Excerpt:
According to The New York Times, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has developed an ingenious method of determining the “purity’ of GOP politicians. Invoking the wisdom of Ronald Reagan whom, according to the resolution, once said “that someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was his friend, not his opponent,” the RNC is circulating a memo that provides a ten-point litmus test that can be applied to candidates in order to determine their eligibility for RNC support.
Any Republican candidate who breaks with the party on three or more of these issues in votes cast, public statements made or answering a questionnaire would be penalized by being denied party funds or the party endorsement.
It is ironic to note some who would have failed the test. George W. Bush would have failed and been deemed ineligible for support from the Republican National Committee. He increased the size of government, ran enormous deficits, endorsed cap and trade, allowed North Korea and Iran to become more serious security threats, rejected the right’s line on immigration and had guns seized in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.
The most notable Republican that would fail, ironically, is Ronald Reagan. Reagan presided over the biggest increase in government spending and the deficit before Bush, he increased the size of government, he increased taxes, he supported amnesty for illegal immigrants, he withdrew troops from Beirut, he sold weapons to Iran, he opposed California’s anti-gay marriage proposition six, and he signed the Brady bill which placed restrictions on gun ownership.
As Keith Olbermann said on Countdown yesterday, “Welcome back to the Democratic party, sir.”
Read more here: http://www.examiner.com/x-23316-Madison-Independent-Examiner~y2009m11d24-The-new-GOP-purity-test-Whod-fail