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 ...
Exactly and with Obama as her VP. (Unless he PO's her during their primary run.)
The desire for Hillary is why the leftist MSM is signing the praises of the two Rinos.
LOL -- with you managing my campaign. :0)
I do hope Ron Paul doesn't seek re-election as a representative while making his Don Quixotic run for the Presidency.
Pass on Paul.
Some conservatives spoke out loudly in the last election cycle. On election day some conservatives stuck with the GOP candidates available, while others decided to stay home and punish Republicans for ignoring their conservative base. You and others need to listen up. Instead of pointing fingers at conservatives for the GOP losing, how about placing the blame squarely where it belongs. That would be with Bush&Company. If you don't want to see the same results in 2008 that we saw in 2006, I suggest you refrain from mindlessly attacking conservatives. That will lead to only one result. A Democrat in the WH come Januray 2009!
*snort*
Paul will try the 3rd party debacle after he loses support before the primaries.
And, Buchananites will rejoice! He will give them a cause.
I will vote for the GOP nominee, period.
Right on the head!
They say money talks and BS walks.
It's a little too early to surrender my principles,so I think I'll keep supporting the candidate who best represents me.
There's always Buchanan. /sarc
The truth is that there most likely will never be a "conservative candidate."
The reason being that what it takes to be President demands far more than the very limited concept of conservatism, as a philosophy. That is, conservatism is not broad enough in its scope to define a presidency.
Look at the very word "republican" versus the word "conservative". Republican is a system of government, that is, a republican-democracy. It is a grand, sweeping philosophy that encompasses all of our nation.
Conservative, however, is not a system, it is a mode of operation. Do they conservatives want a President who governs by what amounts to "gridlock", only allowing change that is modest and, well, "conservative?"
Alternatively, conservatives often define themselves as what liberals are not. This is issue-oriented politics, and while it is good for that issue, it does not run the country. If a candidate said that he was a "conservative" because he wanted to end all abortions, and, oh yes, also abolish the armed forces, I doubt that he would be very acceptable.
So the bottom line is that there almost *can't* be a conservative candidate. No matter who is found, they will always be found wanting as far as conservatives are concerned.
If they are doing something different from what conservatives want on an issue, or if they are settling for "half a loaf" as all they can get from the process, or if they are not addressing themselves to *all* the issues that various conservatives are concerned with, they can be seen as "failing".
Pat Buchanan will say they are not conservatives, because they are not isolationists. Pat Robertson will say they are not conservatives, because they do not go to church enough.
There really is no way it can happen. So it's time to redefine what exactly conservatives and republicans want in their candidates, an overarching philosophy that by itself is not offensive, and *generally* is in tune with what conservatives want.
The times is trying to partition us into harmless boxes. By separating "moderates" from "conservatives" from "insiders" from "squishes"(whatever that is) they employ a "divide and conquer" strategy that worked so well in 2006.
They had us running around calling each other "RINO", and now we are on the outside looking in during a crucial time .
In order to govern you have to have a majority, and if you have a majority you need the whole right side of the spectrum from moderate to conservative.
or keyes
I respectfully disagree.
Those same attributes were highly touted by the mediaand the libs when trying to sell us John Kerry.
And unlike Kerry, Hunter served with distinction.
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