Joe Scarborough’s Politico column “GOP gets dose of ‘Wisconsin nice’” will never be read by the average southern conservatives. But, the more positive vibe coming from RNC chairman Reince Preibus, Rep. Paul Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker could be the blueprint for making their policies palatable to moderates and centrists. Yes, Governor Walker is in the middle of a rough budget/union situation but compared to some, these guys are cool people.
President Obama often looks to House Budget Committee chairman Ryan as a conservative with whom the White House can negotiate. For some strange reason, some conservatives were surprised to learn that President Obama doesn’t hate Republicans. Hate takes up so much energy and while the good battles those they see as wrong, we should all remember “…for they know not what they do.”
I stay in trouble with other moderates for watching the GOP presidential field out of the corner of my eye. This mess keeps me up at night because I can’t bring myself to want the GOP nominee to be a candidate who is an easier opponent for the president. What if said candidate actually wins the White House? I might be wrong but I say stack the deck with candidates I can see as president from both parties. That would be nice but nice is a four letter words to those on both political extremes.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50350.html Good Article
Project Logic Ga 
Morton Kondracke from Roll Call wrote a good one on moderates that appeared in the Albany Herald today.
http://www.albanyherald.com/opinion/headlines/Morton_Kondracke_117124823.html
First, Michele Bachman is from Minnesota, not Wisconsin.
Second, I am not sure any conservative, southern or otherwise, should put much stock in anything Joe Scarborough writes or says. I would place him in the company of David Brooks, David Frum, and Kathleen Parker (formerly of Parker/Spitzer) as supposed conservatives who make their bones criticizing other conservatives (often with more venom than they would consider directing at liberals).
As for Obama’s willingness to negotiate with conservatives, I have seen nothing other than the standard style over substance concessions if even that and more the same tax and spend policies with the only difference being spending as morphed into investments.
As I watch Pres. Obama’s allies parade around Madison with Walker=Hitler signs and images of Walker in crosshairs, I also wonder what happened to the civility and change in tone we were implored to make. Obama speaks out about demonizing public workers (whose unions engage in legalized bribery with their political brothers in arm, the Democratic Party) but offers no condemnation of the villification of Gov. Walker. He is all talk and an utter hypocrite…and it is a shame our lapdog press refuse to call him on it and actively obfuscate on his behalf.
papadoc: thanks for the info and comments….as I have said in the past, I am just trying to better understand all sides.