Will the Real Conservative Please Stand Up

Taking back the party

Editor's Note: Thomas's commentary is in blue and Marcie's is in purple.

Conservatives. The word makes liberals gnash their teeth, and usually sends them into spittle-filled rants. In this election season we should be paying attention to who is the best conservative -- that can win -- and who can lead this nation through at least the next four years in this nation's existence. Some people have jumped on the bandwagons of Governor Mike Huckabee and Senator John McCain, believing both men to be conservatives. They are not; not even close to the ideals that led to the Reagan Revolution in 1980. The problem many people are facing is they are trying to pigeon-hole these candidates into the Reagan mold. We do hate to be the bearers of bad news, but none of these men are the sort that can seize the mantle. And we are fools to be doing this. Our job is to pick the best conservative we can to beat the Democrats in November because the stakes in this election are just too darned high.

Exhibit A -- Who isn't a conservative

Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, and John McCain are all not conservatives. Ron Paul is a dyed-in-the-wool Libertarian with more nutty views than could be tolerated by the conservative base. Mike Huckabee, based on his record, is a neo-populist in the mold of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. He was in favor of raising taxes, in favor of providing benefits to illegal aliens, and he is 100% wrong on national security and foreign policy. John McCain's sole shining point is that he understands the nature of this war, but that's it. He was the co-sponsor of Campaign Finance Reform. He supported the Gang of 14 deal that usurped the power of the president to nominate jurists to the federal bench. He was a co-sponsor of the immigration reform that went down in flames last year. All three of these men stand contrary to hard fought, hard won conservative principles that unified the base over twenty years ago. Conservatism stands on fiscal responsibility, national security, a strong defense, respect for the rule of law, and protecting the rights and powers enumerated in the Constitution. None of these men have.

Exhibit B -- Mitt Romney

Say what you will about him, but Governor Romney is a conservative that stands on the principles that Thomas just listed. He supported the president's tax cuts in 2001 and 2002. He supported the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the Global War on Terror, and he supported the Surge proposed by President Bush and General David Petraeus. He has the absolute respect for the Constitution that conservatives hold dear. Despite some critics on a variety of issues for Governor Romney, he did abide by the laws on the books. He also kept the Massachusetts legislature from raising taxes, and reined in the excess spending where he could. He also has the one thing that scares most liberals: He can win. As of the writing of this piece he has only one state under his belt in the primaries, but he leads in delegates. This is one of the reasons why the media is trying to tear him down and force him out of the race. They know he will be the sort of candidate that will not simply let the Democrat chosen walk all over him in the general election.

Exhibit C -- Rudy Giuliani

He cut taxes in New York. He instilled respect for the rule of law in New York by tackling crime, on every level, and cleaned up a city that was in utter disarray. He served in the Reagan Justice Department as Associate Attorney General. He is also the strongest proponent for staying on offense int his war, which is our central point -- our primary issue -- in this election. Additionally, amongst the candidates in the race right now, including the other conservatives, he will put the most states in play. That is a prospect that scares the Hell out of the Left because they know they're going to have to dump money in states that they thought they had sewn up. New York? California? New Jersey? These are supposed to be Democrat bastions and Michael Barone has stated many times that if the race came down to Rudy and any Democrat, he can outmaneuver them consistently, and force them to burn cash where they really can't afford it. Conservative credentials matter, and Rudy has them, but he has the added advantage of being a serious thorn in the side of the Left.

Exhibit D -- Fred Thompson

Clearly Senator Thompson is the most conservative person in the race. His problem right now, and many of his supporters agree, is that he lacks the intensity that was expected. His "folksy" attitude appealed to so many people, and those same people expected a firebrand to tear through the primary. The media's portrayal of "laziness" has colored many opinions about him, and we chalk this up to more concern on the part of liberals. They are afraid that if he is the nominee, he could very well make any Democrat look ineffective, obtuse, and just plain foolish. That is what we believe, but his lack of tenaciousness makes it difficult to support him. He has not placed well in the primaries, but again we cite his lack of "fire in the belly" for this. His recent speech in South Carolina shows some of that fire, and he could easily steal South Carolina from Governor Huckabee who acts as though he has that deal sealed. If he moves up in the coming weeks, we expect the media to help their liberal brethren in trying to tear him down.

We know a few critics will sprout up from this column. "How can you call Rudy or Mitt conservatives?" Simple. I laid out what it means to be a conservative above. Social conservatives, honestly, need to take a backseat this election. Abortion and the issue of gay marriage are social con subjects, and they don't matter this time around. We need someone who will return this nation to the days of Ronald Reagan when it comes to fiscal, foreign policy, defense, and rights issues. When we hear those that say "we need another Reagan" we cite these people. Many scoff at the notion. Others listen to our points, and concede we're right. We know we're right. We don't need the reinforcement of others. We only need people to take off partisan blinders; shrug off those social issues that have torn this nation at the seams. If we are to survive as a nation we need to end the excessive spending in congress. We need to make the tax cuts permanent, and cut a few more from the IRS rolls. We need to stay strong on this war, and grow our military to stay strong in the coming years. We also need jurists going to the federal bench that have respect for the Constitution as it is written, not as they prefer it to be written. In short, we need a conservative, and in our professional opinion, the three we have listed are the only ones in this race.

He is a scholar of history, especially American history, and the United States Constitution. She has finished her undergrad studies, graduating with a BA in English and history and will move onto law school this fall where she will specialize in Constitutional Law. Together, Thomas and Marcie form the vanguard of conservative opinion at Hamilton, Madison, and Jay -- a blogging site devoted to advancing the conservative cause by challenging the liberal lies and deceit spread by the media, and espoused by the Left in general. Both are expert debaters, and have beaten many liberals into submission with their collective wit, and unmatched knowledge. The pair is married, and resides in Arizona

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