You might be saying to yourself, what is the Buckley Rule”? The late William F. Buckley”, editor of the National Review magazine and renowned pundit, once stated that the G.O.P. should “Nominate the most conservative candidate who is electable”. The key word is “ELECTABLE”.
Today, the G.O.P. has a great chance to win back the presidency from the Democrats since the the Democrats are about to “coronate” a flawed candidate by the name Hillary Clinton as their presidential candidate. That's why the “Buckley Rule” has been mentioned in the G.O.P. primary contest about who they will nominate as the most electable candidate to go against Hillary in the general election.
With the exception of George W. Bush, since 1992, the G.O.P. has nominated the least likely conservative candidates and lost all four times (George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney) to Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama. It seems that when the G.O.P. nominates candidates that are portrayed as “Democrat Lite”, the voters choose the “real thing”, the Democrat. It seems like the Republican “establishment” thinks the voting public, that is generally considered to be center-right, will not vote for a center-right conservative. How many more losses will they have to absorb before they realize that the “Buckley Rule” should be invoked for future presidential candidates? The question now is, who, out of the Republican field of candidates, is the most electable conservative candidate? At present, due to the over abundance of G.O.P. candidates, Donald Trump, is leading the field, and has the rabid support of about 30% of Republican voters, according to the recent polls. If that support keeps up, it looks like Trump will get the nomination, even though he will not have gained the majority of Republican voters. Of course, if the G.O.P. field gets down to a workable 2 or 3 candidates, you might see the dropped out candidates supporters turn to someone else besides Trump, thereby depriving the nomination to Trump.
Although Donald Trump has hit a nerve with many people who think that our country is going in the wrong direction, he has conjured up a strong following using the phrase “Make America Great Again”. That has resonated with his loyal followers, but in the general election, will that enthusiasm carry over to the general election to woo Independents and the once billed Reagan Democrats? That's where the general election will be decided. Both parties can rely on loyal voters (about 40% each) to come out to vote the party-line, but it will be the 20% of Independents and disaffected party regulars who will determine the 2016 election.
If Trump gets the nomination, will he be able to get those extra votes to win the general election? If, as he has shown so far, to “burn too many bridges” in his campaign for the Republican nomination, it might be a disaster in the making by pulling defeat out of the jaws of victory.
If not Trump, then who? Who is the most conservative candidate who is electable and who could beat Hillary in a one on one? The one candidate who seems to have the least negatives and who might appeal to the greater number of Independents and Reagan Democrats, is Marco Rubio. Being very conservative, articulate and knowledgeable, he would be Hillary's worse nightmare in a debate. Whether it is Marco Rubio or not, I hope that whoever is the G.O.P. nominee, it will be the most conservative candidate who is electable. We can't let that failed former Bill Clinton enabler, failed Secretary of State, Alinskyite, with little to no accomplishments in her public life, get back into the White House. When the people (60% of those polled) have designated her to be a liar, dishonest, and untrustworthy, what kind of a president will that be in the eyes of the world? We can do better than that. VOTE REPUBLICAN !
Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann
11 comments:
Besides the "Buckley Rule", the G.O.P. voters should also remember the "Reagan 80% Rule". That referred to the fact that you can't always agree with 100% of what a candidates position is on all matters, but if you can agree with 80% of what he stands for against 0% for his or her opponent, you should vote for that candidate and not cut off your nose to spite you face by not voting at all. We must change the direction of this country or we will be doomed to becoming a 2nd class country when we should be #1 in the world. Can you imagine electing a candidate that has a 60% negative rating because the people believe that she (Hillary) is a liar, is dishonest, and is untrustworthy? Wake up America and G.O.P. voters, remember the Reagan 80% Rule.
There will never be another Republican POTUS. The reasons you ask? Too many people receiving food stamps, too many people receiving housing assistance, too many people receiving income assistance including those on Social Security and too many people blinded by the rhetoric of the Washington politicians. People will not vote for anybody that they think will take away what the government is giving them now. Seniors who during their working years failed to plan will not vote for anybody who even hints at changing their sole source of income, Social Security. President Trump, President Rubio or how about President Sanders? You don't even write about him and you should. Western Illinois university as correctly predicted every president election since 1977. Know what? They are predicting Bernie will be the next POTUS.
Want a government you can live with? You're not going to find it in either party. The only way to get the government you want is to fire everyone in government from the local theives to the federal criminals, get rid of them all and start over. There must be a complete and swift overthrow of the government. A coup of the grandest scale. That is the only way to get the government you want!
Yes and both of those rules saddled the GOP with Romney and McCain neither of whom won the election.
What the GOP needs is not another old time politician but someone who can bring out the base as well as independents. In my opinion, the voters are fed up with politicians who are afraid to stand up for principles. We have had enough of politicians who talk one way but cave in on every important issue. Just take a look at the recent budget reconciliation collapse where GOP politicians caved into the Dems on every issue.
Yes James is correct. Also McCain and Romney were harder on Republicans than they were on Obama. The majority of the GOP is so afraid of being called "Racist" that they have allowed BHO to destroy most of America. When we were told we must have Paul Ryan, well we see what he did to the Voter Base of the GOP. Shafted them! People are angry!
The "Giftos Rule" is, no matter who the GOP pick is, shut your pie hole and not complain if you stay home and not vote.
It showed your preference was Clinton and Obama over George H.W. Bush,
Bob Dole, John McCain and Mitt Romney when you didn't get your way and stayed at home and moped instead of voting against the Democrat.
Whether you like it or not, there are times for compromise, when you have to vote against instead of for to achieve your target.
Republicans did not stay home - it's just that there are not as many as there were before. According to Gallup, Forty-two percent of Americans, on average, identified as political independents in 2013, the highest Gallup has measured since it began conducting interviews by telephone 25 years ago. Meanwhile, Republican identification fell to 25%, the lowest over that time span. At 31%, Democratic identification is unchanged from the last four years but down from 36% in 2008.
Republicans constantly fall for the media hype that they need a moderate to appeal to independents. And every time the GOP picks such a candidate they lose. Americans want a choice - not an echo. Except for diehard Republicans folks did not believe Romney would repeal Obamacare when he instituted the same system in MA. Except for the military, McCain could not be distinguished from a Democrat. People want someone as a leader who had a fire in his belly not Caspar Milquetoasts like McCain and Romney. Those two individuals had the opportunity to be on the attack but "took the high road" and got clobbered.
Independents did not see much of a difference in the nominees and it is they who stayed home. Quite honestly, who in their right mind could get excited about McCain or Romney? McCain was probably the most boring candidate in the 20th Century and except for establishment, big government Republicans did not appeal to most folks. Romney was successfully portrayed as an elitist who had no connection with the middle class. Independents did not believe Romney and voted to stay with Obama.
Democrats stick together. Bernie Sanders gave Clinton an out on the email scandal. But contrast that with the "establishment Republicans" with their comments and attacks on Trump, Carson, and Cruz.
I will vote for the Republican nominee as I voted for McCain and Romney even though I knew they did not have a chance to win. However, with the sellout on the budget reconciliation deal, the dramatic change in what Paul Ryan said a year ago and how he acted when he became Speaker, and the talk of a brokered GOP convention, I will no longer donate anything to establishment Republicans. When Rubio was running for Senator he was the darling of the TEA Party. He gets into office and becomes an establishment Republican. The very promises he made when he was running as a candidate changed the minute he got into office. So if Rubio becomes the candidate I will vote for him. However, I no longer will actively support anyone who says one thing and does another.
As much as I agree with James J. Perretti, and even though we had two weak candidates in McCain and Romney, they would have been head and shoulders above Obama, the neophyte. I didn't agree with everything those two proposed as solutions, but I had the choice of voting for them or for voting for a known socialist, racist, and Community Organizer who was going to transform our country....for the worse. Is it better to get 4/5 of a loaf than no loaf at all, it is a Hopson's Choice which the G.O.P. voters should avoid or we'll have 4 more years of Obama thru Hillary. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.
The problem I have, Ed, is that over the years these Republicans cave in so much to the Dems that we don't get even 1/5 of a loaf. They are so intent on holding their positions in the Senate or House that they lack the guts to stand up on their own two feet. This message is not lost on independents who see the Republicans as a group who have no agenda or ideals other than to remain in office.
To me the budget reconciliation bill is the perfect illustration. The Republican establishment talked great but got nothing in return for this monstrosity of a bill. Reid, Pelosi and the Dems called the bluff and the establishment Republicans caved in 100%. The Dems gloated and Ryan and the so called leadership ate crow. And to top it off, I then get an email from the RNC asking for money to combat everything they agreed to in this bill! I also ended up getting a personal telephone call from someone in the RNC soliciting financial support. I pointed out to him the facts that they caved in and the answer I got was they didn't want to lose the Senate. I asked this individual what difference does it make if they cave in every time. All I heard as an answer was silence.
Dems stand for something that I hate. However, they have the balls to stand up for their socialist ideas. However, it is getting more and more difficult to understand what so many Republicans stand for when they say one thing and when crunch time comes, they cave in.
For me it's not cutting my nose to spite my face. Rather, it is an effort to get the BOP to develop a set of cojones. I don't expect a GOP candidate to agree with me 100%. However, I do expect him or her to live up to what they said. As Allen West said Bernie Sanders has more guts in delivering his message no matter how bad it may be, then the establishment Republicans.
In any event this is a good discussion and reflects the frustration so many of us feel.
James P. is correct again in his analogy. The Democrats will fight until the end to give your money to illegal aliens, transgender bathrooms, the Planned Parenthood ripping live babies bodies apart, support for Michael Brown & Trayvon etc. Most of the Republicans are so afraid of their own shadow that they will get blamed for a Government Shutdown or worse yet, be called a racist.
When Cruz gave that speech on how McConnell lied to them all, that was the clue to jump on board and clean out the Rinos. Instead Christie, Rubio, Jeb!!!, Fiorino and others went to clean the tears from the Establishment R’s. People are angry and the McConnells, Boehners and Ryans are just out for power, not to help the Voters. The Republican establishment hate the Tea Party, Constitutionalist and Conservatives & they are fine with Obama. They give a little lip service about BHO and then they go behind closed doors and help the Dictator prosper.
Do any of the so-called intelligent Republican Leaders know that the President would be the one to shut down the Government, not the Senate or Congress?
Yes the Democrats are loathsome & vile Tyrants but they fight for everything and never give up.
Your Blogger Guy emailed this Link from Florida. We know what it is like to have grass roots and Tea Party people help get someone elected and they turn squishy. Your Rubio is the perfect example, as he got elected and then went right away to buddy up to Schumer, McCain and those clowns.
There are many of us in Kentucky who are disgusted with Mitch McConnell. When he allowed the race baiting attacks to happen in Mississippi against McDaniel, he showed us he really is a Democrat. Of course Obama is the most radical, anti-American President of all time but Repub Leadership has done very, very little to fight back.
Both traditional political parties are a bunch of losers. I see little difference in ideology. That's why Bernie Sanders will be the next POTUS. Sorry to say, but that's what will happen.
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