August 9, 2006 - A Republican In Name Only is a present or former GOP elected official who takes a dive on his party's nominee and supports the candidate of another party, usually a Democrat. RINOs and liberal Republicans, while not mutually exclusive, are not synonymous.

Back in 1964 when Barry Goldwater won the party's nomination, many Republican officials (almost exclusively liberals) either repudiated his candidacy or supported Lyndon Johnson. They were RINOs. Democrats behaving similarly are DINOs.

There were also liberal Republicans like Oregon Gov. Mark Hatfield who remained loyal to their party and the process they accepted when seeking office. Most of the RINOs who dumped on Barry were themselves dumped, often in primaries, over the years while Hatfield went on to five terms in the United States Senate.

Modern DINOs are exemplified by former Georgia Sen. Zell Miller and former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who supported President Bush in 2004. Modern Arizona RINOs are former state Rep. Jack Jewett and former Attorney General Grant Woods, who co-chaired Republicans for Napolitano.

Jewett and Woods also promoted a Political Action Committee to raise money for "moderate" Republicans. It bombed. Tough to organize around well, whatever.

District 26 state Rep. Pete Hershberger responded by letter to my discussion of RINO and liberal Republicans, but muddied the issue further by defining himself and others as "practical" and "sensible," innocuous descriptions often used in campaigns for junior class president. He also praised his predecessor, Jewett, making him at least RINO friendly.

I invited Hershberger to spend an hour on INSIDE TRACK radio with Tom Danehy and me as the other three GOP candidates have for further clarification, but I've yet to receive a response to two requests.

I wanted to ask him if he'd ever dumped on a fellow Republican candidate, clarifying the RINO issue. I also thought I'd follow up on his claims to have mostly supported the NRA's positions by asking why they'd given him an "F" rating over the last several years. I wanted to know about the bills sponsored by other Republicans he supported as evidence of party loyalty. Specifying which bills and which Republicans would've helped. I've written that Pete is a liberal Republican. He's never denied it.

State Sen. Toni Hellon (District 26) is also considered to the left of most GOP legislators. Toni isn't shy about doing radio with a conservative host and a Democrat right-to-lifer who doesn't share her views on abortion. But Toni is a party workhorse who for years helped elect a host of folks all more conservative than herself. While a moderate to liberal Republican, she ain't no RINO. Neither was Pete's mother.

Much of the problem comes from those who believe that Republican and conservative are synonymous. They aren't, although they got a lot more that way courtesy of some guys named Reagan and Gingrich. Same for Democrats and liberal.

Both parties have become more ideological. Political parties are coalitions of interest groups and cultures. Sorting them out by compatibility is a good thing. There are many strains of thought under the headings "Right" and "Left." For those pathologically concerned with low voter turnout, why would anybody bother to vote if both parties and their candidates have similar philosophies?

District 26 Republicans have clear philosophical choices in both House and Senate races. Hellon is opposed by hardcore conservative Al Melvin. Hershberger has one hardliner in David Jorgenson and two moderate conservatives with former State Rep. Carol Somers and Lisa Lovallo.

Primary voters tend to care more about philosophy, sometimes to the point of intolerance (see LIEBERMAN, JOE). But even they take other matters into account such as diligence, effectiveness, personality and party loyalty.

Those who run for partisan public office owe the party they chose for the use of their brand name.

Maybe Pete can write another letter. His turn to clarify. And radio time is still available.

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EMIL FRANZI

EMAIL FRANZI

BUT WATCH WHAT YOU SAY!

About Emil Franzi

Emil Franzi is the owner and host of "Inside Track" on KVOI - 690AM and KAPR - 930AM in Douglas. The program airs on Saturdays from 12 pm till 5 pm.

Franzi currently writes a weekly column for the EXPLORER (formerly the NORTHWEST EXPLORER). He filled the TUCSON WEEKLY with close to a million relevant words from 1993 to 2004 and was an OpEd regular with the Az Daily Star from 1994 to 1998. His writing has also appeared in PHOENIX Magazine, ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, and the late CITY MAGAZINE in Tucson.

But then, Franzi is an iconoclast.

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