oh i'd work/volunteer for bloomberg too

i think the fact that mittens flips on so many things is a reason he would run as an indy

and i think we'd see more of the Mass-campaign Mitt than the Pres-campaign Mitt

and i'm really just pushing mostly for the ending of our binary system more than mittens specifically

[Edited on March 23, 2009 at 10:53 PM. Reason : `]

3/23/2009 10:53:34 PM

Quote :

"PinkandBlack Generally, the major reasons cited as reasons why McCain failed were his connections to an unpopular president and, to put it simply, labels he could not escape without putting much more distance between himself and the bush presidency. "

No doubt this is part of it.

Quote :

"PinkandBlack Most polls say that, while conservatives liked Palin, moderates, who make up a much larger portion of the electorate, were turned off by her. "

That may be, but I think that has more to do with a bad interview. I don't think it is because they rejected her conservative ideals. I also don't buy this critique that people didn't like her because she was to mean or something. I'm not a particular fan of Palin. I'd take her over most of the republican front runners, but that's not saying much. Don't you understand that we hated McCain? He never had a majority of our party, he weaseled his way into the top spot through some fortunate timing. If any one of Fred Smith and Mitt Romney or Huckabee has exited a little earlier we might actually have had a real candidate.

I know you high-minded liberal types think that us anti-abortion people are just silly and should come to our senses and just mind our own business. The trouble is that we feel a moral obligation to protect the innocent. We have never been convinced that McCain would actually support the prolife cause when it was not politically expedient.

Moreover, McCain also supported cap and trade. Great, but is this conservative?

He also was not right on the issue of illegal immigration. Maybe you forget, but there was a political firestorm over this not so long ago. Think whatever you want but fact is that many people, particularly those who believe in the rule of law were less than pleased with McCain's role in that almost amnesty granting fiasco.

Quote :

"PinkandBlack And what points could he not make against Obama? He plugged away at the Bill Ayers thing and in the last month plugged away at the "socialist" label, what could he have used worse than connecting him personally to a terrorist or bringing up a term that most see as scary and un-american? "

Well talking about Ayers is a start, but he could have added a lot more depth to that attack. He could have pointed out the significance of his poltical connections with leftists. Instead, he lets Obama deflect the point by bringing up the point that he talked to some body who knew some republican...

Early on McCain announced that he would not talk about the Reverend Wright issue. Whatever the merits of the good reverends philosophy might have been, this is a really stupid move.

I would point out that the socialist thing only started after Joe The Plumber started it. He had many months to more forcefully argue against the policies and characterize them as they are: central planning. How could McCain really contrast himself? He also believes in central planning. McCain just gets his knickers in a knot more about government waste. Obama in contrast is too busy being cool.

Why should people be inspired to vote for the old guy who says to do the same thing, but just a little different. He did not adequately separate himself from the ideology of Obama. Granted part of this is doubtless Obama's dishonest portrait of his policies as being somehow centrist. Anyhow, McCain is hardly a conservative choice so how can you assume that conservativism is dead when it wasn't even on the ticket? (just reading between the lines a little, but isn't this the thrust of so many comments, just disband us silly prolife fiscal conservatives, ignore our votes...)

Quote :

"PinkandBlack I'm intrigued now. I haven't really followed party politics since the election so I'm not sure what the consensus is out there. Why do you people who consider yourselves "the conservative base" think McCain lost and what is that based on? This is me being genuinely curious here."

To summarize, McCain lost because too many republicans did not buy McCain's brand of politically opportunistic conservatism. Moreover, Obama's force of personally and willingness to sell his policies as being conservative didn't help when McCain failed so miserably to counteract those blatant lies.

And then towards the end McCain advocates some of the same big government bailout garbage that Bush had started. Really inspiring. Makes me want to help his campaign.

The only real motivation for die-hard republicans was our hatred of Obama's ideologies.

That's what I mainly see in my extended circle of die-hard conservative peoples. I hope I have adequately satisfied your curiousity.

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 10:07 PM. Reason : .]

3/24/2009 10:04:26 PM

So where's the evidence that they all stayed home? I mean, you had some very very red states that still posted record turnout. Whether they believed in McCain or not doesn't matter, they showed up to vote for him.

This whole "he wasn't conservative enough" thing really only seems to come out of movement conservative circles (talk radio et al) who want to pat themselves on the back for not being part of the loss (despite the evidence that, yes, they voted for McCain).

Quote :

"If any one of Fred Smith and Mitt Romney or Huckabee has exited a little earlier we might actually have had a real candidate."

The CEO of FedEx ran? I must've really missed this, and I was living in Memphis!

Quote :

"I know you high-minded liberal types think that us anti-abortion people are just silly and should come to our senses and just mind our own business."

When you assume things it only makes an ass out of u and me. I guess you missed my inflation thread.

Palin's abortion stances were the least of her problems. I don't think her policy gaffes, initial sheltering, and the fact that she was governor of a state that has little in common with the rest of the country helped.

Quote :

"Moreover, McCain also supported cap and trade. Great, but is this conservative?"

Because it's a market based solution? What is the conservative answer?

Quote :

"Well talking about Ayers is a start, but he could have added a lot more depth to that attack. He could have pointed out the significance of his poltical connections with leftists. "

I can't think of any leftist that's worse than a guy who planted bombs in public places due to political motives.

Quote :

"Early on McCain announced that he would not talk about the Reverend Wright issue. Whatever the merits of the good reverends philosophy might have been, this is a really stupid move."

Hillary already dealt with it and it didn't work. What more could McCain have done with it?

Quote :

"I would point out that the socialist thing only started after Joe The Plumber started it. He had many months to more forcefully argue against the policies and characterize them as they are: central planning. How could McCain really contrast himself? He also believes in central planning. McCain just gets his knickers in a knot more about government waste. Obama in contrast is too busy being cool."

I guess we all believe in central planning then by whatever definition you're going on.

Ok, someone out there throw me a bone: if you could pick any current US political figure to run for the GOP nomination in '08, who would you pick?

I think Gary Johnson or John Huntsman are good picks who have the fiscally responsible chops, concerns for important issues, and tolerance for all types of Americans we need.

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 10:29 PM. Reason : .]

3/24/2009 10:16:43 PM

Quote :

"I think Gary Johnson or John Huntsman are good picks who have the fiscally responsible chops, concerns for important issues, and tolerance for all types of Americans we need."

I agree that Johnson would be a fantastic pick. I also think there's no chance in hell he'd ever get it.

3/24/2009 10:43:37 PM

Johnson incorporates the good elements of libertarianism without throwing out pragmatism (he actually had to pass budgets and such) and embracing the federal reserve/north american union/conspiracy bullshit like Ron Paul.

Quote :

"Meanwhile, back in Mississippi, Barbour vetoes a bill prohibiting eminent domain transfers to private parties."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Conservative_Citizens#Mississippi

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Mississippi for the food and music, having lived in that part of the country and enjoyed it at times, but it's the worst example of a state next to maybe Alaska.

[Edited on March 24, 2009 at 11:12 PM. Reason : .]

3/24/2009 11:09:08 PM

Quote :

"Jindal described the premise of the question -- "Do you want the president to fail?" -- as the "latest gotcha game" being perpetrated by Democrats against Republicans. "Make no mistake: Anything other than an immediate and compliant, 'Why no sir, I don't want the president to fail,' is treated as some sort of act of treason, civil disobedience or political obstructionism," Jindal said at a political fundraiser attended by 1,200 people. "This is political correctness run amok." "

Yes lets all hope Obama fails and fucks up the US over the next 4 years just so we can have a Republican president in 2012

and conservatives wonder why they lost the election....

Quote :

"The governor took a controversial stand when he refused to accept $98 million in federal stimulus money to expand unemployment benefits "

He sure showed OBAMA!!! All the laid off Lousiana workers hurt during the recession surely say THANKS! that Jindal cares so deeply about their ex-employer. i'll laugh when he does not get reelected in 2010.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/25/jindal.defense.obama/index.html

Quote :

"Jindal singled out House Republicans for standing up to Obama and helping the GOP return to its conservative roots."

How DARE those other republicans to give up acting as partisan hacks and not working with dems to help solve the current economic crisis.



[Edited on March 25, 2009 at 8:54 AM. Reason : aa]

3/25/2009 8:50:03 AM

I'd vote for Bloomberg.

3/25/2009 12:38:38 PM

Quote :

"He sure showed OBAMA!!! All the laid off Lousiana workers hurt during the recession surely say THANKS! that Jindal cares so deeply about their ex-employer. i'll laugh when he does not get reelected in 2010. "

Yeah, he took like 90% of the funds anyway.

Also: http://www.newoxfordreview.org/article.jsp?did=1294-jindal

Quote :

"I'd vote for Bloomberg."

Too heavy handed in his leadership for my tastes. He's losing supporters in NYC by the day.

[Edited on March 25, 2009 at 5:36 PM. Reason : .]

3/25/2009 5:35:23 PM