LAT-Rumblings Are Felt at Base of Bush's Support

[LiviaOlivia]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-conservatives17jul17,1,7261095.story?coll=la-home-headlines
THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

Rumblings Are Felt at Base of Bush's Support
As his campaign makes an effort to attract more moderates, some social conservatives protest.

By Peter Wallsten
Times Staff Writer

July 17, 2004


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"I think the president's advisors are gambling that his conservative Christian base already supports him, so that if he projects a more moderate image, he might pick up votes from the middle," said Robert Knight, who leads an affiliate of Concerned Women for America, a conservative advocacy group. "But I think this is a dangerous and wrong calculation."

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But the grumbling among some leaders is noteworthy because of the extraordinary effort the White House has made to promote issues important to social conservatives. Bush's political strategists believe that victory in November requires unprecedented turnout by millions of evangelicals and other conservatives, combined with support from undecided voters, who tend to be less ideological. They have said that as many as 4 million evangelicals — largely white churchgoers — failed to turn out in 2000, contributing to razor-thin finishes that year in states such as Florida and West Virginia (which Bush carried) and Wisconsin and Iowa (which he lost).

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Paul M. Weyrich, chairman of the conservative Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, is among the activists unhappy with the lineup of speakers at the GOP convention at New York. "Who watches the convention? It's party activists," Weyrich said "Other people are going to be watching reruns of old movies. You've got to give those activists the people who will excite them and who will make them feel that 'This is my party.' "

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Politicians closely allied with the social conservatives, such as Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), have been bypassed. "It was a mistake by the party to announce a series of prime-time speakers, all of whom came from a perspective on social issues that is in a minority in the Republican Party," said Gary Bauer, a leading Christian conservative. But Bauer added that he had no doubt that Bush aides would ultimately add speakers "that are more in the mainstream of the party on issues like gay marriage, the sanctity of life and so forth."

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[dand]

1. The loony right and the very wealthy are not enough,

so look for another coup d'etat. These arrogant bastards don't care who they alienate, they are in direct communication with God.