Posted on 02/01/2007 10:06:51 AM PST by GulfBreeze
Republican conservatives are unhappy... don't have a presidential candidate.
...they don't see a "real" conservative in the top tier of the GOP field.
...may have to choose between a front-runner who professes fealty to conservative causes but whose devotion may be suspect or a lesser-known ...
The disquiet stems largely from polls showing the two front-runners ...John McCain of Arizona ... Rudy Giuliani, who supports abortion rights, gun control and gay marriage.
The fastest-rising contender ...Mitt Romney, ... once campaigned as a backer of abortion rights and urged a bigger role for gays and lesbians in the GOP.
In a column last month ... Republican pollster David Hill dismissed .. McCain and Romney candidacies ...
...that doesn't mean there is no GOP aspirant with a record that social conservatives could readily support. Sen. Sam Brownback... Mike Huckabee... James Gilmore... Duncan Hunter of California and Tom Tancredo of Colorado, are also wooing the right.
... Mr. Hill, who seemed mainly concerned with questioning the motivations of Mr. McCain and Mr. Romney. Both "possess some conservative credentials," he conceded, but "neither of them seems particularly interested in being the 'real' conservative."
"They are already moving to the center to win the general election, and this could be their undoing if a genuine conservative enters the fray,"...
The conservative dilemma is hardly a new one. Since Barry Goldwater's 1964 candidacy, the most conservative contenders – from Phil Crane in 1980 to Gary Bauer in 2000 – have usually lost the GOP nomination to more broadly acceptable candidates.
But one thing is clear: Republicans have tended to do better with nominees like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, who drew the enthusiastic support of conservatives, than with those who attracted less fervent backing, like Gerald Ford, the elder George Bush and Bob Dole.
...
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
And people say we don't let idiots in this party.
But, don't get pissy with me about Hunter's or anyone elses chance of winning. Not while sporting Roaming Romney's name sake on your handle (Is there a single issue this guy HASN'T changed positions on?).
The big three names are now Giuliani, McCain and Gingrich. Romney is not even top tier. He has peaked and is now declining. Enjoy the trip.
Back to the big three. The big three are all 'name saturated'. Which is to say EVERYONE knows who they are. Giuliani and McCain each have ZERO chance of getting anymore support than what they currently have without the other dropping out of the race. Gingrich by hedging his bets with 'maybe I'm running maybe I'm not' has at least left himself and the voters room to grow.
MittFan08... laughable...
This coming from an "also-ran" candidate supporter with a screen name of MittFan08 with a sign-up date of Jan 2007.
Do you really think any genuine Reagan conservative would have a prayer of winning a Senate or Governor's seat in modern Kalifornia? I'll not begrudge this man for staying put in the Congress.
Enjoy your RINO candidates, I'm sure they'll do you proud.
I agree but I think Hunter has really been on the ball with that approach over the past few weeks. Just wait till he starts registering on the national scene. I think he'll take off but big.
Among hese candidates, Duncan Hunter is the only one who IS copnservative on his total record, with military experience. He has not had to woo the Roght, he is OF the right. Duncan has not had to " adjust " his message, or lean further to the right, or construct an "image" which shows he is of the right.
The conservative legislative agenda of congress was traduced by the Gang of 14 in the Senate. Simultaneously the DNC , with the help of the RINO Senators of the Gang of 14, engaged in back room politics to get rid of Tom DeLay ( his trial still has not advanced, and they mean to drag it on until after 2008, so that he has no chance of participating in the 2008 presidential race.)
The RINOS and their supporters in the Republican party conducted a coupe, with the help of their Democrat allies. They actually usurped an elected movement of representatives, to stymie conservative republicans.This is hardly democratic, or even republican. Its tyranny of the first water.
Conservative Republicans feel abandoned by the Republican party. The Republican party cannnot possibly win the Republican presidency without the conservative vote. Unless there is a conservative presidential candidate, there will be a repeat of the 2006 debacle in which Republican conservatives stayed home in droves. The Republican party usurped and abandoned the conservative legislative agenda from the House of Representatives. And the Republicans will not be able to trick or terrify Repuiblican conservatives back into the Republican fold without a conservative candidate.
The only truly conservative candidate that has offered so far IS Duncan Hunter. If he or one very much like him who has an established conservative record , with military experience,does not get the nomination, I like many republicans will eiher stay home, vote for a third party, or revenge vote for Hillary.And I have voted straight Republican for the last 4 elections.
This messsage needs to be absorbed by the RNC. The RNC has allowed conservative principles to be abandoned in the party. In abandoning those principels, you have abandoned a third of Republican voters who are irreplaceable.
In doing this , you will have caused the destruction of the Republican party, which will become a simple repository for liberal thought and political action, while the leftist whackos take over the Democrat party.
Conservatives WILL create their own party. They are on their way to doing so now.
Voters are going to be looking for high-profile, moderate, Washington outsiders who can bridge the partisan gap. So far the base has been shouting for more conservative (Hunter!), single-issue (Tancredo!), or just plain silly (Newt!) candidates who aren't going to be able to win given the current look of the political landscape.
Unless there's a dramatic turnaround in Iraq (which we all hope for) and Prez Bush is able to bring the greater portion of our troops home, I think we're going to get our skis waxed come '08.
Dunno. Noticed a lot of 'em lately.
So you don't consider being an Army Airborne Ranger part of his adult life? You don't consider working your way through college and graduate school part ohis adult life? You don't consider running a private legal practice immediately out of law school part of his adult life?
Do you have a better candidate? Hell no you don't. Scram troll.
The notion that "social conservatives" don't do well is put to rest with Ronald Reagan.
Reagan won large because he was socially, fiscally, politically, and patriotically...conservative.
Gary Bauer lost for reasons other than "conservatism." He was a lightweight.
I want to hear from more candidates, and I don't want the media to ANNOINT the next republican candidate.
"This coming from an "also-ran" candidate supporter with a screen name of MittFan08 with a sign-up date of Jan 2007."
Romney has raised more money than McCain and Giuliani and has secured a number of nominations from top consevatives, including Sen. DeMint.
Having said that, I'm in this to win- to defeat Hillary. If it looks like Rudy but not Romney is the guy to do that, I will support Rudy. Romney has to start showing some upward movement in his poll numbers, and fairly soon.
Congressman Hunter is THE man!
In every Presidential election, there are plenty of conservative candidates that do run for President every time! There are plenty of conservatives in the Republican, Democratic, and Constitution Parties who do run as well as plenty of conservatives who do run as Independent candidates for President! Most voters don't even know about all of the conservative candidates in total who do end up running for President every time.
Duncan Hunter vs. Hillary in the Electoral College:
Duncan : 134 Electoral Votes
Hillary: 404 Electoral Votes
Rudy Giuliani vs. Hillary in the Electoral College:
Rudy : 337 Electoral Votes
Hillary: 201 Electoral Votes
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