Primary Problem

Republicans must back a truly conservative candidate in 2012

By Jamin A. Dowdy

While most conservatives knew we were making a mistake by nominating John McCain, we had no idea we would lose this badly. It is without a doubt frustrating and embarrassing to lose by such a large electoral and popular margin to Barack Obama, but it is even more frustrating because it could have been prevented.

As the Republican Party headed into the midterm elections of 2006, we were already looking for a replacement for George W. Bush. There were several popular conservatives in the U.S. Senate that seemed ready for a run for the White House. Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, was no doubt a top contender for our nomination. He was a successful Tennessee heart surgeon who had advanced the conservative agenda during his Senatorial career. George Allen was also in the running. A highly popular Virginian U.S. Senator, Allen spoke the language of the base with ease. Another up-and-coming contender was Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. However, at the close of 2006, Frist retired from the Senate and garnered anger from the base over his position change on stem-cell research, and Allen and Santorum were defeated in hotly contested re-election campaigns.

The loss of these men left a vacuum of conservative leadership in the GOP. Men like Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney soon tried to fill that vacuum. While these men are great and likeable leaders, the base knew they were not true conservatives. Giuliani and McCain were foreign policy conservatives, but their social and economic policies were in question. Romney could be trusted with the economy, but some wondered if we could trust him with foreign and social issues. In short, the base was groping for a leader who didn’t select the tenets of conservatism that he wanted to support but rather fully embraced the conservative world-view.

Enter Fred Thompson. When his name was mentioned as a possible candidate in the early spring of 2007, the base, including myself, went wild. We knew that this guy was “one of us.” Thompson had not only defended the entire spectrum of conservatism but had emerged from humble beginnings and therefore had a special connection with the average man. We waited for Thompson. And then we waited some more. Finally, after most of the base had moved on to other candidates, Thompson entered the race.

Since the hope of Fred Thompson fizzled out, the base began to fragment, and this was our primary problem. Because we were desperate to find a leader, conservatives began throwing their support behind candidates who they thought would be “the most conservative.” Social conservatives soon discovered Mike Huckabee and propelled him into the spot light. Pocketbook Republicans consolidated behind the regal Mitt Romney, and national defense conservatives lined-up behind John McCain. To prove how strange things were, Pat Robinson endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President, a moderate on social issues. As time went on and candidates dropped out, the base would realign with those they deemed “the lesser evil.” In this fashion, we ended up with John McCain. 

In the general election, McCain pandered to moderates and left the conservatives in the dark until he realized he was going nowhere. Then, he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Although Palin received the praise of the base for her conservatism, we were still not enthused by the head of our ticket, and no party can win an election if they aren’t even satisfied with its own candidate. This election was a major blow to Republican morale, but we should now learn from our mistakes.

It’s time to clean house. We need to expunge those Republicans who are unfaithful to the cause from their leadership positions. We look to history and the Bible for our values, and we know that this approach has never failed humanity in the past. Christianity led to classical liberalism, which led to democracy, human rights, free trade, and social mobility. Our founding was upon such values, and that is what we promote today. Some may call it antiquated or backwards; I call it mature and wise.

So, conservatives, we have major tasks ahead of us. Before we do anything, however, let us reaffirm our conservative values and vow to elect only proven conservatives. Then, and only then, we can once again offer a message of true hope to the American people.