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By Paul M. Weyrich
December 12, 2006
Republicans tend to nominate frontrunners for the Presidency but that should not dissuade some promising conservatives from trying to tackle Senator John S. McCain, III (R-AZ). More attention presently is focused on Massachusetts Governor Willard (Mitt) Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudolph F. (Rudy) Giuliani.
Sometimes candidates can have little initial appeal but catch fire. That certainly happened with McCain. My reservations about the Senator are quite clear but there can be no denying that he succeeded in charming the press and New Hampshire voters. The glare of footlights and an aggressive counteroffensive by frontrunner Governor George W. Bush caused McCain to make mistakes. McCain erred in criticizing conservative Christian leaders. Now McCain knows first-hand how much clout conservative Christians can wield in determining Republican nominations and he is reaching out to leaders seeking to make amends.
A McCain or Romney stumble is quite possible. Senator McCain can shoot from the hip. If his managers were to clamp down on his spontaneity would there be complaints that he is no longer so fresh and new? Romney’s appeal is unclear. Can he really catch on or is he just a media darling? He can raise money. Giuliani is a longer shot in that he is quite liberal on social issues. He, too, can raise money, primarily from the New York business community. His trump card is likely to be the command he displayed in the 9/11 tragedy. Can he really cut it with voters on Main Street?
Who are the so-called current “second-tier” candidates who might win conservative support?
Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) recently indicated his interest in running.
Hunter takes stands that run against the grain of the free-marketers in the Republican Party. Economic conditions early next year may prove pivotal in determining whether Hunter can rise above second-tier status. Hunter is a genial politician with a strong populist instinct. He takes a strong stance on protecting our borders. It will be tough for Hunter’s more liberal opponents to pin him with the immigrant-basher label. Before he won his House seat in 1980, Hunter had often provided pro bono legal advice in a Hispanic area of San Diego.
Hunter’s expertise on national security enables him to address an important issue, one which many Republicans underestimate. The November 7 election results will force him to relinquish his post as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee but he knows full well the threats faced by our country and what our country must do truly to be secure. Hunter was an Army Ranger during Vietnam and his son fought in Iraq. He has a vested interest in making sure we have an able fighting force.
Hunter may surge by talking about the need to keep our country secure, not only by military preparedness and protecting our borders but also by economic preparedness. He told THE WASHINGTON TIMES his campaign would advocate “a strong national defense, strong border enforcement, fiscal conservatism and traditional values, and keeping American jobs onshore.” Hunter realizes that a diminished manufacturing base at home stands to make it tough to resupply our military in the event of a war. Hunter talks about the importance of maintaining the link between the Republican Party and “working America.”
The defeat of Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) means Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) will be increasingly recognized as the conservative leader in the Senate on issues favored by religious conservatives. Brownback works well inside the Senate but he has good ties to many conservative groups and his advocacy of human rights issues wins him respect from some quarters not generally considered friendly to conservatives. Brownback is a devoted pro-life advocate. He has been there for conservatives on the key judicial nominations. . Brownback made clear his desire to help America renew itself morally in a recent statement expressing concern that corruption and fractured families were diminishing the American dream. “We need hope and ideas,” he said.
Brownback intends to emphasize compassionate conservatism. Brownback advocates creation of a commission to review Federal expenditures in light of waste, inefficiency and lack of accountability. Based on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, which helped to close military bases in the post-Cold War era, the commission would make recommendations, which Congress would be required vote to accept or reject.
Brownback’s fundraising potential remains a question. He has assembled a list of prominent supporters to serve as his exploratory committee. Members include Tom Mognahan, founder of Domino’s Pizza, and former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Brownback’s Midwestern roots may play well in Iowa. His expressed intention to run the campaign out of Kansas City indicates his expectation that Iowa will be his launch-pad. Brownback has a prominent supporter in Chuck Hurley, President of the Iowa Family Policy Center, who was a classmate at the University of Kansas Law School.
I am not impressed by the speaking ability of most politicians. But twice I sat on the edge of my chair while Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) spoke about our country’s culture. He is a former Baptist preacher who has not lost any of his speaking ability. Huckabee is interested in transportation issues, which are under-appreciated; he worked to rebuild the Arkansas highway system. Several rebuilt highways, once considered to be terrible by a national trucking magazine, are now considered to be most improved.
Huckabee will need to overcome the charge made by some taxpayer groups that he has been a big spender. He will want to discuss his leadership about reforming welfare and Medicaid and his work to pass broad-based tax cuts and to institute a Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights.
Huckabee has visited Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina so there is no doubt as to his interest in seeking the nomination. A book, FROM HOPE TO HIGHER GROUND: 12 STOPS TO RESTORING AMERICA’S GREATNESS, will be issued in January and provide further clues to his agenda. Huckabee promotes healthier eating. He knows from experience its importance. Had he not lost weight he would have contracted Type II diabetes. Huckabee argues one important part of containing health-care costs is to urge people to adopt healthier lifestyles. I don’t know if changing one’s diet is a compelling wedge issue, but it will be interesting to see if Huckabee can move, as William J. (Bill) Clinton did, from being a relatively unknown Governor of Arkansas to a national contender. Whatever Huckabee’s fate, I think most Americans can agree with his sentiment that we need to make sure the generation that fought World War II is not our country’s “last ‘greatest generation.’”
Whatever your opinion of former Speaker Newt Gingrich he is always thinking ahead. He may be so far-sighted his interest is really on 2012. Gingrich is never at a loss for something to say. He is a commentator on Fox News, certainly not a bad means to remain in the public eye. Should Gingrich run expect him to talk about developing personal Social Security accounts, thwarting terrorism and improving America’s capability in science and technology.
Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is staking his campaign on immigration reform. Tancredo would have to be viewed as a dark horse.
My old colleague, ROLL CALL columnist Stuart Rothenberg, says, “You don’t have any shot if you don’t throw your hat in the ring.” True, but there is such a thing as too many hats in the ring. Social conservative leaders would like to get behind a candidate to propel him to the front tier. I agree with that strategy. I would hate to see a liberal or moderate capture the nomination because the social conservative vote was split.
Too many Americans have lost their sense of history and tradition and values essential to our country’s sustained success. When we face new challenges too many Americans lack the mettle to overcome them. Social conservatives are not in the game of politics simply for the glory. They want to help America recover its moral bearings. A Hunter, Brownback or Huckabee has the potential to help America rediscover its sense of purpose. It’s unlikely a conservative candidate can win the nomination if other strong conservatives remain in the race. Will two of the three candidates have the selflessness to realize that before it’s too late and do what’s right for our cause and the country? We can certainly hope that will happen but only time will tell.
Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.
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