It looks like the religious right really means it when they threaten to leave the GOP and back a third party candidate should a pro-life candidate such as Rudy Giuliani win the nomination. Writing in The New York Times, James Dobson writes:
After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous.
The other issue discussed at length concerned the advisability of creating a third party if Democrats and Republicans do indeed abandon the sanctity of human life and other traditional family values. Though there was some support for the proposal, no consensus emerged.
Rasmussen looks at the consequences of such a move and finds that 27% of Republicans would vote for a pro-life third party candidate as opposed to Giuliani. The potential for such support probably guarantees that somebody will run as a pro-life candidate should Giuliani win the Republican nomination.
Numbers from Rasmussen may be off by several percent, and there may be some people who say they will back a third party candidate to attempt to influence the Republicans but would still vote for Giuliani over a Democrat. Even if we cut this number down to one-third it would prevent Giuliani from being able to win, considering that with all the obstacles the Republicans will face in 2008 they cannot win if even 9% of their base doesn’t back the candidate.
Well good for them. It’s a great relief to see anyone–left, right, or center–take positions that do not seem ultimately motivated by cynicism.
I concur with Chusid; it appears that many religious right members might vacate the GOP if Giuliani wins the primary. As I’ve stated in many of my articles Guiliani is a Democrat in any other state, but NYC is unique. However from knowing Guiliani’s work as a resident of NY for 18 years I must admit he was a superb mayor. He cleaned up the city, improved the quality of life, destroyed organized crime, and brought back a sense of pride – despite the fact that numerous Democrats tried to accomplish these tasks only to fail.
The real question is once the kid gloves are off will conservative Christians accept Mitt Romney despite the fact that he is a Mormon, a decidedly non-Christian religion. Romney’s already been caught in a number of lies trying to blend Orthodox Christian and Mormon doctrine, even to the point of angering his fellow LDS members. Take a look at this article as it outlines the ensuing issues:
http://exposeromney.com/pages/AreMormonsChristian.html