I don’t pretend to know everything about all the candidates, but the more I learn about them, the less I want to see them in office. Maybe because the two I like are so far down in the polls, they haven’t had a chance to shoot themselves in the foot like the top tier. But the top tier has definitely shot themselves in the foot one way or another. Guliani, the sanctuary city liberal, McCain-Finegold open borders, Romney the gay marriage governor, Huckabee the nanny stater who never saw a tax he didn’t like, Thompson who refused to impeach the perjurer, Ron Paul the appeaser. Shall I go on?

Go ahead and disillusion me about Hunter and Tancredo if you can. So far they haven’t managed to do it themselves.

And really? You support loonies like Duncan “DP-2″ Hunter and Tom “One Issue Man” Tancredo???

JMJ

I too was a Reagan supporter at the time, but then found myself going all the way the left over the years. But then, on many issues I break with them as well. Righties call me a socialist, lefties call me a pragmatist. Maybe I’m a Socratist - no that can’t be it. I’m not a big Soctrates fan. Maybe I’m Pracialist. Yeah. I’ll stick with that.

I recall a lecture on Lincoln by Eric Foner I attended some years ago. After the lecture, I told him that I didn’t want to seem facetous, but that I had been tempted to ask him if he thought modern Republicans got the joke about today’s GOP being the Party of Lincoln. He told me that I should have asked. I mean, c’mon! Who controls the South now? Who stands more for populist small-d democratic issues? Who adheres more to Federalism and “States Rights?” If today’s GOP was around 145 years ago, Lincoln would not have even been invited to the party - and the Dems wouldn’t want him either! I’m reading a good book about Lincoln now called “Forced Into Glory.” It really puts some things about him into perspective.

Anyways, you just can’t ascribe today’s political dynamics to that of a century and a half ago. That’s also why I find Constructionism so silly.

JMJ

I also think that, to a certain extent, Reagan was able to transcend party and ideology, as well. Yes, he was conservative and a Republican while he held office both in California and the White House, and, yes, he is responsible for the 11th commandment of not speaking ill of Republicans, but I think he would have, in his heart, said he was more of an American than a Republican. And that’s why I voted for him for president twice and it’s also why I left the Republican party.

Great story, Greg. Iasked my mother in law why she voted for Bush and she said, He’s just so cute.” I asked my sister in law and she said, “I don’t know. I just like him.”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - Americans are not really into politics. That said, polls show they are certainly not into what’s been going on the past 6 years anymore, even though Fox News keeps telling them otherwise.
JMJ

A funny story here. Remember John Schmitz? He was a right-wing John Birch Society member from Orange County who served in Congress and ran for president on the American Independent Party in 1976 I think it was (he’s also the father of Mary Kay Latorneau, the Seattle teacher who went to prison for having sex with one of her students, whom she subsequently married and had a couple of kids, but that’s another story).

Anyway, I got to be friends with John. He told the story of back in 1964, he saw a car with two bumper stickers. One sticker said “Schmitz for State Senate” and another that said “All the Way with LBJ.” He was so startled by the two that he followed the car into a shopping center parking lot, introduced himself to the elderly lady driving the car, and asked why she would be supporting both himself and Lyndon Johnson.

She said, “Well, I just think they’re two really nice looking young guys.”

Voters do funny things and sometimes it just doesn’t matter what your ideology is or your political party.

I see Lincoln as a conservative in the sense that he believed that when men were
free, they could pursue their own destiny. He was against government intervention
in the economy, although, like our current President, due to the war, his economic
stances were peripheral.

eric

JMJ

JMJ said;
“I think you hit Robertson’s reasoning right on the head, Micky. This is about a place at the table - or marginalization.”