Rockefeller Republican
Encyclopedia
Rockefeller Republican refers to a faction of the United States
Republican Party who held moderate to liberal views similar to those of Nelson Rockefeller
. The term largely fell out of use by the end of the twentieth century, and has been replaced by the term "moderate Republican." Modern Rockefeller Republicans are typically center-right, reject far-right policies, and are culturally liberal. Many espouse government and private investments in environmentalism
, healthcare and higher education as necessities for the nation's growth, in the tradition of Nelson Rockefeller
, Alexander Hamilton
and Theodore Roosevelt
. In general, Rockefeller Republicans oppose socialism
and the redistribution of wealth while supporting some pragmatic regulation of business and federal social programs in matters pertaining to the public good. They represent a diversity of views on foreign policy, but historically most were considered "hawks" against communism and strong supporters of American business abroad. Richard Nixon
-- a moderate, establishment Republican within the Party's contemporary ideological framework—founded the Environmental Protection Agency, cooled tensions with China
and the Soviet Union
, and in 1971 announced he was a Keynesian. Rockefeller Republicans were very common in the New England
, West Coast
, and the Middle Atlantic States, where there are liberal constituents.
of Ohio, known as "Mr. Republican." With the help of Dewey, General Dwight D. Eisenhower
defeated Taft for the 1952 presidential nomination and became the leader of the moderates. Eisenhower coined the phrase "Modern Republicanism" to describe his moderate vision of Republicanism.
After Eisenhower, Rockefeller emerged as the leader of the moderate wing of the Republican party, running for President in 1960, 1964 and 1968. Rockefeller Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in 1964 when conservatives captured control of the Republican party and nominated Senator Barry Goldwater
of Arizona for President.
Other prominent figures in the GOP's Rockefeller wing included Pennsylvania Governor Raymond P. Shafer
, Illinois Senator Charles H. Percy
, Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield
, Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller
, Nelson's younger brother (who was somewhat of an aberration in a conservative, heavily Democratic Southern state) and President Richard Nixon
.
After Rockefeller left the national stage in 1976, this faction of the party was more often called "moderate Republicans" or Nixonian
s, in contrast to the conservatives who rallied to Ronald Reagan
.
Historically, Rockefeller Republicans were moderate or liberal on domestic and social policies. They typically favored New Deal
programs and a social safety net; they sought to run these programs more efficiently than the Democrats
. Rockefeller Republicans also saw themselves as champions of "good government", contrasting themselves to the often corrupt machine politics
of the Democratic Party (particularly in large cities). They were strong supporters of big business
and Wall Street
; many Republicans of the Eisenhower-Rockefeller vein were major figures in business, such as auto executive George W. Romney
and investment banker C. Douglas Dillon
. In fiscal policy they favored balanced budgets, and were not averse to raising taxes in order to achieve them; Connecticut Senator Prescott Bush
once called for Congress to "raise the required revenues by approving whatever levels of taxation may be necessary".
In state politics, they were strong supporters of state colleges and universities, low tuition, and large research budgets. They favored infrastructure improvements, such as highway projects. In foreign policy, they tended to be Hamiltonian
, espousing internationalist
and realist policies, supporting the United Nations
and promoting American business interests abroad.
Barry Goldwater
crusaded against the Rockefeller Republicans, beating Rockefeller narrowly in the California primary of 1964. That set the stage for a conservative resurgence, based in the South and West in opposition to the Northeast Rockefeller wing. However, in 1968 the moderate contingent captured control of the GOP again and nominated Richard Nixon. He was easily reelected in 1972 and after he resigned, moderate republican Gerald Ford
replaced him as president. Four years after nearly toppling the incumbent Ford in the 1976 presidential primaries, Ronald Reagan
won the party's presidential nomination at the 1980 convention
, and served two terms in the White House. By 1988, the Republicans had chosen Prescott Bush's son, George H. W. Bush
-- who had only eight years before labeled Reagan's fiscal policies "voodoo economics" -- as its presidential candidate on a conservative platform. Bush's national convention
pledge to stave off new taxation were he elected president ("Read my lips: no new taxes!") marked the candidate's full conversion to the conservative movement and, perhaps, the political death knell for Rockefeller Republicanism as a prevailing force within Party politics.
Yet the Rockefeller Republican label is sometimes applied to such modern-day politicians as Senators
Olympia Snowe
and Susan Collins
of Maine.Another is former Senator Lincoln Chafee
of Rhode Island
, a liberal in cultural as well as international respects. The departure of U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords
from the Republican party in 2001 dramatized the still-existing tension between the liberals of the party and what is today its generally more influential socially-conservative wing. The term could also be applied to former U.S. Representative Connie Morella
of Maryland
, who lost re-election in 2002 to Democrat
Chris Van Hollen
. In the 2006 elections after many moderate Republicans were defeated, including Lincoln Chafee
, Nancy Johnson and Rob Simmons
of Connecticut
, Charlie Bass of New Hampshire
, and Jim Leach
of Iowa
, the prominence of Rockefeller Republicans dwindle even further. The 2009 departure of Pennsylvania
Senator Arlen Specter
from the Republican Party further reduced their numbers. However, in 2010 Bass won his old seat and Chafee won the Rhode Island gubernatorial election
, albeit as an Independent.
Ethnic changes in the Northeast may have led to the demise of the Rockefeller Republican. Many Republican leaders associated with this title were WASP
s (New York U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, a practicing Jew, was a notable exception). As time went on, the local Republican parties tended to nominate Catholic
candidates who appealed to middle class
, social values-laden concerns, such as George Pataki
, Al D'Amato
,Rick Lazio
and Tom Ridge
.
is a noted modern person who referred to himself as a "Rockefeller Republican" as recently as 1995.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican Party who held moderate to liberal views similar to those of Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
. The term largely fell out of use by the end of the twentieth century, and has been replaced by the term "moderate Republican." Modern Rockefeller Republicans are typically center-right, reject far-right policies, and are culturally liberal. Many espouse government and private investments in environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, healthcare and higher education as necessities for the nation's growth, in the tradition of Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
, Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. In general, Rockefeller Republicans oppose socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and the redistribution of wealth while supporting some pragmatic regulation of business and federal social programs in matters pertaining to the public good. They represent a diversity of views on foreign policy, but historically most were considered "hawks" against communism and strong supporters of American business abroad. Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
-- a moderate, establishment Republican within the Party's contemporary ideological framework—founded the Environmental Protection Agency, cooled tensions with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and in 1971 announced he was a Keynesian. Rockefeller Republicans were very common in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, and the Middle Atlantic States, where there are liberal constituents.
History
Thomas E. Dewey, governor of New York from 1942 to 1954 and the Republican presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948, was the leader of the moderate wing of the Republican Party in the 1940s and early 1950s, battling conservative Republicans from the Midwest led by Senator Robert TaftRobert Taft
Robert Alphonso Taft , of the Taft political family of Cincinnati, was a Republican United States Senator and a prominent conservative statesman...
of Ohio, known as "Mr. Republican." With the help of Dewey, General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
defeated Taft for the 1952 presidential nomination and became the leader of the moderates. Eisenhower coined the phrase "Modern Republicanism" to describe his moderate vision of Republicanism.
After Eisenhower, Rockefeller emerged as the leader of the moderate wing of the Republican party, running for President in 1960, 1964 and 1968. Rockefeller Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in 1964 when conservatives captured control of the Republican party and nominated Senator Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
of Arizona for President.
Other prominent figures in the GOP's Rockefeller wing included Pennsylvania Governor Raymond P. Shafer
Raymond P. Shafer
Raymond Philip Shafer served as the 39th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1971. He had previously served as Lieutenant Governor from 1963 to 1967...
, Illinois Senator Charles H. Percy
Charles H. Percy
Charles Harting "Chuck" Percy was president of the Bell & Howell Corporation from 1949 to 1964. He was elected United States Senator from Illinois in 1966, re-elected through his term ending in 1985; he concentrated on business and foreign relations...
, Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
, Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.-Early life:...
, Nelson's younger brother (who was somewhat of an aberration in a conservative, heavily Democratic Southern state) and President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
After Rockefeller left the national stage in 1976, this faction of the party was more often called "moderate Republicans" or Nixonian
Nixonian
The term Nixonian, or "Nixonite" is a term used to signify extreme secretiveness or corruption. It can also refer to liberal Republicans.The term is used to refer to a regime of dirty election tricks or abuses of power for political gain.-Other usage:...
s, in contrast to the conservatives who rallied to Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Historically, Rockefeller Republicans were moderate or liberal on domestic and social policies. They typically favored New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
programs and a social safety net; they sought to run these programs more efficiently than the Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Rockefeller Republicans also saw themselves as champions of "good government", contrasting themselves to the often corrupt machine politics
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
of the Democratic Party (particularly in large cities). They were strong supporters of big business
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
and Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
; many Republicans of the Eisenhower-Rockefeller vein were major figures in business, such as auto executive George W. Romney
George W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...
and investment banker C. Douglas Dillon
C. Douglas Dillon
Clarence Douglas Dillon was an American diplomat and politician, who served as U.S. Ambassador to France and as the 57th Secretary of the Treasury...
. In fiscal policy they favored balanced budgets, and were not averse to raising taxes in order to achieve them; Connecticut Senator Prescott Bush
Prescott Bush
Prescott Sheldon Bush was a Wall Street executive banker and a United States Senator, representing Connecticut from 1952 until January 1963. He was the father of George H. W. Bush and the grandfather of George W...
once called for Congress to "raise the required revenues by approving whatever levels of taxation may be necessary".
In state politics, they were strong supporters of state colleges and universities, low tuition, and large research budgets. They favored infrastructure improvements, such as highway projects. In foreign policy, they tended to be Hamiltonian
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, espousing internationalist
Internationalism (politics)
Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
and realist policies, supporting the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and promoting American business interests abroad.
Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
crusaded against the Rockefeller Republicans, beating Rockefeller narrowly in the California primary of 1964. That set the stage for a conservative resurgence, based in the South and West in opposition to the Northeast Rockefeller wing. However, in 1968 the moderate contingent captured control of the GOP again and nominated Richard Nixon. He was easily reelected in 1972 and after he resigned, moderate republican Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
replaced him as president. Four years after nearly toppling the incumbent Ford in the 1976 presidential primaries, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
won the party's presidential nomination at the 1980 convention
1980 Republican National Convention
The 1980 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States convened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, from July 14 to July 17, 1980. The 32nd Republican National Convention nominated former Governor Ronald W. Reagan of California for President of the United States and former...
, and served two terms in the White House. By 1988, the Republicans had chosen Prescott Bush's son, George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
-- who had only eight years before labeled Reagan's fiscal policies "voodoo economics" -- as its presidential candidate on a conservative platform. Bush's national convention
1988 Republican National Convention
The 1988 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana from August 15 to August 18, 1988. It was the second time that a major party held its conclave in one of the five states known as the Deep South, coming on the...
pledge to stave off new taxation were he elected president ("Read my lips: no new taxes!") marked the candidate's full conversion to the conservative movement and, perhaps, the political death knell for Rockefeller Republicanism as a prevailing force within Party politics.
Yet the Rockefeller Republican label is sometimes applied to such modern-day politicians as Senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Olympia Snowe
Olympia Snowe
Olympia Jean Snowe , née Bouchles, is the senior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. Snowe has become widely known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. She and her fellow Senator from Maine, Susan Collins,...
and Susan Collins
Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins is the junior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1996, she is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...
of Maine.Another is former Senator Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Davenport Chafee is an American politician who has been the 74th Governor of Rhode Island since January 2011. Prior to his election as governor, Chafee served in the United States Senate as a Republican from 1999 until losing his Senate re-election bid in 2006 to Democrat Sheldon...
of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, a liberal in cultural as well as international respects. The departure of U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords
Jim Jeffords
James Merrill "Jim" Jeffords is a former U.S. Senator from Vermont. He served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become an independent. He retired from the Senate in 2006.-Background:...
from the Republican party in 2001 dramatized the still-existing tension between the liberals of the party and what is today its generally more influential socially-conservative wing. The term could also be applied to former U.S. Representative Connie Morella
Connie Morella
Constance Albanese "Connie" Morella is a Republican United States politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003. She also served as Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development from 2003 to 2007. She...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, who lost re-election in 2002 to Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Chris Van Hollen
Chris Van Hollen
Christopher "Chris" Van Hollen, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
. In the 2006 elections after many moderate Republicans were defeated, including Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Davenport Chafee is an American politician who has been the 74th Governor of Rhode Island since January 2011. Prior to his election as governor, Chafee served in the United States Senate as a Republican from 1999 until losing his Senate re-election bid in 2006 to Democrat Sheldon...
, Nancy Johnson and Rob Simmons
Rob Simmons
Robert Ruhl "Rob" Simmons is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. Congressman from Connecticut. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, representing Connecticut's Second Congressional District as a Republican.Simmons ran as a candidate for the...
of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Charlie Bass of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, and Jim Leach
Jim Leach
James Albert Smith "Jim" Leach is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa. In August 2009, he became Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities ....
of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, the prominence of Rockefeller Republicans dwindle even further. The 2009 departure of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Senator Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
from the Republican Party further reduced their numbers. However, in 2010 Bass won his old seat and Chafee won the Rhode Island gubernatorial election
Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2010
The Rhode Island gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. It was preceded by the primary election on September 14, 2010. Incumbent Republican Governor Donald Carcieri was term-limited in 2010...
, albeit as an Independent.
Ethnic changes in the Northeast may have led to the demise of the Rockefeller Republican. Many Republican leaders associated with this title were WASP
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
s (New York U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, a practicing Jew, was a notable exception). As time went on, the local Republican parties tended to nominate Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
candidates who appealed to middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
, social values-laden concerns, such as George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
, Al D'Amato
Al D'Amato
Alfonse Marcello "Al" D'Amato is an American lawyer and former New York politician. A Republican, he served as United States Senator from New York from 1981 to 1999.-Early life and family:...
,Rick Lazio
Rick Lazio
Enrico Anthony "Rick" Lazio is a former U.S. Representative from the state of New York. Lazio became well known nationally when he ran against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate in New York's 2000 Senate election...
and Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
.
Disuse of the term
The term "Rockefeller Republican" is now somewhat archaic (Nelson Rockefeller having died in 1979), and Republicans with these views are now generally referred to as simply "moderate Republicans". Colin PowellColin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
is a noted modern person who referred to himself as a "Rockefeller Republican" as recently as 1995.
See also
- NixonianNixonianThe term Nixonian, or "Nixonite" is a term used to signify extreme secretiveness or corruption. It can also refer to liberal Republicans.The term is used to refer to a regime of dirty election tricks or abuses of power for political gain.-Other usage:...
- Ripon SocietyRipon SocietyThe Ripon Society is an American centrist Republican think tank based in Washington, D.C. They produce The Ripon Forum, the Nation's longest running Republican thought and opinion journal....
- Gypsy moth RepublicanGypsy moth RepublicanA Gypsy moth Republican, informally, is a politically pejorative term used by conservative Republicans to describe a moderate Republican serving in the U.S. House of Representatives who happens to represent a northeastern or midwestern urban area of the U.S....
- Factions in the Republican Party (United States)Factions in the Republican Party (United States)The Republican Party of the United States in the 21st century is composed of various groups or factions. Although their interests at times conflict, they share enough in common to remain in the same party....
- Republican In Name OnlyRepublican In Name OnlyRepublican In Name Only is a pejorative term that refers to a member of the Republican Party of the United States whose political views or actions are considered insufficiently conservative or otherwise not conforming to party positions...
- South Park Republican
- Red ToryRed ToryA red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
, in Canada - WetsWetsDuring the 1980s, members of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom who opposed some of the more hard-line policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were often referred to as "wets"...
, in the United Kingdom - Conservative Democrats, antonym
Further reading
- Burns, James MacGregor. The Deadlock of Democracy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: 1967.
- Conrad Joyner. The Republican Dilemma: Conservatism or Progressivism (1963)
- Kristol, Irving. "American Conservatism 1945-1995." Public Interest 94 ( Fall 1995): 80-91.
- David W. Reinhard. The Republican Right since 1945 (1983)
- Rae, Nicol. Decline and Fall of the Liberal Republicans: 1952 to The Present. 1989.
- Reichley, A. James. Conservatives in an Age of Change: The Nixon and Ford Administrations. 1981.
- Reiter, Howard. "Intra-Party Cleavages in the United States Today." Western Political Quarterly 34 (1981): 287-300.
- Sherman, Janann. No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith (2000)
External links
- Republican Main Street Partnership - Republican group interested in building a pragmatic center in the GOP.
- Progressive Republicans