[roamer_1:] Romney's defeat will have nothing at all to do with firing up Obama's base.
I can't imagine a person that fits their definition of the capitalist enemy more perfectly than Romney. His nomination would surely energize the Democrat base.
No doubt, and I agree with you - It is just that Obama's base is insignificant in comparison to the Conservative base - It is always the Republicans' race to lose.
To wit: Just the Christian Right, with no other conservative factions is capable of fielding 30m voters guaranteed - But if you give them someone to vote *FOR*, that number swells tremendously... Estimates range between 60-100m... In an average voting field of 300m, that is close to one-third of all votes cast! And that is JUST the Christian Right.
No, Romney's defeat will occur precisely because the Conservative base will not turn out for him, and that is the only reason. Even as it was with McCain't:
Now they are finally saying that the reason he lost was because Evangelical turnout was not good - No surprise to me, as I predicted it: McCain supported Planned Parenthood, had a libertarian view of sanctity of Life, and railed against the Christians for years. He pointedly refused to go before the Value Voters, prefering to use Saddleback as an interface to the Christians, where he knew he would not be subject to conservative Christians. Palin was just turd polish and could not effect the real outcome. Don't mess with the Pro-Life position, and don't mess with sanctity of marriage, or you will lose. That verdict is clear.
Romney is the same thing only worse. Mormonism alone is a big problem, but his pro-choice, pro-homo record is simply unpalatable - They WILL vomit him out. There is NO WAY that the Christians will sacrifice their unmovable prime principles in order to vote this guy in. It just ain't gonna happen.
So, you see, it isn't that I disagree with you, but that your point is made moot. It is the Conservative base that will reject him, and that will matter more than any other thing.
Of course you are right. What position does a conservative presidential candidate have to take to energize this great slumbering giant into action?
Is it only national catastrophe that will unite the people?
The people were greatly united after Pearl Harbor. And that unity carried our nation to a great victory. And I remember everyone, Democrats and Republicans alike on the steps of the U.S. Capital singing God Bless America the day after 9/11. And that unity carried our military forces into both Afghanistan and Iraq (which the Democrats conveniently forget today) though victory is a word that has long been absent from the American lexicon.
Victory was not our legacy in Cuba. Victory was not our legacy in Vietnam. Victory was not our legacy in Iraq1, and does not appear to be our legacy in Iraq2, or Afghanistan.
When people wonder what are the signs of American decline, and their brains become numb trying to conceptualize it, our enemies don't have this problem.
America accepted defeat in Vietnam. America accepted defeat in Iraq1. In Americas headlong retreat from Iraq2, we look like we going to accept defeat there. In our headlong retreat from Afghanistan, we look like we are going to accept defeat there. In our determined stance against a nuclear Iran, we look like are going to accept defeat there. In our headlong retreat from the forces of homosexuality, we are clearly accepting defeat on one of the most important fronts of the culture war.
Our nation is clearly not a winner anymore. Our enemies see this, and they are just waiting for the day to put us out of our misery.
I believe that the nation's need for the restoration of our access to the resources of Divine Providence, and the role school prayer must play in that restoration, must play a role in this unity and renewal equation, obviously, from my statements above. Though I think most Christian politicians shake in their boots with terror at the prospect of being laughed out of town if they utter those two words.
But if Christians won't unite around God's Purpose, what will they unite around? They will hold hands only at the prospect of their imminent destruction?