Cheney: Mistake for GOP to 'moderate' - Cheney said the GOP needs to hold onto its principles

Cheney: Mistake for GOP to 'moderate' - Cheney said the GOP needs to hold onto its principles
By Alexander Mooney
Copyright by CNN News
Posted: 09:04 AM ET
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/


.(CNN) — Former Vice President Dick Cheney is weighing into the heated internal debate over the future of the Republican Party, declaring it would be a mistake for the GOP to "moderate."

"This is about fundamental beliefs and values and ideas … what the role of government should be in our society, and our commitment to the Constitution and constitutional principles," Cheney said in an interview with North Dakota radio host Scott Hennen Thursday, according to a transcript.

"You know, when you add all those things up, the idea that we ought to moderate basically means we ought to fundamentally change our philosophy," Cheney also said. "I for one am not prepared to do that, and I think most of us aren’t. Most Republicans have a pretty good idea of values, and aren’t eager to have someone come along and say, 'Well, the only way you can win is if you start to act more like a Democrat.'"

Cheney's comments come a week after longtime Republican Sen. Arlen Specter formally left the GOP, in part, Specter said, because the party has "moved farther and farther to the right."

Specter's defection immediately unleashed a debate among Republicans over what type of candidates the party should embrace going forward as it seeks to regain control in Washington and establish a foothold in regions of the country where the GOP once dominated.

Earlier: Specter defection highlights GOP divide in South Carolina

In the interview Thursday, Cheney also said it's time for the older leaders of the party — like him — to exit the stage.