The discussion, by social conservatives, of supporting a third candidate if a pro-abortion presidential candidate is chosen in the Republican primary, is exciting news . . . to Hillary. That is exactly what she needs to ensure her coronation with a repeat of her husband’s failure to ever get a majority of the vote in order to be elected. If you listen carefully, that dripping sound is the left salivating at the idea.
What is baffling, and even bewildering is why do these leaders, who claim to have that much political power and muscle think they have to wait to flex that muscle. If the numbers are, as we have all seen, the majority of the American people identify themselves as conservative, even though the moniker of right-wing has been firmly attached by the left, then why don’t WE determine who the candidate will be before the party machine rolls over us.
When looking at minorities, assessing winnable numbers, all you have to do is look at the 10% of the far left that have successfully invaded and now run the Democratic Party. They do not reflect the values of the vast majority of Americans who are either apolitical, or occasionally vote every four years. And this majority is the number, when polled, who disapprove of George W. Bush, not because of the war, but because of issues that are far more personal to them. His lagging poll numbers reflect the disgust of millions of Americans at his wavering and weakness on the border issue. They have always been told that the Republicans are the party of lower taxes and less spending. They voted for Bush, hoping that he would lead the way Republicans are supposed to lead . . . less government interference, fewer regulations, greater national security, lower taxes and more individual liberty and freedom.
Let’s break down a Giuliani race, based on the myth that he is the only one who can beat Hillary. There are more people who vote specifically on the social issues like pro-life and sanctity of marriage, than vote solely for pro-choice candidates. The gay community makes up about 2% of the population, whereas the pro-life community is now over 50%, and many of them are motivated solely on that issue and will only support pro-life candidates.
If the argument for Rudy is that he is strong on national defense, and that will gain him the support of those who see him as a fighter, then why not take that issue and find another candidate who is not only strong on defense, but also embraces pro-life and pro-family positions?
And why suddenly is Rudy so electable nationwide when polls show he would not even take New York . . . and knowing that, did not run against Hillary in 2006 for the Senate. The argument is that he will motivate the moderates and undecideds and they will vote for him. Hello . . . undecided means just that. It means that two seconds before someone marks their ballot they can change their mind. You do not want them near a voting machine on Election Day. And the only thing you will find in the middle of the road besides moderates are yellow lines and dead chickens.
There are two very easy solutions to this hand-wringing problem that has inspired third-party conversations. Since the Republican party is merely a shadow of its former self, suffering from historic amnesia, being rendered not only useless but a bit of an embarrassment, there needs to be a shakeup in the halls of power. We need to see a real Paul Tillich shaking of the foundations to bring the party back to its roots of being the civil rights party that was based solely on principle and the cause of abolishing slavery. Their history has always been to champion the cause of the downtrodden and voiceless, but ironically, through the years they have been Harry Reided. All their accomplishments as far as race relations, that were hamstrung and prevented by the Democrats, are now credited to the very party who were the obstructionists. The Republicans have allowed themselves to be portrayed as racists, while the Democrats sit smugly on their stolen accolades. They stupidly go around apologizing for the Southern Strategy which is a myth created by the Democrats when their members were leaving in droves because they were embarrassed to be part of the party of Maddox, Wallace, Faubus, Byrd, Fulbright, and every other racist Democrat. As a product of the Southern Strategy, I left the Democratic Party when a leading Democrat told me that Republicans were “N”-lovers. I said I must be one and switched parties as a result.
The second solution is to select one of the declared candidates who pass the social litmus test and support them. There are some great people running, any of which would be a far better choice than Hillary Clinton. But why settle for just “electable” when we can actually get a leader in there who will, not just put their finger in the dike, but move policy that helps and protects the country.
If strong defense is an issue, and that is the ONLY reason to support Rudy, then why not pick the real deal in Duncan Hunter. He was not only an Army Ranger in Vietnam, was head of the Armed Services Committee, but his son Duncan Dwayne is on his third tour of duty. The first two were in Iraq and this time he is in Afghanistan. Duncan is the only candidate who can articulate a clear position on how to transition out of the war in Iraq.
If the issue against Rudy is that he is not pro-life, which is stimulating third candidate support, why wait until after the nomination process to choose a pro-life, third party candidate? Duncan has been pro-life forever and has never swayed or altered his view on that issue. He is fearless when it comes to fighting for what he believes in and figured out legally, how to save the cross at Mt. Soledad that the liberals wanted to tear down. He was the first one to speak out against the disparate treatment of Ramos and Campion and has been a supporter of border control, even authoring the bill that authorized the building of the border fence. This has been his issue for over 20 years.
He is from California for those who think the state of origin is an issue. As a congressman, he has always received about 80% of the vote in his San Diego district, which is predominately black and Hispanic. He does not pander to minorities, but speaks honestly and has garnered the support of many key black leaders as a result of his desire to bring them back into the Republican Party. He reminds them that it is THEIR party, created specifically for their ancestors to abolish slavery and give full and equal rights to the liberated slaves. He is doing what the RNC is too brain-dead to do, and that is to reach out to them, empower them to be involved politically and let them know that their values are our values.
Only 27% of blacks vote, and 90% of them vote for Democrats. The reason the other 73% are not involved is that they can’t stomach the policies of the Democrats, but they have been so beaten down and intimidated by the Democrats against voting for Republicans, that they abstain.
We make a fatal flaw, as conservatives when we drink the Kool-Aid of candidate viability that the Democrats so willingly serve to us. An election is not won by millions of dollars, but millions of votes. Almost every person on Duncan’s campaign is a volunteer, including his manager, his communications director, scheduler, etc., because they believe in him. Anyone can hire a consultant for $100,000, and believe me, that consultant would work for anyone. Follow the trail of consultants from one political trough to the other, and get an idea of their loyalty. But, if the issue is about money and you don’t believe that political viability exists unless you can put your hand in the side of the balance sheet, then start supporting these alternative candidates NOW. Put your money where you mouth is, stop whining, stop threatening to take your bat and your ball and go home if the game isn’t played the way you want it to be. If you want to be a player, step up to the plate and hit the ball that is thrown you and stop threatening to leave the game and start another one.
No one likes a spoiler as demonstrated by the valid accusations that if Ross Perot had not started a third party, then Hillary would be baking cookies today. And if a third party is to be formed, alternative candidate is to be selected, it should not be done two months before the primary but four years before one.
If social conservatives truly do have the choice and power to make or break a presidential race, then at least make it for the good of the country, with a candidate that the vast majority can get behind, not for the sake of making a hallow promise that will only serve to crown Hillary as our nation’s first socialist president.