Discord Among Conservatives as Romney Picks Up Steam

[babylonsister]

Discord Among Conservatives as Romney Picks Up Steam
Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

Rick Santorum's campaign released its first negative advertisement against Mitt Romney hours before a debate of the presidential candidates in Myrtle Beach.
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: January 16, 2012


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — While Republican moderates on Monday moved to rally around Mitt Romney as their presidential nominee, conservatives showed new signs of fracturing, despite a vote over the weekend by religious leaders to coalesce behind Rick Santorum as an anti-Romney alternative.

snip//

Underscoring the party’s lack of unity, Mr. Santorum’s campaign released its first negative advertisement against Mr. Romney hours before a debate of the presidential candidates here in Myrtle Beach. The ad called Mr. Romney “more liberal than Ted Kennedy on social issues” and said he had inspired President Obama’s health care overhaul.

It highlighted how the battle for South Carolina’s evangelical and conservative voters — who make up 60 percent of the state’s registered Republicans — has boiled down to a two-man contest between Mr. Santorum and Mr. Gingrich. Neither candidate showed any sign that they were considering stepping aside.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/us/politics/discord-among-conservatives-as-romney-picks-up-steam.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

[DCBob]

1. More llke desperation.

I wonder if the hard core RW conservatives will ever give in and support Romney. They really do not like him at all.

[babylonsister]

2. If Santorum is their 'savior', they REALLY don't like him. Then again,

there's no one viable imo, other than Huntsman, who is now out. I am sort of sad; this is what this country has to offer?
I love our President, but 'the other side' couldn't come up with anyone worthy?

[DCBob]

3. That disturbs me too. Its embarassing for the nation.

The GOP has sunk to new lows.

[bluestate10]

6. Lincoln is surely spinning in his grave. Maybe that is what caused the DC quake.

The great Lincoln's spirit can't be happy with what it is watching from the party that Lincoln help create.

[yellowcanine]

14. Would have to be Robert Todd Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln is buried in Springfield Illinois. Robert

Todd Lincoln is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

[BeyondGeography]

4. Their slip is showing

The country, quite frankly, really doesn't care for the most part about the preoccupations of social conservatives. They are a distraction that even many Republicans realize they can't afford anymore.

[babylonsister]

5. I agree. No one seems to be listening as they try to remain viable. nt

[customerserviceguy]

11. Should one anti-Romney emerge

The media will try to hype him up like you've never seen. Coronations don't sell newspapers.

[Aerows]

7. 90% of the population

views social conservative talking points as what they are - distractions from the fact that they have nothing concrete. You can yell all day about abortion and pick up about 10% of the wingnut vote, but if you have nothing beyond that, including beating wardrums to a war weary public, you've got nothing.

The Republican Party is running on empty, and frankly, we need to let it keep doing it for as long as it can. Conservatives are so disheartened, it THRILLS me to ask them who they are voting for. They practically break down and cry.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. This is the social conservative's last hurrah

Their fearless "leaders" have been paying them lip service for decades - calling them:

1.) The "Silent Majority" (Nixon)
2.) The "Christian Coalition" (Reagan)
3.) The "Evangelical/Christian/Religious Right" (the Bushes)

Their elected officials have cultivated their votes, threw them all the red-meat that they could feast on, drained them dry of $$$... and then time and time again, let their issues wither on the vine (or perhaps more accurately, the REAL majority wanted to follow the Constitution and kept these extremists at bay).

So they, with the help of the teabagger astroturf, are once more making impossible demands as part of their last stand. And in doing so, have made the jobs of the RW lunatic fringe gasbags on places like faux or clear channel, more difficult - forcing them into all sorts of twisted acrobatics to reign in this herd to appear unified.

These folks don't realize that their agenda is basically in opposition to the neocons, big biz, libertarian, and fiscal conservatives.

I can imagine the history books of the future writing about this time.

[ingac70]

9. I hope the little bastards get pissed off enough to quit bothering...

30% of the GOP "base" sitting it out forever would be nice!

[Cosmocat]

12. Not going to happen

They responded to the 2006/08 elections by coming out harder than ever.

they might get down ever now and again, but they are flat mean, and end of the day, the evil liberal is more than they can bear.

[Skittles]

10. an analysis worthy of its own thread

yes INDEED

[Mopar151]

13. It would be interesting

To see their worldview dissected, and rebutted, i.e. cost of antipoverty programs vs. Halliburton's looting of the treasury, who really holds US debt.........

[Iliyah]

15. From what my

brother says, and he's a Republican Christian Conservative, is that Mitten's religion is a cult, plain and simple and they (many of the Christian Conservatives) will not hold their noses and vote for him but will sit this one out and wait for 2016.

[ingac70]

16. Here is the problem with Mormonism:

Going by the scribblings of Brigham Young, they wish to bring the United States Government under the rule of the priesthood. For Mormons the prophecy of Daniel 2:31-45 says that the Mormon people and the resources of their corporate empire will be the prime movers in a millennial overthrow of the United States government.

To achieve this, Brigham Young stated in the 'Journal of Discourses', “no more or less than the complete overthrow of the nation, and not only of this nation, but the nations of Europe".

Conservative Mormons are Theocrats and cannot be trusted.

[stockholmer]

17. agreed, and tell your brother that ALL religions are cults, by the very definition

I contend that we are all atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.

Stephen Roberts