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Fearing split, pastors urge GOP candidates to quit
AP ^ | Dec. 28, 2011 | THOMAS BEAUMONT

Posted on 12/28/2011 3:59:52 PM PST by markomalley

Two politically active pastors in Iowa's robust evangelical conservative movement said Wednesday that an effort has been under way to persuade either Rick Santorum or Michele Bachmann to consider quitting the Republican presidential race and endorsing the other to avoid splintering this influential voting bloc's influence in the state's caucuses.

"Otherwise, like-minded people will be divided and water down their impact," said Rev. Cary Gordon, a Sioux City minister. He said he asked Santorum several weeks ago to consider exiting the race but has since endorsed the former Pennsylvania senator, who is rising in polls. Rev. Albert Calloway, a retired pastor from Indianola, said he too asked Santorum several days ago to consider quitting the race.

A group of voters that united behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's winning caucus campaign in 2008 fear that this year's caucuses could be won by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. Neither track as closely to the religious right as Santorum, Bachmann or Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Santorum, long dismissed and short on campaign money, has diligently campaigned in Iowa for more than two years. A CNN poll of Iowa caucusgoers released Wednesday showed Santorum leaping into third place in Iowa, at 16 percentage points, behind Romney and Paul.

(Excerpt) Read more at old.news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: bachmann; iowa; iowacaucus; ricksantorum; santorum

1 posted on 12/28/2011 3:59:53 PM PST by markomalley
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To: markomalley

How about pushing Mitt and Newt to quit and endorse a conservative. Throw in pushing Paul to quit while we’re at it...


2 posted on 12/28/2011 4:02:57 PM PST by Ingtar (Newt (four more for Obama) & Mitt (Obamacare) - what wonderful choices!)
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To: markomalley

Sounds like a great idea! now if we can just get Santorum and Bachmann to both quit and endorse Gingrich we can end Romney’s dream of being the first president with magic underware.


3 posted on 12/28/2011 4:02:57 PM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (Newt Gingrich 2012!)
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To: markomalley
The chance of this happening are nearly nil. If it would happen, it's logical for Bachmann and Santorum to get out in favor of Perry.

A third or fourth place finish by either Bachmann or Santorum will not do them as much good as it would for Perry.

Perry is the only one with the money to continue and he even has the better record.

4 posted on 12/28/2011 4:05:04 PM PST by Conservativegreatgrandma
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To: markomalley

Bachmann is open to the idea:

“If anyone wants to merge and fold into my campaign, we’re more than delighted to have them come in, but after all there’s been one statewide election in this race so far, it’s been the Iowa Straw Poll. I’m the only one that’s won of all the candidates,” Bachmann said.

Now all we need is for Santorum, Perry and Newt to drop out of the race.


5 posted on 12/28/2011 4:05:52 PM PST by BarnacleCenturion
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To: markomalley

The candidate for conservatives to coalesce around is Rick Santorum.


6 posted on 12/28/2011 4:06:39 PM PST by Antoninus (Defeat Romney--Defeat Obama.)
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To: markomalley

These little self-annointed kingmakers have a very high opinion of themselves and their “precious” Iowa Caucuses, don’t they?

Frankly, the whole thing has degenerated into a total farce, when someone as bats___ crazy as Ron Paul has a realistic chance of finishing ahead of a former Speaker of the House and a sitting Texas Governor.

I don’t give a rat’s ass who wins Iowa. It won’t matter in the long run.


7 posted on 12/28/2011 4:10:32 PM PST by Yankee (ANNOY THE RNC: NOMINATE NEWT GINGRICH!)
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To: Antoninus

Amen! The only truly conservative candidate in the race.


8 posted on 12/28/2011 4:11:20 PM PST by fwdude
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To: Yankee

Iowa is not the only fraud. New Hampshire is also a joke because the liberals will be more than happy to vote in our primary.


9 posted on 12/28/2011 4:17:37 PM PST by Erik Latranyi
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To: markomalley

Whoever quits 1st is the more worthy.


10 posted on 12/28/2011 4:20:00 PM PST by ROTB (Christian sin breeds enemies for the USA. If you're a Christian, stop sinning, and spread the Word..)
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To: markomalley

Well since we can’t even get the first 10 FReepers on this thread to agree around which candidate to coalesce, I don’t expect Bachmann or Santorum to agree to this.


11 posted on 12/28/2011 4:20:12 PM PST by Retired Greyhound (.)
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To: markomalley

chicagotribune.com

GOP elite divided against itself
Conservative establishment getting vilified

Jonah Goldberg

December 28, 2011

I’ve made a disturbing discovery: I am a member of the conservative “establishment.” I feel like Michael Douglas at the end of “Falling Down”: “I’m the bad guy?”

Largely in response to the real and perceived excesses of the Bush years and the overreach of the Obama administration, the base has become more populist. In particular, the rank and file of the GOP and the conservative movement have become deeply disenchanted with what they see as the rubber-spined, foot-dragging quislings drinking from a trough of Chablis at some Georgetown party. The term “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) has become an epithet of ideological enforcement, spit out in much the same way Mao cursed “running dog capitalists.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-1228-goldberg-20111228,0,6466279,print.column


12 posted on 12/28/2011 4:20:46 PM PST by KeyLargo
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To: Antoninus
If Santorum can do well in Iowa, I would consider supporting him
13 posted on 12/28/2011 4:27:57 PM PST by TJA
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To: fwdude

There really are no conservative candidates in the race, there’s a mostly classical libertarian and the rest are current renditions of Abe (the liar) Lincoln’s party, the odious Whigs now known as Neo or Statist or Progressive Republicans. The concentration should be on getting strong Constitutional Republicans aka Classical Liberal-Conservatives into the House and Senate in the 2012 and 2014 elections. The Imperial Presidency must be contained and a majority in both houses would be good start.


14 posted on 12/28/2011 4:28:50 PM PST by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: BarnacleCenturion
Now all we need is for Santorum, Perry and Newt to drop out of the race.

People should reconsider Perry. He is pro-family, pro-business, pros-life and has been misrepresented on the immigration issue.

15 posted on 12/28/2011 4:47:29 PM PST by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!)
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To: markomalley

this is a good argugment for the GOP to follow the dems and have a 2nd rd with only those got got above 15%.

That way if say one of Perry/Santorum/Bachmann/Gingrich got 17% but was still behind Paul and Romney and the others got say 13, 11 and 10, then in the 2nd rd the one who got 17% could pick them all up and win.


16 posted on 12/28/2011 5:29:07 PM PST by jeltz25
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To: Antoninus

Agreed.


17 posted on 12/28/2011 7:36:25 PM PST by sarasmom
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To: Retired Greyhound
LOL!

Of the available field, Santorum is the only one left who can gather enough steam to win.
No conservative wants Mitt.A RINO McCain type re-run, foisted on the electorate by RINO Party “leadership”. No, but thanks anyway!
Everyone over fifty knows Gingrich can't win, nor do we grass roots Republicans want him anywhere near power in this century.
Ron Paul is not conservative nor is he a Republican.
He is a Ross Perot type candidate, who has progressed via media machinations to spoiler status at the Republican primary level.Not just no, but Hell No!

18 posted on 12/28/2011 8:03:39 PM PST by sarasmom
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To: TexasFreeper2009

I can’t wait until the Iowa Caucus is over. Its a minor primary with little real bearing on who will win the GOP nod.


19 posted on 12/28/2011 9:03:50 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: Retired Greyhound

It just has to work itself out. We should all vote for the person who seems like the best candidate to us BUT no matter who wins, WE HAVE TO GET OUT AND VOTE FOR THE REPUBLICAN THAT GETS THE NOMINATION! We can squabble all we want but we cannot afford to stay home and pout if another guy wins otherwise we will have FOUR MORE YEARS OF AN AMERICAN HATING MARXIST!


20 posted on 12/29/2011 3:03:58 PM PST by cradle of freedom (Long live the Republic !)
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