Thanks for posting this. Its 100 percent correct.
The Repubs were a minority party UNTIL the social conservaties came along in 1980 and made them a majority party.
Nominate Gulliani and Joe Sixpack - who votes Repub because of social issues - will stay home or vote Democrat.
The internet represents a skewed reality. Its full of articulate Social liberals/Economic Conservatives. These voters represent probably 5% of the voting population. The other group Social Conservatives/Economic Liberals represent probably 15-20% of the population.
We need to go hunting where the ducks are. Go the Dole/Ford/Bush'92 route and we are doomed to defeat in 2008.
To misquote Lincoln: God must love Reagan Democrats because he made so many of them.
..it would be a real test of the adage "we do not beat them by being like them".
Giving the country a clear choice rather than 1 or 2 degrees of difference, IMO, will give the GOP a better chance at victory in the general.
But we are WAY ahead of things here--the mayor has a monumental task of convincing the Religious Right, Gun Owners etc that he is the guy...
I think with Giuliani there will be a problem with this number. The "no matter what" is a little different this time around because in the past the "no matter what" that you ended up voting for was at least a conservative, even if the person wasn't your first choice among the conservative candidates.
In the past we have never had a Republican nominee that was pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-gun control and pro-amnesty all wrapped up in one. I think this is a completely different ball game.
Sure he can.
I don't like Rudy and, as it stands right now, I'm not going to vote for him - not in Primary, not in the General. I'm a conservative, not a Republican. If the GOP is no longer a conservative party, it can do without my vote.
But if he runs as a War Leader and a Reformer, I am willing to vote for him. I see destroying the enemy and curbing the gub'mints outrageous expenditures as THE major issues. Somebody willing to tackle these items, no holds barred, will have my support.
So far, I don't see this, though. However, we're still nearly two years away from the General election.
The primaries are all that count. The general election is one or lost depending on the wisdom of the primaries.
If this moron gets the primaries we all lose.
"There are now four conservatives in the race for the Republican nomination; Rep. Ron Paul, Rep. Duncan Hunter, Governor Jim Gilmore, and Rep. Tom Tancredo. Any one of these gentlemen could beat Hillary or Obama in the general election. Giuliani can’t do it."
There might be a genuine fiscal and social conservative, in the Reagan mold, that could be a well known democrat.
But none of those four is that person.
Writers like this spray around words of political analysis, as if they are competent. And then reach an illogical conclusion, as he did.
Common sense judgement is not his strong suit. Had he concluded Gingrich or Thompson could win, I might be convinced.
It takes money and name recognition, some charm and humor, and a good platform.