Christian Rights Operative: Unite Behind Romney Against Rudy
Mitt Romney's campaign is seizing the opportunity offered by Christian-right opposition to Rudy Giuliani. Romney supporter Mark DeMoss, a publicist with some major clientele among conservative evangelicals, has written a letter urging his compatriots to stop Rudy by uniting behind Romney.
"As certain as it seems that Hillary will represent the Democratic Party, it now appears the GOP representative will be either Mayor Rudy Giuliani or Governor Mitt Romney (based on polls in early states, money raised and on hand, staff and organization, etc.)," DeMoss sayd. "And, if it is not Mitt Romney, we would, for the first time in my memory, be faced with a general election contest between two 'pro-choice' candidates."
DeMoss then lays out the stakes in this election — the War on Terror, the Supreme Court, etc. — and why Mitt Romney is the man they should trust. He even addresses the Mormonism question, and how he himself had to confront his doubts on that, "But I concluded that I am more concerned that a candidate shares my values than he shares my theology."
Finally, he urges his readers: "Galvanize support around Mitt Romney, so Rudy Giuliani isn’t the unintended beneficiary of our divided support among several other candidates — or, worse yet, so we don’t abdicate the presidency (and the future of the Supreme Court) over to Hillary Clinton."
Late Update: This post originally had Mark DeMoss' first name wrong. I regret the error.
Comments (6)
Hank Essay wrote on October 11, 2007 3:46 PM:What is Romney's excuse for becoming pro-life after bring a moderate pro-choice governor? Didn't he say it was because of 9/11 or something?
At least Rudy didn't pull that excuse...
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It looks like the Religious Right is dead serious in its threat against Rudy. Look at Dobson's latest statements on the subject. They are no laughing matter!
fishbrake wrote on October 11, 2007 4:10 PM:That's settles it - I'm definitely buying some magic underwear. Can't wait until I have my own planet!
Village wrote on October 11, 2007 7:47 PM:So THIS explains the secret? conservative religious wingnut meeting in UTAH.
Patrick wrote on October 12, 2007 2:13 PM:Giuliani represents a gigantic gamble for the Republican Party. His nomination would not come without a complete revolution within the GOP. That massive change would entail abruptly abandoning the Christian fundamentalist wave that was essential for electing George Bush. It would mean dismantling a dependable infrastructure that they've been building for decades and saw their greatest success with in the just the last few years.
My sense is that they don't have the courage to do it. The don't want to bite the bullet and alter Republican politics for decades to come. The short-term problems are too awful for them to view the long-term benefits (thats why they're conservatives, after all) of shedding the religious right that they're now undesirably tethered to. All those years of stoking the fires of god, gays, and abortion have created a monster they don't control anymore, and increasingly controls them.
All this adds up to Mitt Romney becoming the Republican Nominee. They will decide that he's not just the lesser of two evils (himself & Giuliani), but the least of three evils, for any nomination of Giuliani and the third-party backlash that ensues will give a massive advantage to the Democratic nominee.
In the end, the Religious Right's overlooking of Romney's Mormonism won't be a problem for them if they get what they want: an anti-abortion president.* The GOP has cultivated this single-issue mentality among the Christian zealots, and will put off the eventual reckoning (as with the parallel reckoning on immigration) for later, most likely until its far too late. The alliance among laissez-fare conservatives and bigoted bible-thumpers was built on mutual deception, and because it has already reached its apex (reelection of Bush), it will experience a permanent decline with ever diminishing returns.
*Whether or not the flexible Mr. Romney is truly anti-abortion doesn't matter so long as he proclaims that he is.
www.votenic.com wrote on October 12, 2007 4:23 PM:2008 Presidential Election Weekly Poll
Results Posted Tuesday Evening At Midnight.
