The Fix – Haley Barbour, radical pragmatist?

Haley Barbour, radical pragmatist?

Haley Barbour and “radical” don’t usually go in the same sentence. After all, Barbour is the former governor of Mississippi and former chairman of the Republican National Committee. If you look up “Republican establishment” in the dictionary, you see a picture of Barbour.

And yet, Barbour has emerged over the last year as a leading voice of moderation within the party on issues ranging from defense to immigration to the debt ceiling — within the party.
“I don’t think that is un­or­tho­dox thinking for a Republican,” Barbour told The Fix in an interview. “I think it’s very consistent from at least [Ronald] Reagan forward.”

Washington Post
6/19/12