Replies

If enough conservatives band behind a Virgil Goode, a Tom Hoefling, or anyone else for that matter, you can give YOURSELF someone who can take the lead from Romney.

You are thinking waaay too small. Like I said, conservatives can't do it alone. Look at all the different types of folks who are bank-rolling and voting for Romney. Those are the folks you need to persuade.

Me? I'm voting for whoever leads the pack against Obama at the moment I walk into the voting booth. But for someone to lead the pack, they are going to have to look far beyond us conservatives. Conservatives as a voting bloc are easily outnumbered by all the other registered republicans, centrists, RINOs, right-leaning dems, libertarians, independants, north-east-country-clubbers, etc, etc, etc...

Your unknown candidates won't go far enough via the conservative grassroots alone. All those voting demographics I mentioned above? The vast majority of them will vote like they are told to vote, by the MSM, the Dems and the GOP. It is entirely frustrating, but that's what we are up against. People no longer look at voting like they did in the 50's.

I'm not voting to make myself feel good. That's what the primaries were for. Now I'm voting for survival and damage control. At this point, I don't care who I vote for, as long as he stand the best chance of defeating Obama. I'll vote for the town drunk if he's out in front.

That being said, I'm also not against primary-ing Romney if he's elected. In fact, I hope we do find some candidate we can all agree on (pipe dream, I know) to primary Romney if he's elected, if only to keep the pressure on.

I'm thinking small? I'm talking about conservatives relegating the Republican Party to third-party status and you say I'm thinking small? Hardly. If there's anything we ought to have learned from 2010 it's that individuals can think for themselves. They don't need big money to tell them how to vote. They need to believe that their vote makes a difference and if the party doesn't give them what they want, they can effect real change.

You're the one who needs to think big. You vote the pack mentality and once the GOP-E has told you who you have to support, you knuckle under. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's what you've done. That's not thinking big.

We're the base of the Republican Party. Without us they aren't able to win national elections. The phrase goes "Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line." When we fall in line, we get candidates like John McCain and Bob Dole -- who STILL lose.

Tell that to Mike Lee and Richard Mourdock. I admitted that my way is a longshot before, but we've had success. Do me the courtesy of admitting that a principled group of conservatives can get a job done. But you're right, people no longer look at voting like they did in the 50s. Thanks in part to the Tea Party, they now think for themselves.

I'm not casting a feel-good vote either. I'm voting for a conservative because only a conservative can save the Republic. And Mitt Romney ain't it, sir. Others have said it, but it does need to be said again. This site exists for the advancement of grass-roots conservatism. It's on the home page. If voting for Mitt Romney, or in your admittedly far-fetched example, the town drunk, advances grass-roots conservatism, I'd love to hear how that takes place.

There hasn't been primary pressure on an incumbent President since Ted Kennedy primaried Jimmy Carter in 1980. And even that didn't last. As President, Romney will control the party apparatus, he'll control appointments, and he'll get his way. Opposition from the right will be useless by that point in time. That means 2020 at the earliest before we get another shot at a conservative candidate, who would presumably have to run against Romney's Vice President in the event he wins a second term. I'm sorry. That's not good enough. I'm not going to support that and I'm sure not going to vote for it. However, I respect your right to do so.