Posted on 02/07/2007 5:48:59 AM PST by Mike Bates
What many conservatives regard as the nightmare scenario -- President Hillary Rodham Clinton -- is increasingly seen by veteran Republican politicians and strategists as a virtual inevitability.
In GOP circles, the Democratic front-runner is seen as so strong, and the political climate for Republicans so hostile, that many influential voices -- including current and former lawmakers, and veterans of President Bush's campaigns -- have grown despairing. These partisans describe a political equivalent of the stages of grief, starting with denial, then resentment and ending with acceptance.
For now, these Republicans say the party needs good luck, including a change of fortune in Iraq, and a revival of organization and leadership in the conservative movement to avert another Clinton presidency.
"If the conservative movement and Republicans don't understand how massive the Clinton coalition is, she will be the next president," former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said in an interview last week, after giving a private talk to GOP lawmakers. Clinton will win, he added, "if we don't use everything available to us and motivate our base, the people that believe in us."
In his closed-door comments to conservative House members, DeLay warned of the wealth and political potency of the Clinton fundraising network.
"We do have to get our act together, and I'd agree with Tom DeLay on that," said Rep. Steve King of Iowa. "At this point, short an inspirational Republican nominee, then I would agree that it's going to be very difficult to beat Hillary if she wins the nomination."
Those comments echoed those by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich last month on Fox News:
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I agree with you.
I see there are some on this thread who are already setting up their excuses for indirectly supporting Hillary, if she even gets the dem nomination, by either not voting at all or voting for some fringe candidate.
It doesn't even matter if it's Hillary. Can anyone name any Democrat who might win the nomination of that party who is any better? Whoever they put up will be absolutely terrible for the United States.
We may well find ourselves in a position of having to vote against the democrats in the general election as opposed to voting for our nominee.
Let's fight to get someone we can get behind wholeheartedly as the Republican nominee.
It's far, far too early for any talk of any kind of inevitability, and certainly for any defeatism on our part.
And that could have been true, had the GOP not rolled over and nominated Dole.
Read the late Barbara Olson's books and it will be clear Hillary must never be President.
If the candidate were a Reagan in terms of charisma, it could happen.
However, I don't see one of those.
Then there's that Hillary line from a couple of years ago, "We're going to take things away from you for the common good." Isn't that on video?
Not all of us. The WOT is one issue that unites the GOP.
Illegal immigration is dividing us. The Bush loyalists don't want to admit that he is stubborn as a mule, clinging to his CIF agenda.
Bush deserted his base. I won't be giving any money to the GOP for a long time, (since that's all they seem to care about these days)...unless Bush gives the Border Patrol men a pardon..PRONTO!
sw
Atleast 3 things happened that would have made it hard to defeat Clinton in 1996 even with a good candidate:
Oklahoma City, he blamed conservatives and government critics and it worked
Greenspan kept interest rates low enough that the Clinton tax hikes didn't cripple the economy
The Clinton war room did a great job demonizing Dole, turning him into Newt. We should all have been so lucky for this to have been true.
In other words, the Clinton war room did a fantastic job taking the events that happened and spinning them in their favor, with the help of their willing accomplices in the press. They could do that again, because they did it before.
Very wise. Your post is my nomination for post of the day. There are many of us who are so "principled" that in clinging to their principles they will bring destruction on themselves and everyone else by refusing to support a Republican candidate.
Folks, I would support Attila the Hun if he would prevent that Marxist-Leninist from getting into the Oval Office. This country can survive four years with a president who believes in some things we do not, since he is basically helpless to change the law on abortion or guns anyway. But the country may not survive another four or eight years with a Marxist at its helm.
And what advice can Delay give us other than how to screw up big time. The fiasco with his seat should have shut him up permanently yet here he is peddling Snake Oil still.
That's delusional. Most Americans are not conservative, they are "moderate". Moderate meaning they don't have strong opinions on any issue. If most Americans were conservative, then conservatives would be elected over and over again.
Newt, who's not "running" officially, is the only conservative in the bunch you mentioned. (there's a bunch on this forum that don't want Newt, but they have NO real conservative alternative)
*shudder*
That wouldnt suprise me in the least though.
the folks up the street were big into skerry supporters last election. When they said theyd never vote for him again, i thought there was hope!
then they said they wished al gore would come out of retirement.....
After they watched his flick on global warming, they actually sold thier business, pack up and moved out of the state because of the "coal dust". sigh.....
Republicans need to remember what Rudyard Kipling said about triumph and despair.
Part of me thinks Newt COULD actually pull off a win. But it would take a UNITED GOP (what a concept!) and a serious "here's what I'm about" campaign.
Newt does have a knack for getting people to listen to him. I've heard MULTIPLE sources say he'll give a speech and after it's over, liberals in the audience will admit in shock and awe that they agreed with everything he said.
Good riddance to them.
He's waiting for Academy Awards night to announce from the podium while accepting his Oscar for best documentary.
I'm only being partly sarcastic, because I think he will win the Oscar.
Regarding Hillary, I think she will be a formidable candidate and as of right now, has to be considered the favorite to win. But it is not preordained, and a lot can and will happen in the next 20 months. Lincoln said, "only events can make a President."
I would call Hunter a conservative as well!
"Excuse me but 60 Mins has considerably more viewer then Talk Radio has listeners. Like it or not a Conservative has to go to the Hostile Press to get his message out."
Got any thing to verify that statement?
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