Holding Your Nose, AKA the Lesser of Two Evils (Vanity)

[Ultra Sonic 007]

It boggles the mind.

First of all, it's only a few months after the 2006 elections ended, and we're already on the move towards the 2008 elections. I'm sorry, but doesn't Bush have two years left? A lot can change until then.

Secondly, let's look at some of the current frontrunners for the GOP.

Mitt Romney. John McCain. Rudy Giuliani.

Romney has flip-flopped on positions many times, so I wouldn't give him my vote. John McCain, despite his strong conservative rating from the ACU (lifetime of 83), he is partially responsibility for the travesty of McCain-Feingold, aka CFR. He is also a supporter of amnesty. Sorry.

Giuliani, although strong on national defense, is a devout Leftist. Pro-abortion. Pro-gun control. Pro-homosexual rights. He embraces illegal immigration. It stuns me that he has as large a following on Free Republic as he does.

There are far better candidates out there. Tom Tancredo (lifetime rating of 99). Sam Brownback (lifetime rating of 95). Duncan Hunter (lifetime rating of 92).

So why?

Why are so many going to hold their noses and compromise their beliefs? Name recognition? Why? It bewilders me.

We have Pro-Life candidates in Hunter, Brownback, and Tancredo. We have anti-illegal immigration and Pro-border control candidates in Hunter and Tancredo (this is where Brownback slips up; support for a guest worker program? Voted yes on allowing illegals access to Social Security? No thanks.). We have pro-second amendment candidates in all three (NRA gave Hunter an A+, and both Brownback and Tancredo an A). All three are supportive of the War on Terror.

So please. Tell me. Why not vote for any of these three (particularly Tancredo and Hunter; Brownback's position on immigration irks me)? Why not?

Who cares about name recognition at this point? It's 2007. November 2008 is a long way away. A lot can change between now and then.

I refuse to compromise on MY beliefs in this matter. I will not vote for a candidate who is socially no different from the socialists on the Left. Hanging up your hat at this point is akin to giving up.

Don't.

Vote for Hunter. Vote for Tancredo. Get the word out.

[MichiganConservative]

It seems as if this site has become a Republican amen corner in the last couple years or so rather than a conservative forum.

[MinnesotaLibertarian]

Well, I'm f'ing worried that so many (even though, a minority - witness the earlier poll n FR) on "our" side are already making the races so personal and trying to PUSH liberal RINO filth upon us.

Do you not realize the irony in that statement? You accuse other people of making things personal, and then within the same breath use the term "liberal RINO filth"? What gives? Also, it seems that all of the personal attacks are being mounted against Rudy by supporters of Hunter or Tancredo, not the other way around. For the record, I'm not a Rudy supporter - his record on gun control and general lack of regard for civil liberties are very troubling to me. I just feel compelled to call you on your total BS.

[Nuc1]

I generally agree with you, however any pubbie president will be better by far than any Rat president.

The problem we have is that abortion legality is not decided by the POTUS nor congress. It is decided by the black robed tyrants of the SCOTUS. Indeed the court imposes its will on us for almost any issue you care to name.

Try to do something against illegal aliens in your state and a federal court will strike it down. Outlaw the late term murder of babies, and a federal court will strike that down also. Want to maintain free political speech? Sorry the court will not allow it.

Absent the restoration of constitutional rule, which is not going to happen, the SCOTUS is the battle ground for our present and future freedom.

We need to win the presidency and the senate to have a chance of fighting this war. For me sitting it out is not an option. I hope it is not an option for any of us.

[incredulous joe]

Keating 5 was small potatoes compared to CFR and Gang o' 14.

McCain hands over to our enemies the very sticks and clubs with which they beat us. I have no respect for him.

[DocH]

"Government exists above all to keep people safe in their homes and in the streets, he (Giuliani) said, not to redistribute income, run a welfare state, or perform social engineering."

How about keeping unborn children safe in their wombs?

How about not infringing upon a law-abiding citizen's 2nd Amendment rights?

How about not running a virtual POLICE-STATE (nyc) and cooking the crime books in order to ahcieve the appearance of a lower crime rate?

How about not running a virtual welfare state and redistibuting citizens tax dollars to the illegal aliens you allow into our midst?

How about not using social engineering to help promote the homosexual agenda?

How about it RINO-rudy?

[JonH]

How about vote for anyone except Hillary...

[F.J. Mitchell]

Dittos.

[DocH]

The SKY IS going to FALL if we don't vote for a liberal RINO!

My name is Chi...Chi...Chicken Little, and I approved this message.

[lentulusgracchus]

At least Dole was a decent human being. Not presidential, but a decent human being. I could hold my nose for him over Bubba.

Oh, I'm not arguing that Bob Dole was a bad person or someone you wouldn't want to see in the White House under any circumstances.

What I'm saying is that his characteristics as a candidate didn't match up well in focus groups and polling studies with Beelzebubba, which was why Beelzebubba's lizardy little press allies were promoting Dole in preference to other Republicans hopefuls who would have done better in a two-way contest with Clinton. That's all I'm saying.

[Sam Cree]

"The American sheeple do not want it."

I agree. That fact is probably the crux of the matter. Perhaps that could change if we had a leader who did want limited government.

[Richard Kimball]

Haven't decided in primaries, but will go with most conservative. In general election, I'll go with whoever has an R, unless it's McCain. Then I sit out.

Giuliani, IMHO, could win huge. He'll definitely take NY, and would force Hillary to campaign in California. The Rats have no chance if they lose NY and California. Hillary will never be competitive in the south, except for maybe Louisiana.

[DocH]

A liberal in charge of the GOP allows the MSM to split the conservatives off from the RNC and give them a Democrat in the White House. That's the play that is being made now.

EXACTLY.

So let's STOP this RINO-rooting madness NOW, dead in its tracks.

Support a TRUE conservative to the hilt so we can, something new and different, actually DIFFERENTIATE ourselves from the RATS.

Just say NO to RINOs.

[lentulusgracchus]

How about not running a virtual POLICE-STATE (nyc) and cooking the crime books in order to ahcieve the appearance of a lower crime rate?

I'm not in favor of Rudy's getting the GOP nod, but I think he's had a bad rap on this particular issue.

One, his de minimis policing ideas work. What he did was to emphasize policing up minor violations in order to give police officers opportunities to make "police contacts" with individuals who had outstanding warrants and needed to be in jail -- and I'm not talking about traffic warrants and unpaid parking tickets. These people were thugs. That's why the defense bar and people like Al Sharpton started screaming "racist" at Giuliani -- because he was jugging people, many of whom were criminals of the minoritarian persuasion.

Two, the business about juicing the crime-report numbers wasn't Rudy's idea. That was a bunch of lieutenants and booking sergeants gaming the system in response to his management initiative. Separate problem, and one that needs to be addressed -- but it shouldn't be held against Giuliani.

[mom4kittys]

I've read up on Hunter. Could you please tell me more about Tancredo? Is he the one who went to check on the Border Agent in jail recently?

[F.J. Mitchell]

Unfortunately, Learning curves can only improve the ignorant, the stupid can't be improved.

[labette]

Accomplishments?

..or are they media idols ? -- for now.

[TomGuy]

He [Newt] proved he couldn't handle the Speaker's job, which also shackled him as an advocate of conservativism.

He needs to be in Congressional leadership

Either you mistyped something or ....

You say Newt could not handle the Speaker's job, but you say he needs to be in Congressional leadership?

If he couldn't handle it before, why do you think he could handle it now? He resigned from the Speakership and basically walked out on his House seat.

[DocH]

Do you not realize the irony in that statement? You accuse other people of making things personal, and then within the same breath use the term "liberal RINO filth"?

I was merely injecting FreedomNeoCon's words back into my argument to show the folly of his/her statement.

Maybe not my best effort, but I think I made my point nonetheless.

[Coldwater Creek]

And, you are right!

[TomGuy]

Unless the GOP rallies around one of the major candidates, Hillary! and her VP Obama will coast.

What makes them the major candidate? Attention. With the current methods of technology and media, any candidate with enough effort can become a major candidate almost overnight. Osama Obama did.

If one of the 'lesser' candidates seems to be the better, he/she could become the frontrunner with enough support and effort.

Folding hands 20 months from the election because a few straw polls and the MSM say X or Y and Z are the only ones electable plays right into the MSM's desire to control the direction. Keep in mind that MSM made Obama a contender; they took an empty suit and put him on the front pages. My gosh! The guy has even less experience and capabilities (except he is clean and makes good speeches) than that jester Jon Carry -- who almost got elected in 04.