With Fred Out, who are you FredHeads going to vote for?
By Oz Posted in 2008 — Comments (73) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
As you know, I've been a Fred Head for a while now.
I sent him money and I worked a very little bit for him in South Carolina (less than I had anticipated).
Fred is now officially out(from the front page):
Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.
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So where does that leave you sitting?
Please allow this blog to be people stating their preferences and don't turn it into another of the many "this is what's wrong with [candidate]" blogs.
Thanks.
Would it have killed you to wait a little bit on this?
My timing on it was actually more accidental than anything.
I was already starting to blog this when I saw Ben's note and then Fred's note come up.
It's something that has been a topic of conversation since last Saturday in numerous threads.
I just re-did the blog to include Fred's statement.
Sorry if you were offended.
Who else? The only other conservative in the race, and it ain't RudyMcRomney.
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The Red Sox Republican: Burkeanism, Baseball, and Sundries.
Conservatives don't grow entitlement programs to near bursting, raise taxes, mandate health insurance, ban guns or limit free speech either.
Oh, wait...
(I will not be baited with hyperbole.)
Spitballs?!?! / Yo No Soy Marinero, Soy Capitan
That's regrettable, but I really don't think the GOP's pro-amnesty, pro-abortion, anti-Mormon, pro-Global Warming regulation faction is all that big.
..."vote for the guy who'll say anything to get elected" wing isn't that big, either.
Spitballs?!?! / Yo No Soy Marinero, Soy Capitan
Fortunately I don't think the wing who's willing to believe that kind of spin is all that big.
Romney's problem is that he's less deft about repositioning than McCain or Huckabee or Giuliani. The sad thing is that along with Giuliani (who was in NYC, not exactly the most conservative environment) he's the only one who really has an excuse.
Romney, if he's still in by the time my state's May primary rolls around; McCain, if Romney's out by then, but I'll be holding my nose; or Rudy, if that's what's necessary to keep Huck off the November ticket.
I'm not excited about any of them.
and just vote in the general AGAINST whoever the Dems nominate...b/c none of the guys left on our side inspire any loyalty...guess the moderates get to choose our candidate this time...
"Life IS pain, Highness...anyone who says different is selling something..."
There's no rule that someone has to vote in a primary if they have problems with all the choices. Good option.
...the best and most reliable candidate on judges simply because I feel pretty much scr*wed on a lot of the other policy issues.
McCain will be good on the war, but will side with the Democrats on domestic issues. He won't be good on judges.
Rudy might be good on judges, and will be good on the war. I am not too encouraged on domestic issues. Immigration and second amendment issues are not going to be good.
Huck, well he is Huck, good on judges and we will be hosed on the rest.
Romney, I am not too sure, but I might be leaning his way. I am keeping my options open.
I have until June 3rd to decide for my primary. All I know is that McCain is in last place for my vote. Rudy in Romney are my two leading contenders. Huck is in the middle somewhere.
The appointing of judges is critical, the other issues can be recovered from in 2012. Appointing of bad judges will haunt us for a long time after 2012. We still have to shake up the Congressional Republican leadership to get them moving the right way. That is important to me right now.
The over riding question is how to move the conservative ball down the road. We can still salvage something of this, but it is still a long road to go before it is over with, if it ever will be.
Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("An argument is a sequence of statements aimed at demonstrating the truth of an assertion.); }
Tough call.
Both Romney and Giuliani have the Federalist Society types on board. Romney has Bork and Giuliani has Ted Olsen. Rudy is pro-choice and has taken some dubious legal positions in the past, but Rudy has more legal experience than Romney and probably understands the issues with judges better.
I'd come down on the side of Romney just because I think Roe is possibly the worst decision in the last 100 years and can't stomach that Giuliani is OK with it, but objectively its a tough call.
I'll probably go for Rudy if he wins Florida (showing he is still a contender and his strategy stands a chance of working) otherwise Romney.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
Romney, I guess. He should be decent on the economy if nothing else.
Oh hell, I'm lying. Today I couldn't vote for any of them. But I will vote for the nominee.
That's easier to say now that it isn't likely to be Huckabee.
Undecided at the moment between McCain and Giuliani...
i just brought this up on another thread....i was hoping i was not jumping into this too early, so thanks for putting this on the board.
since the beginning of the primaries i have not once considered romney, huck, rudy or mccain....now i actually have to decide between those four.
i think the primary is going to end up between mccain and romney
huck will likely be out soon based on funding...
rudy has not held the polls as he was earlier expected to...
personally, i am leaning toward romney myself
i think he represents many conservative values, but don't know how voter turnout will be for him against the clinton machine in the general election.
And will probably stay that way for awhile.
What if Rudy wins Florida and his reversal in the polls reverses? What happens to your vote then?
Ryan,
Good point. I like Rudy on his fiscal views and his leadership during 9/11. I don't necessarily agree with all of his social views, but having a President that can lead with a level head and is patriotic is more important than echoing my social views. Rudy also has the best potential to beat Hillary in the general election....
I guess I have until February 5th to vote in my primaries...then I will support whoever is against Hillary with all my might in the general.
Anyone willing to cross lines, vote Obama, and try to keep Hil out of the general election? Never thought I would be looking at voting based on strategy, but Hillary scares the S**@ out of me!
MelZ
I'm leaning toward Huckabee right now. But, I intend to foreswear any more flip-flop or pandering comments about Romney from now on, because I just might have to vote for him one day.
The two most important issues to me are abortion and the war on terror. McCain is pretty solid on both. Romney is my second choice--I'm o.k. with his positions on most issues, but I prefer having McCain's foreign policy experience in the Oval Office.
I agreed with Thompson on nearly every issue, and I really was impressed with how he actually considered first principles, the Constitution, and the history of this country. So many politicans just pander. I think he would have made a great president, and I'm sorry I won't get the chance to vote for him.
I'm still researching.
Fredheads don't jump bandwagons. I'll see who is the next best conservative and probably go there.
I have some decisions to make for the Feb. 5 caucus even though I may not have made a firm decision by then.
What we need in a leader is to tell us not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear.
Fred Thompson 2008
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From what I gather, he's fiscally sound and he would be a good leader in the War on Terror. Although I do have qualms with him regarding social issues, I'm willing to trust him to nominate decent judges to the judiciary (which has much more importance in the SoCon fight than the executive branch).
Romney is my second. He USED to be my second to Fred...till he pandered his way through Michigan.
Semper Ubi Sub Ubi
and would settle for Rudy if had to.
Cannot see myself supporting McCain or Huckabee.
My first 2 options will be to look at Mitt and Rudy. I will vote for the nominee, and will not sit out as some have threatened as there is too much at stake in letting Hill/Obama take over.
"What would Reagan do?"
I've always considered McCain's chances slim to win the nomination due to his baggage, I joined in the Run Fred Run movement to have a realistic alternative. With him out, it's pretty upsetting, but it's not a shock given his campaign's performance. Just really frustrating nonetheless. Rudy is the next best thing, though his prior views on gun control drive me up the wall and the pro-choice issue really wears down on his electability with the base... but probably not as much as McCain's baggage.
Huck is too socially conservative and not fiscally conservative enough for me. Romney, as far as I can tell, is a better actor than Thompson, but at least Thompson kept his acting out of his political campaigning.
I'll support any of the above if they get the nomination over the current dems, it was a mistake to write any of them off as that would also be writing off our national security and the needs of our troops as well. But Rudy is the next best on the issues to my preferred candidate whose chances are slim, imo.
If Romney were a good actor, you wouldn't have that reaction. He's less skilled at repositioning than his rivals.
Which is a positive, because it means he's not actually as flexible as people say. But its also a negative, because it means he'll probably continue to look bad at times.
With Fred out, I'm hoping for a Romney / Fred ticket.
Mitt has been a strong second, but things may change by 2/5. Mitt is looking like he is going to be the guy. I felt like he could be from the beginning, but went with Fred because he said everything I wanted him to say. I think the best chance Mitt has of getting my vote is if I stop following the election. I just may do that.
www.fred08.com
Redneck Hippie
I have no idea.
I know that I would rather have my throat sliced open than to vote for that scum Mike Huckabee, Romney is still too plastic and not electable. I still have McCain's knife in my back.
does this leave Rudy --- eeekkk.
My hand is still numb from phoning for Fred non-stop all last week --- so I don't think I can grip my nose enough to hold it and vote for anyone of the less than acceptable candidates left in the race.
I guess I will make my decision come November.
But no one left merits my money, my time, or my consideration.
FWIW -- Faux news is off my watch list, and I am taking a break from political blotgs, which means that in the future I will become just as clueless, uninformed and ignorant as the voters of Iowa, South Carolina, Michigan, and New Hampshire.
the best organization, best campaign, and best media control.
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
-TS
"When men fear work or fear righteous war, when women fear motherhood, they tremble on the brink of doom; and well it is that they should vanish from the earth." - Teddy Roosevelt
I'm leaning Romney. I will support whomever the candidate is.
Whether people believe they were unfair to Fred or not, the way they have handled their business this entire election cycle has cost them lots of viewers, market share, and eventually advertisers.
"What would Reagan do?"
Exhausted I am of this. I'm gonna soak my head, and then decide who I dislike the least. Of course, McBane isn't on that list - he's a socialist sell-out in my book.
Will not vote in primary.
In general:
Mitt- yes
Rudy- Maybe
McCain- never
Huckabee- never
the nomination...I don't think Guiliani can pull it out.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
My primary isn't until May 6 (NC). I won't bother to decide anything until then. If there's a clear frontrunner, my vote won't mean much. If we're headed for a brokered convention, a lot will depend on if my vote DOES mean anything.
If nothing else, I'll write in Thompson, just as a show of support.
In the general...boy am I torn right now. I don't like ANY of them...but I can't see liking Hillary, Obama or Edwards better. I guess I'll be holding my nose.
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I'm not voting for Ron Paul because it's not expressly prescribed in the Constitution.
-- Mark Hemingway, The Corner (NRO)
Gun-Rights advocates certainly cannot trust Giuliani or Romney. McCain certainly has a mixed bag on Gun-Rights votes in the Senate. So who are Gun-Rights voters left with? Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee
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Eliminate the IRS and all payroll taxes! http://www.fairtax.org
Some of them, sure. I don't particularly get the impression that the 2nd Amendment folks have a great deal of love for the guy who wants to amend the constitution to bring it in line with God's Law, or however that went. Fair number of them are small government types, and many are a bit touchy about religion, IME.
That's not my biggest concern seeing as we still have the constitution. That's more of a congressional issue in my book.
I'm now looking for a Commander-in-Chief, the most important part of the POTUS's job during this time. Huckabee doesn't fit that bill for me.
Giuliani and McCain are the two that best fit that bill and possibly Romney, but I hated his 'lawyers' answer in one of the debates.
McCain scares me because I don't think he has the temperment to do the job.
I'm leaning towards Giuliani, but illegal immigration is my second biggest concern and he stinks in that area, as do McCain, Huckabee and Romney.
Texas Proud and Texas Loud
The guys who vote on guns and only guns already have their Ron Paul signs and bumper stickers. 2A is important but it is hardly the only issue of any importance. Huckabee's solid stance on that single issue doesn't make up for the rest of the garbage that comes along for the ride.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
Of McCain, Romney, and Giuliani, McCain is the only one remotely reliable on Second Amendment issues. Lifelong Hunter(tm) Mitt Romney has stated his support for bans on "weapons of unusual lethality" (i.e. "assault weapons" bans) and Rudy's unconvincingly attempted to back away from his gun-grabbing record in NYC by noting that what worked there might not work everywhere.
McCain's track record isn't spotless, but it's better than either of the other two by a country mile.
The problem with McCain is that, like Huckabee, he's bad on so many other issues than guns that I cannot, will not, support him.
The biggest problem with gun issues is not who we nominate as President. The biggest problem is that people have not joined the NRA in sufficient numbers.
I don't trust John McCain to veto a Clintonesque AWB any more than I do Romney.
The people who are looking for a savior in the POTUS are wrong. The answer is grassroots organizing and getting people to join the NRA. If you really want to have a strong voice in Washington, it's the best thing you can do.
That having a pro-gun President is the end-all-be-all to their worries about their 2nd Amendment rights. It isn't. It's a false idol. The only thing you can do to guarantee your 2nd Amendment rights is to *fight for them* by putting your money where your mouth is as an individual citizen.
If you want to make sure 2nd Amendment rights are preserved in the country, in your state, and in your town, the best way to do that is to Join the NRA.
They are the *only* group in this country that will fight for your rights to own firearms and they are the *only* group in this country that is well-disposed and savvy enough to do so.
McCain would sell the 2nd Amendment advocates down the river in a handbasket if the political winds blew that way. Don't think he wouldn't. This is the guy who seriously considered joining a Presidential ticket with John Kerry.
...by opposing a candidate in the primaries that has promised to support bans on guns I own. I'm also a life member of the NRA and have been actively involved in 2nd Amendment issues for years.
I have my doubts with McCain and Rudy on the gun issues... less with McCain because he has a record to show he isn't absolutely horrible on the issue. Romney however promises to be horrible on the issue.
Would I be fighting for my rights by ignoring that fact?
And you can read about what the NRA thought about McCain/Feingold here.
To say that he's the only "pro-gun" candidate in this field now is a lie of such enormous proportions that if you can believe it, you'll believe in the tooth fairy also.
To "close the gunshow loophole" and voted for renewal of the AWB because it had his precious "gunshow loophole" amendment appended to it. It's pretty sad that we are talking about this guy being decent on guns.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
that I said McCain's record isn't spotless. It's merely better than the records of the other two.
The term I believe you're searching for is "damning with faint praise". :)
He voted against it and reauthorizing it according to the roll calls. He did vote for closing the gunshow loophole, which annoyed the heck out of me, but is hardly on the same level as gun bans.
Here's a good catalog of McCain's admittedly imperfect record on gun control at OnTheIssues.org.
You'll find that he isn't as great on the gun issue as Huckabee or Thompson but has a much better record than Romney or Rudy. Rudy has generally recanted his gun control policies though, if you can trust his reasoning that 9/11 changed his perspective on it.
Never again will I vote for the lesser of two evils. Perhaps we can create a conservative party or federalist party since the republican party seems to have left us. No Thompson - No Hunter leaves only jellos.
"Where I stand does not depend on where I'm standing." Fred D. Thompson
In my view, the other four serious candidates for the GOP nomination are all fatally flawed in one way or another, and are no more deserving of the office or competent or to govern the nation than any Democrat.
If the GOP insists on suiciding, it will do so without my fingerprints on the gun.
Unfortunately, McCain seems to be polling best in the head-to-head polls on RCP. Ugh. I really hate this.
Honestly, It leaves me sitting in a funk. Watching Team Democrat-lite take the field is not very inspiring. (BTW, Team Democrat-lite is being VERY generous for two of our candidates, at least one has been playing for the other side way to often.) I’ll have to get back to you.
I vote on 2/5 (Oklahoma). I would have voted for Fred. I will vote. As of today, my personal preference poll (among myself):
Mitt: 55%
Rudy: 20%
McCain 2%
Huckabee -5%
I'm pissed and I'm going to vote for Fred anyway: 27%.
I will watch the Florida debate and Florida results. Rudy still has an outside shot with me, but it's probably going to be Romney.
not only am i bummed, i also have to find a way to change my name....
I'll start by answering my own question and tell you I'm going with Romney