Care to address exactly what you find objectionable in his track record in Congress, other than supporting CFR, which he has well-explained?
I’ll take the opportunity to point out that Fred has an 86% lifetime vote rating with the American Conservative Union.
Perfect? No.
Pretty damn good? Yes.
http://www.acuratings.org/ratingsarchive/2002/2002Senate.htm
Name a viable candidate with a better voting record.
*crickets*
Anyone with under 3% of the vote heading into August simply isn’t going to be a factor.
Duncan Hunter probably won’t even take his home state in a general election. Name a president who was elected despite failing to take his own state.
Fred is the best option on the table. “Do the best you can with what you got.”
Try this mathematical experiment:
add the average rating of your 3 favorite groups,
subtract the average ratings of your 3 least-liked groups,
add current polling numbers,
add the number of millions of dollars raised thus far,
give each candidate a score of 1-100 for experience and add that figure,
give each candidate a score of 1-100 for electability and add it,
give each candidate a score of 1-100 for telegenic presence (which, sadly, matters today) and add it.
Any fair assessment of the GOP canidates will have Fred on top every time.
For me,it goes
EXPERIENCE: Guiliani 90, McCain 85, Romney 85 (gubernatorial exp. trumps Senate time) Duncan 80, Fred 75
TELEGENIC PRESENCE: Fred 90, Guiliani 85 (did rather well on SNL), Hunter 75, McCain 70, Romney 65
CONSERVATIVE RATINGS: Hunter 96, Fred 92, Romney 73, McCain 67, Guiliani 58
LIBERAL RATINGS: Hunter 2, Fred 5, Romney 11, McCain 18, Guiliani 31
ELECTABILITY: Guiliani 85, Fred 85, McCain 75, Hunter 70, Romney 50,
MONEY (est): Guiliani 20, McCain 20, Hunter 15, Romney 10, Fred 5
POLLING: Fred 33, Rudy 28, McCain 14, Romney 11, Hunter 3
My totals:
375 Fred
337 Hunter
335 Rudy
313 McCain
282 Romney
and Fred further distances himself from the pack when he actually starts fund-raising.
(and I think I was rather generous with Hunter by giving a 70 on electability. He cannot take his home state.)