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Evangelicals -- A Drag on or Essential to the GOP?
davidlimbaugh.com ^ | 11/20/08 | david limbaugh

Posted on 11/20/2008 5:24:05 PM PST by lancer256

A good friend of mine (let's call him Bob) is convinced that unless the GOP puts abortion "aside as its focal point, it simply cannot win and regain power." That's especially interesting in light of Kathleen Parker's latest column, which disses the evangelical wing of the GOP.

Bob's point is that "we've lost a majority of women over this issue as they have become one-issue voters." It's not only liberal women but also others who believe it's simply not the government's business.

Kathleen Parker broadens the point considerably beyond abortion: "The evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh." Since the 1980s or so, says Parker, the GOP "has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners. ... The GOP has surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows. In the process, the party has alienated its non-base constituents."

I'll resist the temptation to respond specifically to Kathleen's uncharitable indictment of us knuckle draggers because I like Kathleen personally and because I want to respond to her and Bob's overlapping contention that certain social conservatives are dragging the party down.

(Excerpt) Read more at davidlimbaugh.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; badmove; brainfart; christianvote; cultofdeath; dontbestupid; election; evangelical; goaheadandsee; gop; gopsuicide; leftistnonsense; limbaugh; rinotripe
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To: fortunate sun

“Yet, they would be elect, by default, a candidate who embodies those things they abhor. funny, huh?”

What is worse, voting FOR a candidate such as you describe, simply because it has an “R” following it’s name or NOT taking a pro-active step to further the career of such an animal?

I don’t mean worse politically, I mean worse morally.


41 posted on 11/20/2008 6:16:12 PM PST by Grunthor (bush04 - 62, 040, 610 mccain08 - 58, 164, 693.......Moving left is NOT the answer!)
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To: jveritas

I agree.

Has anyone noted that the Dem party never insults any one of its many groups—some so bizarre and extremist they can be described as mentally ill. The Dems won’t even criticize criminal organizations or gangs. They all vote together come election day. I may be (very) conservative but I accept that a lot of varied groups can vote with my party to win an election. Having a big tent wins because numbers of votes are what wins.

However, you don’t build a big tent by insulting as unintelligent a group of otherwise similar voters. I personally think pro-life is the intellectual high brow position. Regardless, a large set of perspectives is needed to win elections. Why does this writer have to insult so harshly those with a different view. This doesn’t happen in the Dem party. KP’s recommendation is the path away, not toward, victory.

I am glad evangelicals, agnostics, gays, and others are voting with me—even though we may have different opinions on one or more issues. Together we win and when conservatives win, the intellectual high road wins. When conservatives win, the future is brighter for everyone because the govt is less oppressive. Of course we disagree some—that is the nature of humans—but throwing intolerant insults is no way to move forward to victory.


42 posted on 11/20/2008 6:18:02 PM PST by iacovatx (If you must lie to recruit to your cause, you are fighting for the wrong side.)
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To: Grunthor

> I agree with your entire post except for the above.

I hope your opposition is based on cruelty or physical abuse.

For these, I can understand a secular government that would make an exception.

Biblically, separation, not divorce, would be required in such a situation.

The issue is quite complex, and involves the vetting process that should occur by parents during the courtship.

One thing I tell my daughters is that, if any boy is interested in them, I will look at how he treats his mother and his sisters, if he has any, or how he regards women who are not subjects of his romantic (or sexual) interests.

I will also look at his relationship to his father and to his boss at work. If I hear, “My boss is a jerk,” the young man will have disqualified himself.


43 posted on 11/20/2008 6:18:21 PM PST by Westbrook (Having more children does not divide your love, it multiplies it.)
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To: Westbrook

“I hope your opposition is based on cruelty or physical abuse”

My three acceptable reasons for divorce; Adultery, abuse or addiction.

I realize that my views are at odds with the Holy Bible and I would remind you that they used to stone prostitutes to death in the Bible as well....until Jesus stood up with one of the most powerful phrases ever uttered by anyone, ever.


44 posted on 11/20/2008 6:21:18 PM PST by Grunthor (bush04 - 62, 040, 610 mccain08 - 58, 164, 693.......Moving left is NOT the answer!)
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To: Grunthor

Okay, the R candidate is Pro-life, the D candidate is pro-abortion. By not voting for the R candidate, you have knowingly become an accomplice to the act of abortion. Acts or non-acts have consequences.


45 posted on 11/20/2008 6:22:01 PM PST by fortunate sun (Proud Palinista!)
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To: iacovatx
I do not know why conservative bloggers and commentators are giving importance to this incredibly insignificant Kathleen Parker and her opinion. She is no Rush Limbaugh and no Sean Hannity, not even one per million of the influence that these two guys have. She is nobody.
46 posted on 11/20/2008 6:24:33 PM PST by jveritas (God Bless President Bush and our brave troops)
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To: fortunate sun

Somewhere on FR has been posted, a few times, the breakdown of voting patterns which indicated that socons actually turned out for McCain, it was fiscal conservatives who stayed home. That makes sense, as he has a pro-life record but voted for the bailout.


47 posted on 11/20/2008 6:24:38 PM PST by mrsmel (That one is not my president.)
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To: Grunthor

> until Jesus stood up with one of the most powerful
> phrases ever uttered by anyone, ever.

Yes, but adultery is still sin.

In the very incident you mention, Jesus said to the young woman, “Go and sin no more.”

Most people probably don’t know that.

While the penalty for adultery certainly should NOT be death, at least in this life, it is still a sin.


48 posted on 11/20/2008 6:26:13 PM PST by Westbrook (Having more children does not divide your love, it multiplies it.)
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To: fortunate sun

“Okay, the R candidate is Pro-life.....”

I am not a one issue voter. Look at my home page. Feel free to copy and paste. Where does you rhetorical Republican stand on ALL of those issues?


49 posted on 11/20/2008 6:27:30 PM PST by Grunthor (bush04 - 62, 040, 610 mccain08 - 58, 164, 693.......Moving left is NOT the answer!)
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To: Grunthor

will read and provide follow up -— thanks


50 posted on 11/20/2008 6:30:07 PM PST by fortunate sun (Proud Palinista!)
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To: mrsmel

If that’s the case, I will retract my statement as re: McCain. I was going by information I had seen where McCain lost about 10% from what President Bush had carried in 2004.
I’ll do some follow-up.


51 posted on 11/20/2008 6:34:05 PM PST by fortunate sun (Proud Palinista!)
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To: lancer256

We’ve been through this before, when a moderate Republican lost the Presidential election. The liberal Republicans are embarrassed when their friends roll their eyes about religious and social conservatives, so they don’t want to have to explain about them anymore. They just want them gone.


52 posted on 11/20/2008 6:41:11 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: omega4179
Why bother... head left and change the name on the gate out front... New Democrat Party....

Go breed replacements in the bath houses of San Francisco!!

53 posted on 11/20/2008 7:02:39 PM PST by pointsal
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To: lancer256
There are fewer differences in the parties anymore, so the remaining ones gain emphasis. The oogedy-boogedy factor isn't any larger in the GOP than it has been, but now that the GOP has embraced the same big-government vision as the Democrats, positions on social issues are about the only way to tell them apart.

The solution is not to push Christians out of the party, but to provide a broad alternative to the Democrats. The GOP will not recognize this, however, and it will be Nero blaming Christians for the burning of Rome all over again. Sarah Palin is already the scapegoat for McCain's poor performance and the symbol of everything that makes urban intellectuals shudder regardless of their party affiliation: a gun-loving frontier breeder who takes her religion seriously.

Once the GOP has succeeded in driving out Christians and their values, there will not be enough of a difference between it and the Democrat party to make who wins elections matter anyway.

Stop being snobbish about the oogedy-boogedies and decide if you want to be a real alternative to the Democrats or not. But that would mean stepping back from big-government-it's-only-money-one-world-kumbaya-feelgoodism, which is not likely to happen.

R.I.P. GOP
1854-2008
54 posted on 11/20/2008 7:18:07 PM PST by SalukiLawyer (Sitting on the oogety-boogety branch since 1975)
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To: omega4179

Why does is seem everybody is trying to move the GOP left? Are they that stupid? Just send them and their advice over to the Dirtocrats.


55 posted on 11/20/2008 7:38:20 PM PST by pankot
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To: lancer256

These idiots are utterly and completely wrong. Lets trying running a real conservative at the top of the ticket. Pro-life, pro-God, anti-big-gov, anti-tax. Um, like Palin? The only GOP candidateto draw crowds comparable to Obama?

But the RINOs who run the GOP are scared of that because they would lose power. Hence open primaries and idiocies such as this article...


56 posted on 11/20/2008 7:39:49 PM PST by piytar
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To: lancer256

I’m a big tent republican. Evangelicals go in the tent first.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1821435/posts?page=6245#6245

Here’s an analogy to work with. Take a small box and fill it with some rocks. Then add some rice, filling it to the top. Now take all the same stuff, but in a different order. Put in the rice first, then add the rocks. What you’ll find is that if you put in the big stuff first, the small stuff will fit around it. But if you put in the small stuff first, the big stuff won’t have room. The republican tent is the box. The Big issues are the socon issues, to be put in first. The little issues are things that can be accommodated around the bigger stuff. A candidate who tries to focus on the smaller issues first and leave out the bigger issues has no way of getting all of us into the tent. He splits the party. The candidate who gets the big stuff right and as much of the little stuff that will fit, he can fit more into the tent. We’re often amazed at how much rice can keep fitting in. Rudy Giuliani flunks some of the big issues, and on some of the little issues it looks to me like anyone else’s rice would do just as well. All that remains for us to agree on is which are the bedrock principles and which are not. Why would there be so much invective aimed at rudy from the right? Because there are some bedrock principles that he is leaving out. Bad move. I see rudybot postings all the time saying that they would vote for Hunter, and I see socon postings that say they would not vote for rudy. That’s a BIG indicator of a few bedrock principles that are being left outside the tent in order to let in some rice.


57 posted on 11/20/2008 7:45:52 PM PST by Kevmo (Palin/Hunter 2012)
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To: lancer256
But the fact remains that it was McCain's underemphasis rather than overemphasis of the social issues that cost him Republican votes.

Money quote.

58 posted on 11/20/2008 7:57:31 PM PST by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle (G-d watch over and protect Sarah Palin and her family.)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K
I would as you to rethink that position. As reprehensible as abortion is, a pro-abortion Republican can actually be useful when it comes to Republicans gaining the majority.

We absolutely have to have every Republican vote we can get to keep the RATS out of power.

When our side is in the majority, we get to appoint the committee chairs, etc.

59 posted on 11/21/2008 3:37:56 AM PST by Conservativegreatgrandma (When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule the people mourn. Proverbs 29;2)
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To: Grunthor
Overall, I would agree with your statements of belief. I wouldn't have any problem voting for a Jew (Statement 1) and rape/incest are such infinitesimal percentages of the question as to be red herrings in the argument. Otherwise, I can consider the remainder to be common ground.
60 posted on 11/21/2008 5:33:07 AM PST by fortunate sun (Proud Palinista!)
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