Posted on 05/08/2009 3:27:15 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
(CNN) — Days after national Republicans launched a new campaign to broaden the party's outreach, former upstart presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says the GOP is at risk of becoming "irrelevant as the Whigs."
In an interview with the California newspaper The Visalia Times-Delta, Huckabee said the GOP would only further decline in influence should it alienate social conservatives — largely considered the most energetic and loyal faction of the party.
"Throw the social conservatives the pro-life, pro-family people overboard and the Republican party will be as irrelevant as the Whigs," he said in reference to the American political party that largely disbanded in the mid 1800s.
"They'll basically be a party of gray-haired old men sitting around the country club puffing cigars, sipping brandy and wondering whatever happened to the country. That will be the end of the party," he said in the interview published Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com ...
sw
I've no doubt. But they should be soundly trounced in the primaries. McCain-Romney-Huckabee is part of our problem, not part of the solution.
Agree we need new blood. However, Sarah Palin wasn't a Presidential candidate, so I'll exclude her from your "none"...
sw
I think Romney will go for the moderate vote and Huckabee will likely split the conservative vote with Palin.
Demonstrating that there needs to be more nominees. Fresher nominees, with real ideas. Perhaps people who haven't even been mentioned yet.
You would be correct. As she wasn't one of the dishwater conservatives in the nomination race, she qualifies.
sw
33 year old cute, but no, Carter lost the Protestant vote by a good margin, got less than half of the Evangelical vote and about 54 to 57% of the Catholic vote.
Even though he campaigned as a social conservative and it helped him in the election following Watergate when Carter was running against Nixon's not social conservative veep, Carter did not make awesome gains with the faithful.
Social Conservatives are the conservative movement.
I came in here ready to bash Huckleberry but he gets it right for a change. Bravo!
There are no “moderates”.
Stop and think about this for a minute .... if the Republicans dump the Social Conservatives, or, as it appears you are suggesting, the Social Conservatives stop opposing abortions, do you really think that the MSM will not simply find the next issue to "divide and demoralize" Conservatives?
Look at your list of things that you suggest that Conservatives should concentrate on. The MSM is already regularly attacking those things and those who believe in them. You should ask yourself which one of the things on your list will then be placed in the MSM's "Top Target" list. When, not if, that happened, should Conservatives then "not talk about, or support" that item?
Following your premise, where does it end? Which one of those are your ready to give up on when the MSM then makes it (and the people who support it) their target for destruction?
I support all the things on your list AND oppose abortion. The leftists will NEVER give up anything, or compromise on what they want, or treat Conservatives fairly. We must understand that clearly, deal with it, and never compromise ANY Conservative issue.
Don't fall for the constant barrage by the MSM and the gutless Republican leadership, saying that Social Conservatives must go away. They may leave the Republican Party, but they still vote, and they WILL, regardless of what form it takes, have a significant impact on this country and its future.
Now that you said that it makes a lot of sense.
We just need to get our mojo back. Unite. Unite the clans! It's the energy that we have lost somewhat, not our principles.
and Huckabee claiming to be a Social Conservative? Come on!
I'm sure Romney is a nice guy (as hard nosed businessmen go) but he doesn't respect the social conservatives at all ~ to him the soc-cons are just a source of votes in a situation where he thinks they have nowhere else to turn.
That's a very dangerous position to take ~ McCain took it, for example, and the soc-cons just stayed home, just like the tax-cons and soc-cons did when they told George HW Bush where to stuff it.
Ha! Another good one!
Huckabee. He’s irrelevant. I couldn’t stand him during the election season .... a sleazy schmuck and will do anything to draw attention to himself as if what he says has value (which it does not)! Put McCain in that same mix, as well. Both of them working together last fall gave me the creeps.
That’s not to say most of the GOP has any use. Seriously, what to h-—ll is going on in Washington? They can’t response to takeover of our banks, our businesses, our healthcare system? They can’t even lift a pinky to protect our borders and the sovereignty of this nation by simply enforcing our immigration laws?
The whole scenario is getting exhausting. I’ve been after politicians for 20 years, written letters, emails, participated in the party process.
My conclusion is that the average American does not having enough intelligence or capability to put their own pants on. I’m starting to get curious to find out how it will be when the bottom falls out of this country ... when people who have been holding it up by its bootstraps all these years, just stop.
I wholeheartedly agree with the Huckster, but not for the reasons he states.
I don’t know enough about Huckabee to get into much detail on him but is your complaint with him that you don’t think that he is conservative enough on social issues?
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