RINO-Mongering

http://unitedconservatives.wordpress.com

"Something that’s becoming more and more problematic, in my eyes at least, is the tendency to overuse the term RINO (Republican In Name Only). First of all let me say that I’m fundamentally against the idea of being a Republican and also governing or legislating completely contrary to the Republican ethic. However when we start throwing around the term RINO to describe every conservative-leaning moderate or establishment Republican, like any term it loses its meaning. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a RINO. Olympia Snowe is a RINO. John McCain is a RINO.

Newt Gingrich, who’s been in American government for decades and could be called an establishment Republican, is NOT a RINO. I just saw on an affiliated site someone call Karl Rove a RINO. Being an established political figure, or being pragmatic, or even being less conservative than Calvin Coolidge does not make one a fake Republican or a fake conservative. I also reject the notion that Rick Perry supporters can label Mitt Romney a RINO without doing so for Rick Perry who is not only just as willing to use government power as Romney but also corrupt and much more disingenuous than Romney. A RINO is a liberal Republican. Not a moderate, not a conservative that one disagrees with, and not someone who's been in government for some time. A RINO is a Democrat in Republican clothing."