Was Gordon Smith a Moderate "Rockefeller Republican" or more of a Moderate Conservative like in the lines of Mel Martinez or Richard Lugar?
Thats is weird that Smith is part of the Udall family and is a Republican too.
I would argue that the "Rockefeller Republicans" were some of the liberals of their day, maybe moderate liberals. In the Senate, he was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a moderate Republican caucus. Besides, he was a Republican from Oregon, so he almost had to be a moderate to get elected. BTW: His great-uncle, Henry H. Blood, a Democrat, was Governor of Utah from 1933-1941. And one of his cousins, Mike Lee, a Republican, is now representing Utah in the Senate.
Oh, and as for the initial question, the Republican Party in every state is conservative-- that's why they lose so much in more liberal states. I'm a conservative and believe that Republicans don't have to move to the left or center to stay electable. Rather, we need to educate the public about what we really believe and how it is better for people in their individual circumstances than liberalism. Maybe the polarization is why Oregon and Washington have elected all Democrat governors for so long now and voted Democrat in the past six straight presidential elections. People are more afraid of right-wing extremism than left-wing extremism because they imagine a right-wing extremist as being someone like Hitler and a left-wing extremist as someone like Stalin, despite the fact that Stalin killed at least four times as many people as Hitler. I just think we need to stop with the "RINOs vs. Real Conservatives" fighting and foucs on winning elections, because no matter what, the most liberal Republican will probably be to the right of the most conservative Democrat.
Oh ok Mike Lee is Gordon Smith cousin. Never knew that before. Never knew about Henry H. Blood either. See you learn something new every day! Maybe Smith should have ran for Governor of Oregon last time. He could have beaten Khitzhaber I think. I mean Chris Dudley didn't lose by that much to Khitzhaber. I know Khitzhaber was popular from being being Governor the last time(1995-2003.)
The RINO's are all moderates(no not me saying this, other people) from the Northeast and The West Coast although I have heard Lugar and Martinez be called RINO's before but they hardly were/are. I am a moderate myself that is from NJ.