GraniteGrok

we MUST groom some electable conservatives that can cut the mustard

How?

That's a vital question, that I don't currently see an answer to. To be electable today, a candidate has to be inspiring and exciting in clips of ten seconds (for audio) and/or thirty seconds (for video). The conservative message right now is basically "we'll stop the Democrats from giving you more free stuff". The point that "nothing the government does is really free" is too complex for most voters to grasp. And the Democrats' socialist message works well because Americans are inherently charitable, generous, giving people, and it's hard to see much difference between giving to a real charity such as Goodwill and "giving" to the government via taxes.

So how do we produce electable candidates when we don't have an electable message?

Wolf, you are exactly right. It takes a really special combination to win in today's hyper-media environment. That is why I say we must play the strategy game with a McCain as we try to develop future Obama-like "rock stars" that stay true to conservative ideals and values. It's not easy. If the good conservatives can't get themselves elected, they can't wield power and influence.

as we try to develop future Obama-like "rock stars" that stay true to conservative ideals and values.

So far, we agree -- except that the necessity of nominating any of the current contenders sickens me, where you can apparently view it with some level of equanimity.

But recognizing that "something needs to be done" is only the first step toward actually doing it, and a fairly small one at that. What have you done toward figuring out how to do it?

A common theme here at GraniteGrok is that the NH Republican Party right now has neither good candidates nor good ideas. What is being done to change that? Are there Young Conservatives clubs at any colleges in NH? Are there brainstorming sessions being held to develop good ideas? Committees working to find and recruit possible candidates? Training courses for potential candidates, to teach them how to communicate their message effectively?

On Craigslist I often see ads from liberal groups trying to recruit young members. From conservative groups, I see nothing. Many conservatives seem to assume that the basic and obvious rightness of our position will automatically sell people on it. But human nature doesn't work that way.

I'll take another shot at why I am VERY troubled w/ voting for Senator McCain. I don't write very well so bear with me please. Now I know I will be accused of parroting the National Review ("a shell of it's former self") and Michelle Malkin, Rush, Glenn Beck, et al but those type of publications and people put what I think into words better than I can. I do think that Sen McCain will fight the jihadist fanatics (and maybe their state sponsors) more effectively than Clinton or Obama. I worry though when he says that he thinks Gitmo should be closed. What then? Once those people are brought on to American soil things are going to change for them and not in ways that make it tougher. I know my mind is small and easily influenced but I DO NOT think that hardcore terrorists deserve that same constitutional rights as I do. Someone once said that "the Constitution is not a suicide pact". Senator McCain seems to lean toward people who believe it is. What about waterboarding? Obviously Senator McCain speak with authority in an area I cannot but... He puts himself on the side of people who want nothing less than the handcuffing of our professional interrogators when it comes to dealing with these lunatics. I have interrogated people before (in a strictly law enforcement sense) and friends of mine have been through military training that "simulates" hard interrogation techniques (SERE School). Coercion and threats are a powerful stimulus when you want to elicit information from people (normal people). The fanatics at Gitmo are not normal people and the hardcore will not give you information unless they can be interrogated in an "enhanced" manner. Does that mean I think we should routinely waterboard people, etc? No, but I do think the option should be available in more circumstances than Senator McCain would allow. On taxes I think that Senator McCain could be heavily influenced by democrats and that would be bad for my wallet. I make a lower middle class income and am taking care of my wife and two kids. I don't need Washington taking more money out of my wallet. I already have enough trouble trying to keep the town of Belmont out of there. Senator McCain uses the same class warefare rhetoric as his "good friend" Ted Kennedy and that worries me greatly. On immigration I feel the same as I did when I last posted here. I understand that Senator McCain says a lot of good things about "sealing the border first", yada,yada,yada. Again, I know I may be a simple minded right-winger but I see Senator McCain's record on this issue and it does not give me confidence. He appears to be taking advice from people who, to put it mildly, do not have America's best interest in mind. Senator McCain's record on the border issue is clear. He is more open borders than he is not. He has called people "racists" who believe that we should be careful about who we let into this country. His actions have spoken more loudly than his words. McCain's age does concern me. I don't want to be charged with any "age bias". God knows we'll all be there some day right. I think the media and democrats will begin to focus on issues like this as soon as he gets the nomination. The fact that McCain "gets along" with the media will mean nothing when it comes to the general election. I think it is foolishness to think the "main stream" media will do anything but destroy him when the time comes. They may do it with a smile on their face (mafia style) but they will do it just the same. I could go on I guess but it all seems redundant. Do I hope that Hillary or Obama are President? God no!! I think that Senator McCain would be mildly better than either of them. I am just very disappointed that, in a country of 300+ million souls this is the best we could come up with. Senator McCain served this nation with honor and distinction 30+ years ago and he suffered terribly at the hands of our enemies. I know this will sound disrespectful but couldn't the same be said of many others who came home to become pacifist liberals?? Didn't McGovern fly B-17s in WWII? I think he did but did that mean he would be a good President for America? I may still pull the lever for McCain but it would be with great trepidation. I will vote for other candidates on the ballot so I can minimize the damage that any of these people can do to the country. At 40+ years old my votes start to count more for my kids than they do for me. I want them to live free and prosperous lives with minimal interference from government (national or local). I want my country to fight global jihadism with all our might. I fear what will happen in the next few years in regards to Iran, etc. I am not confident that the current crop of Presidential candidates is up to the task. I hope I am wrong. For what its' worth that is my humble, Rush Limbaugh influenced opinion. Thanks Eric S.

Sorry about the format for that last post. I tried to do it in paragraphs but it didn't come out. Tough reading I know but.... Thanks E

Thanks for your thoughts, Eric. It still comes down to electability. If we don't get a multi-skilled conservative candidate, adept at speech, media, etcetera, we can't win. Without that, one must look at the big picture from the strategic perspective and consider the mood and opinion of the electorate. When you consider pro-life McCain vs pro death Hillary/Obama, the difference is clear. The same goes for the war, big gov't spending, and the rest. People that think allowing Hillary or Obama to become president will help us in any way are dreaming. I don't want to risk the fallout that will follow...

Eric, the GraniteGrok comment editor is a bit looser with its behavior than many sites. To get a formatted reply you have to embed HTML formatter tags. Use paragraph tags around each block of text. A paragraph starts with the tag <p> and ends with </p>. If you do that, your post will come out formatted the way mine did.

The above was written without paragraph tags. From here down I wrote with them.

Eric, the GraniteGrok comment editor is a bit looser with its behavior than many sites. To get a formatted reply you have to embed HTML formatter tags. Use paragraph tags around each block of text.

A paragraph starts with the tag <p> and ends with </p>. If you do that, your post will come out formatted the way mine did.