Oh, I agree with you to a point. Voting records mean quite a lot to me as they are the primary benchmark that helps decide how a person will ‘choose’ when the time comes for significant decisions. Taking a politicians word for anything is the biggest mistake anyone could make. Their record speaks for itself, IMO.
My two primary requirements are:
1) Can they win in the end?
2) Do they closely match my personal preferences as far as ideology is concerned.
After those two criteria have been met, there are other issues to consider, but if they cannot pass those two, I have no interest in supporting them.
Everyone has their own personal ‘qualifications’ that must be met.
There is a fundamental difference between presidential and Senatorial elections, and local representation.
Your #2 priority is better suited to local elections as that is where you get direct representation of your personal views.
Unfortunately for many in the Conservative base, they have intermixed personal views with conservative principles, in many instances.
Presidents and to a lesser degree Senators, represent big picture ideals and don't deal with the more local personal issues on a daily basis. As such they represent a much larger portion of the public basket, and they must not run afoul of their much larger constituencies.
If you look closely at the last election, some clues are found in the losses.
In the East, social conservative issues all lost. In the West, Immigration lost. In the Midwest, stem cells and immigration lost.
We need to avoid those issues for the coming National campaign to avoid the same fate.
That is political pragmatism. I don't know how you get around this. You must face it and deal with it and vector your candidate along his strengths and avoid weaknesses..
As divided as this country is, and with Conservative ideology suckling on the hind teat, we need to do the things necessary to win, and not dwell on issues that can derail the goal.
That's how I see it, and that's how we should all see it. But that is not what is happening at the present time, and may not happen, which will most certainly result in a 100% Democrat controlled government, once again.
I think your statement is the crux of rudy’s weakness.
there are many that will “hold their nose” to ultimatly vote for him as a vote against Hilary Clinton HOWEVER they will not spend their time or money or encourage others to vote “for” him.
Rudy’s support is only from a “Hilary Stink” factor, it is not a pro Guiliani vote.