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Viewing Category: Conservatives
Buckley left his mark on politicsWilliam F. Buckley Jr., a scion of elegant reason and muscular wit who marshaled public awareness of conservative thought, died yesterday at his home in Connecticut. He was 82 and had suffered the effects of diabetes and emphysema for about a year.A longtime syndicated columnist, author of 50 books and founder of the National Review, Mr. Buckley was knee-deep in intellectual pursuits to the end of his days. He was discovered dead at his desk by son Christopher in the early morning hours.
"Unquestionably, he was the principal founder of the modern American conservative movement, who had a major influence on the country, the party and the world. He was a wonderfully vivacious, effervescent friend, full of fun, a great sense of humor. He just changed the entire image of American conservatism," said William Rusher, publisher of National Review for 31 years and Mr. Buckley's closest business associate.
Permalink [Category: Conservatives]
How Right Is McCain?John McCain will be the Republican Party's presidential candidate in November. Most Republicans certainly know who John McCain is, but there still seems to be a question as to just what he is. President Bush said last week that there was "no doubt in my mind he is a true conservative." But is he a Ronald Reagan conservative, or more like a Bob Dole moderate? Or is he like Dwight Eisenhower, who claimed in the 1952 nomination battle that he was "just as conservative" as his opponent, Sen. Robert Taft?Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain]Mr. McCain's lifetime American Conservative Union rating is 82, compared with conservative Sen. Sam Brownback's 94, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's 90, and liberal Sen. Olympia Snowe's 50. So he is much more conservative than liberal; indeed Americans for Tax Reform rates him at 83, compared with Hillary Clinton's 7 and Barack Obama's 8.
We know he has a tough streak, saying that when he looked into Russian president Vladimir Putin's eyes he "saw three letters: a K, a G and a B," and we know he has a temper. When Mitt Romney said to McCain in one of their debates, "Don't turn the pharmaceutical companies into the big bad guys," Mr. McCain replied, "Well, they are." In the words of Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mr. McCain "is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
Warring on McCain, Limbaugh Sees No ReconciliationRush Limbaugh took his show on the road this week, forsaking his main broadcast studio in Palm Beach, Fla., for one in Midtown Manhattan. But the change of scenery did nothing to dampen the Republican-on-Republican smackdown he has been waging from afar against Senator John McCain, the party’s likely presidential nominee, whom Mr. Limbaugh considers too moderate.As he opened his radio program Wednesday, Mr. Limbaugh lobbed yet another grenade.
“I would like today to announce a tentative decision — I’m still thinking about it — to endorse Barack Obama,” he said, his head cocked slightly toward his 18-karat-gold-plated microphone, his hands spread wide like the wings of his sleek G4 jet.
Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain, Media]
The Right Is Wrong on McCainThere's an old Groucho Marx riff in which he launches a new career as a stick-up artist -- while worrying that his native cowardice may not induce the requisite fear among his victims. Sure enough, after a little time in a dark alley he springs out to confront his first victim, points his gun to his own head and says, "Take one step closer and I'll kill myself."Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain]Such is the posture today among pundits on the far right of the Republican Party as Sen. John McCain moves closer to receiving his party's nomination. Consider the destructive implications of their pledge to work against Mr. McCain's nomination and even -- in the event he is nominated -- not to vote in the general election. Start with where it would leave our country -- presumably under the leadership of either Democrat candidate -- in the two domains where we will face critical challenges in the years ahead: our national security and the threat of an economic meltdown.
Many conservatives still not soldRepublicans yesterday showed they remain deeply divided as John McCain's appeal to several thousand conservative activists failed to bring a desperately needed unity to his party.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain]The skeptics tried hard to smile on the senator from Arizona as their all-but-certain presidential standard-bearer, but for some it was forced or impossible.
"McCain had an opportunity in this ballroom to speak to the issues conservatives disagree with him on, and he didn't do it," former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said after Mr. McCain addressed the 35th annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Mitt Romney suspended his campaign in a speech to the same audience earlier yesterday.
Requiem for a right-wing dreamMitt Romney preached about a degraded America -- then quit the '08 race. Now hardcore conservatives have to cozy up to John McCain.
Feb. 8, 2008 | WASHINGTON -- What was supposed to be Mitt Romney's last stand started off reasonably well Thursday. The crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference was primed for him; cheers of "Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!" rose up even before he hit the stage. If there was ever a room where Romney could start the right-wing backlash of Rush Limbaugh's dreams against John McCain, this was going to be it.But Romney proceeded to snatch away the last hope of hardcore Republican activists. He would not be their devoted conservative savior in the race for the White House. Instead of digging in to continue his campaign -- which fared rather miserably at the polls on Super Tuesday -- he quit. By the end of the day, a painful truth had started to sink in for the CPAC faithful: It would be McCain in '08, or bust.
Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain, Romney]
In Election Results, Pressure on McCain to Reconcile With CriticsSenator John McCain of Arizona might have expected his appearance on Thursday at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington to be a gracious makeup session with his former critics on the right. He hoped to arrive as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.But Mike Huckabee’s surprise success across the South this week has put an end to any thought of an easy reconciliation. Campaigning well to Mr. McCain’s right on social issues and to his left on economics, Mr. Huckabee at once thwarted conservative efforts to back Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, and deprived Mr. McCain of his chance to lock up the nomination, prolonging the standoff between the senator and his foes.
With just 9 of the day’s 21 nominating contests and less than half the total vote going to Mr. McCain, the results from the contests on Tuesday put new pressure on him to shore up his right flank at a time when he had hoped to begin preparing to take on the Democrats for more moderate voters.
Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain]
McCain or the WildernessRush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham aren't the only conservatives in agony over John McCain. The base is bummed. At the Portofino Hotel in Orlando, Fla., where Rudy Giuliani went down with a graceful valedictory concession, an energetic Rudy guy in dark glasses and slicked black hair -- hours before ebulliently cheering up anyone who would talk to him -- ran up to a reporter waiting for a car. "My wife just heard. Rudy's gonna endorse McCain! S---!!!!" Wonder Land Columnist Daniel Henninger says it's time conservatives play the hand they've been dealt. Conservatives can't catch a break. Taxes, judges, the culture -- somewhere a conservative is always getting shafted. The party broke up on the rocks of the 2006 election. Its 2008 presidential nomination has been contested by men claiming the mantle of Ronald Reagan but who in fact are: John McMaverick, a New York City mayor on his third marriage, the moderate governor of liberal Massachusetts, and the funniest governor ever from Hope, Ark.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain]
McCain needs to woo the rightSen. John McCain couldn't win a majority of conservative voters in Arizona on Super Tuesday, exposing the deep rift that he faces today when he speaks to the major annual gathering of conservative activists here in the District.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain]The Conservative Political Action Conference is taking on the significance of a State of the Union address for Mr. McCain and his chief Republican presidential rivals, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who are also scheduled to speak. Each is seeking to corral the backing of the conservatives who serve as the backbone of their party.
Mr. McCain yesterday asked conservatives to "calm down a bit" and said he will use today's speech to tell them that they have the same goals on issues such as national security.
Coulter: I Will Vote for Hillary Over McCainIn case you missed it, on Hannity & Colmes last night, controversial pundit Ann Coulter -- who supports Mitt Romney for president -- said she would back Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, over Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Hillary Clinton]"She's more conservative that he is," she said. "She will be stronger on the war on terrorism...I will campaign for her if it's McCain." There might be a few issues where McCain and Clinton hold the same position -- campaign finance reform, immigration reform, global warming, the patients' bill of rights.
And for that reason, many conservatives loathe McCain -- as we covered last night on World News.
Call It "McCain Derangement Syndrome"Call it "McCain Derangement Syndrome": The conservative blogosphere is devouring itself over the increasingly likely prospect of a John McCain nomination. Party-line righties dislike the Arizona senator for his heretical views on immigration, campaign-finance laws and banning torture, while more moderate conservatives see his prescience about the surge, and his hawkishness in general, as true selling points.Roger L. Simon has dubbed it "McCain Derangement Syndrome," and thinks that archconservatives have lost sight of their priorities: "One of the raps against McCain by traditional conservatives is that he opposes waterboarding and Gitmo. On the other hand, he was one of the earliest, strongest and most influential backers of The Surge. I think by any rational comparison the importance of The Surge vs. waterboarding and Gitmo isn't remotely close. The Surge is responsible for the vastly improved situation in Iraq and for our consequentially improved situation globally. The other two are of marginal importance by comparison."
John Derbyshire of the National Review's Corner says he "will stay home rather than vote for John McCain."
Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain]
President Hillary Clinton: Three words that cause Republicans to forget their differencesOn the verge of the Florida primary next Tuesday and the Super Tuesday votes a week later, Republicans remain fractured and fractious. John McCain is either a war hero and critic of excessive spending -- or Sen. "McAmnesty," the friend of Ted Kennedy and the enemy of American sovereignty. Mike Huckabee is either a witty, well-spoken social conservative -- or an economic "liberal" who will "destroy the party." Mitt Romney is either the consensus choice of conservatives -- or whatever identity benefits him most at the moment. Rudy Giuliani is either a tough-minded hero of Sept. 11 -- or a social liberal with a shady past.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Hillary Clinton Archive]But even amid this ideological discord, there are three words that cause nearly every Republican to forget their differences and join hands in common purpose: President Hillary Clinton.
Waiting for ReaganConservative editorialists, radio hosts, and bloggers are unhappy. They don't like the Republican presidential field, and many of them have been heaping opprobrium on the various GOP candidates with astonishing vigor.Permalink [Category: Conservatives]For example: John McCain--with a lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 82.3--is allegedly in no way a conservative. And, though the most favorably viewed of all the candidates right now, both among Republicans and the electorate as a whole, he would allegedly destroy the Republican party if nominated.
Or take Mike Huckabee. He was a well-regarded and successful governor of Arkansas, reelected twice, the second time with 40 percent of the black vote. He's come from an asterisk to second in the national GOP polls with no money and no establishment support. Yet he is supposedly a buffoon and political naïf. He's been staunchly pro-life and pro-gun and is consistently supported by the most conservative primary voters--but he is, we're told, no conservative either.
NBC Decides to Run Conservative - Group AdWASHINGTON (AP) -- NBC reversed course Saturday and decided to air a conservative group's television ad thanking U.S. troops.Permalink [Category: Ads, Conservatives, Media]The ad, by the group Freedom's Watch, asks viewers to remember the troops during the holiday season. NBC had refused to air the ad because it guides viewers to the Freedom's Watch Web site, which NBC said was too political.
But in a statement issued Saturday evening, NBC said:
''We have reviewed and changed our ad standards guidelines and made the decision that our policy will apply to content only and not to a referenced Web site. Based on these amended standards the Freedom's Watch ad will begin to run as early as Sunday.''
Romney's shift on issues sincere, key conservative saysPaul M. Weyrich, an elder statesman of the religious right, said yesterday that he believes Mitt Romney has made a sincere conversion from a supporter of abortion rights and gay rights into an opponent of both.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Reproductive Rights, Romney Archive]"I believe that he has flip-flopped in our direction, if you will - the direction of the values voters - and I think he will stay there," Weyrich said in a telephone interview, the first since he endorsed Romney. "I think he has a good deal of presence and ability to explain things, and so I think he's the candidate this year."
Weyrich, a founder of The Heritage Foundation and the Moral Majority, on Monday became the latest in a string of conservative activists to endorse Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in the Republican presidential primary. Yesterday, Weyrich said he had also considered endorsing Mike Huckabee or Fred Thompson but wanted, above all, to stop Rudy Giuliani, a supporter of abortion rights who is leading in several national polls.
Giuliani 2nd Pick of Many ConservativesWASHINGTON (AP) -- Rudy Giuliani is doing so well among conservatives that even those who don't back his presidential bid turn to him in strong numbers when asked to name their second choice, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed Thursday.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Giuliani Archive, Polls]In the latest evidence of the former New York mayor's strength among the Republican Party's right wing, one-third of the conservatives supporting his rivals made him their pick when asked to choose an alternative, considerably more than anyone else.
Overall among Republicans and GOP-leaning voters, Giuliani is the favored candidate of 29 percent, followed by former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson's 19 percent, this week's AP-Ipsos poll showed. Arizona Sen. John McCain was next at 13 percent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 12 percent and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had 10 percent.
Analysis: Right Splinters on GOP FieldWASHINGTON (AP) -- The splintering of prominent Christian conservatives over the Republican presidential contenders reflects a schism -- between the dogma of God, guns and gays and the desire to beat Hillary Rodham Clinton.Permalink [Category: Christian Right, Conservatives]Months of disagreement within this important GOP voting bloc culminated this week in a flurry of endorsements:
Televangelist Pat Robertson is backing Rudy Giuliani. Conservative Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas is supporting fellow Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Moral Majority co-founder Paul Weyrich is going for Mitt Romney.
All the candidates are flawed in the eyes of the Christian right, which is why some evangelical leaders are holding out and might favor a third-party candidate.
Huckabee not conservative enough for someMike Huckabee says he is the “conservative who is not mad at anybody,” but that doesn’t mean some people aren’t mad at him.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Huckabee]As Huckabee has done better in the polls, criticism of him has increased.
“The far left and the far right curse the ground on which I walk,” Huckabee told me Monday. “That is a great place to be. I am where far more of the country is.”
Some fiscal conservatives are beginning to worry that Huckabee might actually do well in the caucuses and primaries — if not well enough to win the nomination, then well enough to get a vice presidential nod.
Giuliani, Brownback to Meet ThursdayWASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani plans to meet Thursday with conservative Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, who is weighing whether to endorse a candidate after dropping out of the race last week, the senator's spokesman said Thursday.Permalink [Category: Brownback, Conservatives, Giuliani Archive]Giuliani supports abortion rights; Brownback is an ardent abortion foe.
''Mayor Giuliani asked to meet with Senator Brownback, and Senator Brownback is happy to sit down with him,'' said Brian Hart, the senator's spokesman. ''Senator Brownback is talking to a few people but doesnt intend to endorse anyone right away.''
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, leads national polls in the race for the GOP presidential nomination but is mistrusted by many religious conservatives because of his stands in favor of abortion rights, gay rights and other issues. Brownback, a Kansas senator, is popular with religious conservatives despite failing to become their consensus candidate.
GOP Rivals Argue Who's Most ConservativeORLANDO, Fla. (AP)-- Republican front-runners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney defended their conservative credentials in the face of pointed attacks from campaign rivals Sunday night in the most aggressive debate to date of the race for the White House.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Debates]''You've just spent the last year trying to fool people about your record. I don't want you to start fooling them about mine,'' Arizona Sen. John McCain bluntly told Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.
Former Sen. Fred Thompson made Giuliani his target, saying the former New York mayor supported federal funding for abortion, gun control and havens for illegal immigrants.
''He sides with Hillary Clinton on each of those issues,'' added Thompson, referring to the New York Democrat who leads in the polls for her party's presidential nomination.
Giuliani Tries to Reassure ConservativesWASHINGTON (AP) -- Rudy Giuliani tried to find peace with a restless bloc of the Republican Party Saturday, telling religious conservatives not to fear him for his stand on issues such as abortion or expect he would change purely for political advantage.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Giuliani Archive, Religion]The GOP presidential candidate won praise for simply showing up before an audience that has been casting about for the best social conservative in the Republican field. But two former governors, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, shared the limelight with the former New York mayor, handily winning the top two spots in a straw poll of ''values voters'' conducted by the conservative Family Research Council.
Giuliani sought common ground with Christian conservatives by casting himself as an imperfect man who has asked for guidance through prayer. He recalled crossing himself during his first day of law school after 16 years of attending Catholic schools.
Brownback's Out. Who's Helped?The news that Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.) will likely leave the 2008 presidential race tomorrow comes as little surprise to close watchers of the race.Permalink [Category: Brownback, Conservatives]While The Fix was an early believer in Brownback's ability to influence the race in Iowa due to his roots in the plains and strong social conservative ideology, the Kansas Senator was never able to articulate a real argument for his candidacy.
The death knell of Brownback's campaign came on August 11 when he was finished third in the Ames Straw Poll. Brownback made no secret of the importance of Ames to his candidacy and besides former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) had the largest operation at the event.
But, he was beaten by not only Romney but also former Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.). Huckabee's win installed him as the most electable social conservative candidate -- knocking Brownback off that pedestal and, for all intents and purposes, ending the rationale for his candidacy.
Giuliani's Conservative Support TenuousWASHINGTON (AP) -- Rudy Giuliani shares the lead for the conservative vote in the Republican presidential race, despite the New Yorker's three marriages and moderate views on abortion, guns and gays.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Giuliani Archive]Yet a close look suggests his support from the GOP's potent right wing is less than meets the eye, according to recent Associated Press-Ipsos polls.
Conservatives, evangelical and born-again voters, and strongly loyal Republicans who back Giuliani tend to be less conservative, less religiously active and less supportive of President Bush than those favoring Fred Thompson, Giuliani's chief rival so far, the surveys show.
That leaves Giuliani, the Republican front-runner, with a tenuous hold on the most intensely conservative voters long considered his party's core.
Goldwater's 1960 advice resonates for 2008 GOPBarry Goldwater still has fans out there."Let's grow up, conservatives. If we want to take this party back — and I think we can — let's get to work," the Arizona senator told the 1960 Republican convention, as he withdrew from the race and cast his support behind Richard M. Nixon.
They remain fighting words for those weary of party bickering.
"Goldwater's message 47 years ago was that the conservative movement did not have the right to complain about not winning, because it had not done the work necessary to win — that it needed to 'grow up' and go out and earn its victories rather than griping all the time," said Quin Hillyer of the American Spectator.
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Religious right aims 'to hurt' GOPReligious conservative leaders say they don't expect to win if they carry through with preparations to run their own presidential candidate next year.Permalink [Category: Christian Right, Conservatives, Religion]Instead, their goal would be to hurt the Republicans if Rudolph W. Giuliani becomes the Republican Party's standard-bearer.
"The only reason to go third party is to hurt another party, as Ross Perot did and Ralph Nader did," American Family Association (AFA) Chairman Donald Wildmon told The Washington Times.
Mr. Perot's populist presidential campaigns in 1992 and 1996 were seen as mostly hurting the Republicans, while Mr. Nader's 2000 Green Party candidacy was widely blamed for helping defeat Democrat Al Gore.
Giuliani Tries to Reassure Religious ConservativesSALEM, N.H., Oct. 3 — Facing a revolt from some Christian conservative leaders over his stance on abortion, Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to reassure religious voters that he respected their faith but in turn asked them to respect his candor, even if they disagreed with him.During a campaign swing across New Hampshire, only days after one prominent Christian conservative group threatened to back a third-party candidate if Mr. Giuliani wins the Republican presidential nomination, Mr. Giuliani faced a barrage of questions about how he can appeal to conservative Christian voters.
Mr. Giuliani also received an indication of possible hostility from some Roman Catholic leaders when an archbishop from St. Louis denounced his stance favoring abortion rights, and said he would withhold communion from Mr. Giuliani, a Roman Catholic. The archbishop was the second church leader to criticize Mr. Giuliani for his abortion views.
Permalink [Category: Christian Right, Conservatives, Giuliani Archive, Religion]
Giuliani Inspires Threat of a Third-Party RunWASHINGTON, Sept. 30 — Alarmed at the possibility that the Republican Party might pick Rudolph W. Giuliani as its presidential nominee despite his support for abortion rights, a coalition of influential Christian conservatives is threatening to back a third-party candidate.The threat emerged from a group that broke away for separate discussions at a meeting Saturday in Salt Lake City of the Council for National Policy, a secretive conservative networking group. Participants said the smaller group included James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, who is perhaps its most influential member; Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council; Richard A. Viguerie, the direct-mail pioneer; and dozens of other politically oriented conservative Christians.
Almost everyone present at the smaller group’s meeting expressed support for a written resolution stating that “if the Republican Party nominates a pro-abortion candidate we will consider running a third-party candidate,” participants said.
Permalink [Category: Christian Right, Conservatives, Giuliani Archive, Reproductive Rights, Third Parties]
Christian right is split over GOP fieldWASHINGTON -- Barely three months before voting for presidential candidates begins, the religious right has yet to unite behind a Republican, heightening concerns among evangelical leaders that social liberal Rudolph W. Giuliani will capture the party's nomination.Permalink [Category: Christian Right, Conservatives, Religion]The splintering of religious conservatives, if it endures, would ease the way for New York's former mayor to emerge as the party's first nominee to explicitly support abortion rights since the Supreme Court legalized the procedure in 1973.
But the lack of a consensus choice for president is only part of the troubles facing conservative evangelicals, a powerful force within the GOP for more than a generation."It's low tide right now for our movement," said Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Assn.
New Group Boasts Big War Chest and Rising VoiceFreedom’s Watch, a deep-pocketed conservative group led by two former senior White House officials, made an audacious debut in late August when it began a $15 million advertising campaign designed to maintain Congressional support for President Bush’s troop increase in Iraq.Founded this summer by a dozen wealthy conservatives, the nonprofit group is set apart from most advocacy groups by the immense wealth of its core group of benefactors, its intention to far outspend its rivals and its ambition to pursue a wide-ranging agenda. Its next target: Iran policy.
Next month, Freedom’s Watch will sponsor a private forum of 20 experts on radical Islam that is expected to make the case that Iran poses a direct threat to the security of the United States, according to several benefactors of the group.
Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Election Process Archive, Money]
GOP's crucial '08 base dividedReligious conservatives are at odds over which of the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination should get their backing.Many of the top leaders on the religious right privately say it's impossible to name a top-tier, declared Republican hopeful who can pass the "straight face" test as someone social conservatives can honestly say they would trust if elected.
Catholics and Protestant evangelicals on the right account for about a third of the Republican Party's electoral coalition, and it's difficult for a Republican to win without them.
"The problem is that there isn't someone seen as a titular head of the evangelicals who provides guidance on what and who they should be supporting," said Merrill Matthews, an evangelical and resident scholar at the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas.
Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Religion]
Conservatives Give Rudy Giuliani a Free PassNow let's see if I've got this straight: This week, an Iowa pastoral supporter of Republican POTUS wannabe, ex-Arkansas governor, and ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee was caught e-mailing around disparaging remarks about rival Senator Sam Brownback's conversion from Methodism to Catholicism.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Giuliani Archive]This comes less than two months after an Iowa field operative for Brownback was busted for sending out an e-mail talking trash about Mormonism, the faith of choice of rival Mitt Romney.
And that episode occurred only a couple of weeks after Rudy Giuilani's deputy web-campaign manager helpfully sent a blogger an article from the Utah media that tied Romney to a whacked-out prophesy asserting that a Latter Day Saint will save the Constitution.
In Online Writings, Thompson Flashes His Conservative CredentialsOn the Internet sites where conservatives gather to read and chat each day, Fred D. Thompson, the as-yet-unannounced Republican presidential candidate, has been laying out his positions on dozens of issues with little public notice and plenty of rhetorical flair.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Thompson Fred]The Virginia Tech massacre, he said, showed that students should be allowed to carry guns "to protect themselves on their campuses," and he said the university's ban on legal guns may have contributed to how long the shooter was able to keep killing.
Scientists who insist that global warming is ruining nature, he said, are like those true believers four centuries ago who insisted that the Earth is flat. "Ask Galileo," he said
Romney Sharpens Appeal to ConservativesSPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) -- Republican Mitt Romney directly appealed to social conservatives in South Carolina on Thursday, criticizing Democratic rival Barack Obama for supporting age-appropriate sex education for children as young as kindergartners.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Romney Archive]''Senator Obama is wrong if he thinks science-based sex education has any place in kindergarten,'' Romney told some 150 people at a restaurant in the northern part of the state. ''We should be working to clean up the filthy waters our kids are swimming in.''
Obama, campaigning in New Hampshire, told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that Romney was only trying to ''score cheap political points.'' He said he was noting in his comments that he supported laws in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in which local communities and parents can decide how to provide children with information about sexual predators.
Hungering for ThompsonThe sound of silence tells an interesting tale when it comes to Fred Thompson. A week after reports emerged suggesting that the former Tennessee senator once lobbied for an abortion rights group, few leaders of the GOP’s conservative wing have expressed concern.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Thompson Fred]In fact, the fallout in conservative circles has largely been confined to defending Thompson and attacking the Los Angeles Times, which broke the story. And this comes, as reported by Politico.com’s Mike Allen, as Thompson has dropped his flat denial of the charge and now instead says he can’t remember.
The muted reaction illuminates a larger point: just how hungry many on the right are for a Thompson candidacy and their inclination to overlook evidence that the soon-to-be candidate may be something less than a true believer.
Brownback Quietly Courting ConservativesDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback is counting on his conservative credentials and a Midwest bond to lift his candidacy in Iowa.Permalink [Category: Brownback, Conservatives]The Kansas senator is making some inroads.
Although far behind in the polls and fundraising, Brownback has stuck to a well-honed strategy, waging a classic grass-roots campaign away from the glare of the media spotlight by mingling with activists in living rooms, parks and churches. He's made repeated trips from his neighboring state to campaign in Iowa, where he underscores his cultural ties.
Thompson star dims on abortion issueWASHINGTON — Republican political activists said Saturday that reports that Fred D. Thompson had lobbied to ease a controversial abortion restriction have cast a shadow on his effort to persuade social conservatives — a key constituency in his emerging bid for the White House — that he is an unwavering opponent of abortion.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Reproductive Rights, Thompson Fred]Some Republican activists urged caution in evaluating Thompson's record. Others considered it damaging for questions to arise about his position on abortion, a litmus-test issue for many social conservatives.
"That would not be helpful," said Paul M. Weyrich, a conservative leader who has not endorsed a presidential candidate.
Giuliani Support Hints at Shift...Don't look for the party to make a sudden leap to the middle, or to turn its back on its religious and social conservatives. But Mr. Giuliani's lead in the polls -- and in the latest round of fund raising, according to new reports Tuesday -- may hint at the declining clout of those voters and their issues within the Republican party, and perhaps a shift back toward a more libertarian emphasis.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Giuliani Archive]All responses are among Republicans only. All responses are among registered voters, except for June 2007, which are among all adultsIf so, Mr. Giuliani's candidacy could be helping to redefine the Republican party, just as Ronald Reagan's did in 1980, when pundits initially dismissed Mr. Reagan as too conservative for his party's mainstream.
Former Iowa Republican Rep. James Leach now sees the party divided between "individual-rights conservatives versus social-issue conservatives. This is an exceptionally interesting phenomenon," he adds. He himself earned the enmity of the religious right in 2006 after he criticized it for attacking his opponent over gay rights, and he lost his seat. He hasn't endorsed any candidate yet in the 2008 race.
Romney Questioned by ConservativesDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, courting Iowa conservatives, found himself answering questions Saturday about the role his Mormon faith would play should he win the race.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Religion, Romney Archive]Romney told one questioner at a forum co-sponsored by a Christian group that ''we have exactly the same values'' and said there is no religious litmus test for candidates. The former Massachusetts governor dismissed suggestions of a conflict between his religion and his ability to govern. He also hastened to offer assurances of his faith.
''The Bible for me is the word of God,'' Romney said. ''I also believe that Jesus Christ is my savior.''
Why McCain Deserves Conservatives' RespectOn occasion, Sen. John McCain seems like a martyr anxious for the stake, offering his own lighter to get the proceedings started. His flamboyant heresies on campaign finance reform, global warming and immigration have left conservatives suspicious that he has a mild form of Chuck Hagel's disease: an uncontrollable moral exhibitionism designed to please the liberal media.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, McCain Archive]To these ideological concerns, conservatives quietly add the "temperament issue." McCain's coiled intensity is prone to sudden release. Even his strongest supporters must feel the same thrill as camping on the side of an active volcano.
Disaffected conservatives set a litmus test for '08WASHINGTON -- A new political group recently asked Mitt Romney to promise not to wiretap Americans without a judge's approval or to imprison US citizens without a trial as "enemy combatants." When Romney declined to sign their pledge, the group denounced him as "unfit to serve as president."Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Romney Archive]Such rhetoric might be expected from liberal activists. But these critics, who call their organization American Freedom Agenda, are hardly leftists. They represent what they insist is a growing group of disaffected conservatives who are demanding that the Republican Party return to its traditional mistrust of concentrated government power.
"Mitt Romney's ignorance of the Constitution's checks and balances and protections against government abuses would have alarmed the Founding Fathers and their conservative philosophy," said Bruce Fein, one of the group's co founders and a Reagan administration attorney, in a press release last month attacking Romney for not signing the pledge.
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