Posted on 02/13/2008 4:21:21 PM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
Stop the bleeding. Vote Third. No mandates for RINO McCain.
if McVain is the most conservaive, best candidate the GOP can come up with, this is certainly at least worthy of consideration. The Republicans started as a third party.
Maybe there will be a major influx to the Constitution Party. I wonder if they can convince at least a semi-serious candidate to run for President on their line.
And to the professional Republibots around here, I wouldn’t worry about that. The Dimmycraps are going to be drained by Cynthia McKinney on the Green line, Nader on the imaginary party, and maybe Bloomberg.
I second that motion.
I second that motion.
Third Party ping!
A third party would cause conservatism to wander in the wilderness for years to come while liberalism coalesces around whatever trendy bag of hollow-blathered socialism suits their fancy.
Let’s clean up our own party to succeed and leave the tried and true third party failures to the Greens and Independents. -Wb
The options are:
1) Stay home on election day or skip voting for President. - This will be reflected in the exit polling but doesn't really provide a clear message to the Party.The Third Party option would probably sink the Republican candidate but it would force a return to the Conservative roots of the Party in the next election. I don't think it should be dismissed so quickly.2) Vote for the Democrat - This will be interpreted as the country moving much farther to the left.
3) Vote for McCain - This will be seen as proof that Conservatives are not an important part of the formula for a Republican Presidential win.
4) Vote Third Party - Provides an unmistakable message to the Party that Conservatives can't be ignored in the nominating process.
A third party would cause conservatism to wander in the wilderness for years ...Do you think voting for a moderate to liberal Republican Candidate will keep Conservatives from wandering for years as well? A win by McCain changes the electoral formula. This will just make Conservatives wander inside the Republican Party where they are easier to ignore. Think about the Black vote for the Democrats. So reliable that they are easily ignored.
Remember that the Republican Party was formed from the ashes of the Whig Party.
Except in certain cases I have stopped voting Repub altogether. As a party they are wholly repugnant and underserving of my support.
The Third Party option would probably sink the Republican candidate but it would force a return to the Conservative roots of the Party in the next election. I don't think it should be dismissed so quickly.
Exactly! Third Party is definitely the way to go this year.
There is no way any conservative should vote for McCain, Clinton, or Obama.
Only if it causes McCain to lose. If voters stay home and McCain wins, it will set in stone that those voters who sat it out, no matter what they call themselves are irrelevant and not needed.
Indulge your silly side. Vote Third Party.
Let’s clean up our own party to succeed and leave the tried and true third party failures to the Greens and Independents
At first glance it would make sense to clean house by voting out the “leftist bums” but that won’t get the job done.
What you’re overlooking is that the party is not run by elected officials that can be voted out. It’s not just the “inhabitants” of the house but the house itself that is the problem.
Some of us have been feeling that for years. Tell me something new.
Count me out of this suicide.
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. They were perfectly content to throw the election to the RATs.
Then I realized that they NEVER intend to win any elections. It is much easier to pretend to be holier than thou, knowing full well, they'll never be called upon to prove anything. The members of the CP are a bunch of cowards. If they really cared about their country they would be Republicans and try to swell the numbers of true conservatives. Then we will be in far better shape and we might actually accomplish something. But don't be fooled.
I’ve heard that both the Libertarian and Constitution Parties have made overtures to Ron Paul. Regardless of what you think of his positions he does bring a large grassroots support base and fund raising machine to the table. I’m hearing that he does not want to run 3rd party because he’s done it once before (in 1988 for the Libertarian Party) and polled badly and he’s more interested in keeping the ‘movement’ going and if he ran 3rd party there would be a backlash as he’d be the Nader in this race to McCain’s Kerry and would catch the heat for losing the race for the Republican Party. Say what you will about Libertarians but the Republican Party needs there votes.
Even if a third party has nearly zero chance of winning in November, all it would take is 10-15% of the vote to show that we are SERIOUSLY tired of the CRAP the GOP is trying to feed us. Either the GOP will shift back to the right, or the new 3rd party will grown. Either is a winning scenario.
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