The Dirty Dozen: My 12 Least Favorite Republicans

The Dirty Dozen

John Hawkins had more than 40 bloggers make their list of their least favorite Republicans and Conservatives. I didn’t get invited, but I’m crashing the party. With some thought, I’ve created my own list of my least favorite Republicans and Conservatives.

Now, you won’t see John McCain or Lindsay Graham on the list. I don’t like all they do, but they’ve got some excellent points, nor is Arnold Schwarzenegger on the list. While I don’t like many of his stances on the issues, Arnold avoided the list through his great 2004 Convention Speech. I don’t like Rudy Giuliani, but he gets some credit for his role as America’s Mayor.

Those who’ve made my list personally tick me off, so it’s a somewhat petty list, but I’m as entitled to my petty lists as Don Surber is to his.

12) Colin Powell

General Powell deserves credit for his service to the country and his work with America’s promise. Yet, media reports were clear that during his time at the State Department, he was busy playing office politics rather than doing the work of American and supporting the President. Most of the time, it seems like he’s a Republican so that he can constantly give lectures on what’s so wrong with the Republican Party. After leaving as Secretary of State, Powell worked to drum up opposition to John Bolton’s appointment as UN Ambassador.

11) Shelia Sorensen

A local choice, but still a valid one. In 2004, Sorensen was retiring from the State Senate as she and her husband were moving to Hawaii. That year, she bottled up a Marriage Amendment in her committed. A conservative won the primary to replace her, defeating her hand-picked successor. Sorensen held off resigning and endorsing the Republican nominee for several months before resigning and letting him take her seat.

However, by then it was too late and the Conservative lost in the Fall. This year, she came back to Idaho after one of our congressmen announced he was running for Governor. She ran an awful campaign, and Club for Growth called her on her vote for one of the State’s biggest tax increases. She lost the primary and is now not only refusing to endorse the Republican Conservative nominee, Bill Sali, but is attacking him in the media several months after her defeat.

10) Chuck Baldwin

Host of Chuck Baldwin Live and a columnist for about a dozen websites. Baldwin was also the Constitution Party Vice-Presidential nominee and a pastor. Baldwin is one of the most utterly negative people. If you’re trying to do right and make a difference, Baldwin is going to criticize and discourage you. Baldwin is a never-ending reservoir of pessimism, negativity, and angst.

9) Bob Taft

The corrupt governor of Ohio has utterly wreaked havoc on that state and has neither the good sense or honor to resign.

Michael Savage

The man passes himself off as a political talk show host, but he ruined many a drive home with his over the top negativity. Savage goes for shock value and pure anger. He’s an ugly, angry face of conservativism lacking any balance at all. Is this man even capable of non-malicious smile?

7) Bill Frist

There’s quite a few reasons not to like this guy. I’ll stick with two. Frist, if anything, he has been a more ineffective Senate leader than Trent Lott. Unable to form the relationships and loyalties necessary to truly be a Majority Leader, last year, he saw John McCain and his group of 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats get the controlling interest of the US Senate. Even more despicable has been his maneuvering on stem cell research. Frist changed his position, now arguing that stem cell research holds great promise. No new information has actually come out in that time, so he was either playing politics when he originally announced his position against them (so that he could get brownie points with religious conservatives) or he’s playing politics now because he thinks the issue will make him more palatable in the general election. Take your pick. Either way, it’s despicable.

6) Lincoln Chaffee:

Constantly threatening to switch parties, Chaffee couldn’t even bring himself to vote for Bush in 2004. He’s got a career ACU rating of 37%. Democrats make comparison between GOP dislike for Chaffee and their own disgust with their 2000 Vice-Presidential Candidate Joe Lieberman. There’s a big difference between someone who agrees with you 80% of the time and one who only agrees 37%.

5) Arlen Specter

Nicknamed Snarlin’ Arlen. How someone of his “sunny disposition” keeps getting elected I don’t know. Specter has spent nearly 3 decades in Washington as the consummate liberal Republican. (45% career ACU voting record.) known for such great moments as his decision to vote not guilty on Clinton’s impeachment based on Scottish law. Specter is an unreliable ally who will only fight for judges if he believes they’ll safeguard Roe v. Wade. Thankfully, he guesses wrong often enough for people like Judge Thomas to get on the court. Specter began the argument of super-precedents on the Judiciary Committee, only to be tactfully made fun of by Judge Alito, who referred to Super Duper Precedents. Bush has made many mistakes in his Presidency, saving Specter from well-deserved 2004 Republican Primary defeat is near the top.

4) Ted Stevens

One of the Senate’s biggest porkers, infamous for his $200 million bridge to nowhere. As a 6 term Senate Incumbent and Senate President Pro Tempore, Stevens represents the worst of Washington and is personally responsible (as former Appropriations Committee Chairman) for countless trillions wasted. Stevens will remain an impediment to any change until the day his Senate career at last ends.

3) Ralph Reed

Reed is someone I’ve been right about since I was 14. The talented political player was entrusted by Religious Conservatives to lead them to victory and achieve great strides for Christians in politics. Instead, Reed attempted to turn Christians into wholly owned subsidiaries of the Republican Party to boost his own national prestige and profile.

Reed’s political life has shown, all rhetoric aside, he didn’t care one whit about reducing abortion or protecting traditional families. He sought to carve out an image for himself as “not like all those other crazies” so that he could rise up the ranks in the GOP.

Reed’s an object lesson that talent is not enough. What Bush said of Bill Clinton in 2000, could be said of Ralph Reed: “So much promise to no great purpose.” Reed looked good and sounded good, but the Prophet Samuel Teaches us that looks aren’t everything:

“And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. –1 Samuel 16:6,7”

Next time, someone is designated as a “Christian leader” maybe those doing the designating should pray a little more about it.

Reed continued to be hailed as a Christian leader by the media long after most Christian Conservatives had stopped paying attention. Despite being disgraced, he went boldly forward to lose on Election night and bring one last reproach on Christian Conservatives.

2) Mitt Romney
The man who would be king. The vacuous Governor of Massachusetts has no real qualifications other than a one term Governorship in which he moved to the right to win national office and lost seats in the mid-term elections despite considerable spending on behalf of his party. Romney’s national supporters have seen fit to use Romney’s religion to attack his opponents as anti-Mormon and hopes to use his LDS faith as a shield to allege legitimate criticism is bigotry.

1) Newt Gingrich
Having traded both Wife # 1 and Wife #2 for newer models, he hopes Wife #3 will be first lady. Other than a history of infidelity and crassness in his personal life, his performance as speaker was unforgettable to the degree that Republicans would be fools to entrust this man with power again.
It was Speaker Gingrich that began to break the budget caps. The big spending deficits of today have their roots in Congress’ that thought surpluses were for spending with no regards for what would happen when revenues dropped. It was his ego more than anything else that hurt the 1994 Republican Congress. Gingrich dreamed of turning the Speakership into a Prime Minister’s seat. Having failed that, he wants the Presidency.

Through many books, articles, and essays Newt Gingrich has shown himself a fascinating talk show guest and author. Through 4 years as Speaker and a personal life that no one could commend, Gingrich has shown himself unfit to be President.

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