Romney Wins Over Conservatives.....Barely

At a Christian Conservative Conference, organized by the Family Research council, Gov. Mitt Romney won a straw poll with 27.6% of the "value voter's" votes. Mike Huckabee, who in my opinion is one of the strongest GOP candidates, finished at a very close second with 27.1%. Ron Paul came in third with 15% favoring him.

It proved to be a disappointing night for the two national frontrunners, however. Fred Thompson, who was hoping for the support of the Christian right to propel his campaign, only received about 9%. Rudy Giuliani, whose campaign banked on his (so called) national security credentials to overcome the social issues when it comes to winning over Christian conservatives, finished with under 2%.

Several important things strike me from the results of the straw poll. Now obviously, this isn't even close to all the Christian Conservative voters' support, but it is meaningful. It tells who the "value voter" community is drifting towards. First, I 'll be honest, I was shocked that Romney finished first. I thought for sure his flip-flop on abortion would keep him from being the favorite among Christians. Mike Huckabee, finishing a strong second, illustrates a trend in the campaign----his growing support. If Huckabee can finish strong in the early primaries, he might just be able to win enough Christian votes in the Southern states to win the GOP nomination. Another major upset has to be the fact that Ron Paul came in third. I could honestly see, if Rudy becomes the nominee, that Paul would run as a third party, anti-war, pro-life candidate and get the backing of some Christian conservatives. This could have the Nader effect on the GOP in '08 in some key battle ground states.

Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani can not be too happy tonight. If Fred can not rally up the Christian right, I don't see how he has a shot at the nomination. I think, as we get closer to January, that Huckabee will slowly over come Thompson in the polls and will prove to be the candidate of choice for the Christian Right. And finally we can see that Rudy is not winning over the social conservatives. Rudy himself has stated in the past that the way he will win the nomination is by convincing "value voters" that, while he might not be as socially conservative as they may like, he is the toughest candidate on national security. Well it seems that they're not buying it. I predict as we get closer to the primaries, and more people start paying close attention to the race, Rudy will lose some support once people know his positions.

One thing is for sure coming out of this conference----it is essentially a battle between Romney and Huckabee for the Christian Right vote in the primaries. Also it's clear that Rudy is not going to get a majority of Christian votes and that Fred is, slowly but surly, fading away.

The Four Ring Circus

Republican Presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and John McCain are going at each other as to who is the real conservative among them.  These children, dressed up like adults, are a sad bunch representing the Republican party who are trying to attract their base----those who prefer to wear the mantle of moral and family values. 

 

History has proven those who talk most about having family and moral values are the one who often violate those values.  We have seen many of them exposed in the last few years.  The people who really believe and practice family and moral values very seldom have to speak about those values because they live them.  In other words they lead by their deeds.

 

Has anyone heard this circus talk about being an American first?  I would bet not; their ideology and political persuasion comes first.  They think of being an American only when they need the extra votes.  The election of any one of these four children as President will just be an extension of the Bush administration with more reckless behavior and more reckless decisions, more attacks by Al Qaeda on the U.S., and more unnecessary wars.

 

Mr. Bush and his tough talking neocon friends failed to protect the country and its people on 9-11 from the worst foreign terror attack on U.S. soil.  And now this circus of four neocon's running for President are also trying to talk tough.  The American people are well aware of which party can best protect our country and people, and it is not the Republican Party.

 

It is almost laughable when you see them go after each other.  They can't live up to their positions on the issues, and when all else fails, they invoke the name of Reagan.  It must remind them of the Iran-Contra scandal.  Maybe that is why they are so casual about going to war with Iran.  Their motive must be to get back those weapons Reagan sold to Iran. 

 

Lets see, Giuliani likes to cross dress and hide behind the podium during the debates; Thompson is an actor with an undistinguished record while serving in Congress; McCain's wheels of his straight talking express came off a long time ago, and Romney is still trying to explain his positions. What a four ring circus with these children leading the Republican field for their party's leadership.

 

Are any of these four the best candidates to lead our country in the future?  The present administration has already set America back a decade with its reckless behavior.  When introducing the candidates for the next debate, maybe the moderator should just sing, "Send In The Clowns."