d rather have no Republican party than Republican party that plays along with Democrats’ changing of the country into Europe-lite. If I wanted to live in Europe, I’d live in Europe. How dare we have universal health coverage with lower growth in costs like in Europe. :rolleyes: But at any rate, be my guest, without the GOP, maybe we can drag this nation (kicking and screaming or not) into a European-style social market economy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-moderate-republicans-do-to-get-their-party-back/670191.md?page=8)