Posted on 07/24/2012 6:28:39 PM PDT by xzins
While many on the right fear that Constitution Party presidential candidate Virgil Goode might just draw enough votes in his native Virginia to tip the Old Dominion’s 14 electoral votes from Mitt Romney to Barack Obama, the former six-term congressman made it clear he doesn’t care.
Goode, in fact, feels that “in many ways, for conservatives, it might be better to have Obama as president next year rather than Romney.”
The 65-year-old Goode spoke to Human Events last week as he and his supporters were in the process of gathering the 10,000 signatures they need to submit before the Aug. 24 deadline to qualify for Virginia’s November ballot. Founded by Conservative Caucus chairman and venerable conservative leader Howard Phillips, the Constitution Party is so far on the ballot in 17 states. Right now, Goode told us, the party is making attempts to secure ballot positions in other key states such as Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania — the home state of the Constitution Party’s vice presidential nominee Jim Clymer.
But what has clearly set off alarm bells among conservatives lately is the scenario of Goode making the ballot in Virginia — where he won the 5th District U.S. House seat as a Democrat, Independent, and Republican from 1996 until his narrow defeat in 2008. Polls show the state, which Obama narrowly carried over John McCain in 2008, seesawing between the president and his Republican opponent in 2012. A just-completed Quinnipiac Poll showed Obama and Romney tied among likely Virginia voters, with each getting 44 percent — down from Obama’s 47 to 42 percent edge in the same poll in June.
Of particular concern to Republicans is Goode’s strength in his home turf: the Danville-Charlottesville area that he represented in Congress and previously as state senator. Four years after he lost the closest House race, the former congressman remains popular in his former turf. In addition, his hard-line stance on immigration, strong emphasis on limited government and focus on following the U.S. Constitution seems more likely to woo Virginians who would otherwise vote for Romney than those inclined to Obama.
“If I’m on the ballot in Virginia, I could cost Obama a lot of votes — possibly as much as or even more than Romney,” Goode told us, repeating a line that many third party contenders have taken over the years. “There are a lot of life-long Democrats (in the Fifth District) who say they’ll hold their nose and vote for Obama. But as the fellow in the filling station up the road told me, ‘I’m a Democrat, but if you’re on the ballot, Virgil, I’m voting for you.’”
We recalled how much as it was widely interpreted that Obama’s victory by a plurality over John McCain in North Carolina in 2008 was due to votes for Libertarian Bob Barr. We then pointed out to Goode that, regardless of his interpretation, pundits and political analysts would almost certainly interpret a narrow Obama win in Virginia to a strong Goode showing and asked how he would feel then.
“In many ways, for conservatives, it might be better to have Obama as president next year rather than Romney,” replied Goode, explaining that “it would be tougher to get through Congress some bad things under Obama than it would under Romney.”
“Take one for the team? Not me brother!”
Recalling how the president announced earlier this year his order not to pursue deportation of illegal aliens who complete high school or join the military, Goode noted that “Romney wouldn’t come out against the short-term amnesty. He was just going with the wind. If Obama were president, Republicans in Congress would oppose him on things like this on principle and almost unanimously. But if Romney were president, he would probably get it through (Congress).
“Remember how (Republican presidential candidate Rick) Santorum explained his vote for the No Child Left Behind (federal education program under George W. Bush) by saying: ‘Sometimes you’ve got take one for the team.’ That’s the argument Romney would use with Republicans to get them to pass things they normally wouldn’t oppose.”
As a Democrat in Congress in the 1990s, Goode pointed out that he voted a strong right-to-life line despite the fact that the Democratic leadership was in the other camp on the abortion issue. As a Republican from 2002-08, he said, “I was urged to ‘take one for the team’ and vote for CAFTA (a free trade agreement). I didn’t think it was good for the country and I opposed it. Sometimes you have to show some backbone.”
As a Democrat, Goode in the House scored unusually high ratings of 84 percent and 83 pe cent with the American Conservative Union; as an independent and later a Republican, his ratings went higher and his lifetime ACU average in 96 percent.
In carrying the banner of the Constitution Party, Virgil Goode is again not “taking one for the team.” Whether he qualifies for the Virginia ballot Aug. 24 and how well he does in his home state will surely be watched there, as well as by Republicans nationwide.
Both Hatch and Cantor (gag!) have already indicated this week that they are planning on "reaching across the aisle" after the election and compromising even more liberty away.
If that is true, then how is he any different from Romney?
Is it because Romney is a GREAT PRETENDER?
Virgil Goode has a conservative record. Romney has the most liberal record of any Governor outside of maybe Jerry Brown. And Romney is now pretending to be an "extreme" Conservative. LOL!
His record is irrelevant. He has virtually no following no name recognition and no money. He was not primaried.
He is a pretend candidate. Those who vote for him will be pretend voters
And Romney is a Pretend Republican. Those who vote FOR him will be pretend Republicans.
He was not primaried.
Romney stole the election by consistently getting 30% of the vote in open primaries that democrats and independents were invited by the GOP-E to participate in and then lying about the records of all the actual republicans and conservatives in the race.
You want to reward him with your support?
Were you a Romneybot before he stole the nomination? Or were you an "Anybody but Romney" Conservative like most Freepers?
When you can’t win the argument, introduce a straw man.
I’m a Cain supporter
And where do you think the trash rumor mongering that killed Cain's campaign came from?
It has Romney's fingerprints all over it.
Yet here you are on Free Republic carrying Romney's water.
Yes, prove what a conservative you are by voting for the guy who was a Democrat representative during Clinton’s second term.
mitt knows all about losing campaigns as he's done it so often.
We will be on the ballot in a number of states, and qualified as write in candidates in most others.
Four years ago, with only grassroots efforts, we were able to make it possible for voters representing 70% of the electors to vote for our ticket.
We will almost certainly do quite a bit better than that this time around.
I apologize for the lack of specifics, but, knowing that our opponents will do nothing but mock and criticize no matter what we do, we have chosen to keep our ballot strategy pretty close to the vest until Labor Day or thereabouts.
If Obama gets another term this country is FINISHED. Some of you appear ready to give up on the country-not me. King Obama has figured out that he can simply create his own laws and there’s nothing anyone will do to stop him. If these issues get to the court, it will take years and years to even get any answer if someone actually brings up a lawsuit.
Imagine the Supreme Court justices this guy will pick next. Gutting our defense. Amnesty for all illegals. Triple dip depression. Seizure of private property, guns and bank accounts. The continued implementation of Obamacare etc etc etc.
This mindset that somehow Romney and Obama are one and the same appears to stem from some sort of hysterical delusion. Romney is far from a perfect candidate but those of you that cast a defacto vote for the Marxist in Chief-I hope you get what you deserve. We can recover from Mitt Romney. Will never recover from this marxist’s 2nd term on the throne.
That's not going to happen, no matter how much we might want it here.
“Step 1: Elect Romney in November, who is NOT a socialist/marxist/communist/revolutionary/sharia loving thug. “
Wasn’t he the architect and implementer of socialized medicine in Mass? Didn’t he sign one of the most restrictive assault weapons bans? Seems like a proven gun grabbing socialist to me.
Like I said before, Romney and Romney apologists like yourself will do more long term damage to this country by weakening the conservative brand and moving the GOP to the left. I’m convinced this is more dangerous (long term) than 4 more years of Zero with a GOP congress.
If you are ok with that....by all means Romney is your guy.
“Step 3: Continue to be vigilant of Romney after the election and speak up and out when you disagree with his policies.”
First show me that you can get the losers like Boehner and McConnell in line. You can’t even control the direction of the currently elected losership....what possibly could make you think you will be more successful with a candidate/President that has shown time and time again that he has no use for conservatives?
Go ahead and be the patsy....you are enabling the destruction of the conservative movement and supporting someone with policies to left of even Clinton. I won’t do it.
Wonder why the GOP has no conception of the danger we are in? I'd say their actions were deliberate!
When I see this about VA, who can forget how Mitt did his dirty work to keep Newt off the ballot. Wonder if those conservative voters are now planning to vote for Good.
I am as conservative as they come fiscally and socially and I live in VA. I will be voting for Romney. Why, because this country will not survive another four years of Obama. Romney was not my first choice for the R nomination by a long shot, but we need to play the hand we've been dealt.
The GOP never really wanted to win. Thankfully, NEWT, carried America and the Romney's/liberals of the world hated him for it.
TODAY'S INTRODUCTORY COURSE IN LOGIC.
THE ONLY WAY to increase the volume of Glass "A" is by pouring something INTO Glass "A."
Pouring something into Glass "B" does not, and can NEVER, increase the volume of Glass "A." Not even if you do it all day long, for hours and hours and hours.
Pouring something into Glass "C" does not, and can NEVER, increase the volume of Glass "A." Not even if you do it all day long, for hours and hours and hours.
You're Welcome.
The need for a 2nd party in this country has never been more evident, metal.
Explain to me, if you can, why Romney just 3 months ago came out in favor of gay couples, and why he said that at state level gay couples should be allowed to adopt children.
Explain to me, if you can, why Romney has not denounced the Pentagon approving military uniforms at a gay pride parade WHEN he had the perfect forum, the VFW speech, and the perfect audience before which to do so.
I am a conservative, metal, and that means fully conservative, BOTH SOCIAL and fiscal conservatism.
As a conservative, and as a Christian, I cannot support Mitt Romney. His only credential, even for the ABOs on Free Republic, is that he is not Barack Obama.
OMG, coffee all over the keyboard..........:-)
BUMP to your post.
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