Replies

"For instance, if Ron Paul were the candidate, many conservatives, myself included, would be forced to find another candidate/ party to vote for."

"Thompson, Romney, Hunter, Huckabee, and probably even Giuliani - will likely recieve the support of the conservative base, as well as a significant portion of the middle."

So, you'll switch parties to vote against Paul but not Giuliani?

Basically, the War on Terrorism is the deciding factor there.

I won’t vote for Rudy Giuliani in the primary, but I wouldn’t switch to vote against him if he were nominated. He did a fine job as mayor of NY. I disagree with him on quite a few social issues, and some fiscal issues (he is a tax cutter, which is good ... but a fairly free spender). However, I rarely disagree with Giuliani on foreign affairs (which will likely be the deciding factor in my vote) or homeland security/ criminal justice (FISA, PATRIOT Act, etc) issues.

I’d much rather have someone I’m more socially and fiscally in-sync with as the nominee, though ... Thompson, Hunter, Romney and Huckabee would be my top four (probaby in that order). Personally - I’d like to see Rudy Giuliani as Secretary of Homeland Security in the upcoming Fred Thompson administration.

Ron Paul is pretty much the opposite. I agree with him on some or most social and fiscal issues ... but his foreign policy is a complete catastrophe, and his record on homeland security isn’t much better. This is a deal breaker for me - if he is nominated, I’m out. Newt Gingrich for third party, baby.

If someone is going to surrender in the War on Terror, cripple homeland security, and run the country into the ground - I’d rather they have a (D) beside their name so we don’t get blamed for it.

So, you'll switch parties to vote against Paul but not Giuliani?

Giuliani and Paul are idelogolical opposites.

Do you recall that little candidate selection quiz webpage somebody's son wrote last month? Two big surprises was that over half the people who took it picked Kucinich (I assume the DUmmies trashed that part). But of the remainder, the single most striking and consistent result was that all of the Paul supporters who took it had him ranked top but Giuliani ended up completely at the bottom, even below Kucinich and the other Dims. As I said, it was strikingly consistent.

So the utter polarity you see in how people perceive those two candidates isn't so surprising.

Giuliani is the guy who says "what good are your civil rights if you're afraid to go out at night. Just give up some of them and I can make you safer." To Ron Paul supporters, a guy like that is the Devil. Once you've given up your rights in the slightest degree, you can never get them back, they will never again be inviolable.