Posted on 03/02/2012 11:34:11 AM PST by libertarian neocon
It's time to stop dilly-dallying. Super Tuesday is upon us and with that, the nomination race could be all but over unless conservatives and libertarians finally unite behind one candidate, a candidate who can beat both Romney AND Obama. That candidate needs to be Newt.
Among the not-Romney's he is the only one who can unite the party. Economic conservatives like him because he balanced the budget and reformed welfare. Defense hawks like him because he is the most hawkish of the lot. Social conservatives, when they can get past his personal life, like him for his strong record on issues like abortion. And libertarians, like the Libertarian Party's nominee in 2008, Bob Barr, like him because he is economically libertarian and not over the top on social issues.
Can anyone honestly say the same thing about Santorum? He goes out of his way to attack individual freedom and libertarianism and completely blew his chance to be the nominee by focusing on social issues instead of the economy (probably because his economic policy record isn't really that great). Who attacks prenatal diagnostics? Or the idea of contraception? Or says he wants to vomit over a rather non-controversial (and somewhat revered) JFK speech? He has proven himself to be quite a bit more gaffe prone and offensive than Newt, despite the fact that people thought he was a "safer" option. Even I was offended by some of the stuff he said and I am a Pro-Life registered Republican. It's really not surprising that his support is crumbling like it is. See the latest tracking data from Gallup (Santorum's popularity is in dark green, Romney's is black [matches his soul], Newt's is orange and Ron Paul's is light green):
Santorum is just not ready for prime time. He is simply too divisive, offending gays, women, parents, protestants and libertarians (in total about 80-90% of the electorate). Unfortunately, he retains enough support to possibly give Romney a majority of the states on Super Tuesday. His conservative backers need to wake up quickly, bite the bullet and go with Newt. As the brilliant Thomas Sowell wrote:
Newt Gingrich is the only candidate still in the field who can clearly take on Barack Obama in one-on-one debate and cut through the Obama rhetoric and mystique with hard facts and plain logic.Nor is this just a matter of having a gift of gab. Gingrich has a far deeper grasp of both the policies and the politics than the other Republican candidates.
Can anyone really argue with that?
I think Ron Paul supporters (the historically Republican ones, not the liberals who are just visiting the GOP for this election in order to support Paul) need to wake up as well. They are not furthering libertarianism at all by supporting Paul any more. He's made his point and has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with but supporting Paul on Tuesday just increases the chances that the most statist candidate, Mitt Romney, is nominated. Do you really want to be responsible for nominating the only Governor, Republican or Democrat, to enact a socialist universal healthcare system in their states? Newt isn't a libertarian but he is the man who did the most to wound the leviathan in the last 30 years. Why not vote for him and give this country a chance? It clearly won't with either Romney or Obama.
Finally, Newt is simply the most electable candidate in the race right now. As I mentioned earlier, he can unite the party, has a great grasp of both politics and logic and can actually explain conservatism in a way that others can understand and agree with. Santorum and Paul are both to extreme to get almost any independents over into the fold.
Sure he has baggage but I think most of it will go away. Freddie Mac? Let's see Obama bring that up when he received over $126,000 in bribes, err I mean donations, from Fannie and Freddie while he was in or seeking office (he was the #2 largest recipient in Congress, #1 was the notoriously corrupt Chris Dodd). Nancy Pelosi? Let's see Obama make an issue out of that one or Newt's opposition to cramming down the Ryan plan.
It's time for believers in small government and personal liberty to unite behind Newt, otherwise we will once again have a Nixon vs. McGovern sort of choice in the fall. And the stakes are just too high this election for that.
Santorum.
“I wasn’t slamming Santorum’s attack on Obama’s contraception plan, but his statement that he would use the Presidency to combat contraception in general.”
Evidence for this statement?
“Notice how quickly the narrative turned from Obama being oppressive to Santorum trying to turn back the clock.”
Indeed - that’s the narrative you’re advancing.
Gee, where would you guys be without that single 1975 quote that candidate Reagan made when being interviewed by libertarians, for a libertarian publication to a purely libertarian audience.
Reagan was a social conservative, in that very article he defended gambling laws and restrictions and slapped the libertarian party.
Libertarians are leftist fifth columnists trying to destroy conservatism while hanging on to conservative economics.
Newt’s last stand is Georgia. If he doesn’t make a major statement there by trouncing all others and picking off at least one or two other states on Super Tuesday, he’s a done deal.
Just more gop/e bullsh*t.
LLS
Doesn’t that come after the Primary?
“Evidence for this statement?”
http://swampland.time.com/2012/02/14/rick-santorum-wants-to-fight-the-dangers-of-contraception/
Obviously, it only took a few posts for you to see that won’t be happening.
LOL. All this does is ignite more trouble for both candidates other than Romney.
“What are you smokin’? Rasmussen shows Santorum trailing Obama by two points, Romney by six, and Gingrich out of sight in the rear-view mirror.”
THIS POLL IS BEFORE NEWT TEARS OBAMA APART IN THREE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE DEBATES, AND I BET NEWT CAN’T WAIT TO LAND PUNCHES ON HIM EITHER. HE PROBABLY HAS A SMIRK ON HIS FACE THROUGHOUT THE DEBATE (” GOTCHA!”)
“Reagan was a social conservative, in that very article he defended gambling laws and restrictions and slapped the libertarian party.”
Reagan was a social conservative but think back to his 8 years, what was his focus? Economics and foreign policy. Other than “just say no” its hard to remember anything he did for social conservatism. Which I think is how Newt would govern as well.
“Libertarians are leftist fifth columnists trying to destroy conservatism while hanging on to conservative economics.”
Leftist 5th columnists? Libertarians believe in small government and individual liberty. How is that leftist by any stretch of the imagination?
Newt’s in third place. If he wants to get the nomination he’s going to have to figure out a strategy that doesn’t involve the people that are ahead of him giving up.
From your source:
In particular, he said he would “get rid of any idea that you have to have abortion coverage or contraceptive coverage” as a government policy.
That’s it. Exactly what you said you support - you said you support Santorum eliminating any mandate for contraception.
“Newt’s last stand is Georgia. If he doesn’t make a major statement there by trouncing all others and picking off at least one or two other states on Super Tuesday, he’s a done deal.”
I agree. He can’t go 1-9 on Super Tuesday and be a viable candidate. Unfortunately, if Romney goes 9-1, Santorum is finished too and then we are SOL.
“Obviously, it only took a few posts for you to see that won’t be happening.”
Who knows, it just has to happen on the margin. But anyway, if you look at the Gallup polls, at no point in this primary season did any candidate have less than 64% of GOP voters against them. Kinda telling isn’t it?
If you support the platform of the libertarian party for instance, then you would be a raving leftist.
As it is, you are already pushing liberalism here with your anti-social conservative theme.
Now you know you weren’t supposed to make sense. LOL
Romney is the most libertarian candidate on social issues, and his family is traditionally the most libertarian in regards to the military and foreign affairs.
Why isn’t Romney your man, or have you been deceived by his feint to the right since 2006?
“Romney is the most libertarian candidate on social issues, and his family is traditionally the most libertarian in regards to the military and foreign affairs.”
Anyone who pushes through an individual mandate in their state and defends it to this day, is not a libertarian. Nor do they have any regard for individual liberty. If you arent allowed to say “no I dont want to buy that product”, what cant the government tell you to do?
He is the antithesis of libertarianism on economic policy, and as James Carville said “it’s the economy, stupid”
Romney does embrace the left on your other issues though.
He says that he will kill Romney care, since he is the most liberal, on the other issues, you really should consider him as a good libertarian, as least of these three candidates, two of them are Christians, and they will probably try to fight for conservatism.
“Romney does embrace the left on your other issues though.”
“He says that he will kill Romney care, since he is the most liberal, on the other issues, you really should consider him as a good libertarian,”
I am a libertarian that believes in a strong defense (seeing 9/11 from my office window and not the TV does that to you) so I dont often vote Libertarian. I am also pro-Life. Murder isn’t a choice. I think the last time I voted Libertarian was in 1996 when Bob Dole was the GOP nominee and I voted for Harry Browne. I think there are quite a few libertarians in the GOP who are in the same boat as me.
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