Moderate Republicans

by Ben Smith, Politico

If there were a strong moderate strain in the GOP leadership, it would be saying things along the lines of a new essay by former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis in the Ripon Society's publication. The essay argues that the GOP needs a few clear principles on big issues, that social issues are a distraction, and that there's no hope to be found in looking back.

Davis writes:

What we can’t do is go back. I’ve heard much talk of going back to our conservative roots, to the issues that helped us win in 1980 and 1994. That issue matrix has changed so much as to be nearly unrecognizable now. The voters who dealt us our electoral disasters in 2006 and 2008 did so because they thought we were all too true to our roots. That we were exclusive, favored rich over poor, and didn’t care sufficiently for the plight of the little person.

Also, I suspect this call to return to our “roots” really is a call to do nothing. And doing nothing, I hope Republicans will agree, is not an option.

This may be a valid argument, but it's not one that you'll find anywhere near the center of Republican politics now, after the Democratic takeover has purged it of its swing-district moderates. It's not something anyone in the race for RNC chairman would dare whisper.

It's the kind of argument that you might hear after a GOP civil war that hasn't even shown any signs of beginning.