Palin Hints At Independent Conservative Movement

[PoliCon]

I'd rather see her lead an idelogical movement across party lines than start or attempt to expand a third party.

[AlmostThere]

I'd like to believe that that's true for most Americans, but if it were, there would be no "I held my nose and voted for..." If we were putting principles above party, McCain would have gotten a fraction of the votes he did.

I honestly believe that the Republicans who held their noses in the booth did so because McCain was the least of the evils. Ron Paul, the only other nationally known name running, scared me on so many issues, that not voting for him was on merit.

I was a Ross Perot supporter, so I do know how to vote without holding my nose.

[Bubba Dawg]

The Republican Party? Did they cancel the primary this last time around?

That's a good point.

I remember comments on CU in the last primary and very few if anyone here supported McCain at the beginning of the primaries. More 'conservative' candidates fell by the wayside because McCain got more votes.

Were there that many 'conservatives' who did not vote at all or who voted for third parties that McCain became the winner?

Are there more 'conservative' voters out there somewhere? Would there be enough conservatives to have a viable third party movement?

I don't see it happening.

[Rockntractor]

That's a good point.

I remember comments on CU in the last primary and very few if anyone here supported McCain at the beginning of the primaries. More 'conservative' candidates fell by the wayside because McCain got more votes.

Were there that many 'conservatives' who did not vote at all or who voted for third parties that McCain became the winner?

Are there more 'conservative' voters out there somewhere? Would there be enough conservatives to have a viable third party movement?

I don't see it happening.

I think it is very possible and your home from work early!

[Bubba Dawg]

I think it is very possible and your home from work early!

Maybe it is possible. I wouldn't mind. A viable third party would be an amazing thing to see.

What usually happens is the third party takes votes away from the party with which it is more closely ideologically identified. Perot took votes form GHWB and we got stuck with Clinton. The Greens took votes from Al Gore in a close election.

If we had a parliamentary system, multiple parties woudl not only be possible but would be the order of the day. But I don't see either of the major parties in the US opening up the doors for viable third parties.

Still, it'd be a heckuva thing to see.

[Troll]

Were there that many 'conservatives' who did not vote at all or who voted for third parties that McCain became the winner?

You have put your finger on the pulse of the real conservative underground in America. Allow me to ramble for a bit here:

One of the previous posts said that when you only have two viable parties, you go with the one that is closer to your beliefs. That is unadulterated nonsense. So what you're saying is, in 20 years, when the Democrats put up Mao Zedong as a candidate and the Republicans put up Hugo Chavez, you'll vote for Chavez, because socialism is "closer to your beliefs" than communism? You'll happily serve the cause of global liberalism as long as it wraps itself in Republican paper?

Some of us finally put our feet down and said no to liberalism altogether. It took a while, but:

Everyone has a "point", politically. A line in the sand, that if someone crosses it, the vote is lost. The Republican Party has been drifting to the left for decades, and Bush was the breaking point for many of us. Doubling the size of government, failing on immigration, endless waste of taxpayer dollars - Bush represented a 'new' kind of conservative that only a Ma and Pa Republican could love.

McCain was just going to be more of the same.

Now have a look at how the Republicans in Congress are acting all of a sudden. Most of them actually voted against cap and trade! I guarantee you if McCain was in the White House, it would be business as usual. We need Obama right now. Nothing gets the Ma and Pa Republicans quite as excited as a Democrat in the White House. This is a golden opportunity to get the Ma and Pas interested again and get the RINO's busy a-pandering to keep their seats. They know they're losing voters.

To those of you who blame Obama on third party voters: You need to ask yourself what your line in the sand is. The Republicans crossed it for many of us long ago. What do the Republicans need to do to lose your vote forever? Are you really going to wait for them to cross that line before you take your vote elsewhere? They will, eventually, to gain more liberal voters, you know.

Are there more 'conservative' voters out there somewhere?

Yes - I estimate between 10 and 20 million.

Would there be enough conservatives to have a viable third party movement?

Yes and no. Yes in the sense that 'conservative' is the largest political demographic, but none of us can ever agree on what's conservative and what's not anymore. We're our own worst enemies. :D

[Rockntractor]

The line was crossed for me when Steele attacked Rush. After the McCain crap they should have been kissing Rushes feet begging him to help rebuild the party. Instead we have a moderate newbie criticizing a good powerful conservative

[PoliCon]

Yes and no. Yes in the sense that 'conservative' is the largest political demographic, but none of us can ever agree on what's conservative and what's not anymore. We're our own worst enemies. :D

There are different conservative foci. Fiscal conservatives, National Security conservatives, social conservatives, Libertarians - and of course any combination there of. What we need is a candidate that appeals to all 4.

[Troll]

There are different conservative foci. Fiscal conservatives, National Security conservatives, social conservatives, Libertarians - and of course any combination there of. What we need is a candidate that appeals to all 4.

That would be great, but I've found that the issues that divide us conservatives, we are especially sensitive about. Drugs, Foreign Aid, "War on Terror", Taxes, Immigration...

[PoliCon]

That would be great, but I've found that the issues that divide us conservatives, we are especially sensitive about. Drugs, Foreign Aid, "War on Terror", Taxes, Immigration...

I think all conservatives agree on Taxes and immigration . . . . I don't know of any who are for high taxes or for illegals . . . .