Thx for your post. And for your frank explanation that “social conservatives are absolutist by nature”. I understand and respect that, although that is not my approach. By the way, I am not a libertarian.

I do concentrate on the core principles of limited govt, fiscal restraint, strong defense, and individual liberty. These are the principles where there is the highest level of agreement and commonality. Personally, I would like to see social issues handled at the state and local level which respects the democratic process and acknowledges that this is a very large and diverse country.

My principal frustration is with the insistence of leading political campaigns with social issues in those locales where the electorate is clearly much more concerned with other issues. This is the takeaway from McDonnell’s win in Virginia. Ralph Reed summarizes it well, IMO:

“The Republican party is not a church. It does not promulgate doctrine and then exclude those who fail to share it. But political parties must stand for something . . . The more likely future for the GOP was seen in Virginia, where a stalwart conservative, Bob McDonnell, won the strong backing of prominent moderates like former Congressman Tom Davis, Bobbie Kilberg, and John Warner. McDonnell never trimmed his philosophical sails and never back-tracked on his pro-family, tax-cutting, pro-growth views, but his moderate temperament and inclusive leadership style attracted the support of not only moderate Republicans and 2 out of every 3 independents, but even prominent Democrats like the Sheila Johnson, ex-wife of BET founder Bob Johnson. I never heard a single complaint from moderates in the party about McDonnell’s conservative views or his background as a Regent University graduate or favorite of the pro-family community. They respected his views and admired his ability to build bridges as a leader and problem-solver. Conservatives should look for more McDonnells in the years to come if they truly want to become a majority again.”

You want to talk about the budget? Let’s talk about the budget, then. Who do you think is going to pay for all this debt if you kill off 1/4 of the next generation? Abortion is the single most important issue for the economy long term, eclipsing even unfunded liabilities for socialist programs. Why? Because abortion is the CAUSE of the unfunded liabilities, or at least a large percentage of them. 1,000,000 abortions per year means a million fewer taxpayers twenty years hence, a poison we are already reaping the toxic effects of. There would not have been a budget deficit during the Bush years if we had 20,000,000 more taxpayers. This doesn’t even take into account the noxious effects abortion has on the culture, the fruits of which are increased crime and more money spent on the criminal justice system.