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New Year's Look: The Republican Party
American Chronicle ^ | January 1, 2008 | John Xavier

Posted on 01/01/2008 11:02:08 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

If there was ever any question as to how diverse the Republican Party is, this campaign season has answered it. The reason there are so many viable candidates in the Republican presidential primary this year is because each candidate hails from a different part of the Republican base. That Republican diversity earns a special New Year’s Look.

Rudy Giuliani hails from the liberal wing of the Republican Party. The Republican liberals are regionally based in the Northeast. They think that women should have the right to choose abortion, support destructive embryonic stem cell research, and generally support homosexual rights. They are represented inside the beltway by the Republican Main Street Coalition.

Giuliani also hails from the rule of law wing of the Party. These are the conservatives who oppose the “illegal” in illegal immigration. They often fall in with Christian conservatives (who equally value authority) and are attracted to Giuliani who was a former federal prosecutor and is widely credited with cleaning up New York City.

Mitt Romney comes from the business end of the Republican Party. Unlike their liberal counterparts; these conservatives do not care much for social issues. Money, free trade economics, money, and creative destruction are the foundation of their beliefs and a candidate's business acumen is preferable to ideology. They are regionally based along the Wall Street-DC axis and Club for Growth is their best beltway representative.

Fred Thompson comes from the intellectual and social conservative wing of the Party. These conservatives value logic and reason as the prime driving force behind social issues, and they tend to prefer a more secular approach to politics. National Right to Life, their resident beltway representative, endorsed Thompson late last year. They are regionally based in the South, Midwest, and West, and are often mistaken for (and dominated by) Christian conservatives who tend to have a louder voice.

Mike Huckabee hails from the Christian conservative wing of the Party. Similar to their social conservative brothers; abortion and gay marriage top their list of concerns. However, unlike social conservatives, they favor of a Biblical defense of their views. They are based in the churches of the South and Middle America, and tend to hold a negative view of Washington, DC where they feel they will always be perennial outsiders.

John McCain comes from the neoconservative wing of the Party. These are the war hawks that pushed for the invasion of Iraq and steadfastly support the President. Some of these same people could not stand the name McCain only eight years ago. They are based squarely inside the beltway at conservative think tanks such as Project for the New American Century and the American Enterprise Institute.

Ron Paul hails from the Constitutional and libertarian wings of the Party. This is the segment of the Party who values individual liberty as supreme and sees big government as encroaching upon that liberty. They favor states’ rights and local control and want to dismantle the bureaucratic morass that the federal government has become.

Paul also hails from the anti-war, isolationist wing of the party and was one of the original Republicans to vote against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His stances and confrontational personality have endeared him to an anti-establishment crowd who feel that he is one of them. Unfortunately for Paul, much of that crowd does not vote (Republican).

Keep in mind that these are the segments of the Republican tent that each candidate comes from, and it does not necessarily rule them out from garnering the support of other parts of the base. After all, one of the main functions of a campaign organization is coalition building. But one thing is certain, whoever ends up being the nominee will have a profound impact on the direction and character of the Republican Party for years to come.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; abortion; bigtent; election; electionpresident; elections; fredthompson; gop; johnmccain; mikehuckabee; mittromney; neoconservatives; prochoice; republicans; ronpaul; rudygiuliani; stemcellresearch
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To: Slip18

You never posted back to me to argue what I had said. Are you afraid of little ol’ me and my knowledge of the markets?
***I get pinged a lot. Yours must have slipped under my radar. Feel free to post the link to where you posted to me.


41 posted on 01/01/2008 3:35:46 PM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Kevmo
At any point in time between Christmas and January 3rd, maybe 2-3000 new freepers will log on and try to decide between the best conservative candidates. My point of view is unique when I point out that the smart money is on Duncan Hunter, because a guy can put money where his mouth is on this candidate and get 40X return on his “investment” within a few days. It’s probably the first time in history that this has been true, leaving aside bribery.

If I understand your description, the "price" of this "commodity" is 100% dependent upon the speculation of new buyers, not on any kind of real political appeal (the kind that elects people in real life, not in the Dungeons & Dragons world), nor any market factors like earnings.

Unless this is about real money, you're just talking about another on-line poll, being spammed by a bunch of Ron Paul supporters who are carrying signs with a different name. If it is real money, a nice man from the SEC will be stopping by shortly, so you might want to put on a tie....

I reiterate: Dead Horse remaining incorporeal.

42 posted on 01/01/2008 3:54:22 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (Don't trust anyone who can’t take a joke. [Congressman BillyBob])
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To: Cyber Liberty

If I understand your description,
***You did not understand the description. Go to http://www.intrade.com for a more complete description if the straightforward meaning eludes you.

the “price” of this “commodity” is 100% dependent upon the speculation of new buyers,
***No. Most of the Intraders are seasoned traders, not new buyers.

not on any kind of real political appeal (the kind that elects people in real life, not in the Dungeons & Dragons world), nor any market factors like earnings.
***That doesn’t seem to stop these people from making money on their political instincts.

Unless this is about real money,
***Yes, it’s about real money. Go ahead and read the article now.


43 posted on 01/01/2008 4:19:28 PM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Fred Thompson comes from the intellectual and social conservative wing of the Party."


I see Fred Thompson as a "Fusionist" conservative, in that he represents the total package rather than one wing.
44 posted on 01/01/2008 4:43:04 PM PST by rob777 (Personal Responsibility is the Price of Freedom)
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To: Kevmo

Ping 131 of 133.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1925892/posts


45 posted on 01/01/2008 5:23:30 PM PST by Slip18 (Fred Thompson for POTUS 2008)
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To: Slip18

Answered on the efficacy thread, where it belongs.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1922961/posts?page=57#57


46 posted on 01/01/2008 6:07:23 PM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Actually, Fred Thompson hails from the conservative “wing” of the Republican Party. The conservative faction believes in fiscal responsibility, a strong defense, a smaller federal government and the rejection of social engineering using government as the primary tool to achieve it.

This used to be known as the conservative wing of the GOP, or Reagan/Goldwater Republicans before Reagan left office and Goldwater became a libertarian.


47 posted on 01/02/2008 4:13:00 AM PST by Josh Painter ("My idea of Gun Control is a good, steady aim." - Fred Thompson)
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To: rob777
" in that he represents the total package rather than one wing."
Fred Thompson: The Comprehensive Conservative Candidate
48 posted on 01/02/2008 4:33:42 AM PST by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM .53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart, there is no GOD.)
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To: Kevmo
I looked again and I stand corrected. It's real money, and apparently legal.

It's also looks like a casino without the trappings. Go ahead and enjoy, leave me out of it.

Have you been making real money hand over fist, as you claim is possible?

49 posted on 01/02/2008 8:15:37 AM PST by Cyber Liberty (Don't trust anyone who can’t take a joke. [Congressman BillyBob])
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