Where have all the good Republicans Gone?

Manifesto

I've often wondered why the Rudy Guilianis and Christie Whitmans of the Republican party don't stand up against the hate machine that currently acts of the mouthpiece of the G.O.P. (Granted Whitman wrote a book about reclaiming the G.O.P. for moderates, but as for tangible action, there hasn't been a lot.) I'm sure there are good reasons for it, or at least political reasons, like the desire for further power. I've also wondered here and aloud why, with the exception of the U.C.C., moderate and liberal Christian churches haven't stood up and pushed back against those conservative sects that claim to represent the one true Christianity. I've also wondered how anybody lets the media get away with referring to these people as "Christians" as if there aren't Christian groups that disagree. Today's New York Times offers many of these critiques and more from the pen of former Republican Senator of Missouri, John Danforth:

In the decade since I left the Senate, American politics has been characterized by two phenomena: the increased activism of the Christian right, especially in the Republican Party, and the collapse of bipartisan collegiality. I do not think it is a stretch to suggest a relationship between the two. To assert that I am on God's side and you are not, that I know God's will and you do not, and that I will use the power of government to advance my understanding of God's kingdom is certain to produce hostility.

By contrast, moderate Christians see ourselves, literally, as moderators. Far from claiming to possess God's truth, we claim only to be imperfect seekers of the truth. We reject the notion that religion should present a series of wedge issues useful at election time for energizing a political base. We believe it is God's work to practice humility, to wear tolerance on our sleeves, to reach out to those with whom we disagree, and to overcome the meanness we see in today's politics.

It is a truly amazing piece of work from a man once considered a stalwart of the Republican party and former ambassador to the United Nations. I wish we had people like this in government again. Sadly, it seems that those moderates who originally made it into to Bush White House (Colin Powell, John Danforth, Christie Whitman, Richard Clark, Paul O'Neill, etc.) were so isolated and ignored that they quit rather than remain marginalized. They have, of course, been replaced with zeolots and ideologues more interested in consolidating power than actually doing the people's work. Thus, it seems the Bush/Rove plan to marginalize the moderates was effective in allowing the zealots to grab more of the levers of power. Hopefully, sharp, effective public rebukes from moderate Republicans and Democrats will arise some passion out of the sleepy American middle.

But here's a story for an intrepid reporter out there tired of runaway brides and missing white woman, take the above list of moderates effectively forced out of office by the current administration, examine their various and often serious critiques of the current administration, and compare that to some of the mistakes made by the current administration. I think you'd be surprised that more often than not, these moderates predicted the pitfalls that many of these policies have produced well before any action was actually taken. But that story would involve some actual research and analysis, so I'll probably read about it over at Talking Points Memo or maybe at AmericaBlog.

Hat tip to R.C. for the Danforth article.