Since everyone else is launching pressure groups and PACs, I figure it’s high time I did the same.
Just in time for the Minnesota Caucuses, I’m announcing my new PAC, “Eventual Romney Supporters For Santorum Or Paul”.
To be a member of (or contributor to) ERSFSOP, you need to do the following:
- Recognize the true goal for conservatives in the general election – to replace Barack Obama with someone who will shrink government and get it out of the way of economic recovery.
- Recognize, in addition, that most important facet of the endorsement process; pulling like mad for candidates that reflect your values, and do so with a voice so loud and powerful that whomever wins the nomination needs to pay attention, even if it’s not yours.
And so the ERSFSOP charter basically says this:
I, a conservative base voter, recognize the primary need to to get Barack Obama out of office in favor of virtually any conservative-enough Republican, and recognize that Romney is probably still on the inside track to the nomination. I also am uncomfortable with the depth of Romney’s commitment to conservative economic princpiples. And so until Candidate Romney makes his commitment to conservative economic policy – especially repeal of Obamacare and drastic cuts to spending and the size of government – an integral part of his campaign, I will be caucusing for Santorum, or Ron Paul, or even plugging my nose and caucusing for the born-again Alinky-ite, Gingrich. And so until you commit to the policies we support, your path to the nomination has a speed bump.
Your choice, Governor Romney; a 55 gallon drum of Maalox, or a clear path to the convention.
Your move.
Any takers?
I’m in. I’ll see if I can get a ride to the MOB party next month so I can drown my political grief with a few strawberry margaritas. 🙁
I think that Romney would be a good choice — as long as we have a conservative House or Senate. He’d find it very easy to cut deals with the Dem’s if he had to in order to get things done.
With a GOP House and/or Senate, Gingrich, given his temperament and often rocky relations with fellow Republicans, would probably be open to overtures from a Dem legislature if they played on his megalomania.
If we had a Dem House and Senate (and we won’t) Gingrich would be my first choice. He don’t take well to being bullied.
Paul would be as bad a Ventura. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if picked Ventura for the Veep slot.
As it is, it looks like my first choice as “the most conservative candidate who can get elected” is Romney.
To what end?
Romney has consistently and repeatedly said that if Congress sends him a bill to repeal Obamacare. As have the other three remaining GOP contenders.
If you want Obamacare repealed, then it would be better to focus efforts on getting a Senate majority that will pass a bill to repeal Obamacare for the next President to sign. Otherwise if Harry Reid is still the Majority Leader or has enough support to mount a filibuster of a bill to repeal (unless you can do it through reconcilliation or some other parliamentary move), it’s not going anywhere.
The idea that Romney will “shrink government and get it out of the way of economic recovery” is a nice thought with little evidence to support it. The difference between Obama and Romney as far as the economy is concerned is that one will cause us to crash into the brick wall at 90 mph and the other might get us down to just 80 mph before we hit.
The driver before Obama had the cruise control set at 75 mph. That’s what we got for voting for the “most conservative candidate that can win.”
I’m in. Every candidate so far has some fatal flaw, I just haven’t gotten around to figuring out which candidate I hate least.
It’s no stretch to say that the direction Ieaning changes daily, if not hourly. Every time I start leaning, that candidate says something stupid.
Night Writer, to work on your analogy a bit, when you’re going 90 mph toward a brick wall, the answer is not to throw it into reverse. Your not going to go from 90 to backwards immediately. In fact, right now, the GOP is not offering a “reverse” option.
There is no good reason to take the current President over any of the GOP candidates, and “sitting it out” is petulant and self destructive. Is Romney perfect? Hardly. Deceleration must begin.
Deceleration is of little effect and marginal comfort when you hit the wall, and that wall isn’t going away because we turned down the wrong road to begin with decades ago. Now we put all this energy into arguing whether the car is red or blue and no one asks if the brakes work, and no one notices the little crosses in the ditch with Spain, Italy and Greece written on them.
For the last 25 years I’ve heard “electable” and “close enough” and “lesser of two evils” and “don’t waste your vote.” I’ve gone along with it, and you know what? I’ve wasted my vote! All the promises and “careful consideration” get tossed out the window like litter once our leaders have determined we’re safely on board. I don’t care much for Ron Paul as a candidate but his principles and understanding of what must be done are miles better than the others are offering, or have even grasped. That is what I’m voting for from now on; I will not acquiesce to a false promise in the hopes of a better day. Maybe there aren’t as many willing to say “Enough!” but if enough start shouting it then it will be heard eventually.
It may be too late. In which case I can only hope a few are able to tie a boat anchor to the frame of the car and chuck it out behind us. That will preserve the important stuff and let fancy paint job, bells and whistles go careening into destiny.
I can live with the most conservative candidate who can get elected, as long as he doesn’t have flaws that will lead to more Democrat wins in various elections.
We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.
– C. S. Lewis
The idea that Romney will “shrink government and get it out of the way of economic recovery” is a nice thought with little evidence to support it. The difference between Obama and Romney as far as the economy is concerned is that one will cause us to crash into the brick wall at 90 mph and the other might get us down to just 80 mph before we hit.
I disagree, Romney came out for cut, cap and balance; repealing Obamacare (including the Medicaid expansion which is the most expensive portion); block granting Medicaid, reforming Medicare along the lines of the Ryan Plan, and means-testing and raising the retirement age of Social Security. IMO leading off with entitlement reform is a sign that someone is serious about reigning in spending because it shows that recognize the main cost drivers of federal spending rather than just the hiding behind “cut waste fraud and abuse.”
Thorley,
I’ve decided that pretty much anyone who’s “fiscal reform” “plan” starts with “cut waste fraud and abuse” faces a serious uphill battle to be taken seriously.
Well, if by “cut waste, fraud and abuse” they mean eliminating a couple of federal departments outright then maybe we’re getting somewhere. Otherwise this tough fiscal talk is just the GOP’s latest version of faith-based initiatives, except we’re the ones that are supposed to have faith.
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