Ousted GOP Congressman Bob Inglis: I Refused To Call Obama 'A Socialist' And I Lost

Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) says he knows firsthand the risky business of refusing to call President Obama a "socialist" from his primary election defeat earlier this summer.

Inglis was quoted reflecting back on his loss by the New York Daily News on Monday.

"I figured out early in the race I was taking a risk by being unwilling to call the President a socialist," explained the outgoing congressman. "I'd get asked a question and they'd all wait to see if I'd use the word - socialist - they were throwing around. I wouldn't. Because I don't think that's what he is."

Inglis elaborated, "To call him a socialist is to demean the office and stir up a passion that we need to be calming, rather than constantly stirring up."

The criticism is only the latest in a string of recent shots fired by the South Carolina Republican at members of his party since failing in his re-election bid.

"I think that to some extent, we're getting what we deserve," he said last month of GOP efforts to appease the conservative wing of the party. "We have basically decided to stir up a base and that's a bad decision for the country. Because the country needs people here serving in Washington to say, 'listen let's lead and let's help people understand.'"

Comments

[IndependentBadger]

10:58 AM on 08/17/2010

It's kinda scary that sensible Republicans are now more likely to be eliminated by other Republicans, than by Democrats.

[Brian Ross]

05:58 PM on 08/10/2010

This is why the Republicans are doomed. The fiscal conservatives are washed away by the lunatics and the religious zealots because Fox News can't sell wonky fiscal conservatives to people who can't tell the difference between politics and WWE or the Jerry Springer show.

[JoeLeland]

01:54 PM on 08/10/2010

Obama is not a socialist he is a corporate socialist.

[Lorianne]

02:13 PM on 08/10/2010

Exactly. A.K.A. Fascism
And there are a lot of Republicans in Congress who are just like him (including Inglis).

They will be voted out of office real soon.
The fascist oligarchy must be gotten rid of

[JoeLeland]

05:02 PM on 08/10/2010

Lorianne I have decided describe them as Klepto-Plucratic Corpratists. Fascism is to frightening a term for la la land.

[max08]

11:47 AM on 08/10/2010

Honorable man.

[Meglette]

11:45 AM on 08/10/2010

Wow. A Republican that isn't batsh!t insane. It's like spotting a unicorn.

[honeyberry2000]

11:35 AM on 08/10/2010

Polarizing politics only result in nowhere to meet in the middle. Refusal to use the buzzword of the day in describing any politician from either party is admirable, and should be praised for rising above school-yard name calling that has been rampant for over a decade. The day of respectful disagreement seem to be over as people yell over each other to be heard. Let’s stop with all the 1950’s-60’s political taunts reminiscent of McCarthyism and move forward.

[Gray Mouser]

11:34 AM on 08/10/2010

A sane Republican. Nice to see.

[cocl]

11:31 AM on 08/10/2010

How wonderfully Christian these Republicans are! Thou must bear false witness — otherwise we won't vote for you!

[Watermelonman]

10:45 AM on 08/10/2010

I am going to vote for Crist ... not because I like or trust him but because he is not Rubio. There is no doubt in my mind that he will caucus with the Dems. He will have to choose and he will remember that he was elected a senator with Dem votes.

Meek is weak.

[Watermelonman]

10:27 AM on 08/10/2010

This guy is whining only because he lost and now he has to go find a real job. I will never feel any empathy for any Repube who fails to get elected or re-elected. These clowns enjoy their government jobs and top-notch benefits ... while spouting too much anti-government rhetoric. I am glad to see the Righties "cleansing" the Republican party.

[outlandish]

10:23 AM on 08/10/2010

5 months of the year, gorging on carrion, berries and 1 month stamding ina streamcatching salmon.
Followed by a brief violent, mating period and 6 months hibernation.
Typical bagger lifestyle.

[outlandish]

10:25 AM on 08/10/2010

posted on wrong thread.

[Watermelonman]

10:47 AM on 08/10/2010

Maybe ... but you were describing Rubio's supporters there.

[EggZacktly]

10:04 AM on 08/10/2010

I want the old progressive Republican party back. Men like Teddy Roosevelt or Ike who knew we should work together for the things we have in common instead of tearing this country apart by distorting our differences. Those progressive conservatives still exist but they are no longer welcome in the Republican party. The GOP has gone all Birch/McCarthy.

[XtfrM]

10:59 AM on 08/10/2010

Full disclosure: I'm a liberal and vote the Democratic party. There.
Just want to say, I know a number of young, thirty-somethings that identify themselves as "moderate Republicans," and they say none of the GOP voices they see on T.V. and in the papers - the Boehners, the McConnells, et al. - represent them. They, in fact, find their hard-right platforms appalling. I don't think I've ever met a "progressive Republican," but I'm sure I could have a reasonable conversation with one.

[Gray Mouser]

11:39 AM on 08/10/2010

If I had to characterize myself, it would be moderate Republican. Having said that, I voted for Obama and am voting against ALL Republicans for the foreseeable future as their current party, principals, and professed ideals no longer represent me. I suspect they never did, but I bought their rhetoric and lies.

I can assure anyone on this post that I will be voting AGAINST Republicans as much as voting FOR anyone else. With the exception of Obama. I will vote FOR him.

[ZiloRS]

11:51 AM on 08/10/2010

I totally agree. We could at least find common ground with progressive Republicans and it wouldn't always be the left/right divide. I get so tired of that divide, but I feel like you cannot give into these people calling Obama a socialist either because they are the most dangerous of the Republican party.

I'm sure there are rational Republicans out there with good ideas, but the political climate right now is just tuned for the craziest ones to start spouting off and THOSE are the ones that get the press, then elected, unfortunately. It's so terribly sad. None of them stand for anything as far as I can tell. Just a bunch of nutters and pro-corporate America hacks. I just want some SANE opposition, even though I'm technically a liberal. I want a RATIONAL discourse between the parties back in this country. But right now, it seems to me that the left is only somewhat rational group right now, and they're far weaker than it takes to even get their ideas going.

[MountainPenelope]

10:04 AM on 08/10/2010

Don't give Inglis too much of a pass. While he did not call the president a socialist during his town hall meetings, he met the questions with a pregnant pause and a smile.

He also passed out anti-Obamacare flyers produced by the tea party wing of the party.
I picked up several when I attended one of his craftily staged events. The problem is that he just wasn't as crafty as he thought.

Inglis was a do-nothing congressman. We Dems give the tea party credit for getting him out of office. Hopefully, the more moderate GOPers will join us and elect the first Dem congressman from upper-SC since de-segregation of the schools.

[Lorianne]

01:45 PM on 08/10/2010

Inglis lost because he's a corporate socialist who voted for TARP along with the majority of Democrats ... and people are fed up with that.

Candidates from both parties should take heed.

And he didn't just lose. 42 points is a rout.

[schildpad]

10:02 AM on 08/10/2010

Inglis wasn't my cup of tea, but he wasn't a bad candidate for republican. It's too bad that the rest of his party are busy whipping up the loonies.

[zer0rez]

09:44 AM on 08/10/2010

More collateral damage to the system by the wingnuts. It's not surprising but rather unfortunate. All moderates are being expunged from the Republican party one by one until only the b@t$hit crazies remain pushing any hopes for constructive dialog into the realm of the obscure and abstract.

[MountainPenelope]

10:08 AM on 08/10/2010

Don't feel sorry for him. Inglis was anything but moderate. He just played both ends against the middle and lost. There were 5 or 6 candidates in the GOPer primary here. He just couldn't make up his mind to come out loudly with the tea-baggers and lost.

The mainline GOPer who beat him is actually more moderate than Inglis.

Politics is fun.

[Lorianne]

01:47 PM on 08/10/2010

Voting for TARP is not moderate.