Posted on 01/20/2007 11:06:08 AM PST by Clintonfatigued
For decades, the conservative movement has been the animating force of the Republican Party, providing the ideas and energy that catapulted candidates to the GOP presidential nomination and, often, the White House.
But as conservatives survey the 2008 field — and, particularly, the early Republican front-runners — many are despairing. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani have all broken with conservative orthodoxy at one time or another. Many activists have neither forgiven nor forgotten.
"There's absolutely no contender that is a bona fide conservative," said K.B. Forbes, who has worked for a number of conservative candidates and causes since the 1990s. "We have insiders, squishes and moderates running for president."
The candidate closest to the heart of social conservatives, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, plans to formally launch his White House bid today with a speech in Topeka. But even those who admire Brownback, and especially his Senate leadership opposing abortion, same-sex marriage and stem-cell research, question the viability of his candidacy.
"Brownback has to prove he can win," said Richard Land, head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination.
Land sees different problems for the three leading GOP hopefuls. "Most social conservatives at present are uncomfortable with McCain," he said. "They're appalled by Giuliani." As for Romney, Land said, "He has to convince social conservatives he's become one of them."
It's a striking state of affairs, given the ascendance of the conservative movement since 1964. Although he was crushed in the general election that year, Arizona's Barry Goldwater wrested the Republican Party from its Midwest and Eastern roots, starting a realignment that eventually turned the GOP into the party of Ronald Reagan, the Sunbelt and the
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
It is a fact. You will not get a *perfect* candidate from the GOP.
LOL
Do the math. About 32% of the country is republican. About 35 to 40% of republicans are social conservatives. Meaning about 11% of the country are social conservatives.
Have you taken a look at the Constitution Party yet?
Where have we heard this about going "beyond that level of philosophy" before? A cookie for the winner.
Being an award-winning mathematician, show me your lefty polls if you dare.
I always chuckle (ruefully) that the RINO's idea of how to win elections is to invite voters, even those whose views are those of the majority of the party, to leave.
Detente, hell. Every drop of oil the USSR could drill was used to pay for the wheat. Every speck of gold in their reserves. Every speck of gold they could get from dredging their river deltas. Every bit of foreign currency.
All for wheat. And as paranoid as they were, they would never eat our wheat. They used it to feed their farm animal based agricultural system, and diverted the animal fodder for humans.
But it was never enough. A year would pass and they would *have* to have more money, like a junkie needs more drugs.
When Reagan finally announced the SDI, like we were made of money, it broke their will. There was no way they could pay the unbelievable amounts of money to build their own anti-missile system.
Towards the end, they were so desperate, they even opened a bank in Switzerland, hoping that somehow they could parlay a moderate stake into a fortune, betting against capitalists.
The Swiss raped them. Even the president of their bank had no idea where the money went. It just seemed to disappear.
He was recalled to Moscow. I've no idea if they shot him for losing however many of their precious millions they had left.
This was explained to me by an agribusiness professor at my State University. He sneered at those who criticized Reagan for selling wheat to the Soviets. They simply had no idea.
Really.
Unlike your post at #76, your post at #185 isn't a total crock of $hit. But it comes close. Your original post basically denounced conservatism, and what it means to be a conservative. IOW, conservatism by itself is a loser, and has no real chance of winning elections. You seem to be saying that for conservatism to be a success, it must be tempered with more moderate, more centrist and even with some liberal policies. Have I got that right?
In #185, you seem to be giving Reagan credit for his "so-called" conservatism, while at the same time calling some of what Reagan accomplished in the 1980`s, as being akin to the liberal Democrat agenda. I disgaree andcall that pure nonsense. I think your remarks miss the barn door, the barn and the whole farm, for that matter.
I'm still convinced that the old coalition Reagan build in the late 1970`s, can be a force in American politics once again. I'm confident that social and fiscal conservatives can work together towards common goals. The major objective is to see the conservative agenda advanced through the Republican Party apparatus. And I still think Reagan's way, was the best way. Reagan wasn't perfect, but his policy agenda was right about 90% of the time. While Bush`s policy agenda is right about 50%-60% of the time. Hence my reasoning for wanting to see the GOP get back to its conservative roots as promoted by the Reagan agenda. Its time the GOP moved away from the Bush agenda of big government Republicanism we've witnessed over the last six years.
IMO, American conservatism goes hand in hand with what the Founding Fathers wrote down in the US Constitution, and I think those men had it right. I think Reagan had it right.
Keyes is looking at the Constitution Party. Why aren't you? Or do you think you can do more damage to the GOP?
Another inaccuracy from you. What a surprise. /s
Keyes talked the Constitution Party. He also told them that he is still a Republican, and why.
Write to Fred Barnes. He said on Brit's show that social conservatives are about 35% to 40% of the GOP.
So the fact is that about 11% of the population are social conservatives and about 45% are independents. It is imperative that we appeal to independents if we want to win.
Duncan Hunter. There, fixed it.
Keyes is looking at the Constitution Party. Why aren't you? Keyes told them to be ready in case the GOP isn't good enough :-)
If the GOP goes your direction, it won't matter...there will be nothing left to defend.
So why aren't you looking at the Constitution Party?
Because my presence in the GOP galls people like you so much.
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