You wrote: “We need to have our argument for social conservatism strong and ready. ...”
Exactly. How’s this?:
RedState.com
The Right Answer on Birth Control
http://www.redstate.com/dan_mclaughlin/2012/02/23/the-right-answer-on-birth-control/
Posted by Dan McLaughlin (Diary)
Thursday, February 23rd at 4:00PM EST
[....snip....]
So, how should a Republican presidential candidate have answered that question? Like this:
“If you’re asking me what I personally believe about birth control, that’s a private issue and it’s none of anybody’s business. People have different moral views about birth control, and they can make their own individual choices in private. It’s a free country.
“But if you’re asking me if the federal government should be involved in contraception, my answer is simple. Barack Obama says it should – he’s the one who wants the federal government to stick its nose into birth control. I say it shouldn’t – you want it, you get it yourself. Tell President Obama that he should repeal the new federal rules, because birth control is none of the federal government’s business.
Even people who don’t agree with social conservatives on moral issues and aren’t especially interested in religious liberty can understand the appeal of freedom and the downsides of having the federal government insert itself into these issues. If Republicans can’t carry a simple message like that, we shouldn’t be in this business
We have here a turd (Rominy’s mormonism problem) wrapped in nice packaging meant to distract from the stench and poison. Milt Rominy cannot grasp the nomination so long as Christian conservatives reject his faux Christian religion, so we have Mormon apologists and Milt sycophants wrapping their turd in deceptive packages like this plea to ignore ‘social issues’ and focus upon what these sycophants believe are Rominy’s strong points. Don’t be distracted by the wrappings ...
I’d say that’s an excellent response.
I’d only add that as we debate, we need to take control of the argument itself. I’d have added this to the end of that reply:
“And as we watch the Eurozone melting because of excessive debt and economists are increasingly turning their eyes to America as potentially the next Greece, I believe it is foolish to ask Americans, who are suffering under approximately 11% real unemployment and approximately 20% underemployment, to hand over more of their earnings to fund yet another socialist program. It is exactly these sorts of socialist programs that has led to the economic woes the western nations are facing. If President Obama cannot see past this reality because he is so focused on forcing his socialist policies on Americans, then he needs to be replaced with someone who can show us true leadership in this our time of crisis.”