I don't agree with your consensus. The number of people in the race does not decide who wins the race---the person with the most votes wins the race. You ***UME that if there was fewer "conservatives" to vote for, then YOUR conservative would win the race, but there is nothing to support that. Who is most conservative now? Ron Paul? Santorum? Romney? It all depends on how you define conservative. Ron Paul is cons***utionally very conservative. Romney is very conservative regarding business well-being and foreign policy. Santorum is very conservative socially. I don't support the idea that a bunch of conservatives could not get their act together and therefore, a non-conservative (McCain) won. McCain won because he had the most votes. There could be as much divide for McCain with other candidates and if another person won, McCain could have claimed that if someone else had dropped out of the race, than more votes would have gone to him. Just because people talk about something, does not make it true.

All I hear is whining---why aren't all you conservatives following who is the "best" conservative. I think that is the attempt with this meeting in Texas with a bunch of evangelical pastors---to try and get everyone on the same page to vote for a "not-Mitt" candidate. I try to think of what comments would come out of the wood work if the LDS church did that. I also wonder about their tax protected status when they come out campaigning for a specific candidate. Regardless, we will see what happens. I do not think that Santorum has the machine in place to beat a person such as Obama. The fact that he didn't get his ducks in a row for Virginia is just the tip of the iceberg, I think.

When the SBC put Huckabee up for their "anti-Mitt" candidate, all I thought was---well, if that is what the GOP wants is "not Mitt"...then that is what they will get. And sure enough--McCain did not have a chance against Obama because he had no economic answers. I am not sure Romney would have had a chance either as the country was so anything-but-a-Republican at***ude, but I think someone who at least had a modicum of understanding of how business works would have had the best chance. Huckabee would have had none because he came across as a joke provided by the SBC as a way to combat "a Mormon" rather than a way to solve the real problems America was facing.

That said, even if Romney wins it---then the question will be, do Americans see strong businesses as a way to combat poverty or government solutions as a way to combat poverty? That will be the question answered in 2012. If Santorum wins, then it will be a sure win for Obama as the question will be, do Americans see government as the solution to poverty or do they see abortion and family rights as their main issue.

Personally, I do think we need to strengthen the family in America, but I don't see that as the role of the government, but the role of religion. The government needs to step out of the homes and free up parents to actually parent and one absolute way to do that is to take the financial stress out of the home.


"Psychologists, in particular, argue that family economic hardship affects youths’ outcomes by creating perceptions of economic pressure, weakening family relationships, and disrupting positive parenting practices (see Conger et al. 2002; Mistry et al. 2009)."