Pawlenty 2012

[Workers' Friend]

Good grief. Now Pawlenty is being called a moderate?

The sh**tty thing is, whenever us Republicans nominate a Moderate, we always lose.

[Workers' Friend]

Good grief. Now Pawlenty is being called a moderate?

The sh**tty thing is, whenever us Republicans nominate a Moderate, we always lose.

The last time you fellows nominated a moderate was in 1976.

Don't forget 1992, 1996, and 2008.

[Workers' Friend]

Good grief. Now Pawlenty is being called a moderate?

The sh**tty thing is, whenever us Republicans nominate a Moderate, we always lose.

The last time you fellows nominated a moderate was in 1976.

Don't forget 1992, 1996, and 2008.

Neither of the Bushes were moderates and Bob Dole certainly was not a moderate.

I think Bush 41 was.

He ran as a Social Conservative in 1988, but governed as a Moderate. Bob Dole wasn't a strong Social Conservative. Baby Bush ran on a platform APPEALING to the Religious Right, which he really didn't keep.

[Workers' Friend]

Baby Bush said he was Socially Conservative, but I have seem him idle on most Social Issues, except Iraq.

[Workers' Friend]

Baby Bush said he was Socially Conservative, but I have seem him idle on most Social Issues, except Iraq.

He did get 2 conservative justices on the Supreme Court.  And I believe his ONLY veto in the first term was on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (I could be wrong).  And how is Iraq a social issue? 

I think he's been a pretty consistent social conservative.  That's about the only thing he has been consistent on.

True, but I think he only did those things not to lose election and stay cool with the South. The recent 2008 election shows a Social Moderate with Fiscal Conservatism loses if they are Republican.

[Workers' Friend]

True, but I think he only did those things not to lose election and stay cool with the South. The recent 2008 election shows a Social Moderate with Fiscal Conservatism loses if they are Republican.

I think Bush was pretty genuine.  He wears his faith on his sleeve, and has never budged on a social issue.  As for McCain, he's pro-life, against gay marriage, and against creating new embryos for stem-cell research.  The only problem he has with social conservatism is the practice of injecting religion into the argument.  So I think he still qualifies as a social conservative, just not a "religious conservative".  I personally believe that under different circumstances (less Bush backlash, no credit crisis, no GOP corruption), McCain is a winner.  But then again, under different circumstances he might've lost the nomination.   

But I might agree with the idea that a social moderate, fiscal conservative is a losing combination.  I am a believer in the "stool theory" of the Reagan Coalition ("3 legs" = fiscal conservatives + social conservatives + nat'l security conservatives).  Without those 3 legs, the stool won't stand up. 

I think the National Security Conservative and Social Conservative legs could stand without the Fiscal Conservative one, if the stool wants to not fall before the democrats.

[Workers' Friend]

Baby Bush said he was Socially Conservative, but I have seem him idle on most Social Issues, except Iraq.

He did get 2 conservative justices on the Supreme Court.  And I believe his ONLY veto in the first term was on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (I could be wrong).  And how is Iraq a social issue? 

I think he's been a pretty consistent social conservative.  That's about the only thing he has been consistent on.

True, but I think he only did those things not to lose election and stay cool with the South. The recent 2008 election shows a Social Moderate with Fiscal Conservatism loses if they are Republican.

The only thing 2008 shows is that John McCain can't win if he is John McCain. Lol, don't try to make some sort of broad, far-reaching conclusions based on a single guy's defeat.

Try telling me that if us Republicans lose in 2012 if we nominate another Moderate.