Don't vote for the Republican candidate in the primary just because he is electable. Electable got us Gerald Ford! Electable got us Bob Dole! Vote for the right-wing kook. That's RONALD REAGAN!!
And I might add, electable got us Arnie. It's not working for California and it won't work for America!
Yes...we all remember the flame-fests here over the recall...and the pragmatists won out...to what end?
Schwarzenegger has turned out to be more liberal than Gray Davis.
When we abandon our principles for power, we ultimately end up with neither.
Thanks Jim, I needed a new tagline!
Glad to see you've come to your senses. A little late in Arnold's case though.
Amen to that!
"Don't vote for the Republican candidate in the primary just because he is electable. Electable got us Gerald Ford! Electable got us Bob Dole! Vote for the right-wing kook. That's RONALD REAGAN!!"
I was going to quote that. Giuliani, if he wins the nomination, would easily be the most anti-second amendment republican candidate ever in U.S. history. Not good.
AMEN!
The reason Bush has lost support is not because he's too conservative, it's because he isn't nearly conservative enough. In fact I don't consider him to be conservative at all on most issues, he typifies the mushy middle on many issues other than national defense, the right to life, and taxes. His stubborn refusal to make, or to even allow anyone else to make, any kind of effort to restrict illegal immigration is what offends me the most.
But never the less, his uncompromising support for the right to life overrides all of his negatives AFAIC. When I look at the probable '08 nominee of either party Bush looks like a 1000 carat diamond in a coal bin by comparison.
Hear hear!
But what about after August '08?
In my opinion, the point in question is: what is the appropriate action to take IF the Republican who emerges as the candidate is not a strong conservative?
In my opinion, if we get a weak conservative (as, in my opinion, a Ford, a Dole, a GHW Bush) then we have a choice: give our full support, or allow the Democrat to win through inaction.
I think history's told us that crying 'meh' when our guy is a weak candidate provides us with object lessons on exactly how bad (Carter, Clinton) it can get when we let the Democrat win. We're only now dealing with the full impact of the disasters Carter unleashed.
The 'rats don't have this problem. Somehow the pink triangle brigade, the union guys, the trial lawyers and the KOS wackos ignore their disputes in November and pull the D lever. We had some good fortune with the Green types in '00 but that was not nearly as big a dent as Perot made in our party.
That having been said, I'm 100% with you with regard to the primaries. Now is not the time to compromise or settle for anything less than what we want. Now is the time to fight for the best conservative we can.
Thanks for everything and especially for standing up now.
Ping.