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Chastened GOP Drops Red Meat

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January 18, 2007 5:28 PM

ABC News' Tahman Bradley Reports: In his parting words at a gathering of Republican activists and party leaders, outgoing Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman did not offer the usual GOP red meat, instead he chose to rein in the partisan rhetoric and call for a bipartisan approach to his party's way forward.

Reflecting on Republican's loss of their House, Senate and gubernatorial majorities in the 2006 election, Melhman said "for Republicans, this must be a time for self-examination…we can do better and we must be better."

Mehlman's words were in stark contrast to Karl Rove's rhetoric at last year's RNC winter meeting where he hammered away at what he branded "the Democrat party," saying that Democrats were "deeply, profoundly, and consistently wrong."

This year, instead, Mehlman and House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio called for the GOP to recommit itself to the cause of reform and bipartisanship. "I will always remember and we must all remember that Democrats are our political rivals, not our enemies, and they deserve our respect," Mehlman said.

Mehlman, who made minority outreach a personal focus of his tenure, said "we should all be able to pledge today that we are not going back." A symbolic demonstration of that effort can be found in Mehlman's successor. The RNC plans to choose Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., a Cuban American, as its next general chairman.

ABC News’ Paul Fidalgo contributed to this report.

January 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (3)

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Where have I heard that one before.

Posted by: aajaa | Apr 15, 2007 2:00:51 PM

fools. they are the Dems Enemies. As is our Constitution & traditional American values.

Posted by: Daveyboy | Sep 11, 2007 12:01:22 PM

Republicans who desire to recapture elective office ground lost to the Left in the last election will only do so by correcting behaviors(both legislative votes and speeches) that reflect lack of commitment to conservative principles which were the basis of the majority they were handed by voters in 2004. Lack of adherence to fiscal resposibility and the failure of the elected majority to defend the Sovereignty of our nation and specifically the failure to pinpoint and address the lies of both the drive-by-media and the moveon.org Democratic pundits in a point by point manner has placed the conservative majority and indeed the future of our children and our nation in a very precarious position with regard to our very freedomas individual Americans.The invasion which we are currently undergoing by illegals crossing our borders from Mexico coupled with the refusal of a majority of our elected leaders and proposed social welfare expansion spell an incredible threat to the freedom we now enjoy as Americans.
The time is now to support and elect those who ACT based on the conservative principle they espouse and electorally oust those who don't.

Posted by: Paul L. Adams | Oct 22, 2007 10:40:54 AM

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