The Centrists!

[Joe Biden 2020]

Everybody, please watch your language.

[paul718]

But, considering Huckabee's recent actions (like his tour to promote his new book about the election), and his astonishingly strong showing in the primaries this year, it seems quite likely that Huckabee will indeed run again.

Everyone and their mother goes on a book tour these days.  I don't think it's a sign of re-entering politics.  If his TV show is doing well in two years, he won't run.  Besides, I think he's more suited to television than politics anyway.

[Person Man]

Not Brownback?

I said primary candidates and Brownback dropped out before the primaries began. Which is why he was not mentioned.

What about Duncan Hunter...? He was just this side of... I don't even know.

...because if Hunter or Brownback are not conservative enough for you. You are not a conservative, you need counseling....perhaps some suppressed memories?

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Huckabee and Paul are almost diametric opposites politically.  Huckabee's intense and religiously charged social positions do not make up for the complete lack of conservatism everywhere else that matters in his platform.  Social issues mean next to nothing politically.  They are used by the religious right as a cheap ploy to energize culturally ignorant voters.  It's easy to forget that politicians like Huckabee are not conservative when they advertise their private values so shamelessly.

And what is so bad ABOUT this "religious right" that liberals like you keep talking about? This only proves my suspicions that you are a left wing RINO. So what if a person is religious and/or right wing? Is that a crime? It is obvious that the "religious right" is only something that LOOKS bad as a result of the left wing's attempts to make it a pejorative. If you truly cared nothing for social issues, then Huckabee's social stances would be irrelevant. Since YOU, however, DO, obviously, have a problem with them, obviously they do matter to you, and you have a left wing stance there. Which only solidifies my claim that you are a RINO.

Plus, you are incorrect to say that he has a "complete lack of conservatism" everywhere else. You seem to be suggesting that social and economic conservatism are mutually exclusive.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Interesting.  Instead of clarifying what it is about Huckabee you find conservative, you label me without even bothering to find out about my positions.  Could you clarify what makes me a liberal and Huckabee a conservative?  Huckabee's and Paul's economic policies have never been anything near similar, their records are proof of that.  Paul's economic positions are very far right, Huckabee's are lean left at the most conservative.  Social issues mean next to nothing to me and should not be at all political.

What makes you a liberal? Only liberals make a pejorative out of the "religious right" like you do.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Interesting.  Instead of clarifying what it is about Huckabee you find conservative, you label me without even bothering to find out about my positions.  Could you clarify what makes me a liberal and Huckabee a conservative?  Huckabee's and Paul's economic policies have never been anything near similar, their records are proof of that.  Paul's economic positions are very far right, Huckabee's are lean left at the most conservative.  Social issues mean next to nothing to me and should not be at all political.

What makes you a liberal? Only liberals make a pejorative out of the "religious right" like you do.

Firstly, positions are what make people liberal or conservative, not rhetoric.  Secondly, I never said anything disparaging or patronizing towards the religious right, I simply noted them as a prominent employer of social issues as a means to election.  Thirdly, I'd like to know specifics that make me liberal and Huckabee conservative.  And lastly, I'd like to know where this "suspicion" you have had that I was a liberal RINO came from.  We've never interacted.

This kid is Bob Dole or someone else. He seems to know that you are a RINO and I am arrogant, which someone new to the forum would have no idea. He isn't a new member by any means. He's the same guy posing as someone else. It's best just to ignore him.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Interesting.  Instead of clarifying what it is about Huckabee you find conservative, you label me without even bothering to find out about my positions.  Could you clarify what makes me a liberal and Huckabee a conservative?  Huckabee's and Paul's economic policies have never been anything near similar, their records are proof of that.  Paul's economic positions are very far right, Huckabee's are lean left at the most conservative.  Social issues mean next to nothing to me and should not be at all political.

What makes you a liberal? Only liberals make a pejorative out of the "religious right" like you do.

Firstly, positions are what make people liberal or conservative, not rhetoric.  Secondly, I never said anything disparaging or patronizing towards the religious right, I simply noted them as a prominent employer of social issues as a means to election.  Thirdly, I'd like to know specifics that make me liberal and Huckabee conservative.  And lastly, I'd like to know where this "suspicion" you have had that I was a liberal RINO came from.  We've never interacted.

This kid is Bob Dole or someone else. He seems to know that you are a RINO and I am arrogant, which someone new to the forum would have no idea. He isn't a new member by any means. He's the same guy posing as someone else. It's best just to ignore him.

Yes, I do know, and it is idiotic of you to make the claim that "someone new to the forum would have no idea". Just because I am new does not mean that I am unable to identify arrogant people.

Your calling me Bob Dole, and now your calling me a "kid", serves only to strengthen my claim that you are arrogant and rude.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Interesting.  Instead of clarifying what it is about Huckabee you find conservative, you label me without even bothering to find out about my positions.  Could you clarify what makes me a liberal and Huckabee a conservative?  Huckabee's and Paul's economic policies have never been anything near similar, their records are proof of that.  Paul's economic positions are very far right, Huckabee's are lean left at the most conservative.  Social issues mean next to nothing to me and should not be at all political.

What makes you a liberal? Only liberals make a pejorative out of the "religious right" like you do.

Firstly, positions are what make people liberal or conservative, not rhetoric.  Secondly, I never said anything disparaging or patronizing towards the religious right, I simply noted them as a prominent employer of social issues as a means to election.  Thirdly, I'd like to know specifics that make me liberal and Huckabee conservative.  And lastly, I'd like to know where this "suspicion" you have had that I was a liberal RINO came from.  We've never interacted.

This kid is Bob Dole or someone else. He seems to know that you are a RINO and I am arrogant, which someone new to the forum would have no idea. He isn't a new member by any means. He's the same guy posing as someone else. It's best just to ignore him.

Yes, I do know, and it is idiotic of you to make the claim that "someone new to the forum would have no idea". Just because I am new does not mean that I am unable to identify arrogant people.

Your calling me Bob Dole, and now your calling me a "kid", serves only to strengthen my claim that you are arrogant and rude.

You were able to identify fezzy as a RINO and me as arrogant in your first dealings with us before you ever entered a conversation? Can you predict the future over the internet?

The fact that you got so defensive when I suggested you were Bob Dole only confirms that you knew who the user was and you knew about me and fezzy. Neither of us are stupid. You are also posting at the same rate as Mr. Dole did when he was on the forum, follow the same logic as he does, and seem to be fixated with Mike Huckabee as being the only conservative in the race. You've shed your populist obsession, but otherwise you are spot on.

Furthermore, you accused me of being arrogant simply because I said Bob Dole. If the said user, Mr. Dole, left before you registered, how would you know the whole story and the stigma he carried? Why did you become so grossly defensive when I made the simple suggestion that you were "Bob Dole," knowing full and well who I was talking about. You know far too much about this place to have just joined yesterday, which came right after Mr. Dole was marginalized for his behavior.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Interesting.  Instead of clarifying what it is about Huckabee you find conservative, you label me without even bothering to find out about my positions.  Could you clarify what makes me a liberal and Huckabee a conservative?  Huckabee's and Paul's economic policies have never been anything near similar, their records are proof of that.  Paul's economic positions are very far right, Huckabee's are lean left at the most conservative.  Social issues mean next to nothing to me and should not be at all political.

What makes you a liberal? Only liberals make a pejorative out of the "religious right" like you do.

Firstly, positions are what make people liberal or conservative, not rhetoric.  Secondly, I never said anything disparaging or patronizing towards the religious right, I simply noted them as a prominent employer of social issues as a means to election.  Thirdly, I'd like to know specifics that make me liberal and Huckabee conservative.  And lastly, I'd like to know where this "suspicion" you have had that I was a liberal RINO came from.  We've never interacted.

This kid is Bob Dole or someone else. He seems to know that you are a RINO and I am arrogant, which someone new to the forum would have no idea. He isn't a new member by any means. He's the same guy posing as someone else. It's best just to ignore him.

Yes, I do know, and it is idiotic of you to make the claim that "someone new to the forum would have no idea". Just because I am new does not mean that I am unable to identify arrogant people.

Your calling me Bob Dole, and now your calling me a "kid", serves only to strengthen my claim that you are arrogant and rude.

You were able to identify fezzy as a RINO and me as arrogant in your first dealings with us before you ever entered a conversation? Can you predict the future over the internet?

The fact that you got so defensive when I suggested you were Bob Dole only confirms that you knew who the user was and you knew about me and fezzy. Neither of us are stupid. You are also posting at the same rate as Mr. Dole did when he was on the forum, follow the same logic as he does, and seem to be fixated with Mike Huckabee as being the only conservative in the race. You've shed your populist obsession, but otherwise you are spot on.

Furthermore, you accused me of being arrogant simply because I said Bob Dole. If the said user, Mr. Dole, left before you registered, how would you know the whole story and the stigma he carried? Why did you become so grossly defensive when I made the simple suggestion that you were "Bob Dole," knowing full and well who I was talking about. You know far too much about this place to have just joined yesterday, which came right after Mr. Dole was marginalized for his behavior.

I repeat that I know of no such user. Which I why I assumed that you were discussing the politician and not a user. I bet that there is no such user, and that that is exactly why you have not responded to my earlier requests. I said that if you know of such a user, then you should be able to find his profile. And as to being "defensive", what would you expect? That I would simply let your equation stay there unchallenged?

And no, I did not identify you as arrogant before I ever entered a conversation with you. It was well into a conversation, in fact, that you compared me to Bob Dole, and it was exactly at that point when I called you arrogant. Same for fezzyfestoon being a RINO.

And no, I did not join yesterday, nor did I ever even make that claim. In fact at the time of this writing I joined about 2-3 days ago, not yesterday.

As to Mike Huckabee. It was exactly when I posted a comment in his defense that you equated me to Bob Dole. That convinced me that you too have a negative view of him, and it was partly because of that why I called you arrogant; because it seemed to me that you were bashing me just because I support Huckabee (though I do admit that I probably confused you with another R/NC person, who actually did "write him off" in another thread; did I say that before your comment I hardly paid any attention to user names?). Your logic is that if I support Huckabee then I must be the same person as a "user" who is called Bob Dole. By that logic, since almost everyone on this forum bashes me for that support, except for me, all of the users are the same person. Yet, do you see me making such claims? Certainly not.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

It makes no sense to assume I had a negative view of Bob Dole the politician. You just assumed I hated him and thus lashed out and called me arrogant? Now you're saying that you don't know if the user Bob Dole ever existed? You are doing a poor job of convincing me that you are not Mr. Dole under a different username. You certainly have less manners than Mr. Dole had, but your ideology is almost the same. What are the odds that we see one user who idolized Mr. Huckabee leave one day and a user with the same opinions join a day after he leaves?

Not to mention the strange inclusion of Ron Paul, which seems like a decoy since Huckabee and Paul are far from similar politicians.

If you were truly a new member, me saying that you are like Bob Dole should not be an insult, nor does it make sense that you call fezzy a RINO in a post where RINO was never mentioned beforehand. You, like Mr. Dole, seemed to think that people who were not far right social conservatives aren't really conservatives. I can put 2 and 2 together my friend, and I am pretty much convinced that you are Mr. Dole back under another username. It's a shame too, because your previous personal was much more respectful than this one.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

You called me a RINO for identifying Mike Huckabee as religious and Duke arrogant for typing "officepark=Bob Dole?"  It is telling that you made these claims after completely unrelated posts and that you immediately found this insulting.  Someone of your claimed political identification would certainly neither find a comparison to Bob Dole insulting nor so actively "challenge" it.  Not to mention your ever-changing story of all of this.  And why do you keep saying you don't know Bob Dole, you don't think he exists, yet you have an immediate, and continued, negative reaction to him?  Duke comparing you to him convinced you that he disliked Huckabee?

No, I called you a RINO because you seem to have a problem with it. Everyone, myself included, agrees that Huckabee is religious. You however seem to be making a problem out of it. And yes, I do find it arrogant for anyone to compare me to Bob Dole.

As to your claims of "why do you keep saying you don't know Bob Dole, you don't think he exists, yet you have an immediate, and continued, negative reaction to him"

You obviously paid no attention to my previous posts. I said that Bob Dole the user (what Duke claims) does not exist. Everyone however knows of Bob Dole the politician, and I might repeat what I said earlier, that I assumed that it was exactly that to which Duke compared me.

And yes, Duke making that claim did indeed convince me that he disliked Huckabee. It was immediately after I posted a comment in his favor that he made that comment. That led me to conclude that he was insulting me just because I supported him.

[Хahar 🤔]

He doesn't sound like Bob Dole at all.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

It makes no sense to assume I had a negative view of Bob Dole the politician. You just assumed I hated him and thus lashed out and called me arrogant? Now you're saying that you don't know if the user Bob Dole ever existed? You are doing a poor job of convincing me that you are not Mr. Dole under a different username. You certainly have less manners than Mr. Dole had, but your ideology is almost the same. What are the odds that we see one user who idolized Mr. Huckabee leave one day and a user with the same opinions join a day after he leaves?

Not to mention the strange inclusion of Ron Paul, which seems like a decoy since Huckabee and Paul are far from similar politicians.

If you were truly a new member, me saying that you are like Bob Dole should not be an insult, nor does it make sense that you call fezzy a RINO in a post where RINO was never mentioned beforehand. You, like Mr. Dole, seemed to think that people who were not far right social conservatives aren't really conservatives. I can put 2 and 2 together my friend, and I am pretty much convinced that you are Mr. Dole back under another username. It's a shame too, because your previous personal was much more respectful than this one.

Nor do I even make such a claim. I never even discussed your views of Bob Dole the politician. I have however discussed that you were comparing me to him immediately after I posted a comment in defense of Huckabee. And no, that is what I have always said, that Bob Dole the user does not exist and that it was to Bob Dole the politician that you were comparing me. And you have still not provided any evidence that such a user existed in the first place.

As to Huckabee and Paul being far from similar politicians. I disagree with that statement, but let us assume for the present that I agree. That still would not necessarily mean that I would not support Paul.

And just because I am a new member does not mean that I do not take it as an insult. And just because the word "RINO" was not mentioned up to that point, does not mean that I am unable to conclude that he is.

As to your claim that I, "like Mr. Dole, seemed to think that people who were not far right social conservatives aren't really conservatives"

I do not know about Bob Dole, but I do know about myself, and I define "conservative" as one who is conservative both socially and economically. One does not have to be a "far right social conservative"; sometimes a "moderate" might do, but if he is a social liberal, then I would not describe him as a conservative.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

I repeat that I know of no such user.

It was exactly when I posted a comment in his defense that you equated me to Bob Dole. That convinced me that you too have a negative view of him, and it was partly because of that why I called you arrogant

Your logic is that if I support Huckabee then I must be the same person as a user who is called Bob Dole.

Why do you say that? I am not Bob Dole, you are simply trying to insult me just because I am not so arrogant as you are to just write Huckabee off.

Again I repeat; why were you insulted at the prospect of being compared to Bob Dole if you had no knowledge whatsoever of his existence and negative connotation?  Someone who has no knowledge of any alternative to the politician Bob Dole and closely aligns himself with the politicians ideology would not recoil so intensely automatically.

Soon after this you claimed that someone new to the forum doesn't necessarily know nothing about its members.  You happen to know us well enough to make snap judgments that are completely unrelated to our posts yet you've never even heard of Bob Dole?

And why are you so desperate to prove you don't think he exists?  Why would you even assert that?  And why would he compare you to someone who doesn't exist?

And just because I am a new member does not mean that I do not take it as an insult. And just because the word "RINO" was not mentioned up to that point, does not mean that I am unable to conclude that he is.

You find it insulting to be compared to someone who doesn't exist?  Or someone you agree with politically?

Because I interpreted it as a comparison to the politician and not the (nonexistent) user.

No, as a new member I knew nothing about you. However, as I read more posts from you, I was able to make conclusions about you, even though I was a user of the forum for just several days (which most would still consider "new").

And the reason why I am trying to prove that the user does not exist is because Duke continues making claims that it does exist and that I am he.

And I do not find it insulting to be compared to someone with whom I agree with politically. However, I did interpret the comparison in a negative sense (eg, he was trying to equate me to a very old retired politician who lost a presidential bid in 1996).

[phk]

At the moment, Democrats.

Long run, none.

[Nixon in '80]

He doesn't sound like Bob Dole at all.

I'm not saying it definitely is, but it's one of two possibilities.  The other being he is merely equally as (or possibly more) unaware as Bob Dole.

Based on completely unscientific analysis of issue positions and writing styles, I'm going to say that officepark=Bob Dole's second cousin once removed.

[Хahar 🤔]

Anyway, this is getting retarded. Here be Bob Dole:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?action=profile;u=3022

[Person Man]

He's probably that Willy Woz....thing...

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Anyway, this is getting retarded. Here be Bob Dole:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?action=profile;u=3022

Hm...a 14 year old Democrat from GA. Hardly the same thing as a 20 year old Republican from VA.

This also disproves the theory that I post at the same rate as he does. Immediately before I posted this, he had 1363 posts for about 26 per day, whereas I had 74 posts for about 19 per day.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Anyway, this is getting retarded. Here be Bob Dole:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?action=profile;u=3022

Hm...a 14 year old Democrat from GA. Hardly the same thing as a 20 year old Republican from VA.

This also disproves the theory that I post at the same rate as he does. Immediately before I posted this, he had 1363 posts for about 26 per day, whereas I had 74 posts for about 19 per day.

I had a feeling you weren't Bob Dole the user, though I got the same suspicion Duke and Fezzy my fellow North Carolinians came too, yesterday or Tuesday after I referenced him in a different thread in response to something you said. I realized you weren't him cause unlike him you are not crazy, maybe a little misguided like him though. Also every other word out of your mouth didn't praise Huey Long unlike him. I don't think I got a chanced to Welcome you, Officepark, to the forum and I am sorry if I lashed out at you unfairly in the other posts. I am no fan of populist politicians or there supporters. I have been screwed to mant times by Federal, state and local Gov't and do not wish to increase the size or power of Gov't.  I also have seen first hand the destructive impact of immorality and irresponsiblity and the need to promote virtue and morality in society however without violating anyones freedom or increasing the size and scope of Gov't

Back on topic
Mike Huckabee isn't a full spectrum conservative. While I have no problem with some moderation here an there, he varies philosophically on a whole set of issues that make up and important part of the conservative movement.

Point two Mike Huckabee did not come in second in the primaries. I proved this in the thread by Nixonin1980 about 2012, unfortunately he locked it for other reasons but I believe you can still read it just not post. I'll give a summary Romney beat Huckabee by 270,000 votes in the primaries. Technically Huckabee beat Mitt among delegates but the comparison is unfair as Huck reamined in a month longer. At the time he got out Romney had 280 and Huck was either in the high 100's or low 200's. However Romney's numbers dwindled cause MI delegates couldn't remain pledged to non candidates and so they went to McCain, some other states did as well.  That plus Huck gained some in latter states allowed him to finish second in the final delegate count, However when all three were still in Romney was murdering Huck outside of Evangelicals where among Non-Evans Huck ran 6th. Among Evans Huck's support was not absolute as significant portions went to McCain and Romney. Using tihs data I then made two predictions you won't like. A. Mike Huckabee will never be President B. Huck will never be nominated by the GOP especially with Palin peeling of Evans.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Anyway, this is getting retarded. Here be Bob Dole:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?action=profile;u=3022

Hm...a 14 year old Democrat from GA. Hardly the same thing as a 20 year old Republican from VA.

This also disproves the theory that I post at the same rate as he does. Immediately before I posted this, he had 1363 posts for about 26 per day, whereas I had 74 posts for about 19 per day.

I had a feeling you weren't Bob Dole the user, though I got the same suspicion Duke and Fezzy my fellow North Carolinians came too, yesterday or Tuesday after I referenced him in a different thread in response to something you said. I realized you weren't him cause unlike him you are not crazy, maybe a little misguided like him though. Also every other word out of your mouth didn't praise Huey Long unlike him. I don't think I got a chanced to Welcome you, Officepark, to the forum and I am sorry if I lashed out at you unfairly in the other posts. I am no fan of populist politicians or there supporters. I have been screwed to mant times by Federal, state and local Gov't and do not wish to increase the size or power of Gov't.  I also have seen first hand the destructive impact of immorality and irresponsiblity and the need to promote virtue and morality in society however without violating anyones freedom or increasing the size and scope of Gov't

Back on topic
Mike Huckabee isn't a full spectrum conservative. While I have no problem with some moderation here an there, he varies philosophically on a whole set of issues that make up and important part of the conservative movement.

Point two Mike Huckabee did not come in second in the primaries. I proved this in the thread by Nixonin1980 about 2012, unfortunately he locked it for other reasons but I believe you can still read it just not post. I'll give a summary Romney beat Huckabee by 270,000 votes in the primaries. Technically Huckabee beat Mitt among delegates but the comparison is unfair as Huck reamined in a month longer. At the time he got out Romney had 280 and Huck was either in the high 100's or low 200's. However Romney's numbers dwindled cause MI delegates couldn't remain pledged to non candidates and so they went to McCain, some other states did as well.  That plus Huck gained some in latter states allowed him to finish second in the final delegate count, However when all three were still in Romney was murdering Huck outside of Evangelicals where among Non-Evans Huck ran 6th. Among Evans Huck's support was not absolute as significant portions went to McCain and Romney. Using tihs data I then made two predictions you won't like. A. Mike Huckabee will never be President B. Huck will never be nominated by the GOP especially with Palin peeling of Evans.

First, thank you for the welcome.

As to "back on topic". Fine then, we will put him third. That still is a strong showing considering that the odds were against his winning anything whatsoever. Further, if Romney was far ahead of Huckabee, then what reason would Romney have to drop out before Huckabee? Anyway, Romney ending up at least in third place was widely agreed on, but no one expected Huckabee to win any delegate at all. For these reasons, I disagree with your arguments, except for your evangelical argument, to which I would say that it is wrong of you to make such predictions just because he is evangelical.