No matter how nice they are, if they are a rethug, they're still an asshat

[Hugabear]

It's rare, but every now and then a rethug will emerge that makes you say "Hmm, that guy doesn't seem quite so bad. He doesn't look like a crazed lunatic, he actually seems rather nice." I'll admit, I've fallen into that trap a few times - it's easy to do.

However, if they are a Republican, then they are still an asshat. A pro-wealthy, pro-corporate, anti-union asshat. And while there may be a very small minority that are pro-choice, pro-science, etc - they will still likely surround themselves with anti-choice, anti-science types or at the very least pander for their votes.

IMHO this might be the most dangerous rethug of them all. At least with someone like Gingrich, Paul, Bachmann, or Palin, it's easy to see that they're dangerous, and therefore easier to avoid. After all, you wouldn't walk up to a Doberman that was frothing at the mouth and baring its fangs and try to pet it. But with the polished, well-behaved rethug, it's easy to let one's guard down, and even if you don't actually vote for them, to adopt an attitude of "well maybe it wouldn't be all that bad" - especially if you're already not very happy with your own party.

[jberryhill]

1. There are R's who hold minority opinions in their party, and there are D's who do the same

Zell Miller was a D, and a much more of an asshat than, say, Olympia Snow or Dick Lugar.

Not everything needs to go into two boxes, one labeled "asshat" and one labeled "not an asshat".

[DisgustipatedinCA]

2. I agree with the substance, but we get there in different ways

If someone is a nationally-elected Republican, that doesn't of itself make that person "an asshat". However, after the first several months, if the elected Republican wants to stay in office, then they'll need to have sold their souls to the GOP and to Grover Norquist. They may/may not have been asshats up to that point (and they probably were, in order to get elected), but after the soul-selling transaction, asshat is a done deal. This goes for Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, and every other moderate Republican.

By the way, on a personal note, I'm very unhappy with my own party. This, however, has never caused me for an instant to think I'd be better off with a Republican president in office. It might work that way for a centrist, but not for a liberal.