Posted on 02/01/2008 2:07:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
While John McCain has risen to the top of the heap among contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson remains adamant that he will not support McCain’s bid for the White House.
Dobson, one of the nation’s most influential evangelical Christians, declared more than a year ago that he wouldn't support McCain under any circumstances, saying McCain didn't support traditional marriage values.
A Dobson spokesman told the New York Times’ David Kirkpatrick Wednesday that he stood by that position, and as a matter of conscience could never vote for the Arizona Senator.
According to the paper, Dobson is joined by a slew of other prominent conservatives who oppose McCain on a number of issues:
Talk radio host Mark Levin urged visitors to the National Review’s Web site to “rally for Romney” to ward off a McCain win, saying: “Conservatives need to act now, before it is too late.”
Talker Rush Limbaugh told listeners on Thursday: “McCain is in a lot of these places not actually the Republican candidate. He is the candidate of enough Republicans, but [also] independents and moderates and probably even some liberals.”
Pat Toomey, president of the anti-tax organization Club for Growth, said in comments reported by the New York Times: “I have yet to see McCain make any attempts to reach out to free market conservatives.”
Conservatives fault McCain for voting against President Bush’s tax cuts and a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and for supporting embryonic stem cell research, looser immigration rules and stricter environmental regulations.
Conservatives were particularly irked when McCain made a deal with Democrats to break a deadlock on judicial nominations, according to the Times.
Anger over that compromise was rekindled this week when Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund wrote that McCain had privately criticized Bush’s Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito because “he wore his conservatism on his sleeve.” The McCain campaign denied that report.
Following McCain successes in early primary states, however, other conservatives are beginning to warm up to his campaign:
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, who previously opposed a McCain nomination, said: “He has moved in the right direction strongly and forcefully on taxes.”
Former McCain foe Tony Perkins, a prominent Christian conservative, told the Times: “I have no residual issue with John McCain,” adding the candidate needed to “better communicate” his stand on social issues.
Richard Land, an official with the South Baptist Convention, agreed, noting that McCain “is strongly pro-life.” He said: “When I hear Rush Limbaugh say that a McCain nomination would destroy the Republican Party, what I want to say to Rush is, ‘You need to get out of the studio more and talk to real people.’”
I like all the talk radio shows, but folks we have to recognize that at times they are almost all name dropping, self aggrandizing, book and merchandise selling narcissists. Rush Limbaugh plainly cares more about his "reputation" than supporting a conservative.
Well, are you suggesting ONE BIG PARTY?
You sound like a democrat to me.
The Republican party is (or has been ) a conservative party.
You marginalize the base, you are self destructing.
PERIOD
[Sundry off-color remarks deleted].
Cheers!
I am not suggesting that at all.
I am only pointing out that this is what is happening. It has already happened in California. Shwartzenegger went in as the big Reagan conservative and is a huge liberal. McCain is running the same way. He has persuading lots of Republicans that he is a conservative, or conservative enough when it is clear that he is not. His election could potentially have the same destructive effect nationally that Shwartenegger's did in the California Republican party. Conservatives have been marginalized here because of it. He is dangerous to conservatives for this reason.
I believe that it is for this reason that people like Laura Ingraham have withheld their support for him.
“Yeah. Who the hell does Limbaugh, Robinson, Coulter, etc. think they are!”
People who stand to make a lot more money with Hillary in the White House. Ann will sell more books, Rush will get higher ratings and Robinson will get more donors. As usual, follow the money.
Lighten up, Francis.
Even if you agree in broad measure with Dobson's social goals there is no way to deny that by shafting FRed, he shot conservatism in the foot.
Cheers!
He gave a nod to Hunter and Tancredo, not to mention Huckabee and Brownback...
Good to know, thanks.
ROTFLMAO!!!! Yeah, riiiight. We'll see come November.
Author of McCain-Feingold.
Trashed the relatives of missing SE Asia vets -- while he was safely back home. Yes, I *know* the stories about how he turned down repatriation; but that does not give him a blank check.
Hates conservatives -- e.g. repeatedly snubbing CPAC.
Named Juan Hernandez as his outreach coordinator to Hispanics.
Member of the Gang of 14 which cost Bush a chance to pack the judiciary with Constitutionalists.
Against the Bush tax cuts on class warfare grounds at the time, lied about it this year.
Implicated in Keating Five.
Had a high-level staffer contact the Dems about switching parties in 2001; was beat to the punch by Jim Jeffords.
Too old.
Given to bouts of rage and shooting his mouth off.
Cursed out John Kyl.
Looks like Steve Martin.
Has Lincoln backwards: "With charity towards none, with malice towards all."
Nice try, though.
Cheers!
“Fred is COC which is also a cult according to Dobson.”
============================================================Where is the link for that?
There were many of us "stupid" SoCons here on FR that felt the same way about Fred, and predicted his demise long before Dobson said anything.
Perhaps in your zeal you refused to listen, and look at the writing on the wall.
“Shwartzenegger went in as the big Reagan conservative and is a huge liberal.”
Not true, we all knew that Arnold was liberal and no one thought that he was a Reagan conservative.
I was going to apologize because I thought your "he" reference was about Huckabee and now I see it was about Dobson.
But then you lie about me in this post.
If that wasn’t your attempt, then I apologize for intimating that you make intentional falsehoods. I cannot in good conscience withdraw my opinion concerning that, however, with Romney.
Ping.
For information about the Christian Coalition. That was led by Pat Robinson (who endorsed Rudy early when he thought he was winning)
Now I see that if we don’t rally around Romney, we will have McCain. Romney isn’t perfect, but his views are more conservative than McGuiliane.
The commnents from James Dobson shows the obvious. He is not perfect, and neither is Romney. But Romney is our best defense against the takeover of the Republican party by liberal RINOs
No big deal.
About Romney, at least he is campaigning on a fairly conservative platform. Whether you trust him is up to you. I myself cannot vote for McCain or Huckabee.
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