Governor Nelson Rockefeller: 1968 Presidential Announcement

Source:History Comes To Life- Governor Nelson Rockefeller (Republican, New York) announcing his bid for President, in 1968.

"Nelson Rockefeller announces for the Presidency 1968"

Source:History Comes To Life

If Nelson Rockefeller was alive today and still involved in public service in some way, whether it was in public office or working for non-profits, (which he did both in his very long and distinguished career in public service) what party would he be affiliated with? I think it’s clear that maybe outside of the Northeast and of course he was from New York I believe Governor Rockefeller would’ve had a very hard time getting elected as a Republican today. Especially in a Republican Party that’s now dominated by the Christian-Right. 

This is going to sound like it just came from someone whose spent the last 10 years on the Moon doing nothing by drinking alcohol and smoking pot, but what I'm about to tell you is completely true. The Republican Party up until the 1990s or 2000s, had a very strong progressive faction in it. People who I would call Right-Progressives, people whoa are center-right, but who believe not just in progress, but that a limited government could be used to help create that progress, especially for people who need to move forward and need help moving forward. 

Along with the Classical Conservatives that Barry Goldwater and others were part of in the Republican Party, the Right-Progressives used to be other dominant faction in the Republican Party. I think you could argue that Nelson Rockefeller would still be a center-right Progressive Republican today, because he tended to agree with Conservative Republicans on foreign policy and national security, as well as criminal justice. But he was very different from them as it related to a public safety net for people who truly need it, as well as a regulatory state to protect consumers and workers from predators in the economy. So I don't think it's clear which party Nellie would fit in with today. 

You can also see this post at The New Democrat, on Blogger.