Clarified: Why I Might Not Vote for the GOP Nominee in November
Posted on 01/24/2008 11:13:17 AM PST by kendall
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh stunned his listeners by announcing that he might not support the Republican presidential nominee in this year’s election.
Limbaugh said on Monday’s show: "I can see possibly not supporting the Republican nominee this election, and I never thought that I would say that in my life."
The reason: “You don’t have a genuine down-the-list conservative” among the GOP candidates.
“Wherever you go here in this roster of candidates, you're going to be able to point out ‘not conservative, what he did there is not conservative’” Rush said.
The Republican front-runners want the nomination “because it's their turn,” he also stated. “We tried that in '96 with Bob Dole and now they're running the same scenario…
"I'm telling ya, it's gonna come down to which guy do we dislike the least. And that's not necessarily good."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Yes, except he said that while Thompson was still in the race, and included Thompson in the specific littany of why people weren’t conservative down the line.
BTW, who among ALL of our candidates did you consider a 100% down-the-list never did a liberal thing conservative?
Grow up Rush you bozo. It does’nt really matter who becomes POTUS to you personally because you’ll be safe and secure, with a few hundred million in the bank. Even if the Evil Witch gets in and shuts down your radio show, you’ll still be OK.
It’s pretty bad when you can’t even pick one in the primary. However, given you had no person you WANTED, you did the RIGHT thing by not voting at all.
In the GENERAL ELECTION. if you do the same thing, you help elect the opposition.
Wrong, he actually said that Fred was the only conservative in the race.
Today he said he was going to vote for one of them. It’s pretty clear he’s either voting for Romney or Giuliani. Before he said he was going to vote for ONE, he said there were one or two he COULD vote for.
Rush is NOT sitting out the primary.
ANY ONE WHO THINKS THIS GREATY COUNTRY WILL BE WORSE OFF WITH ROMMNEY, MCCAIN, HUCKBERRY, OR RUDY in the fat seat vs The Evil One HAS FREAKING BRAIN DAMAGE.
Is that clear?
He said no candidate was 100% conservative. He didn’t say that would keep him from supporting a candidate.
He said he was voting for one of them. Before he said that, he said there were one or two he COULD vote for.
It’s clear the two are Rudy and Romney. Don’t have any idea which of those two he will actually vote for, and I’m certain he’s not going to tell us.
Rush was never for Rudy.
I would bet that Rush is definately talking about McVain, who went off the ranch some time ago. Huckabee is probably close too.
Your off your meds, Rush was never for Rudy.
You are not a listener, right ? If you were you would now that you don't need RUSH to make up your own mind. That's one of the first requirements in the EIB school.
Thanks! I needed that. It’s perfectly clear now.
Perfirmly dear grane, perfirmly.
Here's the transcript. It was a long discussion, I'm just lifting the parts that show he included Thompson in his list:
RUSH: Enough said. Wherever you go here in this roster of candidates, you're going to be able to point out "not conservative, what he did there is not conservative." The one guy that has the least of that is Fred Thompson, that's what I've said, but Fred Thompson was right in there supporting McCain on McCain-Feingold. That's a red flag. I make my living with my mouth and what comes out of it, and that was a direct assault on what comes out of certain people's mouths around election times.And Here is the part of the show where he made the exact quote being used:...
"Well, you tell me what's conservative about Romney? What is his record?" and, of course, I've not said Romney... She accused me of saying Romney is the only true conservative in the race. I haven't said that because there isn't one. But there are some in the race who are trying to destroy conservative while saying they're conservative, and they're trying to redefine it. I'm telling you, I'm not going to sit by and just shut up while that happens. There are other people who are not conservative down the line, but they're not trying to destroy conservatism and they're certainly not trying to redefine it totally to fit them, but there are those in the race who are. So let me speak generally, here. In order to have a change of heart on issues or a real conversion -- because every one of these guys has had a liberal position or more at some point in their past, and they're all out there saying they've changed their minds. Romney's changed his mind. McCain says (impression), "Well, I get it now, Limbaugh. I get it! I gotta do enforcement! (grumbling) I gotta do the borders, and then we'll make 'em legal. How's that?" And then, of course, Huckabee wanted to bring 'em all in and give them health care and welfare and Medicare, and now he wants to kick 'em all out.
In a situation like this, where you don't have a genuine, down-the-list conservative, you have to look at variables. It's easier for me to support a Romney than a McCain, for example, because I believe his conversion is genuine and he's not lying about past positions. He's not trying to tell people that they're wrong when they assess his past positions. He explains why he changed his mind and what it was that caused him to change his mind. And so I don't want to go through that whole list again, but that's pretty much how I would do it. It will be up when we update my website this afternoon to reflect the contents of the program. But this is really difficult. But depending -- there are a couple people -- I can't take these endorsement calls, because I'm just --It is clear from the transcript of the show on Monday that Rush did not consider ANY candidate, and that included Thompson, as a true conservative. He wasn't praising Romney on Monday, or anybody else -- he was dissappointed in all of them....
Right now the front-runners want it because it's their turn. We tried that in 1996 with Bob Dole, and now they're running the same scenario with McCain. You know what recommends McCain is so many people saying, "He got cheated, Rush, in 2000. He was cheated and we owe him! It was unfair." We've been down this road of owing people. We've been down this road, it's their turn. That's not what does it for me.
But when he talked about not voting, he was talking about McCain. When he talked about entitlement, he talked about McCain.
He spent several segments on the show explaining why he found Romney acceptable, when he found McCain unacceptable. Some are above, and here are links to other transcript sections I posted in the long thread on this that we just had a couple days ago.
Here's a post where I put up a part of the transcript
Here's a post where I put up another part of his monday transcript
BTW, he also said on an earlier day that there were three "true conservatives" in the race. true conservatives -- Fred, Rudy, Mitt:
RUSH: Let me just tell you what's happening. It is absurd and you're going to have to really gut it up here because the Drive-By Media is doing everything it can to disqualify the true conservatives on the Republican side. They're saying, "Romney, he can't win. If he loses Michigan, he's done." They said that about Romney in Iowa, they said that about Romney in New Hampshire. Now Fred Thompson apparently scored. Did you watch it last night, Mr. Snerdley? Fred Thompson was just fabulous, and people said, "Where has this been? All of this time, where's this been?" And I can't answer that, but now the Drive-Bys are saying, "Well, yeah, he was pretty good last night, but it's too late." We've had two states! It's too late for Fred Thompson? And, of course, "Rudy, why, he's lost all of his momentum, Rudy's out of it."So while you think Rush has said Fred is the only conservative in the race, he has clearly said that Fred is not a down-the-list conservative, and he said that there were three "true conservatives" in the race, and listed Romney in that group.
There is no reason why you have to agree with Rush. But you should have the respect to let him hold his own positions. It's too easy to pull up the transcripts.
gesundheit!!!
Maybe we can lead a charge to draft VP Cheney.
I have a nephew in the Army, 2 tours in Afghanistan, a son in the Marines, luckily no tour as of now, and for them and all the other brave souls serving, I’m sure I will support the Republican over the bull dike. Sigh!
John McCain 25%, Mitt Romney 21%, Mike Huckabee 19%, and Rudy Giuliani at 11%
I cannot remember a time, at this point of the electoral season, that Republicans have been so fractured.
I truly think that the questionable candidates, knowing they were questionable, raised much money, very early. I think much of this money came from other than grass-root sources. These sources probably have also put money on the Dem side and are covering their bases.
This money gave a perception of support not in line with the opinions of the Republican rank and file. Thus we have three not-popular-with-republican-voter candidates (and one “other”) buying buzz, but no real support. I think Huck has become the “other” candidate through his social-conservative support, but what he gains on social issues he looses in immigration, taxes, spending and Lord only knows what he thinks of in regards to defense...
My prayers are for a brokered convention. I could live with Newt, Thompson, Duncan, Santorum, or any number of other “real” conservative that have been interested but unable to compete...
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