Back in 2006 when Lincoln Chafee lost his Senate seat, Yankee Republicanism was declared to be on its last legs. So what’s the future of the New England GOP? Well, so far, we’re hearing it’s Yankee Republicanism! Or at least, socially moderate, fiscally conservative Republicanism.
Expert after expert, insider after insider, everyone we’ve talked to this week agrees that if the GOP is ever to win in New England again, it’ll be on pocketbook issues, not bedroom issues. One expert even told me this week that, for Republicans, the socially conservative “southern lock has become the southern prison.”
Here are the guests we have lined up so far for this week’s show:
1) Lincoln Chafee, former Republican Senator from Rhode Island. A classic Yankee Republican, Chafee quit the GOP not long after he lost his seat in ’06. Since then he’s been teaching at Brown, and reportedly mulling an independent run for Governor.
2) Barney Keller, Mass. GOP spokesman. Keller has emerged in recent weeks as the young turk of the state party; he’s been getting noticed for his aggressive advocacy.
3) John Kenneth White, professor of politics at Catholic University of America in Washington. A Rhode Island native, White is an expert on political demography and its evolutions, particularly when it comes to values and religion.
Got questions for these guys? Wanna contribute a thought? Leave a comment below!
Oh, and remember our interview with Dianne Wilkerson last week? Man, what a difference a day makes. We’ll have some updates this Friday at 1pm. See you then!
