Posted on 12/19/2007 10:15:54 PM PST by gpapa
Ask Republicans how they intend to vote in the upcoming primaries and you often hear, "There are two or three candidates I'd consider voting for...." Press the question, and "I don't know" is the surprisingly common reply.
The uncertainty, felt even by some who've endorsed a candidate, stems from many factors. The primary elections come earlier and thicker than ever this year, intruding on the holidays and the holiday spirit especially of the vanguard voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, but disquieting any American who would like to deliberate about this fateful choice a little longer. There are a lot of Republican contenders to choose from, too, and most are plausible as president.
But the main cause of the perplexity is something else, I think. Republicans lack a clear criterion by which to make up their mind. Not so long ago, that standard would have included a definition of conservatism--ragged at the edges, but still serviceable. But American conservatism's meaning, even in its heyday never uncontroversial, is less clear today. And the implications of that meaning--where conservatism should go from here--are more up in the air than at any time since the movement's founding in the 1950s.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
That's because the more we find out about our candidates the more flaky we learn they are.
The only candidate that doesn't come across as a flake is Duncan Hunter. But I'm sure if he was higher up in the polls somebody would find something flaky about him.
Then who is?
Some people's test of a person's Christianity.
Same reasoning.
This time, we’re not voting for our candidate, we’re voting against theirs...
Hopefully it is Hillary, cuz nothing else will bring the GOP to the polls.
Duncan is a conservative and he has my qualified support. But even Duncan has some faults. He is generally a big spender and I have never heard him complain about earmarks. Fred is probably my second choice, but his views on CFR and tort reform are not what I consider appropriate. The others in the hunt are a no go as far as I’m concerned.
(Runs and hides)
This does leave us with candidates who run to the left of both Hillary and Obama on some issues, and one guy, who tried to run to the left of Kennedy on some issues.
Yea, great field.
One thing that happened recently, someone talking politics to me, was talking about how she had certain make or break issues, they were support of abortion, support of gun control and support of gay rights.
I cracked up when she said this year, it wouldn't matter GOP or Dem, because she felt she was going to get what she wanted no matter what (she also thinks its Romney vs Obama).
My understanding is that most of that "big spending" was for the military. I'll take it.
Hunter’s votes:
YES on No Child Left Behind
YES on Sarbanes-Oxley
YES on the 2003 Medicare Drug Benefit
YES on 2005 Highway Bill
YES on the 527 bill
Hunter also went 0 for 19 on the Flake anti-pork amendments
Hunter fits the bill for real-deal conservatism.
Of course, what we’ll see on this thread is the standard “I like Hunter, but ___________ “ which gets said so regularly that it’s starting to sound like talking points. Bill Clinton would be proud of such stringent rank-following.
Sometimes I think that Hunter’s campaign is a test to see how courageous America is. When it comes time to picking our candidate, what is the primary thing to consider — name recognition or idealogy? California flunked that test when it chose aRINOld over McClintock. I hope that mistake does not get repeated nationally.
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According to Intrade, the winner of the December 12th GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts
I still think him most qualified to protect the country in time of war. It's not even close.
We agree on that point emphatically.
Yes on the 527 bill was absolutely correct to help fix the damn mess Fred and McCain foisted onto the GOP. Read about it sometime.
Sarbanes Oxley was voted yes on damn near unanimously after the Enron debacle. Hunter, like most others, wants to reform its more onerous provisions.
And the flake amendments 19 symbolic votes in a bill that had hundreds of earmarks. Hunter is less inclined to kill off all earmarks because as he explained in the first Freeper Press Conference, his earmarks included the border fence in San Diego, armor for the humvees, and IED jammers.
And Hunter’s history, aside from the prescription drug bennies, is one of marked fiscal conservatism.
Wanting to cut discretionary spending and rein in entitlements, a la Sen. Coburn, is much more important.
Things like his votes on Sarbanes-Oxley, Medicare Part D, the transportation boondoggle, and to a lesser extent, NCLB, are a bit more troubling.
That being said, his positions on almost everything else are preferable to that of his opponents so I'm willing to live with it.
Draft Thomas Sowell.
The naked truth is too many people make their living now either working, or being subsidized by the government for their income. That makes a true conservative a threat to them personally. Conservative has become nothing but a label, and has almost no bearing on todays political reality. My suggestion is you put your hope in Christ, knowing that His Kingdom will be the ultimate example of peace, justice, and prosperity for all, forever. This current system must collapse before something better can rise to replace it. Thinking a band-aid labeled “conservative” can fundamentally change its course is nothing but wishful thinking.
Hey dude I support Duncan, but not the bills I mentioned.
The 527 bill has not fully addressed the issue of free speech in political campaigns.
Sarbanes-Oxley is a bitter and expensive pill for small and medium sized firms like the one I used to work for.
That said Duncan is still my first choice for the nomination as long as he remains in the hunt. I do not see him dropping out anytime soon.
That’s right. Duncan Hunter is the real conservative in this race.
With the Iraq war raging and an illegal invasion threatening our sovereignty, it’s nice to know conservatives are obsessed with...527’s?
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