Noemie Emery: Why can’t conservative candidates win Republican presidential primaries?

Hot Air ^ | March 21, 2013 | Allahpundit

[2ndDivisionVet]

An unsparing piece keying off the same Rick Perry soundbite at CPAC that inspired this post. Perry said that it’s unfair to blame conservatism for the GOP’s losses in 2008 and 2012 because, after all, our nominees weren’t conservative. Emery’s response: Then why did Republican primary voters vote for them instead of for a solid conservative like, say, Rick Perry?

Her answer? Between Reagan’s generation and the current crop of Rubio, Scott Walker, etc, there simply haven’t been many good conservative candidates.

Instead, against establishment types who were national figures, the conservative movement flung preachers and pundits (Pat Robertson, Alan Keyes and Pat Buchanan), has-beens and losers (New Gingrich and Rick Santorum), and others still worse (Herman Cain, for example), who on second thought lost even conservative primary voters.

To deny all this reality, some movement types invented a conspiracy theory. The Establishment met at the Country Club on alternate Tuesdays to undermine all the upcoming Reagans (who sadly enough never existed). This is untrue, and it keeps these movement types from facing the real problem — the failure of the conservative movement to find and develop successors to Reagan over the space of the past 20 years…...

[robowombat]

That reads like a major plot line in a dystopian novel about a future ‘North American Union’ complete with gradated levels of citizenship and a de facto class of ‘unassimilateds’ from the Third World who have virtually no rights and are imported for varying terms of labor servitude.

[little jeremiah]

One thing that people have been indoctrinated into is that we are now at the peak of all that is worthy regarding civilization. That ipods and ipads and new tech stuff and instant this and that zooming around faster and faster and faster somehow increases happiness and means humanity is making "progress". Now peoples' lives are so divorced from the simple facts of life, what what earthly life really depends on, that the shock is going to be massive.

I am thankful that I have never really lived like most people in many ways and am so used to what many people would call "hardship" that to me it's nothing more thnt very good fortune.

I went to another town meeting type of thing attended by my County Sheriff and he again mentioned what would people do if the fedgov collapsed. He's warning people, he knows what's ahead.

All people need to do, really, is know a smattering of history. Civilizations begin, develop, , rise, get bloated and corrupted, and fall.* It's not rocket science. And when God is kicked out - then watch out! The fall will be great.

But I don't see it as a tragedy, I see it as a cure.

*I also don't adhere to the belief that civilized humans only started being civilized a few thousand years ago, either, but that's another topic.

[GeronL]

because conservatives have to fight 2 parties and the media to even be heard

[wardaddy]

Nice post X

[LifeComesFirst]

Reagan was an aberration because he was a celebrity.

This country likes its big government and most voters are ignorant.

[nascarnation]

Reagan was an aberration because he was a celebrity.

The MSM had a nearly impossible task of trashing the Gipper and he was perceived as a good man by a lot of people who would otherwise vote Democrat.

[little jeremiah]

because conservatives have to fight 2 parties and the media to even be heard

Yup.

[Tublecane]

“That is because the GOP establishment is all about its members holding on to their power and perks”

But aren’t there more perks and power for the winning side? Then not only do you have campaign contributions, but you can funnel Washington pork into your pocket. Plus there’re endless staffs to ne filled, cabinet posts, ambassadorships, etc.

[robowombat]

The difference between the GOP and the Donkey Party is that the GOP establishment literally believes in nothing other than some generalities about taxes and economics. It has no core values. All the blah blah about freedom and liberty is just hollow rhetoric from hollow suits like Mitch McConnell. Many Donkeys are the same (think Harry Reid) way but much of the core of the party does believe fiercely in gaining and keeping power both for its own sake and because they do believe in all the evil things they push under the cover of their endless lying egalitarian verbalsmog. Abortion on demand, gay rights, civilian disarmament disguised as ‘gun control’ , life style regulation , punishing white middle class America and supporting ‘protected class’ status for every divisive group designation possible are all deeply held beliefs or desires of much of the party core. These people genuinely hate the traditional political and social culture of America and have a deep seated and intense dislike and distrust of average mainstream Americans. They want power to change our country and culture and will do whatever it takes to get it and advance their agenda. That is the difference in the parties. One believes in nothing and is really irritated that its voter base won't just act like good sheep and do as they are told and the other believes fiercely in evil and are determined to conquer the nation.