@ehBeth,
Quote:
what would actual liberal-minded voters do if the choices were a liberal Republican or a right-of-centre Democrat?
I, too, did not see your question. I am the one who mentioned Jon Huntsman of Utah. He served in the Obama first term as US Ambassador to China. He dropped out before his term was over in order to run for president of the US against President Obama. He, I must admit, was never critical of Obama the way a couple who left had done. He was the one Republican candidate the Obama administration was somewhat jittery about, fearing he had the most chance of defeating the incumbent. I, too, feared the man; I did not want anyone to take Obama down. The right-wing Republicans never considered him, and he consistently polled low, but was by far the most articulate and intelligent; the GOP viewed him as a RINO and having been too close to the Obama administration. At any rate the current makeup of the Republican Party leans too far right and today would never consider anyone remotely as liberal as Jon Huntsman.
As to your question would a Democrat side with a Liberal Republican over a right-of-center Democrat, the answer is I just don't know. It would depend on the personality of the progressive Republican and the issues. I, personally could not say unless faced with said situation. I must add my bias against Republicans' extremism regarding social issues, military and foreign affairs tend to color my perception of them, often leaving me feeling miserably unhappy. The Liberal Republican would have to be truly someone set apart before I would even begin to consider voting for him/her.
