Christian Right Labors to Find ’08 Candidate {HUNTER Mentioned]

New York Times ^ | 02/24/07 | DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

[BunnySlippers]

Christian Right Labors to Find ’08 Candidate

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 — A group of influential Christian conservatives and their allies emerged from a private meeting at a Florida resort this month dissatisfied with the Republican presidential field and uncertain where to turn.

The event was a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a secretive club whose few hundred members include Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Liberty University and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. Although little known outside the conservative movement, the council has become a pivotal stop for Republican presidential primary hopefuls, including then-Gov. George W. Bush on the eve of his 1999 primary campaign.

But in a stark shift from the group’s influence under President Bush, the group risks relegation to the margins. Many of the conservatives who attended the event, held at the beginning of the month at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island, Fla., said they were dismayed at the absence of a champion to carry their banner in the next election.

[Hydroshock]

Hunter has my vote.

[alicewonders]

I like Duncan Hunter too. I've donated money to him & volunteered to help however I can.

[Hydroshock]

Ditto

[vpintheak]

They make it seem as though it is some kind of shadowy (scary & bad) group. The slimes just cannot hide it's bias.

[betsyross1776]

If it is supposed to cost 100 mil to win an election, where and who will finance the man the Christian right would like to see run if he does not have the money to run? I as a Christian would love to see somebody come up to the plate and take the helm. But being a Christian who is practical , if somebody just runs as a Christian can he get elected? I as a Christian feel the only way to go is the WAY OF THE CROSS> However let us all think now, you think the Christians with the lions was bad, just announce you are a Christian , just running with Christian values and wow , get ready because here it comes. We have got to chance the image of a Christian and tell the truth of the kindness, the love , the caring of the Christian way . Then we can get any Christian elected who comes out of the box Right now all those other screwy religions, eat us up alive. Let us all fight back and show them all we are the religion of all these things I just mentioned and one more thing who has more respect for women other then the Christians. Show it , wear it be proud then look for the candidate who can support all of us.

[cripplecreek]

I don't consider myself to be among this "christian right" but I am a conservative and I like what Hunter has to say.

[SIDENET]

But in a stark shift from the group’s influence under President Bush, the group risks relegation to the margins.

Just a NYT hit piece on Conservatives.

If Conservatives, religious or othewise, refuse to vote for a liberal Republican, they won't be marginal at all. "Relegation to the margins", my butt.

[ClaireSolt]

Vast right wing conspiracy meets. 60 attendees plot against the Republic. sarc/

[alicewonders]

Me too. I don't attend church anywhere, but consider myself to be very conservative. I am a Christian and have Christian values - but I don't necessarily want the "Christian Right" speaking for me.

I'm starting to get a little worried that the jig is already up. The powers that be have already gotten together in their "smoky backroom" and decided who will win in 2008.

And the pathetic part is - that I don't think it's going to matter either way which party wins - we're going to be screwed either way. It's all part of a larger plan.

[cripplecreek]

If Conservatives, religious or othewise, refuse to vote for a liberal Republican, they won't be marginal at all. "Relegation to the margins", my butt.

I suppose we could vote for liberal democrats and end up in the same place. Liberal is liberal is liberal.

[truth_seeker]

"...a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a secretive club whose few hundred members include Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Liberty University and Grover Norquist..."

I am not much impressed by this group.

Are they supposed to pick the next President?

[cripplecreek]

There's no "R" in conscience and frankly my conscience is still suffering from holding my nose the last time around. Oddly enough, the one candidate I was happy to vote for won and gave me a conservative representative over a RINO.

[SIDENET]

Liberal is liberal is liberal.

Darn right.

Voting for liberals gets nothing but liberalism.

[ZULU]

The man they should close ranks behind is Duncan Hunter, the most conservative and most experienced and salable Republican in the bunch.

AND, considering the SOURCE of the article, it should be taken with a grain of salt.

If you read it in the Times, you KNOW it ain't so!!!

[BunnySlippers]

You may have noticed, and I believe it is true, that they are saying Hunter's stance on trade hinders his ability to raise money or gain support from business.

[OMalley]

AGree with everything you said:-)

[nj26]

"You may have noticed, and I believe it is true, that they are saying Hunter's stance on trade hinders his ability to raise money or gain support from business."

That may be true, although I agree with his "arsenal of democracy" argument. Imagine if we had to fight WW2 again today. We'd still be waiting for parts from China.

I know this... Hunter may attract fewer Wall Street donors, but Rudy will attract far fewer socially-conservative voters.

[OMalley]

Well I dont believe thats true.

My husband is a major stock market junky. Duncan Hunter was on cnbc's squawk box on Tuesday-he outlined his stance on trade. My husband agreed one hundred percent.

I think the fact that the "market channel" put hunter on and announced his run for the presidency, that says good things:-)

[ZULU]

If Hunter positions himself correctly on this issue, it should draw votes - perhaps not from the treasonous vipers who moved their businesses to Red China, but from thinking Americans.

Our industrial base has been destroyed by outsourcing and globalism. We can't produce enough military equipment here to fight a major war like WW1 or WW2 and we are facing one with international Islam.

No businessman or employee in America can compete with a slave shop in Shanghai, paying its employees pennies with no benefits, to work seven days a week, with no environmental controls on their operations.

We need to make changes in America to make ourselves more competable, but we shouldn't be permitting companies to dump cheap crap here which puts American workers out of well-paying jobs and forces them to earn cheap wages at vendors of said cheap junk like WalMart and Home Depot.

So what you perceive as a weakness, I see as a strength and that may explain why a lot of big bucks machers are backing people like Giuliani who would probably contribute to the further hemorrhaging of American jobs and money overseas, destroying our Middle Class, so a handful of these pigs can continue to get filthy rich at America's expense.