Conservatives Lose Along With Fred Thompson

North Star Writers Group ^ | January 28, 2008 | Paul Ibrahim

[Dukes Travels]

I never thought I would be picky in choosing a Republican presidential nominee. After all, the gap between Republicans and Democrats has become so very wide on issues such as taxes, free trade, abortion, education and foreign policy that it didn’t seem to matter which Republican was nominated. In spite of tiny divergences with conservative principles, I thought, any Republican nominee would be a Godsend against a liberal Democrat.

How wrong I was.

My assumption was that no candidate would even make the cut to the Republican shortlist without adherence to the principles of the Reagan coalition. But who thought it would end up being too much to expect candidates to be economic, social and foreign policy conservatives?

[Flintlock]

Why’d he give up before a State that ONLY allowed REPUBLICANS to vote in the REPUBLICAN primary voted?
I feel cheated.

[Greg F]

He’s right to put the blame on the Repulican voters. We need to preach to the converted in a sense — persuade Republicans to be conservatives — get them subscriptions to Human Events, get them logged in here at Free Republic, go to the Republican clubs and functions and argue well for conservative principles . . .

[levotb]

Conservatives “lost” because we (I’m an Indy con) didn’t get a young, healthy-looking true conservative to represent us. Thompson, you fail to mention, had just gone thru a debilitating prostate cancer treatment and looked/looks 10 years older than he is (64). He also got in late compared to the others and didn’t have the kind of money backing him he should have had befoer making the decision to run. But back to my point...There simply wasn’t anything except “damaged goods” pariahs like Tom Tancredo who the GOP leaders hated and “No-money” Hunter (who kept talking about the fence and his pro-war prognostications). All that’s left is Ron Paul, another man nearly McCain’s age who was the gadfly in the GOP ointment, going against the Party on the war.

I left the GOP in ‘96 and I suggested to other conservatives then that they too leave for a third party or work at putting one together. I still believe that this is the only road to salvation for conservatives in America. Because the GOP is no longer the Party of Reagan or Goldwater.

[jimmyo57]

My wife always says “Too bad Thompson wasn’t in Mitt Romney’s body”

[Wade827]

In spite of tiny divergences with conservative principles, I thought, any Republican nominee would be a Godsend against a liberal Democrat. How wrong I was.

Me too, buddy. :/

[murron]

Hear, Hear!

[1Old Pro]

If McInsane wins the nomination, we will get what we deseve......8 years of Clintoon

[TLI]

But conservatism lost along with Fred Thompson, and America along with conservatism. Of course, Republicans had the right to choose whomever they wanted. But one thing they can no longer do is ask for a president who will be reliably conservative, and who will be so not because he promised it, but because he is genuinely guided by his principles. They had their chance, and they squandered it.

YEP!

[Old Teufel Hunden]

Amen to this article!

[TheThirdRuffian]

Rudy had the prostate cancer; Fred had a non-symtamatic, non-aggresive cancer that all doctors agree is extremely unlikely to affect him in any way.

Fred’s just ugly and is actually a man, so he won’t get hair plugs/die job like Mitt.

[rintense]

Yep. Its a bad sign when freepers, several months ago, immediately jumped on the Rudy bandwagon simply because he was thought to be the only person who could beat Hillary. Supporting a candidate out of fear rather than principle rarely works, and never turns out good.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

“Conservatives “lost” because we (I’m an Indy con) didn’t get a young, healthy-looking true conservative to represent us.”

If that’s what we need, then we are not much different from the dumbocrats. They keep comparing Obama to Kennedy when all he has in common with him is youth. Heck, he’s not even as young as Kennedy when Kennedy became President. Other than youth, what does he have in common with Kennedy?

Reagan was 69 when he first took office and though he was a good looking man he certainly looked his age.

Reagan was called the great communicator because in his speeches and writings, he was able to effectively get the conservative message out to the public.

We don’t need someone good looking or young. What we need is a conservative leader who can clearly articulate the conservative message to the public and has the record to back it up. That man was Fred Thompson.

[mewzilla]

A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.

Thomas Paine

A win by a RINO is a Pyrrhic victory.

[Wallace T.]

Thompson is the sort of person who could have been elected prior to 1960: a blunt, gruff man’s man. With the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt, none of the Presidents from the 1900-1960 era would have survived an era where looks matter above substance. Hillary’s major impediment to her party’s nomination is her unattractiveness. If she looked like Segolene Royal or Benazir Bhutto, Obama’s insurgent candidacy would have less support.

[longtermmemmory]

not really, many of those pro-giuliani threads were troll driven and viral media (paid posters) driven.

hence the massive bans.

[papasmurf]

But one thing they can no longer do is ask for a president who will be reliably conservative, and who will be so not because he promised it, but because he is genuinely guided by his principles. They had their chance, and they squandered it.

Pretty much sums up how I think and feel about it all.

[papasmurf]

Are your principles really that artificial?

Get real.

[dragnet2]

I'll be switching to Independent. I've had enough.

For the past 7 years or so, the Republican party establishment has basically turned into a big government, all controlling, ruling liberal elite, with their arrogance being unmatched.

[rintense]

True, but my point was that many here did the ‘he’s the only one who can beat Hillary’ excuse.