‘There is no George W. Bush in the field’

December 5, 2006

The far-right base is gearing up for the next presidential race, but they’re looking at the field and noticing something disconcerting: the leading candidates aren’t nearly right-wing enough for their tastes.

A year ago, few could have predicted that the three front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination would be a U.S. senator who favors embryonic stem cell research and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, a governor who twice campaigned on defending abortion rights, and a former mayor who not only supports gay rights but moved in with a gay couple — and their pet Shih Tzu — after the breakup of his second marriage.

But after the Republicans’ midterm losses, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani have emerged as their party’s presidential favorites, according to public polls, GOP insiders, and Washington pundits. And stunningly for a party that has championed conservative social issues — like opposing abortion, banning gay marriage, and restricting embryonic stem cell research — not one of these front-runners is a bona fide social conservative.

“There is no George W. Bush in the field,” says one neutral GOP strategist, referring both to Bush’s wide appeal in 2000 and his conservative views. That worries some on the right.

That’s not just a supposition; prominent right-wingers are genuinely worried. Paul Weyrich said, “Right now, we’re very concerned about it.” The Family Research Council’s Charmaine Yoest, noting the current top-tier, said, “There is a certain lack of excitement at the moment.”

Poor conservative movement, they only have a few extremely conservative candidates (Brownback, Huckabee) and a few more pretending-to-be-extremely conservative candidates to choose from.

The trick of it will be the extent to which movement conservatives are a) willing to compromise; and b) able to coalesce around a single candidate in order to avoid diluting their strength.

Of course, it’s possible that a more conservative Republican — like U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, or maybe even former Speaker Newt Gingrich — could emerge in the GOP field. Indeed, Weyrich says that some social conservatives are exploring the idea of rallying behind one of these candidates, which could elevate that person’s chances.

Brownback filed paperwork on Monday to form a presidential exploratory committee. “I have decided, after much prayerful consideration, to consider a bid for the Republican nomination for the presidency,” he said in a statement. “There is a real need in our country to rebuild the family and renew our culture.”

But Dal Col, Steve Forbes’ former campaign manager, says one of Giuliani, McCain, and Romney will most likely win the nomination. “The reality is the front-runners essentially remain the front-runners. When the dust settles, it will probably be these three names out in front.”

I think that’s largely true; I just don’t think there’s much the far-right can do about it. It’ll be fun to see them try, though….

Even more fun would be to see them run some freak-right third-party candidate that could split the Republican vote and ensure the victory of a relatively progressive candidate. CB, maybe your 2004 Roy Moore fantasy was just four years too early…

  • Unfortunately, these guys are getting to the point where “more conservative” doesn’t mean anything because they are at the point of splitting their party between Libertarians and Theocratic Reactionaries.

    One wants less government intrusion in our lives, the other wants more.

    But they both claim the mantle of “true conservatism”.

    Let them duke it out in the primaries, if they can get any candidates of their own. I don’t think the leading three belong to either of them.

  • Equally amusing will be the collective shrug that the general population gives to the apoplectic extreme right.

    Expect them to scream louder and be listened to less as time goes by, which will annoy them more than anything else would.

  • Awww…this is just too-oooooooooooooooo good. GOPpies in total disarray; can’t even agree on a candidate, because they’re totally fragmented; totally DEFENSIVE. Give me a brigade of Lefties, line ’em up on the Mason-Dixon, and we’ll march for the Florida coast—driving the self-conquered Philistine ReThugs into the sea.

    The time to go totally OFFENSIVE against these witless wonders is NOW….

  • I agree, Roy Moore for president!

    I’m sure what they really would like would be for Hillary to become the Democratic candidate. They’d probably rally behind Satan himself if she was the alternative.

  • The fact that a person would bemoan the fact that the GOP doesn’t have another lying, inarticulate, incompetent, blood thirsty, greedy, lazy, uncouth addict running for president tells me all I need to know about the Right Wankers: They’re dumber than a box of dead rats. I bet they would welcome Keyes with open arms. Hell, maybe Fred Phelps will hear the call. That would make interesting TV.

    a former mayor who not only supports gay rights but moved in with a gay couple

    Unclean! He has sat upon the sofa of the devil. And patted his dog! Woe unto him. Gods I hate these bastards. Is it a bad thing to wish all bigots would suffer an unfortunate and prolonged accident featuring a giant meat grinder? Oh well.

    Expect them to scream louder and be listened to less as time goes by, which will annoy them more than anything else would.

    People who think God is vengeful entity and think that they are the only true followers of that God tend to make loud noises (Kaboom!) and big messes (blood and limbs strewn about the street). I’m not saying this to suggest they be appeased, just that they need to be watched. And if necessary, hurt.

  • Good point CB. All three are repugnant but not in quite the way the religious reich wants. Maybe they’ll swallow their pride and choose to believe McCain’s conversion.

  • “Is it a bad thing to wish all bigots would suffer an unfortunate and prolonged accident featuring a giant meat grinder?” – TAIO

    Considering John Testor’s history, yes.

  • a former mayor who not only supports gay rights but moved in with a gay couple — and their pet Shih Tzu — after the breakup of his second marriage.

    I’m sure Brownback is looking for a way to put a “hold” on Rudy’s candidacy. This is much worse than attending and saying a few words at your lesbian neighbor’s commitment ceremony.

  • # 1 — Roy Moore? Gee, I hope so. Then I can bring out my souvenir “Roy Moore for President” coffee cup again (the one I bought because I figured it would be a collector’s item someday).

  • The reality is the front-runners essentially remain the front-runners.

    Yes. Mostly because they are the only ones that get any print. I wonder what would happen if every candidate got the same amount of time to get their message across?

  • Social conservatism, as a political movement, is dying. In the last election, some of the greatest losses were by candidates supported by the religious right. America is slowly becoming more socially liberal, and unless the GOP embraces tolerance, they will continue to lose many elections to come.

    The younger generation, especially, seems to be more liberal about sexual matters, stem cell research, etc.
    While there might be some conservatism in this country on national defense and law enforcement, most people don’t like the government to tell them what than can and can’t do with their own bodies.

  • George, I gotta say you’re wrong. At least in Iowa, there weren’t any candidates that were conservative enough. There will be a Goldwater revolution again. Whether it’s this year or in two years, it will happen. We’ll return to where we came from.

  • Does the Shih Tzu make the gay couple more gay? — Pearl Jammin’ in Nebraska (17)

    No, but only a limp wrist would own something like that (with a foreign name, yet!), so it’s proof of their gayness. Real men own redbone coonhounds (which even American Kennel thingie won’t accept as a breed. *That* is how truly American those babies are)

  • Even more telling is that the Republicans do not have a bona fide idiot to run for office (yet). The three ‘front runners’ are quite intelligent. Doesn’t that go against the Republican doctrine of offering a folksy, ‘every man’ for the masses?

  • “I’m sure what they really would like would be for Hillary to become the Democratic candidate. They’d probably rally behind Satan himself if she was the alternative.” excerpt from comment above by racerx

    i agree, racerx. not that i have anything against the idea of hillary for president but i have been shaking my head for YEARS now because of WHO first started pushing that idea … any guesses? anyone else paying attention? that’s right, folks — the spokes-shills for the rightwing. they’ve been setting that bowling pin up for years and it is not impossible, given the time period over which they are able to take aim, that they will actually make a strike. i’m looking for a nice quiet country to move to. unfortunately, the us has so screwed everyone i’m not sure any nice quiet country would welcome an american refugee.

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