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.’”
Obviously I agree with Dobson on this issue, but Dobson failed to speak up for any conservatives when we still had some in the race. Stopping McCain is job one, but we wouldn’t be here had conservatives supported conservative candidates in the first place. Wait too long for perfection to come along, and you wind up where we have wound up.
Kiss off Dobson. I’m about up to HERE with the Christain Coalition.....
Hasn’t this loud mouthed lout spouted enough this year?
I don’t give a crap what Dobson says. His views would never change mine. I find him as irrelevant now as I did before.
Had he supported Thompson, he wouldn’t be facing his current predicament.
Christain = Christian
Well, to be fair...Dobson wouldn’t vote for Mitt, Fred, or Rudy.....
He is in the tank for the Huckster.
Mormons are cultists...and Fred is COC which is also a cult according to Dobson.
Exactly.
MY FANTASY:
MCCain wins GOP (that’s not the fantasy), Hillary or Obama win Dem, Gore and Bloomberg both decide to run also. Fred Thompson comes swooping in third (or is it fifth?) party and wipes out all the liberal pretenders.
Go Fred!
I don’t believe that Dobson is a minister; I think he’s a layman that happens to hold sway due to his radio show, books and columns. He is a child psychologist, though, IIRC.
The big problem is that the conservative opposition to McCain is split. A large segment of that opposition will continue to flush their votes down the Huckabee toilet. Since that’s the case, there’s no stopping McCain.
Nah, he threw Fred under the bus. He is part of the reason we are in this spot. The man intentionally split the evangelical vote.
Do the Baptists consider EVERY OTHER denomination to be a cult?! WTF?!
I wonder if Dobson didn’t mouth off about Thompson, we would still have a Conservative in the race?
That’s why Gomer Huckleberry will be Juan McAztlan’s running nate, mark my words!
BTTT!
There is no political figure currently active who is more despised than Dobson.
I cannot vote for a liberal. Therefore I will not vote for McCain if he wins the republican nomination. It will be the first time since 1984 (18 then) that I have not voted for a president, each time Republican.
Can’t do it. No matter how many of you military guys rally around one of your own. Can’t do it. He is a power hungry, mean, not very intelligent liberal. And he uses you guys and his military background as a crutch to get elected. Can’t you see it.
I will not vote for him. Period. End of discussion.
And I sponsor a College Conservatives club where I work.
Juan McAzlan, funny, but I prefer to call him McClinton and now I’ll borrow you Juan idea - “Juan McClinton”
Explained to my 24 yr. old son couple a days ago how McClinton is worse than Clinton, glad to see Ann Coulter came to the same conclusion.
Great minds must think alike!
Bingo. The single-issue social conservatives who DIDN'T get behind Thompson, and instead went for Huck, have given us McCain.
FDT wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which WOULD be achievable with another SCOTUS justice or two. But "Focusing" on a Human Life Amendment as the only goal is counter-productive. It WOULDN'T happen in one or even two terms. The first step, an achievable step, is overturning Roe v. Wade.
That said, TWO-THIRDS of Republicans do NOT want McCain. But because we have been split among several candidates, One-Third McCain has been able to take the lead.
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