See Post 61.
The key differences between Southern Conservatives and Northeastern Republicans lie in social issues.
Northeastern Republicans are generally pro-choice and favor gay rights.
Southern Conservatives are pro-life and oppose gay rights.
Nobody is going to change his mind on that subject, because each is convinced he's morally right. Each is also convinced the other is morally wrong.
Best that Southern Conservatives can hope for from the Northeast is so-called RINOs who will caucus with the Republicans and not filibuster conservative judges the way that liberal Democrats will.
Northeastern "RINOs" do tend to support the War On Terror: that's a KEY distinction between them and Democrats.
Northeastern Republicans tend to favor the social state. They want it run efficiently; they do not want it dismantled.
Mayor Bloomberg of New York is the quintessential Northeastern Republican: pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-war, fiscally conservative, pro law-and-order.
Jeanine Pirro's another one.
Rudolph Giuliani.
Chris Shays.
All of them.
Except Lincoln Chaffee. He's further to the left and votes against the war and actually filibusters judges. Now HE really is a "Republican In Name Only" - he actually breaks with the Republican Caucus on key issues like Presidential judicial picks.
The rest of the Northeastern socially liberal Republicans are really Republicans, not just "Republicans In Name Only."
They do not agree that being pro-choice is a fundamental requirement to be a Republican. They think that is an issue on which Republicans can disagree.
Same thing with gay rights.
Southern Conservatives think that being a TRUE Republican is synonymous with being socially conservative. Northeastern Republicans completely reject that.
And given that the Republicans have no majority in Congress at all without Northeastern Republicans - and further given that Northeastern Republicans aren't going to choose anti-abortion or anti-gay-rights candidates - the RINO "problem" will continue to bedevil the party...if it is a problem.
Southern Conservatives just need to be satisfied with the fact that Northeastern Republicans don't filibuster conservative (pro-life) judicial choices. That's the "concession" you get out of the North, and it's really the key to the whole ball of wax, at least on abortion.
Why do you add the moniker "Southern"? That definition describes all conservatives. Conservatives are everywhere.
Abortions and Queers are not the only things that set conservatives (and not just southerners) apart from the statist, big government lovin, tax/borrow and spend, Liberal/Rockefeller/RINO/Rotten/Sneaky/Slippery/Super-Pragmatic, GovernMental/EnvironMental Republican phonies!!!
Conservatism isn't just about elections and voting and shallow politics! It's a philosophy, not just sophistry about government by whim!!! It's about we need a constitution to protect ourselves from the government by whim lovers with a bill of rights that works to protect productive conservative individuals, plus everybody else!!!
Sometimes it seems like folks like you and a whole bunch of others have just been totally unable to keep the lessons our founders and good leaders like Reagan instilled in such an inspiring way in our nation!!! Where does that go?
It's not surviving because people like you start this insidious rationalization about how people are, rather than talking up, promoting and seeking out those who have the leadership to get people to vote for conservatives and conservatism.
It's no wonder we begin to question if you and other FReepers who keep this rationalizing going on constantly and with such passion like you do, even have any love for conservative principles at all!!!
Isn't Bloomberg the guy that raised taxes shortly after taking office? As to Giuliani, he also strikes me as a big-government kind of guy. What do you consider "fiscally conservative." It seems to differ from my definition--smaller government, reduced taxation, respect for property rights, non-government solutions to social issues, etc.
Better.