Posted on 03/13/2007 5:25:25 AM PDT by Ouderkirk
The] "Hustle" may have been a line dance we did back in the days of disco, but today it's what GOP leadership and a complicit media are trying to do to the voters responsible for the Republican Party's successes since Ronald Reagan.
Realistic chances of winning notwithstanding, there are no fewer than 13 Republicans in the contest for the 2008 presidential sweepstakes. But to hear party leadership and the media spin promote the candidates, one easily gets the impression that John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are not just the only candidates, but that McCain and Romney are the opening act for Giuliani as he awaits his coronation.
This is a ruse, a con, and in brief, an attempt to hustle the voters. GOP leadership is trying to "Bob Dole" us. They have, in effect, met in the smoke-filled back room of a private club and decided amongst themselves who they want in 2008. Their problem is how to deceive the voters into believing that said pick is of the voters' choosing.
Their solution: hand pick the candidate, truncate the primaries, shove the candidate down our collective throats vis-à-vis the media's promoting, interviewing and discussing (ad nauseum) McCain, Romney and Giuliani, but in such a way as to always have Giuliani shine brighter. Then, when he has garnered the nomination, we the voters will be told, "Yes, it is true he is a little more moderate than we may like," but if we don't vote for him, Hillary will win and hell will freeze over.
To which, allowing that same has no basis in theological truth, I respond, "If there be a hell on earth, and it freezes over because I vote my conscience and Hillary wins, I'll walk on ice until the party lets the voters truly have a say."
Now, my scenario may not be completely accurate, but you can bet I'm not far off base. One thing is for certain – of the 13 Republican candidates, only three of them are being touted – and don't tell me it's the fault of the other candidates, because a week ago this same media (Fox News included) was trying to convince us that the corpse of Anna Nicole Smith was newsworthy.
I watched as Republican pundits, Fox News, GOP talking heads, and other cable news shows all downplayed the tremendous success of presidential candidate Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., in the South Carolina straw poll. McCain finished two votes ahead of Giuliani, who in turn finished four votes ahead of candidate Hunter.
Even though Hunter finished in a statistical dead-heat with each, garnering 24 percent, of the vote, Giuliani was declared "the clear winner" and "the presumptive Republican presidential favorite." While these comments were without question a slap in the face to McCain, it was Hunter who they chose to disparage the most.
After all, went the reasoning on Fox News, Hunter had his son campaigning for him the entire week before the straw poll – to which Hunter, in classic fashion responded, "You know, I woke up to ... one of the commentators saying that the only reason that Hunter beat all those guys in South Carolina is because his Marine son has been there for a week. Well, I looked down at that army of consultants – everybody who was vertical in South Carolina was hired by the other guys – and I said, 'You know, that is a good match-up: One Marine versus 550 consultants.' We did have the advantage!" (From Hunter's speech given at Conservative Political Action Conference, Washington, D.C., March 3.)
My point is this: Giuliani is being touted as the "Nation's Mayor" and "the presumptive favorite" by the media and most of the GOP armada, but there are a dozen other candidates, and none more honestly conservative than Duncan Hunter.
But the armada and the media don't want you to know that. They want the voters to think there is a choice of one, and if we don't go along with said choice the sky will fall. They will tell us that our picks/choices can't win and we have to go with their guy.
It is not, however, about whether or not their choice can win – it is about whether or not their choice is fit to win. I've seen Rudy as a prosecutor, I've seen him as mayor, and I've seen him dressed up in his blond wig with heavy eye shadow and makeup, strutting about in drag (1997 mayoral spoof of Victor/Victoria).
Now, I'd like to see the media and the GOP armada of talking heads consistently acknowledge that there are a dozen other candidates, and only one of them a true conservative.
Bob Dole is a great American. During the 1996 campaign he was funny, witty and right on about the issues BUT...his age was clearly a negative. And it wasn't age discrimination we are talking about but real physical risk we are talking about.
When he said to the effect that he would serve one term, that did it for most people, he was finished.
Still Bob Dole came within a few percentage points of unseating the Clintons. The Clintons never got more than 50% of the vote.
But the author here is right about GOP leaders sticking it to the party members in 1996. They should have realized they had a losing candidate in Dole and instead promoted Forbes for the sole reason of giving him more national exposure and a platform to broadcast his positions. Although Forbes had a bit 'goofy' presence, he was indeed one of the sharpest candidates to come along to the GOP since Reagan, much sharper than GWB. His stage presence could have been worked on and his appeal to general voters could have been developed had the GOP leadership invested in his marketing.
Right now we need a very sharp, articulate and strong presence candidate.
Fred Thompson.
http://draftfredthompson.com/index.php?board=3.0
thanks for the clarification.
Excellent post.
Thank you for posting this. More Republicans DON'T want Rudy as their candidate than do - poll after poll shows this to be the truth. Grade school level mathmatics tells you that Rudy is not a popular candidate with most conservatives.
Most Republicans will not vote for Rudy in the primaries.
Rudy supporters need to stop trying to intimidate people into supporting their candidate by singing that one-note song about "if you don't vote for Rudy - you get Hillery". Give that song a rest - it is not convincing anyone.
CONSERVATIVES DON'T VOTE FOR LIBERALS - WAKE UP PEOPLE.
Rudy is far worse than Bob Dole. As are John McCain and Mitt. I've never seen a lesser trio of front runners. Mitt is the only one I might be able to hold my nose and vote for. Maybe.
I sure do like this man.
That being said, I fail to see why this writer, and others, keep making such a big issue of him dressing in drag a couple of times at the New York Inner Circle press dinner, where politicians and the press deliberately do silly things like acting in skits, roasting each other, etc., to raise money for charity.
There are plenty of substantive issues I disagree with Rudy Giuliani on. Him dressing up like a woman in a skit with Julie Andrews 10 years ago doesn't rate very high on my give a ca-ca meter.
In the immortal words of the late, great Warren Oates from "Stripes" ... "lighten up, Francis."
You are really over doing it by comparing Rudy Giuliani to Adolf Hilter. Shame on you.
The last thing World Net (nut) Daily has any ability to do is to identify a "true conservative".
CharlesWayneCT; A well thought-out and considered post. When I support Rudy, as I will if he gets the nomination, I will not, however, consider myself to be pro-abortion.
Who's to say I cannot pick up the fight after Rudy is elected? Indeed, who is to say that I must EVER stop the fight - even during the election process?
But I will NOT fight the battle with my vote in this upcoming Presidential election. The stakes are too damned high. The GWOT CANNOT be kicked down the road to be dealt with another day - the crisis is real and immediate.
On the other hand, social issues will still be there to fight tomorrow - but only if there IS a tomorrow.
"Actually I was making fun of World Net Daily - a very NOT CREDIBLE news source. Most people on FR think the same way about it."
I have not read WND for a while but what strikes me as funny is that I would not have known about Free Republic had there not been a link on WND.
Well, Giuliani and the rest of the abortion supporters can take credit for more murders than Hitler.
Initially, I didn't make a comparison to Hitler, either. CharlesWayneCT made the frst actual comparison beween Giuliani and Hitler.
You don't think abortion is kind of extreme? I mean, it is quite final for the baby involved, is it not?
The GOP forced Bob Dole on the conservative voter base because "it was his time" and "he earned it". The GOP is doing the same thing again with McCainiac and the Rudster because "it's their time" and "they've earned it." GOP be forewarned. Don't try this failed approach again or you will reap the same result in 2008.
Perhaps it is not so much the Republican leadership who is forcing Giuliani down our throats as the lib MSM who sees Giuliani as a non-conservative conservative who they can find acceptable, the Republican leadership (or the party of "why can't we all just get along") chooses to go along with MSM.
If we can't get a true conservative like Duncan Hunter, perhaps it is time to set this one out. As long as we continue to buy this absolute BS that we have to vote for non-conservative RINOs because they are not "true" liberals, we will never have a party. If the only way the conservatives can get a voice in the Republican Party is to elect Hillery........So be it.
Hunter's biggest obstacles are people like you - well meaning conservatives who are too afraid to stand up and support the best candidate. The lists of negatives on all of the other candidates are as long as my arm but the only hit on Hunter is that "he can't win." As El Rushbo says, "Conventional wisdom is often wrong."
Facts and voting records are what make the BIG 4 candidates bad choices. Conventional wisdom is the only thing holding Hunter back.
So you prefer to have for President someone like Hillary Clinton or other democrat candidates who are against 100% of what you want, they will surrender to the terrorists, and force on you 100% of what you do not want, all this because you cannot get someone like Duncan Hunter be the party nominee. Well I think the Republican Party is better off without people like you, please stay home on election day.
Actually, they are dead because some of our leaders in this country fear the well-organized and shrill feminazi movement more than they fear God. But your point is well-taken. We don't need the mainstream media and bogus polls picking our candidate.
We shall see in 10 months or so who is going to be.
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