[Mars]

As a veteran of the abortion wars, it's no big surprise that Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is making reproductive rights the centerpiece of his (likely) 2012 presidential campaign.

"For me this is an issue that - as I've said before - it transcends all of the political issues," Huckabee told an anti-abortion crowd at a fundraiser the Center for Bioethical Reform. "I've often said I would gladly lose an election before I would ever yield on the issue of the sanctity of human life."

CNN notes that most other GOP contenders have thus far been tight-lipped about social issues. But they don't have their fingers on the pulse of their base. For instance, House Republicans who have spent a huge chunk of their first month in power dedicated to rolling back abortion rights. If Huckabee's competitors think they can rest on their laurels, they're probably mistaken.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/huckabee-puts-abortion-front-and-center-in-2012-gop-presidential-primary.php?ref=fpb

The GOP seems to be going all out on the social issues this next election.

[karajorma]

Do we get to call them facists and Hitler now then?

[Turambar]

So the party of small government is campaigning against freedom.  Why does this **** even work?

[Mars]

The GOP can be thought of as an initially loose alliance of libertarians, fiscal conservatives, dominionists, and pure social conservatives. This is an alliance that should not be logically possible, but somehow exists. The dominionists and social conservatives of the party may well go after their own agenda if they feel like that's what's going to swing the vote; leaving the libertarians and fiscal conservatives somewhat out of the fold.

[Nemesis6]

Mars, you might as well be describing the Tea Party. I mean look at the signs at their protests -- The president's a nigger(Usually it'll have other adjectives like Muslim, Kenyan, communist, or Nazi), end the fed, the NWO/Bilderbergs/Rothschilds want to kill 80% of us, don't tread on me, RON PAUL 2012, obama - abortionist in charge, we came unarmed (this time), Reagan = Change we can believe in, one nation under GOD, and so on.

So the party of small government is campaigning against freedom.  Why does this **** even work?

Shut up! You're just a communist talking communist-talk! Why do you hate America so much?

[General Battuta]

 Ugh I'm politically inclined towards this thread but it just feels like an echo chamber circlejerk in here. 

[karajorma]

Thing is that there isn't really much we can say about this. Unless you want to formulate a counter-plan.

[General Battuta]

Abortion pisses me off because it's one of the few issues that there has been almost no change on over the past few decades. Gay marriage has gone from anathema to basically a shoo-in in the next demographic wave, but abortion promises to be causing fights through my last Thanksgiving.

[Nuke]

we should do abortions the right way, with nuclear weapons.

[Sushi]

Ugh I'm politically inclined towards this thread but it just feels like an echo chamber circlejerk in here. 

Welcome to the internet.

[StarSlayer]

Considering the blood of four murdered Washington State Troopers plus the rape of a little girl are on Mike Huckabees' hands I'm really surprised the guy has the brass balls to even show his face in public, let alone run for office.  I know if I had screwed up that completely in life I'd be looking to perform sepuku.

[NGTM-1R]

Considering the blood of four murdered Washington State Troopers plus the rape of a little girl are on Mike Huckabees' hands I'm really surprised the guy has the brass balls to even show his face in public, let alone run for office.  I know if I had screwed up that completely in life I'd be looking to perform sepuku.

wat

No seriously, what? Explain this. I'd like to know.

[Mars]

Considering the blood of four murdered Washington State Troopers plus the rape of a little girl are on Mike Huckabees' hands I'm really surprised the guy has the brass balls to even show his face in public, let alone run for office.  I know if I had screwed up that completely in life I'd be looking to perform sepuku.

You can't just throw that kind of **** out there. What are you talking about?

[General Battuta]

He pardoned a rapist, even after repeated pleas from the rapist's victims to not do so, on the grounds that the guy had converted to Christianity and a preacher friend of Huckabee's vouched for him. The guy then raped and murdered at least one more woman, and I'm pretty sure there were child rape charges too.

[StarSlayer]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_officers_shot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood_police_officer_shooting


The long and short of it is he let some dirt bag out of a life prison term because he "found god" who later was accused of raping a child then proceeded to massacre four State Troopers in a dinner while they where having breakfast.  It takes a extra special case of stubborn to be shooting for the top office when you're responsible for that kind of cock up.

[Mars]

Wow. . . that's. . . I honestly thought you were making that up. . .

Yeah, God should not figure into that kind of decision.

[Black Wolf]

It would be an absolutely terrible time for Obama to lose in 2012. The economy will (hopefully, for your sake) be on an upswing, and then whoever came in would use the improvements to gain a second term in 2016, whereas if Obama can hold on, he can pass those good economic vibes onto his successor. So potentially, you guys could be out in the cold for another 8 years. Which'd be bad. Since you'd probably collapse as a nation.

[Mustang19]

Which'd be bad. Since you'd probably collapse as a nation.

I hear muffled enthusiasm. Please elaborate. Out of the few substantial policy differences between the Republican and Democratic parties which would cause a collapse?

[Nuclear1]

GOP Strategy for 2012 is going to be the same as the GOP Strategy for 2009-2011:  call Obama a socialist, declare HCR and any attempts to cut defense spending anti-American, make completely unfounded claims that the Democrats are out to murder babies and punish success. 

Obama's in more trouble than just from the right.  Lots of American liberals take issue with him and are primarying someone against him.  Of course, they're only going to be shooting themselves in the foot, because there's no way any Democrat to the left of Obama is going to have any chance in the general election. 

Ugh I'm politically inclined towards this thread but it just feels like an echo chamber circlejerk in here. 

You don't know echo chamber circlejerk until you've spent some time on either Democratic Underground or Free Republic.   

[Grizzly]

Do we get to call them facists and Hitler now then?

Nah, Theocratists .