Maybe that's why we're not cooperating. :)
Look, Romney is winning because there are too many single-issue conservative factions. It's as simple as that. Social conservatives can't stand Gingrich's divorces, national defense conservatives can't stand Paul's foreign policy or Huntsman speaking Mandarin on stage, fiscal conservatives can't stand Santorum's Big Government leanings and don't trust Gingrich, libertarians are hearing their views ridiculed by everybody but Paul...it's no wonder the RINO candidate is leading - because RINOs are the the only faction happy enough with their candidate to keep supporting him.
I agree. We are going too many directions, which is how we ended up with McCain 4 years ago.
OK, I implore you then Mr J lol
AND your observation is most astute... factions, indeed
Hate to say it, but this reminded me of a couple of passages in Tempest At Dawn, where this is exactly what James Madison predicted and *wanted* to happen. He saw the process as functioning as a check and balance on what we would call "single issue" voting, regional views, etc.
The Tea Party movement grew and became powerful because the problems with the country were finally big enough to convince a whole bunch of people that it was time to focus solely on getting our fiscal house in order or die.
That focus has been squandered by the present field of candidates. Herman Cain was propelled to frontrunner status simply because he undauntingly pushed BOLD and MASSIVE tax reform and seemed 100% set on seeing it through, in some way, shape or form, until the end.
THAT was a unifying issue, regardless of whether one was for or against 999.
Since then we have been talking about kids working as janitors in inner city schools and so on. That, and similar tangents, is NOT a unifying (overarching) issue.
Voters intuitively know that if a candidate is not focused on massive tax reform at this point in history, that candidate is not serious about solving the nation's problems. Therefore, the discussion devolves into "regional (not literal regions)" issues.