Blast it, man... what do you not understand about the fact that the Republican Party and the conservative movement both draw a large part of their support from Christian conservatives? We don't control the party or the movement, but in large parts of the United States, Republicans can't win elections without us, just as we can't win elections without other conservatives whose focus is on something other than abortion, gay rights, or other moral issues.
I don't appreciate one bit your comments about needing “to preemptively nip the religious leaders there in the bud.” I expect such stuff out of Democrats. I don't expect such comments from fellow conservatives.
The conservative movement consists of social conservatives, economic conservatives, and national defense conservatives. Those are overlapping and not mutually exclusive constituencies — some of us are all three — but the fact is that we all have far more in common with each other than we do with the Democratic Party.
We all need each other if our goal is to win elections. Frankly, for a lot of us evangelical Protestants, we're already having to compromise a great deal to not just vote for but aggressively support a conservative Roman Catholic. Both Gingrich and Santorum would be denied communion in my church, as I would be barred from the Mass in theirs, and we regard each other as being members of churches which are in very serious doctrinal error if not actually apostate false churches.
If we social conservatives are willing to compromise on something that to us is literally a matter of eternal importance so we can help get a pro-life candidate elected, I think we can expect you to show at least a little bit of courtesy to us as part of the conservative coalition. We know we need you, and before you start your pre-emptive war on Christian conservatives, you'd better not forget that you need us, too.
You misread my point, or else I did not properly execute my argument.
I AM a Christian Conservative; Life issues are the FOREMOST issue to me, as is religious freedom.
What I mean by “preemptively nip the leaders in Iowa in the bud” is to stop the propelling of one-percenters into bone fide vote splitters WHEN THERE IS a Pro-Life, Pro-religious freedom, Social Conservative with a considerably better chance of winning available.
Huckabee is not such an upgrade from Fred Thompson that it was worth risking everything and getting McCain. Santorum is not such an upgrade that it is worth risking everything and getting Romney. All four of them are reliable Pro-Life Social Conservatives with records of protecting religious freedom and traditional marriage.
We need very strong standards merged with pragmatism. We cannot afford anymore Iowa pipe dreams. Never again!