Hot-button issues worry some
Senate Emphasis on Ideology Has Some in G.O.P. Anxious
By CARL HULSE
New York Times
WASHINGTON, June 6 — Though some Republican candidates may relish the Senate's current concentration on same-sex marriage and other ideologically charged topics, Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island is not among them.
"It may stir up my primary voters a little bit against me," said Mr. Chafee, a centrist Republican up for re-election. He opposes the push for a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage and is under intense pressure to back a proposed amendment that would forbid flag burning. "I'm collateral damage."
Other Republicans, including some conservatives, say Mr. Chafee may not be the only potential victim of what they see as a misguided effort to appeal to social conservatives by staging votes intended primarily to make a point about the party's values. They say that voters are more concerned about the economy, health care and immigration, and that replaying the marriage debate in particular could do as much damage as good as Republicans fight to retain control of Congress.
"I don't think the problem is primarily with social conservatives," said Pat Toomey, a former Republican House member who now heads the Club for Growth, a conservative political action committee. "The problem I see is with economic conservatives who see out-of-control spending, huge deficits and that Republicans can't make the tax cuts permanent. The problem is on a different field."
Those who doubt the strategy are up against a long-held belief among Republican leaders that highlighting issues like same-sex marriage, flag desecration and abortion speaks to the party's convictions and carries concrete political benefits.
Proponents of the strategy say bringing up the issues now forces Democrats to cast votes that Republicans can use to demonstrate differences between the parties in an election year. They say the votes are important in re-energizing conservatives who have grown disaffected in the last year or two — a potentially vital step in a midterm election in which turnout is often low and races typically hinge on which side does better in turning out its base.
A poll released Tuesday showed a slide in support for President Bush among members of his party. The survey, by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, found Mr. Bush experiencing steep declines among those calling themselves moderate Republicans, with conservatives turning away from him as well, though more slowly.
(There is more)
By CARL HULSE
New York Times
WASHINGTON, June 6 — Though some Republican candidates may relish the Senate's current concentration on same-sex marriage and other ideologically charged topics, Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island is not among them.
"It may stir up my primary voters a little bit against me," said Mr. Chafee, a centrist Republican up for re-election. He opposes the push for a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage and is under intense pressure to back a proposed amendment that would forbid flag burning. "I'm collateral damage."
Other Republicans, including some conservatives, say Mr. Chafee may not be the only potential victim of what they see as a misguided effort to appeal to social conservatives by staging votes intended primarily to make a point about the party's values. They say that voters are more concerned about the economy, health care and immigration, and that replaying the marriage debate in particular could do as much damage as good as Republicans fight to retain control of Congress.
"I don't think the problem is primarily with social conservatives," said Pat Toomey, a former Republican House member who now heads the Club for Growth, a conservative political action committee. "The problem I see is with economic conservatives who see out-of-control spending, huge deficits and that Republicans can't make the tax cuts permanent. The problem is on a different field."
Those who doubt the strategy are up against a long-held belief among Republican leaders that highlighting issues like same-sex marriage, flag desecration and abortion speaks to the party's convictions and carries concrete political benefits.
Proponents of the strategy say bringing up the issues now forces Democrats to cast votes that Republicans can use to demonstrate differences between the parties in an election year. They say the votes are important in re-energizing conservatives who have grown disaffected in the last year or two — a potentially vital step in a midterm election in which turnout is often low and races typically hinge on which side does better in turning out its base.
A poll released Tuesday showed a slide in support for President Bush among members of his party. The survey, by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, found Mr. Bush experiencing steep declines among those calling themselves moderate Republicans, with conservatives turning away from him as well, though more slowly.
(There is more)
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