In the United States, the term Rockefeller Republican refers to a faction of Republicans who hold liberal views similar to those of the late Nelson Rockefeller (1908-1979), governor of New York from 1959 to 1974 and Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977. The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was an American Vice President, governor of New York State, philanthropist and businessman. ... This is a list of the Governors of New York. ... The Vice President of the United States (sometimes referred to as VPOTUS)[1] is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President. ... For other persons named Gerald Ford, see Gerald Ford (disambiguation). ...

Tom 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 Taft 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. Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was the Governor of New York (1943-1955) and the Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency in two elections (1944 and 1948), losing both times. ... Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft (September 8, 1889 - July 31, 1953), of the Taft political family of Ohio, was a United States Senator and sought to be the Presidential candidate of the Republican Party in 1940 and 1952. ... Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ...

After Eisenhower, Rockefeller emerged as the leader of the more liberal 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. Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–87) and the Republican Partys nominee for president in the 1964 election. ...

Senator Prescott S. Bush (1895-1972) of Connecticut (father and grandfather of then future presidents) was a moderate Republican who largely agreed with Rockefeller's policies, though the two were estranged. Other leaders include Pennsylvania governor Raymond P. Shafer. Prescott Sheldon Bush (May 15, 1895, Columbus, Ohio - October 8, 1972, New York City) was a U.S. Senator from Connecticut and a Wall Street executive banker with Brown Brothers Harriman. ... Raymond Philip Shafer (b. ...

After Rockefeller left the national stage in 1976, this faction of the party was more often called "moderate Republicans," in contrast to the conservatives who rallied to Ronald Reagan. “Reagan” redirects here. ...

Historically Rockefeller Republicans were moderate or liberal on domestic and social policies. They typically favored New Deal programs, welfare, and civil rights—usually promising to run them more efficiently than the Democrats. They were strong supporters of big business. In fiscal policy they favored balanced budgets and relatively high tax levels to keep the budget balanced. They sought long-term economic growth through entrepreneurship, not tax cuts. 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. The New Deal was the title President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to the series of programs he initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of providing relief, recovery, and reform (3 Rs) to the people and economy of the United States during the Great Depression. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic...

In foreign policy, Rockefeller Republicans were internationalists and anti-Communists. They felt the best way to counter Communism was sponsoring economic growth (through foreign aid), maintaining a strong military, and keeping close ties to NATO. 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. Ronald Reagan continued in the same theme, but George H. W. Bush, his principal 1980 opponent in the Republican primaries and later his Vice President, was more closely associated with the moderate conservatives. This article is about the military alliance. ... Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–87) and the Republican Partys nominee for president in the 1964 election. ... “Reagan” redirects here. ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... A primary election is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election (nominating primary). ...

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 both cultural and international respects, but generally "pro-business" in terms of economic policy. The departure of U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords from the Republican party in 2001 dramatized the still-existing tension between the "Rockefeller wing" of the party and what is today its generally more influential socially-conservative wing. The 2006 elections saw the defeat of many moderate Republicans such as Lincoln Chafee, Rob Simmons of Connecticut, Charlie Bass of New Hampshire and Jim Leach of Iowa saw the prominence of Rockefeller Republicans dwindle even further. Some political commentators have argued that today's Democratic Party, with its combination of social liberalism and (particularly in the post-Clinton era) more business-friendly economic policies, is more heir to the Rockefeller Republican tradition than the Republican Party itself is. Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... Olympia Jean Bouchles Snowe (born February 21, 1947 in Augusta, Maine) is a Republican politician and the senior United States Senator from Maine. ... Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7, 1952, in Caribou, Maine) is an American politician, the junior U.S. Senator from Maine and a Republican. // Collins is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of St. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... Lincoln Davenport Chafee (IPA pronunciation: , [CHAY-fee]) (born March 26, 1953) is a former United States Senator from Rhode Island. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... For other persons named Jim Jeffords, see Jim Jeffords (disambiguation). ... Lincoln Davenport Chafee (IPA pronunciation: , [CHAY-fee]) (born March 26, 1953) is a former United States Senator from Rhode Island. ... Rep. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... Charles Foster Bass (born January 8, 1952) is a member of the United States House of Representatives for the second district of New Hampshire. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,350 sq mi (24,217 km²)  - Width 68 miles (110 km)  - Length 190 miles (305 km)  - % water 4. ... James Albert Smith (Jim) Leach (born October 15, 1942), American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

Ethnic changes in the Northeast may have led to the eclipse of the Rockefeller Republican. Many Republicans associated with this title were WASPs. As time went on, the local Republican parties tended to nominate Catholic nominees appealing more to middle class concerns, such as George Pataki, Al D'Amato, and Tom Ridge. WASP is a term which originated in the United States. ... George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who was the 57th Governor of New York serving from January 1995 until January 1, 2007. ... Alfonse Marcello DAmato (born August 1, 1937) is a former New York politician. ... Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 27, 1945 near Pittsburgh, USA) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives (1983–1995), Governor of Pennsylvania (1995–2001), Assistant to the President for Homeland Security (2001–2003), and the first United States Secretary of Homeland...

The term "Rockefeller Republican" is now somewhat archaic, and Republicans with these views are now simply referred to as "moderate Republicans" or, more pejoratively, as "RINOS (Republicans in Name Only)". Many analysts have said that the "Rockefeller Republican" became extinct on Election Day in 2006 when the last "Rockefeller Republican" (Lincoln Chafee) lost his seat in the Senate. Today most people who would be considered "Rockefeller Republicans" have left the Republican Party and joined the Democratic Party. 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 insufficiently conservative or otherwise outside the party mainstream. ...

References

• 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 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)

See also

• Factions in the Republican Party (United States)
• Republican In Name Only
• South Park Republican
• Libertarian
• Red Tory, in Canada
• Wets, in the United Kingdom

This article or section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. ... 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. ... South Park Republican is a term that was circulated in a few articles and weblogs on the Internet circa 2001 and 2002, to describe what was claimed by the authors as a new wave of young adults and teenagers who hold conservative and libertarian political beliefs. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... The Red Tory Tradition: Ancient Roots-New Routes, by Ron Dart Red Tory is a term given to a political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada. ... The Wets was Margaret Thatchers disparaging term for moderate members of the British Conservative Party. ...

External links

• Republican Main Street Partnership - Republican group interested in building a pragmatic center in the GOP.
• A Liberal in Conservative Clothing