It is a bad sign for the Republicans when Pat Robertson has become the voice of sanity in the Republican Party, warning that they are taking positions which are too extreme to win a general election. Think Progress summarizes the video above:
On his show The 700 Club, Robertson warned that the GOP base is pushing their party’s presidential nominees to take such extreme positions that they will be unelectable. “I believe it was Lyndon Johnson that said, ‘Don’t these people realize if they push me over to an extreme position I’ll lose the election?’” he said. “Those people in the Republican primary have got to lay off of this stuff. They’re forcing their leaders, the frontrunners, into positions that will mean they lose the general election…They’ve got to stop this! It’s just so counterproductive!”
So he wants them to lie or hide their true beliefs to win an election?
Do or say anything just to win an election.
Good God, the R’s are more devious then I thought!!!!
I was just interested in his assessment that the Republican candidates are too far to the right. This does leave the question open of how you deal with the fact that such right wing positions are 1) held by most of the candidates and 2) desired by those who vote in GOP primaries.
Your point about lying and hiding true beliefs reminds me of the 2006 race for Governor in Michigan. The far right wing Republican candidate got caught saying more moderate things to the mainstream media and far more right wing things to right wing outlets. That sort of thing is just not going to work.
It will be interesting to see how the Republican candidates try to move to the center in a general election.
How come that I don’t believe a word that Robertson said.