And, in the process, explains why neither Giuliani nor Huckabee can possible win in November 2008:
Uniting the conservative coalition is not enough to win a presidential election, but it is a prerequisite for building on that coalition. Rudolph Giuliani did extraordinary work as mayor of New York and was inspirational on 9/11. But he and Mike Huckabee would pull apart the coalition from opposite ends: Giuliani alienating the social conservatives, and Huckabee the economic (and foreign-policy) conservatives. A Republican party that abandoned either limited government or moral standards would be much diminished in the service it could give the country.
Some would say that over the past six years the Republican Party already has abandoned limited government and fiscal responsibility. The record of the Bush Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress is certainly not one that commends itself to anyone who cares about either of those ideas. NR is right about one thing, though, Giuliani and Huckabee would both tear apart the conservative coalition if they became the Republican nominee.
The editors at National Review seem to think that Romney would succeed where Bush and the Congressional Republicans have failed, but his record as Governor of Massachusetts suggests otherwise. This is the same guy who proposed an unworkable mandatory health insurance plan when he was Governor; why should believe know that he is committed to free markets and less government involvement in the economy ?
It must have been hard for the editors at NR. After all, it’s not like they had a lot to work with. Based on foreign policy alone, there’s no way that they’d ever endorse Ron Paul — even though he’s closer to the fundamentally libertarian roots of American conservatism than any of the other candidates — and the rest of the field is so sub-par that it’s not surprising that they’d go with Romney over the rest.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
You guys sound like such sourpusses. It’s that all you know how to do, bash Republicans?
“Life sucks. We’re always losing our liberties. Republicans never do any good, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…”
Please, you all are starting to sound like a broken record. Lose the negativity will ya!
December 12th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Eric,
Where have you been the past six years ?
Based on the record of the Bush mis-administration, Republicans do suck. The party has lost it’s way and I’m not sure that it will find it’s way back next year.