I will not vote for any of the liberals, as in none of the above. Also I have not and will not donate to the Republican Party.

Posted by: Jack Morgan at February 3, 2008 5:56 PM

Greetings, fellow retired State Intern. Here is a letter/article I submitted to the Tennessean that is appropriate for this forum.

MEMORIES OF DAD AND MIKE HUCKABEE

My dad was a WWII and Korean War Vet. He was also one of the most patriotic people I know. Politically, he insisted on calling himself a conservative independent. As a teenager, I remember dad as a strong Reagan man. My sister remembers him as a staunch Goldwater man. Knowing this, I can remember asking him why he insisted on calling himself an independent when his leanings were so strongly Republican. His answer went something like this: "Too many people get so loyal to their party that loyalty to their country becomes secondary."

I was reminded how prophetic those remarks were when I read about Rudy Guiliani complimenting Florida voters for "saving the country for the Republican Party" in 2000. Saving the country for the party! Of all the many things I disagreed with Guiliani on, that statement won the prize! In the GOP debate at the Reagan Library last week, this is what Governor Romney said of President Bush: "He did something for our party that was important to do, which is to show that when someone attacks America, there will be consequences." Defending the country for the party!

Contrast that with Mike Huckabee's answer when queried about the prospect of running against the Clintons in November. Knowing he had battled the the Clinton machine in Arkansas 5 times (note to members of the "Huckabee isn't electable" society: he won 4 out of those 5 contests), I expected a scorching reply or a cliched Limbaugh-like response. He pointed out his vast differences with the Clintons, but, to my surprise, added words to this effect: "let's not forget that Bill Clinton came from a small town, poverty, and a broken home to be elected not once but twice President of the United States. We ought to celebrate a country that makes that possible." Though already attracted to Governor Huckabee's principled, consistent conservative leadership, that statement was the deal-sealer for me.

Conservatism rooted in a patriotism that unites us as one people moving forward with optimism! This was the core of Reagan's success and the reason for Governor Huckabee's unexpected emergence. It is a special authenticity that Mitt Romney can only try to buy. It is the reason that he is the first presidential candidate I have ever financially contributed to. It is also the reason why he is the first presidential candidate I have actively campaigned for in 20 years.

If you're nostalgic for Bob Dole, look no further than John McCain. If you want the embodiment of why Republicans lost Congress in 2006, look no further than Mitt Romney, who I like to refer to as the "Stepford Conservative" for his insincere mouthing of conservative ideas solely for his own advancement. However, if you do not want to settle for the lesser of 2 liberals, if you seek a conservatism that is fresh and uniting, look no farther than Mike Huckabee. I cannot say with certainty that Dad would vote for him- but in the name of our country's greater good, he would certainly salute him!

Posted by: bryan baskin at February 3, 2008 8:32 PM

A Conservative Loss for America?

As this Presidential campaign cycle gears up, there has already been much hype, much unfounded speculation, and unfortunately too much dirty politics. The thing there hasn't been enough of is honest in-depth debate on each candidate's plans and principles, not just positions. Conservative principles are the very core of our American spirit. They are what the Republican Party is supposed to be based on, right?

Fred Thompson has what America needs to take her back to the principles that made her great, the principles our forefathers based our Constitution on. Fred is the respected man he is because he stands on his principles, never swaying with the winds of political correctness. He is a man who stands rock-solid on his principles; a man who will look you straight in the eye and tell you how it really is, good or bad, straightup; a man who speaks with substance; the only one who can be trusted to stand tall and have the resolve to do what is necessary to protect America.

I'm writing this to reach out to more people and let them know America had a strong conservative candidate within her reach. Unfortunately though, when Fred Thompson dropped out of the race, it became evident those left for us to choose from do not have a history of core conservative principles. Do not despair though, there is still hope, the fight will and must go on. If we conservatives are all truly commited to Fred?s principles, and hope to see these principles have some bearing on the future of America, we all must vote for Fred in every primary, even if we have to ?write in? his name. If we can help keep the vote split enough, maybe a brokered convention could happen. At the very least, it will send a very clear message to Fred and the American people he actually had more support than they thought. This in itself may reinforce the possibility of Fred being selected to run as VP, which would not only bring some integrity into the White House in January of 09, but would garner him the exposure needed for a Presidential run in 2012 or 2016. It would also send a message to the Republican party there are still many true conservatives left who will not stand idly by and watch our party be hijacked by moderate, liberal-leaning Republicans. Last but certainly not least, it would educate the MSM to the fact that even though they may be able to influence a campaign?s decision, it is truly we the people who will exercise our God given right guaranteed by the Constitution to make the final decision, to select who we feel is the best leader for our great country.

Charles T. Purvis
31 Pats Point Rd.
Jackson, Ga. 30233
478-994-2617/ 770-206-0393

Posted by: charles purvis at February 3, 2008 10:56 PM

Since an email endorsement I sent out for Romney has already been pretty widely circulated, I will limit my comments to the following:

1)McCain is absolutely unacceptable.

2)Huckabee has supported public financing in various forms for illegal immigrants, and does not understand the importance of a free market economy. Moreover, he has no chance to stop McCain because he cannot expand his support beyond his pro-life base(the one area he genuinely holds a conservative postion on)

3)Romney is not perfect, but he is the only chance we have to stop McCain, and that is enough for me.

Raymond Baker
Franklin, Tn.

Posted by: Raymond Baker at February 4, 2008 11:35 AM

Much as I hate to agree with Jack in the first post, I have to say that I won't be voting in the Primary as there are no candidates that I really support. Mccain, Romney--even Huckabee on crime and immigration--have shown themselves to support very liberalized government in the past and have been ramping up the conserva-talk just during this campaign season for the election.

I used to admire McCain for saying what he thought and sticking by it even if it wasn't popular. But since he was all but sunk by his support of the amnesty bill, his about face on that issue in his current campaign discourse shows me that he's just another politician that will do or say what he thinks will get him elected, even if it's contradicted by his own past positions and actions.

When someone is like that, you can't ever really know what they believe in. And I won't vote for someone of whom I'm not confident in knowing what they believe.

Duncan Hunter, although by no means perfect, was probably the closest thing to a good candidate in the running this cycle, and I would have even been OK with Fred. As it is, none of the remaining three viable candidates will be getting my support.

However, in the General election, I -will- be voting for whichever candidate has the best shot at keeping either Hills or Obama out of the big house.

Posted by: Matt Williams at February 4, 2008 2:22 PM

I'm going to have to second Mr. Purvis' comments. More than that, if McCain ends up with the GOP nomination, I will be forced to sit this election out on Presidential choices.

I once made the mistake of voting for the "most electable Republican" to replace Gray Davis instead of the true conservative and look what that has done for California. I'll not make that mistake again.

Posted by: Wally Fox at February 4, 2008 10:16 PM

I voted for Tom Tancredo. I came close to voting for Romney, to stop McCain, but I decided to vote my conscience. I could have gone for Duncan Hunter also.

Posted by: Donna Locke at February 5, 2008 5:05 PM

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