Yep, I don’t consider Mitt conservative any more than I consider Rudy or Huck or McCain (I consider him a Democrat) or even Ron Paul conservative. But I would vote for Mitt or even Huckabee if they got the nomination and I can’t say the same about Rudy, McCain, or Ron Paul.

And, as always, I could be very wrong about Huck’s Christian Base or things could change but it is all too possible that our only chance to see a Republican in the White House is Huck and we’re right back to gay marriage amendments and amnesty plans for illegals and their corporate slavemasters. If so I’ll write off the GOP as the right wing of the Democrat party for good and become a permanent independent.

He governed Mass as conservative as he could. And any changes in policy were again, social issues, NOT ideologically defining issues (see Mike Huckabee on one side, Rudy Giuliani on the other) and should NOT be primary issues of this campaign. Then again, apparently voters are stupid like that, thinking a president’s policy towards abortion is more significant than his policy towards islamofascists and taxes–which regardless of comparative importance are issues he has much more influence on. But I digress.

How about immigration, guns, or health care. These are all issues he was not conservative on as governor, and they are key policy issues, or “primary issues” as you call them. I don’t trust him on these issues, yes I do fear that he would change when it comes to these issues. For the record Romney is my second choice at this point, just because the others are so much worse than he is, and I would vote for him in the general although I would need a big clothespin to do it. I will not be voting for him tonight however. “Electability,” whatever that means, is not the reason I pick my candidate. I will not be voting for the Huckster tonight either, and fear I would find myself pulling for the Dem if he got the nom just because I think he would do more damage to the conservative cause than a democrat ever could.

*Ironically, I originally had Rush’s number wrong. It’s fixed now. I’m not giving back the official EIB mug, though.

Dude. I love ya, man. But. . . you got the number wrong. I don’t know how, in good conscience, you can keep your mug. I think you should send it to me. It’s the only way to properly repent for the near unpardonable sin of forgetting that number.

Rush has one of the most visible sites on the net and he’s only on a couple hundred radio stations around the country. And that’s for us rank and file people.

Not every listener is rank and file.

He’s been a “conservative” since he started running. Sorry, but being “conservative” for political expediency does not make one a conservative, I don’t care who buy the crap he’s shoveling.

Gianni on January 3, 2008 at 3:12 AM

He governed Mass as conservative as he could. And any changes in policy were again, social issues, NOT ideologically defining issues (see Mike Huckabee on one side, Rudy Giuliani on the other) and should NOT be primary issues of this campaign. Then again, apparently voters are stupid like that, thinking a president’s policy towards abortion is more significant than his policy towards islamofascists and taxes–which regardless of comparative importance are issues he has much more influence on. But I digress.

Beyond that, do you really think he’ll change his positions as president? Is that a legitimate concern? IMO Romney is a man of integrity and there is nothing that gives me any reservation about him being otherwise.

And I find the “phony” charge against Romney pretty ridiculous considering many making it are supporting the phoniest, most disingenuous candidate possibly in the entire race in Mike Huckabee (not saying you personally, just ironic generally).

Because he’s not a conservative.

Gianni on January 3, 2008 at 2:19 AM

Yet the entire conservative establishment seems to disagree with you. No one has come close to the amount of endorsements he has received from conservatives, from National Review to Paul Weyrich to Justice Bork. Does that not say anything to you?

And how exactly is he not a conservative? Yeah, you can get him on flips on social issues (which should not be primary issues of this campaign nor ideological defining issues imo; see Mike Huckabee), but he’s been running on conservatism across the board since day one of this campaign and has not changed that one bit.

That being said, I do not think he is the most conservative candidate in the race–Tancredo, Hunter, and Thompson perhaps more so. But the point is he is conservative AND viable as a candidate running a campaign for POTUS, something none of the others have come close to. And it’s to the point now where if not Romney–then who?–Huckabee, McCain, and if we’re very lucky, Giuliani.

You, like many, are ignoring our most viable and conservative candidate we have–who so happens to be positioned as a potential Huck AND McCain slayer–Mitt Romney. Why is this?

Patriot33 on January 3, 2008 at 1:12 AM

Because he’s not a conservative.

I think a lot of voters were looking for something new. The good news is he’s Republican and he’s drawing a lot of Democrats. The bad news is he’s politically liberal on everything old growth conservatives hold dear. Now where are the folks that thought we should vote for Rudy because liberal as he might be he can beat Hillary?

I hoping for a Fred surge myself.

Buzzy on January 2, 2008 at 10:43 PM

You, like many, are ignoring our most viable and conservative candidate we have–who so happens to be positioned as a potential Huck AND McCain slayer–Mitt Romney. Why is this?

But I disagree that Huckabee is using identity politics (the way Rush describes it) and here are three reasons why:…

Darksean, I’m hoping that Christians awake in the morning realizing the difference between coffee and sewage. Huckabee, even if elected, is not going to make expressing one’s Christianity any easier in public, particularly when on the defensive for his obvious shortcomings.

Buzzy on January 2, 2008 at 9:20 PM

You make very interesting points. I think you may be right. Tiered allegiance also occurs to me, meaning from lowest to greatest value: Republican, Conservative, Christian. So criticism from a republican to a conservative is water off a duck’s back, same as a conservative to a Christian. Rush’s impact may be limited by that.

I think you vastly overestimate the number of Christians who consider Huckabee one of their own. I’d be willing to bet he doesn’t have much of an Episcopalian following, for example, along with a lot of folks who don’t approve of running for political office sporting a big cross on your sleeve and acting like you’re God’s gift to Christian America.

I agree and honestly worry that Huckabee is grabbing the cross for political gain when his own political merit wasn’t working well at all.

And davenp35, you’re not alone. That’s what all the far left Democrats are saying too. Won’t work though, it’s not from the pulpit it’s person to person, excercising their right to free assembly and speech (until the fascist left takes over).

The problem is that only 1 in 5 (on a good day) pay attention to any politics that doesn’t involve mindless chanting while 3 in 5 pay more attention to their religion and are upset over it to some degree.

I think a lot of voters were looking for something new. The good news is he’s Republican and he’s drawing a lot of Democrats. The bad news is he’s politically liberal on everything old growth conservatives hold dear. Now where are the folks that thought we should vote for Rudy because liberal as he might be he can beat Hillary?

I hoping for a Fred surge myself.

You’re not going to see this movement on the Web, or even in the media but it’s in the Churches all across the country and prayer groups and email groups and it’s a lot bigger than anyone believes.

I hope the IRS is paying attention.

Christians are TIRED of being an 80% majority that can’t even admit their faith in public. They’re tired of a tiny minority of non Christians telling them what they can and can’t do, or say. They see their Religion as the answer to Islamists making demands on our society. They see Huckabee as their answer after Bush was such a disappointment.

Buzzy on January 2, 2008 at 9:20 PM

I agree Christians are the only group that its acceptable to malign and even commit ‘hate crimes’ against and it be more okay. However, if they make this whole election about religion and push it down people’s throats the backlash against THEM and THAT would be even more immense. I’m all for Christians getting more fair treatment, but if this becomes a Come to Jesus (Huck) thing its really going to piss me off.

Christians are TIRED of being an 80% majority that can’t even admit their faith in public. They’re tired of a tiny minority of non Christians telling them what they can and can’t do, or say. They see their Religion as the answer to Islamists making demands on our society. They see Huckabee as their answer after Bush was such a disappointment.

You’re not going to see this movement on the Web, or even in the media but it’s in the Churches all across the country and prayer groups and email groups and it’s a lot bigger than anyone believes.

Don’t count it out so quickly and I can say this as a die hard Fred supporter (since Tancredo dropped out).

Actually I think this is pretty novel. Rush never (to my memory) gets involved till after the primaries. Guess he’s as disturbed by the direction the party has taken as I am.

Limbaugh today figuratively unendorsed McCain, Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani by stating they were not conservatives. The kiss of death effectively.

Exactly. Separating the wheat from the chaff, done.