Republican In Name Only
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Republican In Name Only, or RINO, is a disparaging term for a member of the Republican Party of the United States whose political views or actions are perceived as not conservative and outside the conservative mainstream.
[edit] General criteria
The term implies that, despite party affiliation, RINO politicians are not "authentic" Republicans. The label is usually acquired because of a politician's political actions, such as implemented policies, position on certain issues or voting records, are considered to be at variance with core conservative belief. Accordingly, the term does not imply that the Republicans in question are Democrats, Libertarians or independents—they are still recognized GOP members, unlike Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who was called a RINO until he left the party in 2001. The term is often used to describe politicians at the congressional level, but can be applied to members of any governmental branch or electoral constituency. Some GOP members who use the term to criticize other party members claim loyalty to the principles of conservatism before the party. Sometimes these conservatives threaten to bolt the party or boycott an election if a supposed RINO is nominated, thus punishing the party by defeat.
[edit] RINO and GOP policy
With regard to electoral strategy, the Republican National Committee will usually lend support to an incumbent member in a primary election, even if their beliefs are outside the Republican mainstream or if they are criticized by some members of the party as being a "RINO". The rationale is that the incumbent is more valuable to the party than the challenger because he or she already represents a core GOP constituency and may have achieved seniority in office. Conservative activists outside the RNC contend that it is better for the party to lose the seat—and even risk political clout or a legislative majority—rather than retain elected officials who are seen as too liberal.
[edit] Regional differences and political history
All political commentators have noted that the different states have different political centers of gravity. Thus a Republican who is considered mainstream in California or New York might be called a RINO in South Carolina or Wyoming.
RINO is a neologism believed to have been coined in 1992 by John DiStaso, senior political correspondent for the Manchester, New Hampshire daily newspaper, the Union Leader.<ref>RINO on WordSpy.com. Accessed 27 October 2006.</ref> The word and came into widespread usage around 2000, particulary during the election campaigns of that year. While the term is new, the concept of being a member of a party, but not representing its mainstream is not uncommon in American political history. In 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt, then-President William Howard Taft and Senator Robert LaFollette fought for ideological control of the Republican Party and each denounced the other two as "not really Republican." The Taft faction went on to control the national ticket until 1936. From 1936 to 1964 the liberal side of the Republican party frequently won the national nomination with candidates such as Alf Landon, Wendell Willkie, Tom Dewey, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Richard Nixon. In the 1950s conservatives like Barry Goldwater were considered outside of the mainstream of the then-centrist GOP; they seriously considered leaving the GOP and forming a new conservative party in cooperation with conservative Democrats.<ref>Rick Perlstein, Before the Storm (2001) p 13</ref> After 1980 there were few if any liberals in prominent positions in the GOP, but there were numerous moderates, such as George H. W. Bush.
The term RINO typically comes into play during primary season as candidates vie for the party nominations. Because primaries are usually decided by more active party members, a challenger may employ the tactic of accusing his opponent of being a RINO while positioning himself or herself as a "true" Republican. There have been instances of party discipline being applied in favor of moderate Republicans, especially if the party leadership believes the latter candidate has a better chance of winning the general election (see RINO and GOP policy above).[citation needed]
Putative RINOs sometimes proudly claim to be so, countering critics by saying that they are "Raging RINOs" - Republicans / Independents Not Overdosed (on the Party Kool Aid).<ref>Raging RINOs, The Politburo Diktat (blog), June 17, 2005. Accessed 27 October 2006.</ref> "Kool Aid" in the name is a reference to the mass suicide by members of the Jonestown cult.
[edit] "Accused" RINOs and RINO hunters
An example of someone accused of being a RINO is Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City who switched parties from being a Democratic shortly before he ran for mayor because he correctly assumed that a Republican would be elected following the highly successful Republican mayor Rudy Giuliani. Bloomberg is a highly successful businessman (estimated to be worth $5 billion) with strong support from Wall Street. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, the most liberal Republican in the Senate as of 2006, the year he lost to a Democrat, had voted against the Congressional authorization for the Iraq War, against tax cuts, and even publicly announced that he would not vote for George W. Bush in 2004, instead writing in a vote for his father, George H.W. Bush. However, the RNC strongly supported his renomination battle and reelection in 2006.<ref>Dave Nalle, GOP Leadership Backs Chafee for Victory in Rhode Island Primary, BlogCritics.org (blog), September 14, 2006. Accessed 27 October 2006.</ref><ref>John Fleischman, Senator Dole: I will NOT send the NRSC a dime, FlashReport, September 19, 2006. Accessed 27 October 2006.</ref>
Those Republicans who are labeled RINOs counter that the conservatives who call them RINOs are too far right and too politically naive. They point out that they can and do win in moderate and liberal areas and without their votes the Republicans would lose control of Congress. Furthermore the moderates in the Northeast and upper Midwest point out that "Yankees" founded the GOP in the first place, while most of the critics (especially in the South) are recent converts to the party.
Moderates say the “RINO” term is only a rhetorical device used to exaggerate the importance of several key issues for many conservatives, most notably abortion and taxes.
Some conservative organizations use the term RINO to help describe some of their activities. For instance, California's National Federation of Republican Assemblies started the "RINO Hunters' Club" and the Club for Growth (which demands more tax cuts) started the "RINO Watch." Both groups say they are committed to party unity.
[edit] Democratic "DINOs"
The acronym has led to the analogous DINO, a Democrat In Name Only, referring to those Democratic office holders who are too conservative (when compared to the majority of Democratic office holders). The term Fox News liberal has also been used in this context. The two acronyms are, at the same time, puns on rhinoceros and dinosaur.
Both terms are used by more ideological members of either party to challenge fellow party members for their positions. In some cases, the platforms of the members in question are not even necessarily close to the opponents'— they just do not necessarily follow the party line in every case.
Senator Joe Lieberman, who was denounced by Democrats for his support of Bush's Iraq policy, is one example. On most domestic issues, however, Lieberman is seen as in the liberal mainstream of the Democratic Party. Lieberman, who was defeated for renomination in the Connecticut Democratic primary in August 2006, but won his seat as an independent, said, "I'm worried that my party may become what we've accused the Republicans of, a kind of litmus-test party. If you don't agree with us 100 percent of the time, you don't agree with us."<ref>Associated Press report, Lieberman calls on Rumsfeld to resign, MSNBC, August 20, 2006. Accessed 27 October 2006.</ref>
[edit] RINO-ism in recent primary elections
Two Republican senators who have been labeled RINOs by conservatives such as the group Club for Growth and Human Events magazine <ref>Top 10 RINOs (Republicans in Name Only), Human Events, December 27, 2005. Accessed online 27 October 2006.</ref> are Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.
In 2004, Specter drew a conservative primary election challenger in Rep. Pat Toomey. Toomey had significant financial support from the Club for Growth while the Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania provided volunteers. While the Club for Growth opposed Specter's role in increased federal spending, many conservatives focused on Specter's pro-choice views on abortion. Specter was supported by the GOP establishment including President George W. Bush and Senator Rick Santorum. This support helped Specter survive the challenge by a narrow 17,000 votes.
In 2006, Chafee received over $1 million from national Republican party officials, especially the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Chafee defeated a primary challenge by Steve Laffey the mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island. Laffey was chosen by the Club for Growth to teach a lesson to Republicans who strayed from the Club's ideology. The Club ignored repeated warnings that defeat of Chafee would risk turning the Senate over to the Democrats. When Chafee was one of six Republican incumbents to fail to be reelected in 2006, (he lost to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse), the party indeed lost its Senate majority.
[edit] Comparisons of liberal vs. moderate Republicans
John Nichols, a correspondent for The Nation (a left-leaning political magazine) argued in a 2004 article <ref>John Nichols, Republican Cannibals: Hunting for RINOs, The Nation, 27 August 2004. Accessed 27 October 2006 on the Agence Global site.</ref>that "Using the measures that progressives might reasonably apply to define a liberal... it is possible to point to just one [current Republican] senator, Rhode Island's Lincoln Chafee, and two members of the House, New York's Amo Houghton and Iowa's Jim Leach... A somewhat larger circle clings to the moderate GOP mantras of a Gerald Ford or a Richard Lugar, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but they are fading fast as a force in Congress."
It should be noted that the three Republican congressmen whom Nichols considered liberal-Chafee, Houghton, and Leach-are out of office. Chafee and Leach lost their seats in the 2006 election, whereas Houghton's seat expired.
While Delaware representative Mike Castle claims that there are 40-45 moderate Republicans in the House, Nichols remarks, "That's actually a bit of a stretch — either of the numbers or of the definition of a 'moderate'."
[edit] Anti-RINO political groups
Some of these groups have accused Republican politicians of being RINOs:
- CFG — Club for Growth - Advocates fiscal restraint, tax cuts and limited regulation of commerce. <ref>Club for Growth home page; page cited for identification only, no directly relevant content.</ref>
- CWA — Concerned Women for America - Advocates opposition to gay marriage, anti-abortion legislation and restrictions on pornography.<ref>CWA Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC); page cited for identification only, no directly relevant content.</ref>
- CWF — Campaign for Working Families - advocates increased border security, repeal of gun control laws, abortion restrictions and support of a flag-burning amendment.<ref>CWF Issues and Legislation; page cited for identification only, no directly relevant content.</ref>
- NFRA — National Federation of Republican Assemblies - advocates increased border security, repeal of gun control laws, abortion restrictions and support of an anti-flag-burning amendment. <ref>NFRA Statement of Principles; page cited for identification only, no directly relevant content.</ref>
[edit] Political groups considered to be RINO
While the term RINO is largely subjective, these groups are often criticized for being RINO:
- The Republican Main Street Partnership
- Republicans For Choice
- The Log Cabin Republicans
- The Wish List
- The Republican Majority For Choice
- Republicans For Environmental Protection
- IMP-PAC (Its My Party Too)
[edit] Individuals claimed to be "RINOs"
Note: The publications and organizations listed below are neither part of nor associated with the Republican Party, although many of them are politically conservative.
[edit] Human Events Top 10 RINOs
Human Events magazine's list of the Top 10 RINOs (published December 27, 2005). Ranked by the editors of Human Events.<ref>Top 10 RINOs (Republicans in Name Only), Human Events, December 27, 2005. Accessed online 27 October 2006.</ref>
- 1. Sen. Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island)
- 2. Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine)
- 3. Sen. Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania)
- 4. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)
- 5. Rep. Christopher Shays (Connecticut)
- 6. Gov. George Pataki (New York)
- 7. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (New York)
- 8. Gov. Mitt Romney (Massachusetts)
- 9. Rep. Michael Castle (Delaware)
- 10. Rep. Jim Leach (Iowa)
[edit] National Journal's Top 25 Liberal Republicans in the House of Representatives
National Journal magazine's list of the 25 most liberal Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005.<ref>House Liberal Scores, National Journal Special Report: 2005 Vote Rankings, February 24, 2006. Accessed online 27 October 2006.</ref> Ranked by a weighted analysis of selected roll call votes by National Journal magazine.<ref>How The Vote Ratings Are Calculated, National Journal Special Report: 2005 Vote Rankings, February 24, 2006. Accessed online 27 October 2006.</ref>
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