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Moderate road won’t beat Obama
The Boston Herald ^ | January 2, 2012 | Holly Robichaud

Posted on 01/02/2012 7:19:06 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Tomorrow less than 20 percent of registered Republicans in Iowa are going to tell us who they believe should take on President Obama. Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, who has bypassed the caucuses, said last week that Iowa picks corn, not presidents. Is he correct?

Well, if you ask Mike Huckabee, he would say yes. But on the other hand, Obama did win the state.

Iowa’s importance will be in whittling down the field of contenders. It is most likely going to claim several conservatives, which means that their voters could flock to another right-wing candidate — not necessarily the frontrunner.

If Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich gets an Iowa bump, as Huckabee did, you can expect establishment Republicans to once again pound the message that voters have to nominate a moderate to win the presidency.

This theory makes sense for the commonwealth, because we are the People’s Republic of Massachusetts. That’s why U.S. Sen. Scott Brown does not vote as conservatively as we all want.

However, the rest of the nation is not Massachusetts, so GOP voters can hold out for a Ronald Reagan conservative.

For years the Democrats believed they could not nominate an ultra-left-winger and win the presidency. That was one of the major reasons given in 2004 to end Vermont’s former Gov. Howard Dean’s candidacy. Obama trashed that hypothesis.

Compared to Barack, Hillary Clinton looks like Margaret Thatcher.

In 2008, Republicans dutifully nominated U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Despite publicly criticizing then-President George W. Bush on federal spending, McCain was otherwise an establishment moderate because of his record of being part of the Senate Gang of 14 and a supporter of amnesty for illegal immigrants.

When Republicans select a moderate, the nominee cannot run to the middle to win over voters. Actually, the candidate has to do the opposite to make sure there is no base abandonment.

Moderation can impel Republicans to stay home rather than vote, as we saw in the disastrous 2006 and 2008 elections. GOP voters were angry at our elected officials for increasing spending, growing entitlements, etc. They repaid them by refusing to vote.

Being a shrewd politician, McCain tried to motivate the base by picking Alaska’s Gov. Sarah Palin.

It wasn’t enough to retain conservative voters when he stumbled over the market meltdown, and in the end, even moderates such as Colin Powell ditched McCain.

We have been there and done this moderate candidacy against Obama. Are we going to repeat this unsuccessful model?


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012; alaska; arizona; colinpowell; elections; gingrich; hillaryclinton; hollyrobichaud; howarddean; iowa; johnmccain; jonhuntsman; massachusetts; mikehuckabee; newtgingrich; nobama2012; obama; palin; ricksantorum; romney; santorum; sarahpalin; scottbrown; vermont
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To: Rational Thought
Huckabee had some real issues with his (so called) Conservative credentials. Santorum does not.

Not to promote one over the other, but Huckabee has some Charisma.

Santorum has NONE

21 posted on 01/02/2012 7:58:15 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife

What?


22 posted on 01/02/2012 8:04:44 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You can't invade the US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.~Admiral Yamamoto)
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To: mylife
In honesty, I have never seen Santorum or Huckabee in person, so I don't know who has charisma (on the campaign trail) and who doesn't. I have seen both in debates though, and given the limited face time Santorum has had (likely to change after tomorrow), he came across well. I can't say the same of Huck in 2008.

I will give you this....if comparing the charisma of the two from their appearances on Fox News, yes, Huckabee does come across as far more charismatic.

23 posted on 01/02/2012 8:07:49 PM PST by Rational Thought
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Are we going to repeat this unsuccessful model?


Yes.

There it is in a nut shell.. If the establishment wins. They WILL repeat it. And history will repeat with Obama serving 4 more years.


24 posted on 01/02/2012 8:10:32 PM PST by cableguymn
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Are we going to repeat this unsuccessful model?”

Probably. With the identical result. *$^&^%&$&^@#&.


25 posted on 01/02/2012 8:11:59 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (Gun store gift certificate. An idea whose time has come.)
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To: mylife

I am delighted to see Santorum do well, and thanks be to God for whomever it takes to stop, delay or kill the thre coming train, the Romney campaign.

But, Santorum voted to increase spending over and over and over, eight times. Santorum left twisting in the wind the like minded conservative Pat Toomey, whom Santorum rejected in order to pander to the Establishment by supporting icky Arlen Spector! It was then Arlen Spector who was the single turning Republican vote that handed us Obamacare in a basket! How quickly we forget why Rick was not re-elected. He is at best a moderate if his record means anything.


26 posted on 01/02/2012 8:15:22 PM PST by RitaOK (The higher you poll in Iowa, the more embarrassing it is for you.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Let me walk that back a skosh.

It just seemed that the bulk of the articles you posted today fractured our party.

You didn’t write them, and I am pleased to see that you recognize that the Dems are vulnerable as well.

Obama is NOT popular with his base.
They want to love him, but he is NOT popular.
They think they can get him time to redeem himself by splitting our party.


27 posted on 01/02/2012 8:15:26 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife

“Obama and the Clinton’s HATE each other!”

I don’t disagree, but their insatiable hunger for power would not stop them putting on a show and running together.


28 posted on 01/02/2012 8:15:30 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (Gun store gift certificate. An idea whose time has come.)
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To: RitaOK

Romney is Obama light.
I don’t think he will be that difficult.


29 posted on 01/02/2012 8:17:15 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.

author Holly Robichaud:

http://dotan.wordpress.com/tag/holly-robichaud/
http://www.tnr.com/topics/holly-robichaud
http://appalachianrepublicanwomen.com/?p=475
http://invinciblearmor.blogspot.com/2010/01/lone-republican-holly-robichaud.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9DAcX5jTJQ
http://www.govote.com/columnists/massachusetts/hollyrobichaud
http://www.google.com/search?q=Holly+Robichaud


30 posted on 01/02/2012 8:24:18 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! May 2013 be even Happier!)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

I disagree.
Obama Punked Hill and Bill hard.

He cut her power off as SOS in a brutal way.
I don’t understand why she ever agreed to the gig.

Obama was off to India with Jeff Imelt and a 500 million dollar entourage of business leaders and Gov officials while he had Hillary in the back jungles of Papua New Guinea.

Oh, she is pissed...


31 posted on 01/02/2012 8:25:00 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

Hilly says that Holder and the Justice Dept never applied to the State Dept for export licenses for guns in “Fast and furious”

Oh, they have punked her at every turn and she hates it.


32 posted on 01/02/2012 8:28:53 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325075/Obama-India-visit-Biggest-US-President-40-planes-6-armoured-cars.html


33 posted on 01/02/2012 8:31:46 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Dem beats Dem Lite every time.


34 posted on 01/02/2012 8:33:41 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

R.I.N.Os worked so well in the past... let's try it again, everybody! /s

35 posted on 01/02/2012 8:37:28 PM PST by Lady4Liberty (Watch Romney endorse Obama's radical liberal agenda: http://youtu.be/i1fThdWagJ4)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Are we going to repeat this unsuccessful model? "

It's looking very much that way right now. We need to wait until after Florida to get a "fair and balanced" view.

36 posted on 01/02/2012 8:38:43 PM PST by matthew fuller ("If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost." Winston Churchill)
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To: mylife

You make a compelling case and I think you’re absolutely right, there’s no love lost betwixt them. But there’s nothing I put past this cabal. The one thing I believe almost everyone can agree on is that they really, really have the country on the ropes. The left sees America’s destruction in their sights. So do alarmed conservatives and probably most independents. The FSA just sees their next welfare check and that’s all they care about. Those are 0bama votes. I *do* think an 0bama-Clinton ticket would be very tough to beat, but I already think 0bama will be hard to beat (with whom we have...by all rights, he should be beaten in a 47 state landslide)


37 posted on 01/02/2012 8:42:41 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (Gun store gift certificate. An idea whose time has come.)
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To: mylife

On my best day, I agree with you. But I have been reading up that the Romney Super PAC is doing his dirty work with cash, and because they have it in triplicate they are using it. It has resulted in an endless ability to pick off our contenders one at a time as they pop up, leaving Romney’s nose looking quite clean for the trail.

Apparently the Iowa Republicans are responding to the well funded smears by dropping away from the better threats to Romney, and right on time. There are those whom Romney actually fears, (it was first Perry and then Newt) and that PAC is only just warming up. All this, while our guys are left scrambling for cash to catch the next plane to New Hampshire brings the problem home. It is the Establishment who must be kicked to the curb and that does not happen unless we coalesce behind one candidate, pool our resources against Romney and pray the drop outs will not endorse Romney, but our guy. Fat chance.

Ask me tomorrow when I am re-invigorated, but the purchase of the nomination when it is seen actually working, is hard on my patience and morale. :) But only temporarily.


38 posted on 01/02/2012 8:43:39 PM PST by RitaOK (The higher you poll in Iowa, the more embarrassing it is for you.)
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To: GenXteacher

Given your desires, and the fact that Senator Goldwater is dead, who among the current field most closely fits your requirements?


39 posted on 01/02/2012 8:46:19 PM PST by matthew fuller ("If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost." Winston Churchill)
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To: hadaclueonce

“RNC, roll us out a real candidate.”

You speak the truth!, Like Rush said on Greta last week, the RNC doesn’t think it can beat Obama and they have therefore fallen back on retaking the Senate so that the old AH’s there can get back their committee chairmanships. Romney can’t break 30% in the primaries. That means 70% of us are not for Romney. And yet, every single “I’m Not Romney Candidate” gets some traction and the RNC and Romney start whacking them down. I am just preying that Romney does not win in Iowa tomorrow. He needs to be relegated to the dust bin of history early.


40 posted on 01/02/2012 8:50:02 PM PST by vette6387 (Enough Already!)
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