Posted on 03/05/2007 6:45:59 PM PST by Congressman Billybob
This weekend we were at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. All but one of the 2008 Republican candidates were there. The conservatives sought to buttress their support from the right, to seek the support of the whole party. Rudy Guiliani was there to show he doesnt have two heads. John McCain, to his disgrace and harm, did not bother to show.
We had a chance to hear the candidates. We came away with an conclusion which we shared with Bill Schneider of CNN in an interview. Since our mailbox didnt fill up with e-mails about that interview, we presume it didnt air. Heres our conclusion:
Rudy Guiliani will defeat Hillary Clinton to become the next President of the United States.
Heres why: Conservatives of different stripes, and on different issues, like Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, possibly Newt Gingrich, were at this conference seeking the enthusiastic support of the conservatives in the Republican Party. Each got some of that, with most of it at the CPAC meeting going to Mitt Romney.
But this is the simple, real world truth; the Republican Party consists of more than just the bedrock conservatives even if they were monolithic, which they are not. And the 51% that it takes to win a national election consists of more than just the Republican Party.
Look at the polls which have come out in the last two weeks. All show the same pattern. Guiliani leads among Republicans, and he also leads against all currently-known Democrats. Why is that? The answer jumps out of the statistics. Many more independents and Democrats yes, Democrats support Guiliani, than any other Republican.
On the other side of the equation, it seems clear that the Hillary Clinton juggernaut will roll over all challengers, beginning with Barack Obama, and extending to the hapless John Edwards. But her statistics in a general election are weak. She has more in-house support, from her own party, than any other candidate. But when you get beyond her party, she is the weakest candidate among independents and the opposite party.
Its happened before to both Republican and Democrat candidates. A particular candidate owns the nomination; no one could stop him (and now her). On the other hand, its clear even during the nomination process that this candidate would probably fail in the general election. Like lemmings, the party follows him (now her) over the cliff in the next election.
We watched something happen while Guiliani was speaking to the largely skeptical audience at CPAC. It demonstrated why those polling results are correct, and why Rudy will win both the Republican nomination and the general election.
First, he didnt lie to the audience, or tapdance around them. Repeatedly, he said we do not agree on all things. He went on to discuss the five points he thought mattered. One was education, about which Guiliani said, I made a mistake. Originally, he thought he could improve the public schools themselves. Now, he has concluded that only parental choice to take their children out of failed public schools, will force them to improve.
Admitting a mistake, and taking a new and better direction, is a rare and attractive quality in a politician. Rudy showed that.
But most of all, he concentrated on his factual accomplishments in years of public service. He demonstrated hes not just a man of words and slogans, but a man of accomplishment in a rough environment and against high odds. That quality, actually doing things rather than forever spouting vague promises and idle slogans, will lead to Guilianis victory over Hillary Clinton.
The last ditch defense of some conservatives against Guiliani is attacking his sexuality through pictures of him when dressed as a woman for a charitable group. I mean, what man hasnt dressed as a woman for charity?
Paint and Powder is a Baltimore organization thats close to a century and a half old. In the beginning, it was all male. Its long since coeducational, but it retains a drag routine in its shows. The largest men are cast as the females, and the smallest as the males, because that made the dances funnier.
I can vouch for the fact that its darned difficult to dance in high heels. I can also vouch for the fact that fishnet stockings make the soles of your feet look and feel like youve been standing on a waffle iron. No pictures survive of me in a wig and a Carmen Miranda dress. The American electorate can take a joke, and expect their politicians to be real humans rather than stuffed shirts. So, such attacks on Guiliani (or me) wont amount to a hill of beans.
Expect Guiliani to carry most of the Bush states plus several of the Kerry-Gore states, and win going away.
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About the Author: John Armor is a lawyer specializing in constitutional law, who may again be a candidate for Congress in the 11th District of North Carolina. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
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My dear Black Stone,
I am saddened that we must part ways.
Nonetheless, I shall consider you as kinship from afar.
You may want to look into said "faith" first.
Many conservative Christian Churches do not consider Mormons to be Christians. This is taken from the LCMS site:
--- The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, together with the vast majority of Christian denominations in the United States, does not regard the Mormon church as a Christian church. That is because the official writings of Mormonism deny fundamental teachings of orthodox Christianity. For example, the Nicene Creed confesses the clear biblical truth that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, is "of one substance with the Father." This central article of the Christian faith is expressly rejected by Mormon teaching -- thus undermining the very heart of the scriptural Gospel itself. In a chapter titled "Jesus Christ, the Son of God: Are Mormons Christian?" the president of Brigham Young University (Rex Lee, What Do Mormons Believe? [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992] summarizes Mormon teaching by stating that the three persons of the Trinity are "not... one being" (21), but are "separate individuals." In addition, the Father is regarded as having a body "of flesh and bone" (22). Such teaching is contrary to the Holy Scriptures, destructive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and indicative of the fact that Mormon teaching is not Christian. ---
Mitt Romney would crush Hillary and he would govern 100x as conservative as Rudy. While Rudy gave a cookie cutter speech at CPAC, Romney courted conservatives and backed it up with promises. While Rudy is getting the endorsement of the likes of Chris Shays, Romney has been endorsed by Jim DeMint, Tom Feeney and other real conservatives who understand that being a conservative means cutting government spending and programs. Today even Mike Pence was talking about how much he liked him. And he is a good man with ZERO baggage that can get people excited. If you were at CPAC, then you saw the level of enthusiasm for him among young people especially. He would destroy Hillary and not sell out to liberal causes while doing it.
No, BB admitted that because of his inaccuracy and the lack of mentioning his fiance's presence, the use of the "royal we" was understandable and his mistake. BB knows this because he likes to be precise and he knows that he was not. He also knows that if he is off base and inaccurate that credibility can be called into question. BB also tried to fix those inaccuracies, which I aknowledged quite early. I also didn't resort to name calling, unlike someone else who needs to go wash his hands or apologize.
I don't care what they think or believe. As a Roman Catholic, maybe I can think that they're heretics too.
Religious bigotry sux.
---I don't care what they think or believe.---
You don't have to. I'm just saying that there are very many people who hold the Gospel very dear and if they believe that another doctrine is harmful to the Gospel they will defend against that doctrine vigorously. Perhaps you have no use for their votes, but the Republican nominee will, most assuredly.
"Religious bigotry sux."
ROTFLMAO!!!
I would posit that one can judge the quality of a faith by the way its adherents live. Whether or not Mormon theology is considered Christian, from what I can tell the way many Mormons live their lives is a lot closer to the Christian ideal than the way many Christians live theirs.
I think gun owners far outnumber religious bigots. Rudy may do better with the latter, but I think Romney will do much better with the former.
It's not a matter of lifestyle, but one of doctrine and core belief. Would you suggest that we knowingly and willfully take actions that might do harm to the Gospel? Must we throw that aside along with our conservative beliefs to achieve some political victory?
You were dead wrong and can't admit it.
Wow, go shave your paws. Even BB didn't say I was wrong.
---I think gun owners far outnumber religious bigots. ---
Religious bigots? Is that all it is to you?
Anyway, everyone know's there are a lot more Jesus nuts than gun nuts. Churches way outnumber shooting ranges.
Frankly, I don't care what doctrine one privately believes if the person lives a morally-upright life. That isn't to imply that God won't care, but that's God's concern--not mine. Christianity will be harmed far less by non-Christians who live like a Christian, than by Christians who do not.
Actually, most of us do it because we needed a last minute halloween costume. Two years ago, I saw a beefy trio who went as "Hooter girls". They were pretty funny.
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