refuse to leave when their chances vanish.

Take Pawlenty as the exception who highlights the existence of the rule.

Reagan started running in 1974, and didn’t win until 1980. 1980 is the last election I remember, by the way, where the RINOs consolidated around a candidate (Anderson) *after* the Conservatives… and that happened because Reagan never stopped campaigning. He scaled it back to op-eds and columns and speeches, but he was *there*.

The point is, we – conservatives – do not gravitate toward candidates who play this game to win as a group, we bunch up in packets behind candidates who are playing it to win as individuals… and then we’re defeated in detail.

Look at history, it’s crystal {redacted} clear.

Mew

…I think that fill in the blank letter should be a handy form letter for dealing with unfair bashers of any candidates. xD We all have our moments on both sides of that discussion.

I think Redstate has to be anti-Romney by definition. Having been here for a long time I don’t see how they could maintain their self-consistency not to mention their current ownership by Human Events without being opposed to Romney. That’s their prerogative and frankly I don’t contest it any more.

They let me stick around and I have some dissenting voice to theirs coming soon.

I’m so sick of people acting like Romney would be the end of the world.

Romney doesn’t represent his values, I agree. To us its not about beating Obama as seems to be the mantra. It’s about saving our country, restoring our liberties and passing our values and our way of life onto the next generation.

If you believe Romney meets your vision then vote for him, god bless.

For myself, I dont find him impressive. He is a single term liberal governor from a liberal state. He provided the blue print for socialized medicine in our country the largest government over reach in modern history. He implemented cap and trade in his state and now his advisors work for the very man you claim to want to defeat so passionately in his efforts to again take Romney’s blue print national. His credibility ? Well surely you have seen the videos, there everywhere. Finaly he is the epitome of the wall street insider.

With exception of the silver spoon at birth and the rusty R behind his name. Looks,talks and walks just like Obama to me.

Mea Culpa

I’d make one (and only one) exception: Zell Miller. I voted desperately for Mack Mattingly, fully expecting Miller to vote the same in the Senate as any other Democrat. Credit where due: I think he did Republicans a world of good; his endorsement of Bush was the only reason my father finally came around to Republicans. But yes, Miller was a pariah in Washington.

As for Romney, I’ve spent the past three years praying I never have to defend him. He’s the only one I don’t think I could.

but I’m not sure that makes a strong case for his election.

He’s had every position on everything, so that you really can’t deny anything.

Why the allowances for other candidates but not for Romney? Perry has been accused of being knee deep in crony capitalism in TX, he was Al Gores campaign manager, he pro-illegal benefits and more – but he passes the test, Gingrich is a serial philanderer, has taken money from Fanny and Freddie and has lots of baggage – but he passes, Cain – just not up to the job, but Romney is the devil himself. If you mean what you say – that 4 more years of O are better than Romney – then you are no conservative.

We were told Bush was the guy against Reagan by the establishment…you know, the Voodoo Economics. Was Bush a conservative for that?

The idea that conservatives should not attack Romney where attacks are merited on substance is absurd. I mean, we’ve only been told Romney is the nominee since 2009. But we’re not supposed to point out why we feel he should not be the nominee. We should just accept it and find ways to support his positions that say he is the opposite of the way currently he tries to speak.

Is it:

“Romney supports a
federal health care plan option that includes abortion services, would vote for a law codifying the 1972 Roe v.
Wade decision that legalized abortion and backs federal funding for abortions as long as states can decide if they
want the money, [a spokesman] said.” (Ed Hayward, “Anti-Abortion Group Endorses Romney Bid,” Boston Herald, 9/8/94)

“Gov. Mitt Romney expressed
support … for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward
citizenship … Romney said illegal immigrants should have a chance to obtain citizenship.” (Evan Lehmann, “Romney
Supports Immigration Program, But Not Granting ‘Amnesty’,” The Lowell Sun, 3/30/06)

“I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I’m not trying to return to Reagan-
Bush.” (Joe Battenfeld, “Conservative Group Yanks Its Support For Mitt,” Boston Herald, 10/27/94)

Or is it:

“I am firmly pro-life … I was always for life.” (Jim
Davenport, “Romney Affirms Abortion Opposition During Stop In SC,” The Associated Press, 2/8/07)

“[I] think I’m best off to
describe my own positions. And my positions, I think I’ve just described for you – secure the border, employment
verification and no special pathway to citizenship. I feel that’s the course we ought to take.” (CNN’s “The Situation
Room,” 5/22/07)

“‘Ronald Reagan is one of my heroes,’ Romney said as he
praised Reagan’s strategy for winning the Cold War: ‘We win; they lose.’” (Michael Levenson, “Romney Links Gay Marriage,
US Prestige,” The Boston Globe, 2/26/05)

These are just a few (guns, health care, DADT, taxes) . You won’t need an October surprise when every week the opposition can put Romney on the right side of an issue or show him to agree with Obama’s position on the issue. Now, I don’t support Obama against any of the GOP nominees, but the primary is the time where conservatives battle the establishment to put forth the most conservative candidate. Otherwise, you get big government republicans who argue for tax cuts but abandon the free market in order to save it.

Feel free to point out the negatives (on conservative credentials) of the other candidates. But don’t deny the light being shined on Romney.

Sorry for the long post, but think back to the FL debate. Is social security a ponzi scheme as Perry said? Or is it as Romney said… “My own view is that we have to make it very, very clear that Social Security is a responsibility of the federal government, not the state governments, that we’re going to have one plan, and we’re going to make sure that it’s fiscally sound and stable. And I’m absolutely committed to keeping Social Security working.”

I can just see ObamaCare not being repealed. In 2020, the Republican candidate from that point on saying, “Health Care is a responsibility of the federal government, not the state governments, that we’re going to have one plan, and we’re going to make sure that it’s fiscally sound and stable. And I’m absolutely committed to keeping Government Health Care working. How dare my (conservative primary) opponent talk about privatizing health care.”

Four years ago Romney was conservative enough and acceptable to Rush, Mark Levin and other conservative leaders, much more so than McCain. What changed? None of his positions have changed since 2007. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

I can understand Cain supporters refusing to accept wholesale these unsubstantiated allegations. Perry supporters are harder to get. He can’t debate for his life and if nominated will guarantee 4 more years of O. I don’t get their loyalty – he’s not up to the job. Haven’t we had enough of that?

That is what you do when you can’t defend the man’s record, you just lie about it? Romney could have and should have challenged the Mass. Court’s ruling on Gay Marriage as they clearly overreached; in fact, the local media expected him to but instead he stamped it with his seal of approval. He did nothing to fight it.

He was Governor of a Blue State? Is that seriously your excuse in a day when Governors like Walker in Wisconsin, LePage in Maine and even Christie in New Jersey showing how a Republican stands by his principles and pushes through reform? What about Kasich in the Swing State of Ohio? He just got slaughtered by the unions and his reform package went down in flames, but at least he stood up for what was right and as the people of Ohio see their taxes go up while their wages go down, Republicans will be in a much better position to say “I told you so!” Romney takes no such stands.

Individual Mandates, Carbon Cap legislation, Pro-Choice, Pro Gay marriage, anti Flat Tax, no true tax code reform of his own, a critic of the Reagan Bush era and open to global Cap and Trade is NOT Conservatism.

Who cares if he is a good man? Obama looks like a good family man too, you going to vote for him? Perry is a good man, and an actual conservative. Gingrich has personal baggage, but is he not a good man? Thomas Jefferson was sleeping with one of his slaves, was he a good man?

The reason why Romney has a cap in the polls is because people do not TRUST him. Romney supporters like yourself know less of his record and past positions than his critics. I mean come seriously, your best defense is that he is a good man while dismissing or outright lying about his record? At least his critics are actually looking at his record.

You don’t factor in New Hampshire’s role. I see a mentality around here that if you do well, move to New Hampshire, when you economically crash go back to Massachusetts. There is a desire to maintain NH as a low tax state and MA as a high benefit state. Romney is a businessman that works to deliver what his customers (or voters) want. Expect to apply the kind of pressure that was applied on Bush’s amnesty on a regular basis. He will undo Obama’s damage if that’s what he is pressured into doing.

How the Democrats stick their 2nd and 3rd choices into the Republican Party, and Republicans actually go for it with the likes of McCain, Romney and Huntsman.

1. You don’t know Erick. I do. So don’t presume to tell me what he thinks. It simply marks you as an idiot.

2. DeMint is not endorsing Romney this year and he did it in 2008 because the alternative was McCain.

I don’t make my decisions based on what talk show hosts think. That really, really, really, really, really applies in the case of Levin. You want to listen to him that is your decision. Just don’t confuse quoting him with an actual argument.

So don’t pretend to lecture me. I don’t like it when it comes from people who really don’t know anything.

In 2009 and 2010, I was hearing tea party quite a lot; several contacts were on the mall in D.C. and reported it a very congenial experience.

Since late-2010, not so much.

The anger that fueled the Tea Party is still there, but the logo itself seems – from my point of view – to be played out.

The first candidate to articulate issues that resonate will immediately gain support by the Tea Partiers .. although the “party” itself, I think, is finished.

Mew

Seems like any Republican is likely to make better SCOTUS picks than Obummer.

There was some tough reading in this thread: It was said that Romney is as bad as Ooops, Pawlenty was praised for leaving early, thereby not probing a rule nor it’s exception (meow-too bad!), EE was defended and slighted, and darn near everyone’s motives were impugned. There’s clearly a couple of establishment types making comments here (I suppose since I’m still allowed others should be also, darn it!), and putting up straw men for Romney. What a bunch of maroons!

Romney is not as bad as Oblather, but he’s not a Conservative either. When we’re down to two, and it’s increasingly looking like Newt to me (Sorry ammy, but I don’t think Plouffe’s sock puppet stands a chance against Newt in a real debate.), then we’ll see if Conservatives, as opposed to the party apparatchik, will get behind Rove’s sock puppet.