Return of the Culture Wars: Can Mitt Romney Win Conservative Backing?

ABC News ^ | February 9, 2012 | Huma Khan

[Zakeet]

The resurgence of social and cultural issues in voters' minds poses new challenges for GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney as he reels from surprising losses Tuesday to conservative favorite Rick Santorum.

The economy remains the No. 1 issue of concern for a majority of Americans. But recent hoopla ... has created a perfect storm that has pushed these seemingly dormant issues to the surface.

[Snip]

Even the general public has increasingly leaned to the right. In a Gallup poll last month, 40 percent of Americans identified themselves as conservative, 35 percent as moderate and 21 percent as liberal. The numbers marked the third straight year that conservatives outnumbered moderates, which have declined steadily since the early 1990s.

An overwhelming number of Republicans – 51 percent – dubbed themselves as "conservatives" while 20 percent classified themselves as "very conservative," far outweighing moderates. The poll also found that independents, who make up the largest political group in the country, were mostly conservative-leaning, with 41 percent putting themselves in that category.

[Snip]

The former senator from Pennsylvania supports a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, as well as banning abortion even in the case of rape and not allowing homosexual couples to adopt children.

Romney, meanwhile, has struggled to convince the Republican base of his conservative credentials.

[Snip]

"Romney has to go back to mollifying that base, which is not something he wanted to do," political analyst Norm Ornstein said. "What it means for Romney is he's going to have to make more and more sharply conservative pledges and try to trigger even more of that conservative antipathy [against President Obama]."

But that could be a challenging task for the former governor who faces a more difficult road to the nomination than many expected. "The more he does this, he looks phony," Ornstein said.

[svcw]

If say you are a conservative and vote for Romney, sorry you are not a conservative you are however a liar.

[maineman]

No....however, we must support him vs. Obama. For those of you who say there is no difference between the two...think again. I am supporting Newt...but, I am ready to support who ever is our nominee. Simply sitting the election out will give obama 4 more.

[svcw]

Convince me that a man who says “I will compromise with democrats”, who supports abortion, who supports the homosexual agenda, who supports gun grabs, who supports man made global warming, who never governed in any fashion other than liberal, who’s core is liberal, who doesn’t value conservative ideals, .........will be different than BHO.
The only difference between Romney and BHO is one of them thinks he will be god the other thinks he already is.
So MM, why again would you support BHO’s clone?
Just wondering.

[sodpoodle]

LOL!!!

I’m working on the number of syllables in the last names.

i.e. Two seems to be more common than one and/or three or more.

1s = Bush.
2s = Reagan, Clinton, Johnson, Nixon, Truman, Carter
3s = Obama, Kennedy,Roosevelt
4s = Eisenhower

Gingrich has TWO;)

[Tennessee Nana]

Willard Mitt Romney has the phony gene...

[riverdawg]

“4 years of Mitt would destroy what’s left of the Republican party. 4 more years of the kenyan destroys everything. What’s the dif?”

Well, if it's a choice between destroying the Republican Party and destroying “everything,” I guess I'd vote for Mitt ...

[Vendome]

Eff No! and FUMR

[Vendome]

Eff No! and FUMR

[Buckeye McFrog]

Obama’s Catholic dustup and the ruling on Prop 8 could not have come at a worse time for Romney. He is singularly ill-equipped to deal with Culture War issues.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-—Obama’s Catholic dustup and the ruling on Prop 8 could not have come at a worse time for Romney. He is singularly ill-equipped to deal with Culture War issues.-—

Seriesly, I think we’re seeing divine providence at work.

[maineman]

I support Newt. Just saying if Mitt gets the nomination I wonder how many conservatives will sit out...giving obama a 2nd term. 3%? Yea, no difference. I’ll sit out too. Pass the word! Make sure all conservatives sit out the next election..DO IT!

[svcw]

I will not sit out, I am not voting for president if Romney is the nominee. He is no different politically than BHO. I don’t do liberals - period.

[maineman]

Awesome! We should get started on 2016 now.