Posted on 01/04/2012 5:57:46 PM PST by bigbob
A group of movement conservatives has called an emergency meeting in Texas next weekend to find a “consensus” Republican presidential hopeful, POLITICO has learned.
“You and your spouse are cordially invited to a private meeting with national conservative leaders of faith at the ranch of Paul and Nancy Pressler near Brenham, Texas, with the purpose of attempting to unite and to come to a consensus on which Republican presidential candidate or candidates to support, or which not to support,” read an invitation that is making its way into in-boxes Wednesday morning.
The meeting is being hosted by such prominent conservative figures as James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; Don Wildmon, onetime chairman of the American Family Association; and Gary Bauer, himself a former presidential candidate.
Many of the individuals on the host list attended a previous closed-door session with Rick Perry this summer. But Perry’s candidacy stalled out, though he’s pledged to take his campaign on to South Carolina despite a disappointing fifth-place finish in Iowa.
Movement conservatives are concerned that a vote split between Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum among base voters could enable Mitt Romney to grab the GOP nomination. A source who shared the invitation said the meeting was about how to avoid such a possibility.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Non-story. There are groups all over America getting together to decide whom to support and they are all picking different candidates. This group is not special.
Who’s going to bell the Newt?
I can just see a pack of RINOs visiting him somewhere to tell him that he needs to stop fussing around and get behind Mitt.
Actually, I’d love to see that.
Newt’s reaction is likely to be interesting.
I remember reading of a papal conclave (where the cardinals gather to elect a pope.) Several rounds of votes could not produce a candidate acceptable to a majority. Then, in from the cold, and a great distance North, stumbled among them a monk, a religious ordinary, who simply felt called to visit Rome. Everyone recognized he was a good man, and no-one had reason to object to him. So they made him pope.
I wonder if Santorum’s kinda like that guy.
I prefer clarity instead of consensus. With clarity, people can clearly see a difference. If the best that the GOP has to offer is “Me too” or “Like that but not as much” then we are doomed to fail.
Judge Pressler has been a leader in the Southern Baptist denomination for many years. These are godly men I trust to seek God’s wisdom. I hope they can come up with a good plan, because we need one IMO.
They will do that to Newt after they’re done destroying Santorum.
I am going to go out on a limb here, since this opinion probably isn't popular on FR...
We need an R in the White House as a result of the 2012 elections, plain and simple. Having an R in the White House removes not only a pathetic leader, but removes an obstacle (read veto) to real conservative changes.
Personally, other than Ron Paul, I don't care who wins, as long as they win. With an R in the White House, a conservative controlled House, and hopefully an R Senate (a conservative Senate would be better but but I don't want to get ahead of myself here), the whole dynamic changes.
It is past time that we hold the House and Senate to task, and through them the President. Between the two houses of Congress all control lies. It's time to stop thinking we need a king in Oval Office. We need to restore power to the Legislature as the Constitution intended.
Conservatives real fight should be the House and Senate. An R, any R (except maybe Ron Paul) in the White House helps our cause if we can get conservatives elected to the legislature.
Even though I don't like Ron Paul for President, I think he would make a great Treasury Secretary...
Yes, it is a non-story. I know some of the people involved, and their influence won’t make much of a difference in the primaries, largely because they are retired from the positions and pursuits that make their names recognizable.
They kind of missed the whole individual vote thing didn’t they.
Those pesky peasants!!! Voting in ways which thwart our GOP establishment goals....ughhhh!!!
The ‘84 group put Ronald Reagan in the White House and made a Conservative out of me. Whatever it takes.
They have been around a long time and were instrumental in getting Ronald Reagan elected POTUS.
I had rather have Brum’s!
You're both correct and insightful.
This is just more "top-down" crap trying to be a newer or bigger power in the GOP establishment.
Only through concerted resistance can this model be broken.
It will take a consensus leader at the top of the field as well. So far that leader has not emerged.
I’d rather have a leader than a consensus builder since a consensus is the lack of leadership.
Your first point is one I have been trying to make for a while.
On the other hand, a solid Tea Party consensus candidate a year ago might have been solidly destroyed by now.
Thanks for this thread.
HEY! When all y’all “Consensus Conservative Cowards” get your fill of beer and bar-b-que, ask each other if y’all are “playing not to loose?” In football or politics, it is the best known way to lose as a coward. (McCain, Dole, Ford, etc.)
BTW, clue time: “both” political parties are spendaholics, “both” political parties have given your grandchildren a 15 Trillion dollar debt; the Mighty-est Government in the World can be shut down by just three people: Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader, and whoever the flavor of the day POTUS is.
We need a proven warrior with a titanium spine to lead us out of THE VALLEY OF DEBT! Forget about “broadening the base!” We need a problem solver who will cut BASELINE spending, year to year, by the US Federal Government. Hint: This is the main issue of the campaign, and no candidate has the guts to say it.
In my humble, but ALWAYS correct opinion, it is better to try to FINALLY solve the problem, than to “play not to lose” and get the usual, incompetent, clueless, Bipartisan Cave-In RINO.
NO MORE RINOs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy your meaningless “consensus picnic” while nearly 80 years of Bipartisan Cave In to Socialism by “both” parties will crush our once noble Republic. When? Ah, don’t worry, the Chinese are known for patience, well let’s hope so!
Romney is the enemy. Romney and Obama are cut from the same big government cloth.
On the other hand, a solid Tea Party consensus candidate a year ago might have been solidly destroyed by now.
I never really considered these people "the Republican Elite". IMHO, the real Republican Elite back Romney and could care less about conservative/religious issues.
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