Semi-exactly. I blame the supporters of the "wing" candidates - Huckabee, McCain, and Romney - who should have conceded that their candidates appealed only to one "wing" of the broader body of conservatism, and who should have supported the only candidate who was a true, broad-based, all-around movement conservative - Fred Thompson. We're in this fix because too many conservatives put their petty one-wing concerns over the good of the movement and the nation as a whole.
VERY well said...
Conservatives should have rallied behind the most complete conservative available, the one who could have brought the most conservatives into the fold by representing the widest range of conservative values.
According to all FR polling data, that was Fred Thompson from start to finish. I would have been happy with whomever FR members agreed was the most complete conservative.
The debate as to who that was could have taken place quickly and easily here and it did. Once conservatives agreed in majority, all conservatives should have rallied to that effort and let their single issue conservatives go.
This must happen in the future and if it does, conservatives can begin to win again.
Well done!
Sorry, I’m conservative and could never get excited about Fred. He looked old and arthritic. I still like Romney, but lets face it his religion did him in.
There are many conservative black leaders out there that would be ten times the candidate Obama is, who would garner my vote. Obama is a throw back to Louis Armstrong. BUT
Like Reagan, his words appeal to the masses.
Funny how he’s sitting back and letting his supporters speak for him, describing who he is. Reminds you of Reagan.
nick
Conservatives Don’t Know How to Win
Author is dead Wrong...
Conservatives just won’t Lie and cheat to win, They Play fair with Gutless crooked criminals who will Lie, Cheat, and
do anything to win.
those Rats are called democrats.
Fred Thompson was a factional candidate too, strong toward the fiscal/libertarians. He had nothing for the Defcons, and arguably came out against the Socons.
I am consistently amazed by "Reagan Conservatives" who routinely break Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment:
"Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican."
each of them more conservative than John McCain.
I'm sorry, but none of the "conservatives" trying to claim they were THE conservative to rally behind had remotely the track record of being staunch convservatives let alone more conservative than McCain. Thompson and McCain were virtual twins in their voting records and were buddy buddy the entire time Thompson was in the Senate. Huckabees record is compeletely driven by leftist policies, and Romney was no conservative, though he tried darn hard to buy enough PR to convince folks he was.
I agree conservatives shoot themselves in the foot, because they frankly act childish. Politics in a democratic system is inately a social activity.. you can't just say if you won't play the way I want I'm going to go home... You have to accept the realities that while you hold principle A dear to you, others may not, and while you are free to hold that principle to think that if you don't get your way on that, you witdraw completely means that principle will never every be addressed.