What we needed “post-9/11″ was someone with the courage to protect the people of RI from the rabid hawks in Washington, and Linc chose to stand in line with them. His votes and his “label” don’t mean half as much as a Senate majority that would continue rubber stamping the president’s reckless ventures and would also ensure congressional committees that would continue ceding power to the executive branch without question.

Whitehouse isn’t much better, but at least his allegiance is to the other party. Would GOP led hearings including questions about torture? Would they be chasing Alberto Gonzales for his role in politically motivated firings? Would the SCHIP bill have even made it to the president’s desk? And this business about calling the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization is troubling, but it was only a small part the bill. Had he voted against it you’d be hearing about how he voted down legislation on hate crimes, veteran’s benefits, and water conservation. He ‘s not a perfect Senator, and may not even prove to be worth reelecting, but at least he didn’t get in line behind the president’s failing party.

You say: “What is wrong with people? He represented everything people said they were crying out for, but they couldn’t get past the label.”

Thank you Bush about the label ( and thank you Nixon, Reagan and Bush father). Label was all. From the start in office GWB was only a Republican and for Republicans.

Though Rhode Island is a reliably Democratic State, they have a Republican Governor (Donald Carcieri) elected twice now. In the past they elected John Chafee, Republican, as Governor. As well they sent John Chafee to the Senate for 23 years before Lincoln Chafee took over upon his father’s passing. So Rhode Islanders do not seem to be all that hung up on labels when it comes to a good man. But these times are different.

The only good way to send a message is through the ballot box. Chafee stood with and for Republicans who have done so much harm, taken this country so far in the wrong direction these past few years. Enough people were mad as hell. As one of a handful, if that, of liberal Republicans in Congress, Chafee had what effect? What good was what he represented if he put himself in a box standing with and hence giving power to others who were against most of what he represented?

Unfortunately the label means everything. And this is what that label has come to mean.

I’m so glad to hear someone talk about disqualifying candidates based on their performance post-9/11. You can’ t have a better litmus test for leadership.

Keep up the awesome interviews, Chris.

Cheers, Allison

More folks commenting.

It seems to me that he was wishing that the party was what it used to be when it had actually morphed almost totally into something that he found hard to support. And he was not going to change it almost single handedly. By leaving he might have made a dent. Yet he held on, stood with them, took their support, perhaps loved the attention too, but in the end it harmed him. It was as if he was burning his candle at both ends and calling it “bi-partisanship”. Compromise is essential, but on certain things one does not conpromise or you lose it all. He stood up against the war and that was good, He deserves the credit for that one but his timing was really off about leaving the party.

I really appreciate your post “ghostofdali”.

Change is inherently difficult, as inertia is a deceptively powerful force, but when the reality that our current path and its field of possible outcomes are so clearly propelling our people and our nation to destruction, it is not the time to hold on to the status quo. Chafee is a gentle man, he described his defeat as feeling like a “punch in the gut,” but that’s what bullies do – you can take the punch and win or you can take the punch and lose.

Why did Chafee vote to cut off debate on the appointment of Sam Alito to Supreme Court even though he was afraid of how Alito would rule? see the above linked article again. It says only after, did Chafee say what he believed:

Chafee did not announce his opposition to the nomination until a majority of Senators had already publicly said they would support Alito.

from the Fox news story:

Sen. Lincoln Chafee on Monday was the first Senate Republican to announce his opposition to Alito’s nomination to the high court. He said he was concerned about what he perceived as Alito’s sympathetic stance on executive power in light of the administration’s recently uncovered warrantless wiretapping program

“How are we going to get anything done if we can’t work together?” Chafee asked after saying he would vote against a filibuster, a procedural move designed to prevent a vote on a nomination.