Posted by
Shogrensus on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 10:57:31 PM
Commentary, Wednesday, June 13th
Jacque Reid guest hosts
BW opens Hot Topics with a discussion about Fred Thompson, who hasn’t announced his candidacy but already leads everyone but Giuliani. She explains we don’t know much about him yet, other than he is conservative. Joy with a one-liner:
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Joy: He wants to do everything a President can do- like start a war
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Joy is really funny- too bad for him Bush already started the war…
The women talk about how conservative he is: he’s opposed to Roe v. Wade and against gun control. BW noted he said that Hollywood seemed more real than DC. That is sad, if true.
The conversation deepened: Elisabeth is concerned that when a candidate has to appeal so much to the base to get the nomination, it can be difficult to then be attractive to the general population.
Joy gets the A+ for the day. As she explained, politics is “tricky” because you have to appeal to the base to get the nomination and then you have to sell your message to the general population. It is difficult.
They are right, it is difficult, especially if the voters of the base or of the general public begin to feel that the candidate is shifting positions for merely political reasons. If the conservative candidates stick to their conservative beliefs, their positions are not hard to sell to the general public. Sure, the far left won't buy in, but they wouldn't vote for a conservative, no matter what.
The left leaning democrats are in the same position. The difference is, far left positions are less palatable to the average person then are conservative positions. Democrats can continue to delude themselves that the country has shifted left. America is not a far left country. There were a number of reasons Republicans got spanked last year but adherence to conservative positions was not really at the top of the list.
While candidates may wide ranging views on different issues, and may deviate from conservative values on certain issues of particular importance to themselves, we should all hope conservatives have faith in these principles, generally, and adhere to them throughout the primary season through the general election.