If only it were so black and white, so cut and dried. An honest answer to your question, am I on Jim's side? Yes and no.
I agree with Jim a lot, and I agree with a lot of the principles he's recently set forth. However, I do not agree with them all, nor am I likely to agree with them all. I am definitely saddened by the recent purge. I believe it was unnecessary and only served to hurt FR and the GOP in general.
Now, before you ask, why am I here? It's simple, I agree with Jim more than I agree with the other guys at this juncture. I may agree with RDU (random DU'er) 2% of the time, but I agree with Jim 80% of the time. So it would logically follow that I would feel more at home here than at DU, where I'd disagree 98% of the time.
Since strong language seems to fly around Fr these days, I'll be uncharacteristically blunt. If any two people, let alone 3 more agree 100% of the time, one or more them are kissing someone's ass. The agreement isn't genuine and should be dimissed. At the first juncture, someone's going all Iago, and the pretty little coalition falls apart.
Now, I'll make my position perfectly clear. I fear that Rudy is not the canditate that I originally thought he was. However, if he wins the party nomination, which I find likely, I'm not only voting for him, but I promise heaps of derision and abuse on anyone who breaks ranks and goes 3rd party. I'm a loyal Republican. If that's a sin on FR, so be it. That much is immutable, I will not budge.
That’s a good straightforward answer, and I respect it greatly. Thank you.
Nt that I agree with your last clause, of course. As you know from everything I’ve said before, I’ll never vote for Giuliani under any circumstances. I’ll consider my criteria for being a member of the GOP coaltion abrogated if he’s nominated.
Another nutty poster who professes not to support Rudy now, and only if he's the nominee 18 months from today! LOL A vote for Rudy is a vote for liberalism, yesterday, today and tomorrow. You maybe a Republican, a liberal Republican. If you haven't noticed, over 40% of FReepers will be voting third party should Rudy somehow secure the nomination. Include write-in, stay home or leave blank and that numbers jumps to 70%. You 'll be fighting the vast majority of this forum by supporting Rudy.
Obviously this thread taught you nothing!
That certainly is your perogative with which I won't argue. Every individual's vote is a prescious franchise and everyone should feel free and inspired to cast their vote as they see fit.
... but I promise heaps of derision and abuse on anyone who breaks ranks and goes 3rd party. I'm a loyal Republican...
This, I have a problem with this. First, if one is to respect your right to direct your vote as you see fit, then why shouldn't you respect theirs?
Second, and most importantly, I found the term "break rank" really offensive. I have been registered Republican all my life and voted accordingly. My conservative beliefs line up pretty much with the party platform. But the GOP does not own my vote, nor do I owe them my vote. The onus is on the Party to present a candidate who supports the platform and principles of that Party. If not, there is little reason to be a member of that Party at all, let alone vote for whichever candidate they may back. When that candidate neither resembles my acceptable-candidate* nor supports the majority of the party platform, they will not get my vote. It's pretty simple, really.
*An "acceptable-candidate" is not to be construed with an "ideal candidate" or a "pure candidate", but one who meets approximately 75% of my expectations.
Thanks Melas...for articulating what many of us feel.
Bring it on. If Giuliani either fools the Party and they nominate him, or the Party knowingly elects someone who opposes the majority of their platform, then the Party has become a completely different Party than the one that I signed up for. I'm a loyal Republican. If that's a sin on FR, so be it. That much is immutable, I will not budge.
I'm a loyal Republican too. That's why I support the Party Platform. Giuliani is NOT a loyal Republican, does not support the Platform, and his candidacy will do more harm to the Party than you can possibly imagine. His nomination and subsequent hijacking of the Party will destroy it, necessitating a 3rd Party. The Party will have abandoned its own values and betrayed those who hold those values. Why should anyone respect or support a party which changes its values to a set of values which that person opposes. If the GOP adopted the Democrat Party platform, or something close to it, would you still remain a "loyal" Republican? Why? What's the point?
Those are the facts. And FR needs to be at the forefront of preserving the Party by deep-sixing Giuliani's campaign. The trouble is, too many FReepers have been fooled into supporting the liberal who will hijack and destroy the party and we couldn't become the cohesive force necessary to have any effect on Giuliani's campaign. We had too many here promoting someone who is in almost total opposition to the mission and values of this site, disrupting or discouraging any efforts to mount any opposition against him and his campaign.
You know what is at stake and you now know Free Republic's mission as it pertains to Giuliani. Get with the program, get out of the way, or get lost.
It always amazes me how someone can be here as long as you have and still act like this is a republican forum, it’s not. We are conservatives first, and republicans second (for the most part). Conservatives have principles—and they stick to them—even if that means they vote third party—or don’t vote at all. If you have a problem with that then maybe it’s time for you to consider joining a republican forum. I think you’ll have a lot more in common with your fellow republicans.
I'm sorry, that's not clear at all to me.
First you say, Rudy is not as good a candidate as you thought; but you'll vote for him despite his faults. OK, sometimes we hold our nose when we vote.
But then you promise "heaps of derision and abuse on anyone who breaks ranks..." That's not just holding your nose any more, that's going to war FOR a bad candidate and AGAINST others who stick to principle, and indeed, AGAINST the very principles that make the Republican Party worth voting for.
Two things will follow. 1) You're selling out Republicanism to expediency and lust for power. 2) You'll lose anyway.
At what point does being "a loyal Republican" require someone to vote against their principles?
At what point does being "a loyal Republican" require one to vote for someone who is more aligned ideologically with Hillary Clinton?
With all due respect, your focus is wrong. If the Republican Party powers that be force a liberal candidate upon the party it is they who are disloyal Republicans, not those who vote 3rd Party to send a message to those same powers that be that our Party does not stand for gun control, abortion, big spending, less individual liberty, open borders, etc...or candidates with an "R" after their name and a "D" in their heart.
Any Republican that casts a vote of conscience for a thrid party candidate and against Rudy is being a loyal Republican.
Unless I missed the RNC memo that stated that the Republican Party was no longer a party of conservatives and was morphing into a more moderate Democratic Party in response to the DNC shift to the Dark Side of the Moon...