These days, I wonder how a person can call themselves a conservative and support the Republican party. Such actions are paradoxical at best, given the past history of the relations between the conservative movement and the Republican party leaders.
I believe I have discussed this topic before, but I am still wondering how conservatives can seriously consider voting Republican now, especially since they do not consider the top three candidates to be conservative.
Newt Gringrich, the current media-anointed frontrunner, is anything but a conservative. He used conservatives to bring Republicans to power in the House and then demonstrated poor leadership with regard to budgetary matters. You will also notice that the Federal government did not have a budget surplus until after he resigned. He also has supported the bankster organization Freddie Mac (or was it Fannie Mae?), supported global warming initiatives, and supported Obamacare.
On top of that, his personal life has been nothing but a circus of wives and mistresses, the latest of whom managed to convert him to Catholicism. It’s funny because I don’t remember being taught that in order to be a missionary to others, you need to be in the missionary position with your target. In any case, this does not bother me too much, largely because I don’t care all that much, but I thought conservatives did care about such things. In any event, Gringrich has gotten to the head of the class largely because of the conservatives dissatisfaction with most other candidates and because of his articulate manner in the many debates.
Mitt Romney is just as bad as Newt Gringrich for conservatives since he believes in man-made global warming, supports TARP (not only when it happened but he still thinks it was a good idea not implemented properly), and at one time was pro-choice, which doesn’t make him a very good Mormon. He also laid the groundwork for Obamacare when he was governor of Massachusetts, which is not a popular issue among conservatives, although the supposed conservative think-tank known as the Heritage Foundation also supported Romneycare alongside Senator Ted Kennedy.
Then we have Ron Paul, or He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, who is never considered a conservative by mainstream conservatives. He is considered either a kook or libertarian (or both) in most conservative circles. I personally consider him to be a Constitutional Conservative, as he is always touting the Constitution when discussing the role of the Federal government.
In short, it seems to me that the Mainstream Conservatives have failed, yet again, to produce a solidly conservative candidate to their liking. The top tier candidates are not in line with Mainstream Conservatism and the ones who do are getting single digits in most polls. But hey, it’s OK, because as long as a Republican wins, then conservatism wins, right? Just don’t pay attention to the growing government and shrinking liberties, both personal and economic.