Conservatives revisit third party

AP ^ | Feb. 13, 2008 | By ERIC GORSKI, Religion Writer

[jdm]

**EXCERPT**

The same conservative Christian activist who called a meeting last fall to discuss backing a third-party candidate to counter a possible Rudy Giuliani candidacy is revisiting the idea as Sen. John McCain closes in on the Republican presidential nomination.

Bob Fischer, a South Dakota businessman and anti-abortion activist, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while he could back the Arizona senator over either Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama, he made clear that he and others in the evangelical movement are not content with those choices.

"I'll be working in other ways to see that we have additional choices as conservatives," Fischer said.

He declined to elaborate, but held out hope that Mike Huckabee might mount an improbable comeback, or that another "good conservative, Godly, Christian pro-life" GOP candidate somehow emerge to supplant McCain. The Arizona lawmaker has opposed abortion during his four terms in the Senate.

Fischer also volunteered an alternative scenario: supporting the nominee of the fledgling Constitution Party.

Although some conservative Christian activists are warming to McCain, Huckabee's success with that voting bloc in recent primaries and caucuses shows that much work remains for McCain.

[TigersEye]

Indulge your silly side. Vote Third Party.

If it was a good enough idea for McCain!?!

McCain may leave Republican Party to fight Bush in 2004
His staff set up policy think-tanks and other groups to lay the ideological foundations for another third-party challenge in the Bull Moose style.

McCain may leave Republican Party to fight Bush in 2004 FR July '01

How Bill Kristol ditched conservatism. Great Escape (Gave floundering McCain 2000 campaign a direction.)

[TigersEye]

BS. You are misrepresenting what Keyes said. I expect you know that though.

[Jay Redhawk]

Until the last year or so I would have agreed with you, but the Republican house is infested with termites and not cockroaches. The termites have destroyed the stucture, the ideas, the values, and tenets of a party that was only marginally conservative to begin with. I believe it is time to burn the house and build a new party.
A new conservative party will likely be a minority party for years to come. It will be, however, in a position to gain membership and control when the socialist government ultimately collapses of its own bureaucratic weight. Only then can the ideas of America’s Founding Fathers be put into place and only then can freedom and liberty be restored.

[21stCenturyFreeThinker]

...And become even smaller, more irrelevant, and less effective for the conservative movement. I’m glad our generals and admirals don’t fight with a third party mindset. -Wb

Once again, if McCain is elected president after such a thorough rejection by conservatives then kiss any real influence over the presidential nominee goodbye for a generation or more. The new formula for success will be a broad appeal to moderate Republicans and Independents. Conservatives won't matter because they will have proven they will unconditionally support whoever the nominee is. A loss by McCain because of a conservative rebellion would be a validation of the current formula for success, an appeal to a united and energized conservative base.

A question: Would you support any Republican nominee for president in the general election? Lindsey Graham? Arlen Specter? George Voinovich? Each of those names have been labeled as RINOs along with McCain. Where do you draw the line?

[21stCenturyFreeThinker]

A new conservative party will likely be a minority party for years to come.

I'm not so sure. The Whig party self destructed and the Republican party was born in less than a decade.

The analogy isn't perfect but it could be the starting point for a new movement. With serious mainstream conservative support it could happen.

[21stCenturyFreeThinker]

I thought I had posted this already. A short wikipedia article that discusses the demise of the Whigs and the rise of the Republicans.

[FMBass]

I’m sorry, as a conservative, there is no way I’ll vote for McCain (obviously not Hillary nor Obamma either).

I used to be one of those that would compromise and vote for the Republican nominee to avoid the “greater evil”, however, given McCain as the nominee, what is the difference now?

I’ve recently come to the realization that as conservative voters continue to endorse left of center Republicans, these candidates take these endorsements as a referendum.

The more conservatives avoid the “greater evil” by voting for RINO’s the more they are endorsing a shift away from conservatism!

Yep, this decision not to vote for McCain brings the potential eventuality that a continued shift towards socialism shall occur in the next four years, via the election of the Democratic nominee, perhaps even an irreparable shift. Let’s hope not, however, the time has come to make a stand.

I cannot and will not vote for McCain. I’ll either stay home or write in someone that I would like to see in charge of this country. Senator Jeff Sessions form Alabama immediately comes to mind (and I’m from NJ, just recently relocated to NH, and yes I voted Duncan Hunter in the NH primary).

[Jay Redhawk]

The Whig collapse in 1852 was largely the result of the Whig inability to deal with the question of slavery. Republicans were able to form quickly from a base of Whigs, Free Soilers, disaffected Democrats and others, and by 1856 they were able to offer up a strong presidential candidate in John C. Fremont. I think it is possible that a conservative third party could grow quickly if the right issues and events come along. But, for right now I don’t see any issues coming up that might shake American voters to their senses.
Hopefully, a conservative party could rise quickly to power, but I fear that because we have so slowly lost our liberty it has largely gone unnoticed by a majority of Americans. I really believe that the majority of people do not care what the government does so long as they are not asked to do anything. It is then up to us who do care to position things so that when the time comes we are ready to step forward and take the country back.
I do know that voting for John McCain would only serve to reinforce the Republican party’s notion that conservatives will always fall into line and vote for the lesser of two evils. I am tired of helping them get what they want while they chuckle behind my back.

[21stCenturyFreeThinker]

I think it is possible that a conservative third party could grow quickly if the right issues and events come along. But, for right now I don’t see any issues coming up that might shake American voters to their senses.

...

I do know that voting for John McCain would only serve to reinforce the Republican party’s notion that conservatives will always fall into line and vote for the lesser of two evils. I am tired of helping them get what they want while they chuckle behind my back.

This is the most important point. A win by McCain after such conservative dissatisfaction will change the electoral formula for Republicans for a long time to come. The threat of a significant third party would be a good tool to move the Republicans back to the right.

It is a good idea to revisit conventional wisdom though. It's almost universally accepted on both sides that a third party will never rise to power. As you said, given the right issues and events it could happen quickly. I'd add the right leadership to frame the argument and forge the political factions into a durable ruling coalition. It's been done before.

[TBP]

And not to mention that I don’t have the slightest idea of that their ‘animal’ is. I mean other than it’s not the Elephant nor the Donkey.

For a while, the Conservative Party of New York used the beaver because they're so hardworking.

[TBP]

And what about overturning Roe with numerous likey conservative appointees to the supreme court.

Do you really think that's going to happen? I think it's obvious it won't. For one thing, McVain is more eager to curry favor with Dimmycraps than us and Dimmycraps will filibuster any justice who might be a conservative. The best -- the best -- we could hope for is anotehr Anthony Kennedy.At bottom, McCain is a get-along, go-along kind of guy.

[TBP]

Bob Taft told conservatives to support Eisenhower.

Goldwater, before and after his own Presidential campaign, told us to support Nixon.

Reagan in 1976 told us we should support Ford.

Conservatives followed those urgings. Look what it got us.

We get all the rhetoric, they get all the action.

The Republican Party treats conservatives the way the Democrat Party treats blacks, and it’s time for both groups to break out and untether themselves from that automatic party loyalty. As Sen. Richard Schweiker said, “I know now what party loyalty means. It means the conservatves have to support the liberals, but never the other way around.”

[TBP]

You’ve offered no evidence for your belief, because I think you know you don’t have any. I hvae offered some evidence for mine.

Besides, a major influx of conservatives disenchanted with the GOP would create a major force within the party that would enable it to elect more Rick Jore types and therefore wield more political power.

Remember, former GOP chair Ed Gillespie essentially threw all of us out of the Republican Party when he told the Manchester Union Leader that there was no place in the aprty for limited government types.

[TBP]

VP nominees are irrelevant.

[TBP]

McCain can’t beat Obama if every conservative voted for him. He’s going to get beaten so badly that I’m afraid the RNC won’t learn it’s lesson. They will say “No republican could have won the election”

Ah, yes, the Stupid Party with its virtually infinite capacity to learn the wrng lesson.

[hosepipe]

[ Then my eyes were opened when I heard their obnoxious radio ads during the 2000 and 2004 elections. They were trying to convice me, and other gullible voters that Bush was more dangerous than Gore or Kerry. ]

Bush has GROWN federal government more than Gore or Kerry COULD HAVE EVER DONE..
He "IS"(still) more dangerous than Gore or Kerry..
I suggest you re-think, IF you can think at all..

Bush is a ringer a "plant".. You know like John McLaim..

[TBP]

Even reagan appointed Suiter!

No, Bush Sr. appointed Souter. Reagan gave us Kennedy and O'Connor. Ford gave us John Paul Stevens, who may be the worst justic on the entire court.

Earl Warren,. William Brennan, and Harry Blackmun were also Republican appointees.

[TBP]

A new conservative party will likely be a minority party for years to come. It will be, however, in a position to gain membership and control when the socialist government ultimately collapses of its own bureaucratic weight.

As Taft led to Goldwater and Goldwater led to Reagan.

[DennisR]

If you vote for a third party, you will give the election to the Dems. Remember Ross Perot. The only way a third party will work - at least initially - is for conservatives to join that party but not run in any election that includes a D and an R until they know they can win the election. Until then, they throw their support behind the most-conservative R. Otherwise, the Ds will get elected by default. Remember Bill Clinton.

[TBP]

The Whig party self destructed and the Republican party was born in less than a decade.

The Republicans won the White House just six (6) years after the party was founded.