QUOTE OF THE DAY…. Last week, former Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R) of Maryland noted his discomfort with his GOP colleagues in the last Congress. The moderate, who was defeated in a Republican primary last year, said his party had changed considerably: “I hate to say this, but ignorance, arrogance and dogma are pervasive in the world, and they certainly are pervasive in the Republican Party.”
Gilchrest, however, is a frustrated outsider, watching his party move too far to the right. Any current GOP lawmakers willing to express similar concerns? Lee Fang flagged this gem from the weekend.
On Saturday, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) discussed the direction of the GOP in an address to the Republican Northeast Conference in Newport, RI. McCotter, who serves as the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the House, chided conservative “ideologues” for controlling the party. McCotter explained that these individuals want to “purge” opponents “all the time…because they’re nuts.” He then clarified that his remarks were directed at radical conservatives like Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).
McCotter added, “As for the attitude of the Senator from South Carolina that it is better to have fewer friends than more, that’s easier to say in South Carolina than Detroit.”
Keep in mind, there are a handful of House Republicans one might consider relative “moderates,” but McCotter isn’t one of them. His voting record puts him in the middle of the House GOP caucus — which makes him pretty darn conservative.
And even he’s lamenting the “ideologues” running his party, and “nuts” like Jim DeMint.
If this starts to generate some media attention, it’ll be interesting to see if (and how) McCotter walks this back.
