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Title: Disrespectful Libertarians Hijack CPAC Poll -- And Its Mission
Source:
FOX NEWS
URL Source: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011 ... ians-hijack-cpac-poll-mission/
Published: Feb 14, 2011
Author: Kevin McCullough
Post Date: 2011-02-14 11:44:40 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 9027
Comments: 12
The top three winners of this weekend's CPAC straw poll will not win the 2012 presidential nomination. And if any of the top three do break through to prove that prediction wrong, none of them will go on to win the White House in 2012. This year's top three placeholders in the poll were Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Gary Johnson. Ron Paul and Mitt Romney repeat their standing from the 2010 poll as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. If the results of this straw poll do not sufficiently demonstrate the bizarre nature and overall oddity of this year's gathering of "conservatives," nothing else can. Ron Paul, though technically still a Republican, has given up his GOP identity to embrace the chance to be the poster child for the more libertarian streak that has run rampant through CPAC, largely unabated for the past two years. Mitt Romney, the virtual author of Obamacare, and 2008's third-place finisher for the GOP nomination, is weighed down by the fact that his universal health care mandate in Massachusetts has largely failed – with the exception being the $50 state-subsidized abortions. Gary Johnson was only added to the lineup at the last minute, his presence stoking the flame of immoral libertarianism that actually advocated for legalized pot and the redefinition of marriage to include homosexual unions. In other words, this year's CPAC wasn't about advancing conservatism. Rather, it exposed the radically disrespectful element of the libertine. It has been the inclusion of the libertarian aspects of the past two years that has thrown the message of conservatism askew in a widely disproportional way. It is the libertarian in attendance that produced the free pornographic calendar passed out to attendees in 2010. It is the libertarians in attendance who openly promote the inclusion of groups like GOProud, largely as an attempt to silence groups who would speak in strong support of traditional moral values. It is the libertarian in attendance who slandered President George Bush, by claiming his appreciation for the Constitution was best summed up as a "damn piece of paper." It is the libertarian in attendance that proclaimed the war to prevent terrorists from regathering strength and coming after our homeland as "illegal." And it is the libertarian in attendance that eschewed, booed, cajoled and screamed "war criminal" to Vice President Dick Cheney, a man who served his country with commitment and still attempts to help the world understand the threat of the radical Islamic element devising plans to eliminate us and our allies. Now the libertarians stuffed the ballot box of the CPAC straw poll, and for the second year in a row made it the laughingstock poll in the eyes of the voters. (This year's voters are perhaps more engaged, more aware and more plugged in than ever before.) In head-to-head polling going back a full year to last year's CPAC, neither Ron Paul nor Mitt Romney has consistently topped a head-to-head match-up against a greatly weakened President Obama. Romney has only topped the sitting president once in that 12-month period. Gov. Mike Huckabee, a no-show at CPAC for the past years, has beaten the president head-to-head in nearly every poll taken. David Keene, the American Conservative Union’s outgoing president, gave a lengthy discounting of this year's poll in the lead up to it. That should serve as a very clear indicator that next year's CPAC needs some significant changes if it is to become the great conference it has been in past years. Libertarians and Conservatives are as different as Libertarians and Liberals. The truth is libertarians are the worst form of political affiliation in the nation. Combining the desire of economic greed, with the amoral desire to promote any behavior regardless of its cost to our culture is a stark departure from the intent of the Founding Fathers. And it is not consistent with the average conservative voter in America. The fact that so many faith-based conservatives were missing from CPAC, and are also arguably the most dependable conservative voter in the country only added to the confusing, bizarre, disrespectful and, in many ways, off-putting memories of this year's event. Yes, CPAC enjoyed its largest attendance ever. But one could possibly argue that it was smaller than it would have been if the third leg of the conservative stool -- social conservatives -- had been the key player they have traditionally been in the past. And given the fact that the Ron Paul-toting, uber-disrespectful and, in many ways, disruptive ballot stuffing has wrecked the straw poll results, pinging completely unelectable candidates in two of the top three slots, perhaps more significance should be paid to the straw poll to be conducted by the conference that happens in the fall called the "Values Voters Conference." If social conservatives are the largest portion of the conservative discussion, no attention should be paid to a poll that virtually eliminates their presence all together. CPAC leaders did the best they could to put on the best conference possible. It wasn't their fault that the libertarian elements within the attendees equate free speech with animalistic expressions, especially when visiting someone else's "house." Libertarian elements, because of their strange combination of policies that add up to anarchy without moral limits, don't mix with conservative ideals. And, because of that, perhaps they should have their own conference and let all the pot-smokers and gay marriage supporters come and complain about how the U.S. shouldn't be fighting terrorists, while they slander public servants. At the very least, the winner of their straw poll would be somewhat reflective of the title of who they are, and what they believe.
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
I'd be worried, if the 2011 CPAC poll meant jack shit.
Do you not like Ron Paul? What about his son Rand? I prefer Rands positions but respect them both.
Gary Johnson sounds like a moron for his ant family views.
I hadn't heard anything he said about ant families. What'd you hear?
I like both the Pauls, but I don't want Ron for POTUS. I don't want Romney or Johnson either. I want Herman Cain.
Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
You are a stereotypical leftwing racist.
Which is, of course, acceptable to any correct-thinking person. /s
Well, [war's] got to do something for attention, his multiple personalities aren't speaking to him any more, and his imaginary friends keep finding excuses not to come over.
The Republican neocons are whining because some conservatives showed up. BooHoo!
LOL! Bad attempt at smearing libertarians by the establishment GOP. See the libertarian is a small govt conservative who is honest and sincere about that ideology. He takes the small govt ideology to heart. The real GOP power elite just wink at the concept of small govt - and cut a few programs for the minorities who their racist hick followers don't like anyway - but God forbid they actually mean what they say and say what they mean. In attacking Ron Paul in this way they admit that small govt conservativism followed to its logical conclusion is for crazies.
"Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare!" - Various Tea Party signs.
Herman Cain is acceptable. I enjoy listening to him when he substitutes for Boortz.
He said we are all going to get one of those little green ant farms and we better take care of them.
#2. To: Happy Quanzaa (#1)
#3. To: Brian S (#0)
Gary Johnson was only added to the lineup at the last minute, his presence stoking the flame of immoral libertarianism that actually advocated for legalized pot and the redefinition of marriage to include homosexual unions.
#4. To: A K A Stone (#3)
(Edited)
#5. To: A K A Stone (#2)
#6. To: Happy Quanzaa (#5)
I want Herman Cain.
#7. To: Brian S (#6)
#8. To: Happy Quanzaa (#7)
You are a stereotypical leftwing racist.
#9. To: Brian S (#0)
#10. To: Brian S, Happy Quanzaa, A K A Stone, Abu el Banat, Rudgear, hondo68 (#0)
Libertarian elements, because of their strange combination of policies that add up to anarchy without moral limits, don't mix with conservative ideals.
#11. To: Happy Quanzaa (#5)
#12. To: Abu el Banat (#4)
I hadn't heard anything he said about ant families. What'd you hear?
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