A Conservative's Guide to the Republican Primary
It is time for both parties to select their presidential nominees. Given the significant tilt to the left that the Democrat party has experienced in recent years, conservatives should vote for the Republican presidential nominee in the general election. So today, conservatives should make every effort to ensure that the most conservative, yet electable, individual is the Republican presidential nominee. Unfortunately, no clear, conservative choice exists within the current slate of Republican candidates. So here are my observations on each of the candidates and whether I think conservatives should support their candidacies.
Rudy Giuliani: Having been the frontrunner for much of the year, his inability to become competitive in any of the first three primary states (Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina) has seriously endangered his candidacy. His record as mayor of New York City is impressive, especially on economic issues. He reduced the size of the bloated New York City bureaucracy. Although he raised some taxes, overall he reduced them. And most impressively, he reduced the crime rate and cleaned up many of the troubled areas in the city. Based on his past, I feel confident that Giuliani would be an economic conservative in the White House. However, he clearly is a social liberal. He is pro-abortion and supports gay marriage. While this is troubling, I am willing to look past his deficiencies. There are clearly more conservative candidates, but a Giuliani nomination would be acceptable. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Mike Huckabee: With his win in the Iowa caucuses, the former Arkansas governor is now a top tier candidate. This is bad news not only for the Republican Party, but for the conservative movement as a whole. Huckabee is articulate and likable on the stump, but his record as governor of Arkansas is troubling to say the least. He increased taxes on multiple occasions and increased spending on government programs on almost every occasion. While he is a social conservative and opposes gay marriage and abortion, presidents have little to no power over those issues. In my opinion, Huckabee is an economic liberal who would be a disaster for the conservative movement. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Duncan Hunter: He is a former California congressman who has a very conservative record, especially on immigration. He was the driving force in expanding the fence along the border. However, he has little support in the polls and is simply not a viable candidate.
John McCain: A senator from Arizona who lost the Republican nomination to George W. Bush in 2000, was not taken seriously earlier in the campaign season. Now he has gotten a second wind and is surging in the polls especially after his win in the New Hampshire primary. Unfortunately, this is bad news for conservatism. McCain opposed the 2001 Bush tax cuts, was the author of the horrible McCain-Feingold bill which brought more money into politics and believes that the federal government should impose rules to combat "man-made" global warming. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Ron Paul: This longtime Texas congressman has run a surprisingly effective campaign, at least if you believe the polls. Paul has a libertarian streak (he ran as the Libertarian presidential candidate in 1988) and therefore is solidly conservative on economic issues. However, he has made a name for himself by becoming the only Republican presidential candidate to support a complete and immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Obviously I believe that such a move would be disastrous not only for Iraq, but for America as well. His views on Iraq alone should be enough for any conservative to conclude that he is not the best Republican candidate. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Mitt Romney: The former Governor of Massachusetts is an articulate politician who has a tracks record of getting things done (he is widely credited with successfully organizing the disorganized 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City) He opposed the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts, and closed a $3 billion budget gap without imposing any new taxes (although he did increase many fees). In my opinion Romney is the most electable yet conservative Republican candidate. He is not a perfect candidate (he used to be pro-abortion and has few conservative economic accomplishments), but is certainly a better choice for conservatives than Huckabee or McCain. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Fred Thompson: Personally Thompson is my favorite candidate. Even though he is soft on McCain-Feingold, he is a consistent social and economic conservative with a voting record in the U.S. Senate to back it up. However, he is not a proficient campaigner and does not have the money or the support to win. I hope I am wrong, but I just do not think Thompson is the right candidate for Republicans. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
Rudy Giuliani: Having been the frontrunner for much of the year, his inability to become competitive in any of the first three primary states (Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina) has seriously endangered his candidacy. His record as mayor of New York City is impressive, especially on economic issues. He reduced the size of the bloated New York City bureaucracy. Although he raised some taxes, overall he reduced them. And most impressively, he reduced the crime rate and cleaned up many of the troubled areas in the city. Based on his past, I feel confident that Giuliani would be an economic conservative in the White House. However, he clearly is a social liberal. He is pro-abortion and supports gay marriage. While this is troubling, I am willing to look past his deficiencies. There are clearly more conservative candidates, but a Giuliani nomination would be acceptable. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Mike Huckabee: With his win in the Iowa caucuses, the former Arkansas governor is now a top tier candidate. This is bad news not only for the Republican Party, but for the conservative movement as a whole. Huckabee is articulate and likable on the stump, but his record as governor of Arkansas is troubling to say the least. He increased taxes on multiple occasions and increased spending on government programs on almost every occasion. While he is a social conservative and opposes gay marriage and abortion, presidents have little to no power over those issues. In my opinion, Huckabee is an economic liberal who would be a disaster for the conservative movement. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Duncan Hunter: He is a former California congressman who has a very conservative record, especially on immigration. He was the driving force in expanding the fence along the border. However, he has little support in the polls and is simply not a viable candidate.
John McCain: A senator from Arizona who lost the Republican nomination to George W. Bush in 2000, was not taken seriously earlier in the campaign season. Now he has gotten a second wind and is surging in the polls especially after his win in the New Hampshire primary. Unfortunately, this is bad news for conservatism. McCain opposed the 2001 Bush tax cuts, was the author of the horrible McCain-Feingold bill which brought more money into politics and believes that the federal government should impose rules to combat "man-made" global warming. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Ron Paul: This longtime Texas congressman has run a surprisingly effective campaign, at least if you believe the polls. Paul has a libertarian streak (he ran as the Libertarian presidential candidate in 1988) and therefore is solidly conservative on economic issues. However, he has made a name for himself by becoming the only Republican presidential candidate to support a complete and immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Obviously I believe that such a move would be disastrous not only for Iraq, but for America as well. His views on Iraq alone should be enough for any conservative to conclude that he is not the best Republican candidate. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Mitt Romney: The former Governor of Massachusetts is an articulate politician who has a tracks record of getting things done (he is widely credited with successfully organizing the disorganized 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City) He opposed the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts, and closed a $3 billion budget gap without imposing any new taxes (although he did increase many fees). In my opinion Romney is the most electable yet conservative Republican candidate. He is not a perfect candidate (he used to be pro-abortion and has few conservative economic accomplishments), but is certainly a better choice for conservatives than Huckabee or McCain. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Fred Thompson: Personally Thompson is my favorite candidate. Even though he is soft on McCain-Feingold, he is a consistent social and economic conservative with a voting record in the U.S. Senate to back it up. However, he is not a proficient campaigner and does not have the money or the support to win. I hope I am wrong, but I just do not think Thompson is the right candidate for Republicans. For a more in-depth look at his economic record click here.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
posted by The Conservative Guy at
11:17 PM
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