Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel invoked the name of the late Rhode Island Sen. John H. Chafee on Thursday to critique today's Republican Party for what, in his opinion, it lacks.

After big losses in the federal elections of 2006 and 2008, Republicans remained defenders of the status quo, rather than adjusting to the public desire for bipartisan progress on solving the nation's problems, Emanuel said at a breakfast meeting with reporters.

Along the way, the GOP went from being a national party to being a regional party with its base in the South, he said.

``In the end they're a party that doesn't have Senator Chafees,'' Emanuel said, referring to the liberal Republican, who often voted with the Democrats and prided himself on legislating from the political center.

 Tags  Sen. John chafee White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

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