Posted on 01/18/2008 12:30:37 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
I am starting to get a little concerned about the race for the GOP nomination. Everyone likes to say that each candidate appeals to a specific wing of the party, but the real problem is the fact that almost every candidate has become utterly unacceptable to a large portion of the party.
Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are completely unacceptable to social conservatives. Rudy Giuliani is pro-choice and pro-gay marriage, but he is still one-step above Romney because he's honest about it. Giuliani sticks to his convictions, and that counts with social conservatives. Romney is the bottom of the barrel for this group. Social conservatives are an organized bunch, with church bulletins, family values mail groups and the like. They know that Mitt Romney passed taxpayer funded abortions in Massachusetts. They know that he allowed gay marriage in his state. The party's insistence that he can appeal to social conservatives is based on the belief that a candidate who pays lip service to social issues will be acceptable. But, these voters have already made up their minds about Romney, and he simply will not do.
Mike Huckabee and John McCain are completely unacceptable to fiscal conservatives. Huckabee saw a net tax increase in Arkansas, and John McCain voted against the Bush tax cuts. They both may have good reasons for doing so, at least by their account, but the fiscal conservatives are just as unforgiving as the social conservatives on their issues. Neither of these candidates will do.
On the national security front, Mike Huckabee is probably not acceptable, based on his recent comments about the Bush policy being an "arrogant bunker mentality" and his inexperience. Romney should also be unacceptable based on inexperience, but his skill with words may overcome that flaw.
In the end, social conservatives are going for Huckabee, fiscal conservatives for Romney, and national security conservatives for McCain.
Meanwhile, everyone has forgotten about Fred Thompson, and to be fair, it's probably his own fault. I don't know if his plan was to sleep through the first half of the primary season to avoid the scrutiny and attacks that the rest of the field have endured, and wake up right at the end to take the nomination, or if he just needed the rest. Either way, he's at least everyone's second choice when he's awake. Social conservatives could settle for Thompson, fiscal conservatives could settle for Thompson, and the national security types like him too. Unfortunately, being everyone's second choice doesn't get you any votes.
So, here is my proposal: let's end this bickering and focus on the fight in November. I currently support Mike Huckabee, but I'm willing to go for Thompson if we can end this infighting. I even donated to his campaign yesterday.
I can put down my Huckabee if you put down your Romney, and you put down your Giuliani. Remember, we're all on the same team.
But Fred, you better stay awake through November!
I would be a better article, if not for the Fred falling asleep nonsense. I remember the left saying that Reagan took naps during cabinet meetings. That was BS too.
Fred is exactly the candidate people have said they wanted. But when they get him, they have only the silliest reasons for not supporting him--like 20 HOURS he spent on some prochoice representation, as if Ronald Reagan's YEARS of supporting abortion rights as governor don't completely overshadow that.
He is exactly the kind of person we need, not only to run this country but to pull our party back from the increasingly hysterical elements in our midst. He has the qualities truly conservative thinkers desire in a president, plus the temperament and comportment to lead OUR COUNTRY, not just elements within our party.
I don't like to be the spectre at the banquet, but I don't see this party picking Fred because those who could be supporting him are enamored of the slick-talking Huckabee or Romney, or even McCain.
But we get the slate we get, not the one we wish we got. Fred probably did get in too late if only because his lack of flash requires people listen to him for a long time, over time, in order to see that his substance is what we need.
Huckabee's embarrassing playing up to Evangelists, nor Romney's government-mandated health care plan (which isn't so bad in itself, but surely opens the door for what we all fear--some politician is going to talk about helping those who can't afford it, which will lead to saying why shouldn't we ALL get government subsidies for this mandated program, and etc. etc.) are what we need now. But they are attractive candidates, though I can't see what any thinking person sees in Huckabee, though his appeal is obvious to those led by emotion.
If those two were not in the race, I think Giuliani and McCain would appear less attractive to centrist Republicans, who see Huckabee especially as all the cliches about lunatic Republicans and shrink back.
Anyway, thanks again for your postings.
“I would be a better article, if not for the Fred falling asleep nonsense. I remember the left saying that Reagan took naps during cabinet meetings. That was BS too.”
He was emphasizing that many people would like to vote for Fred, if he’d just give them a reason to. As is pointed out, Fred is many people’s second choice. He would be those people’s first choice if he could just prove himself. I don’t know how he’d go about proving himself at this point in the game - a great debate performance certainly helped - but his campaign HAS been asleep in the sense that it hasn’t done what it needed to do in terms of really firing voters up. I was a Tancredo supporter who liked Romney, then disliked Romney, then really disliked Romney, and now grudgingly support him at Tancredo’s recommendation. But if Fred could come out and prove to me he’s the man for the job - that he’s ready - that he would campaign far more vigorously against Hillary or Obama than he has against McCain and Huckabee - then it would be far easier to jump onto his team.
“that he would campaign far more vigorously against Hillary or Obama than he has against McCain and Huckabee - then it would be far easier to jump onto his team.”
I’m not sure what Fred has to do to campaign more vigorously. He did a campaign tour through Iowa visiting almost every county in the state leading right up to the caucauses. He then went down to South Carolina and has been concentrating on that ever since. He’s been zig-zagging around the state. I believe your problem is that you have formed your opinion on what the supposed “experts” on TV have been saying. If they say he’s lazy long enough, then people believe he’s lazy.
Remember, the media said that Reagan was lazy, fell asleep etc... The ones the media attack (or ignore) the most are the ones you need to seriously consider for President. The media all like Huckabee and McCain. What does that tell you about these two?
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