I’m Not Too Keen On Kean
Written by Sam on October 13th, 2006As astonishing as it is to see a potential Republican Senate seat pick up in the very blue state of New Jersey, especially amidst the current political climate for Republicans, I don’t think Tom Kean, Jr. is much to get excited about.
The Senate candidate in New Jersey challenging the incumbent constantly reinforces the same point: his opponent is corrupt, so voters need to dump him and pick someone with a higher sense of ethics. Increased funding for stem cell research, a ban on offshore oil drilling in Alaska and outlawing gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers are major planks in his campaign platform. He’s also been sharply critical of the Bush Administration handling of the war in Iraq, and is pro-choice and liberal on environmental issues. Now, in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal, he’s called on House Speaker Dennis Hastert to step down.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1545459,00.html
I’m not certain if Kean is just running to the left because he thinks he has too in order to win or if he actually holds these positions sternly in his heart. In either case, one thing is clear. It looks like New Jersey keeps a “Democrat” Senator no matter who wins.
13
PM
I am not a big fan either. He has no backbone and acts like he is 12.
13
PM
I have no doubt he is running to the left because that is who he is.
16
PM
I can’t seem to reconcile the necessity of RINOs. On one hand, conservative legislation stands a greater chance of passage with a Republican majority. So a RINO is preferable over a Democrat even though ideologically they might be identical. On the other hand, a RINO is intolerable if there is a legitimate conservative candidate that could run. So the it boils down to that dubious consideration: “electability.” Some in our Party argue that Lincoln Chaffee was more “electable” than Steve Laffey. So is it inconsistent for us to say Chaffee: no, Kean: yes?
The idea of the Club for Growth is that we fight the RINOs during Primary, but support the Republicans in the General. For the most part, I agree with this line, but we must ask ourselves, would the defeat of a RINO in a General Election clear the field for a future conservative candidate?