Conservative Atheists/Agnostics- who would you support in the Republican primary?

Question

I'm definitely against Romney and Huckabee. Giuliani looks like the best bet in the primaries, but I wonder why he has received an endorsement from Pat Robertson. McCain's reversal with the Christian right and his support for an unlimited war really turned me off, even though I used to like him. Then there's Ron Paul, but I doubt he could ever be a serious candidate.

Ditto for the Democrats, Robert.

D B, I voted for Perot in '92 and Nader in '04 (who was by that time more conservative than Bush, at least on fiscal policy) and they didn't win. Look what's happened to our country since then. I can't afford to throw away my vote again. Besides, Ron Paul makes a big deal about being "pro life" whatever that means, and that isn't very libertarian of him.

Rudy Giuliani is Catholic, I'm not sure of Ron Paul's denomination but it's Christian of some kind. There will not be an Atheist president in my lifetime, unfortunately. I think Ulysses Grant was the closest we ever came. Notice I'm not trying to vote for an Atheist, but vantz, would you vote for a fundamentalist Muslim?

Of course Thomas Jefferson was also pretty close to being an Agnostic or Atheist.

I want to make clear that I like and respect Ron Paul, whatever disagreements I may have with him (I am not 100% "pro choice" either). I just don't think he has a snowball's chance in Hades of ever winning.

I haven't heard Ron Paul (or anybody, really) talk about energy policy. If we don't move beyond oil, our national security situation is going down, down, down. Even if you don't give a hoot about the environment (and I do) you've got to admit that we can't stay dependent on Islamic oil, which is running out. I bet Ron would say leave it to the private sector. Well, we did that. Bad move. Did we leave nuclear defense and the pentagon to the private sector as well?

Ross Perot had a lot of cash too. I am sorry, but I am still burned by that situation.

Answer 1

does it matter? the government will put in office who they want in office

Answer 2

If you don't support the candidate you like because you don't think they would ever be a serious candidate, then you will definitely never get the government you're looking for. If all the people who like candidate X throw their support elsewhere because they think candidate X will never get anywhere, then candidate X is doomed by his/her own people. How much sense does that make? Maybe if everyone stuck to their guns and went with the person they wanted, real change would happen instead of the same old getting into office because the same old is seen as safe and a shoo-in.

This is the problem with all of politics.

By the way, I am a big ol' Lefty, and it's nice to see a Conservative who wants to do something instead of just follow the party line. Now if we can get Dems and Repubs alike to do this, maybe we can find some common ground and get somewhere with this country!

Also, if you don't mind the source, there's a great piece of advice I've read. (Not sure if this is verbatim, but it's close.) "I vote my heart in the primaries, and my head in the generals." - Molly Ivins

EDIT -
Hey there. You don't have to throw your vote away. That's the whole point of the Molly Ivins quote. In the primaries, vote for the person who, in your heart, you really think is the best for the job - the one that really speaks to you. If enough people had the balls to do that (or just simply voted in the primaries at all), maybe candidates that the people really want would be the one in the general election instead of what everyone sees as the safe vote. Then, if your person doesn't get the nomination, in the general election you vote for the person who is closest to your views, and you feel in your head will win.

I voted Nader too, and now Dems blame me for Gore's loss. Please, the guy didn't even win his own state. I'm not saying I don't like Gore; I'm just saying that perhaps the fault doesn't lie with those who got sick of the status quo and tried to make that heard. Besides, I was in a blue state, so my vote didn't hurt the man.

I still think Ivins' advice makes the most sense. I need to figure it out for myself this year, too. There are three that I like the best, and only one has even the slightest chance.

Answer 3

Ron Paul is so amazing! Read up on him.
You need to research your candidates more closely before coming to retarded conclusion like "Giuliani looks like the best bet in the primaries".

Answer 4

I frankly do not care if a candidate is a religious person or an atheist as long as he is knowledgeable and would make a good president....at least in my opinion. To be perfectly frank I don't care if a person does not follow a particular religion because he would be swayed by his religion while making decisions for a nation that has many varied religions.

Answer 5

Ron Paul. He's the only non-statist out there. I want my president to think government should follow logically from the Constitution.

Answer 6

Oh God!!! (lol, sorry atheists)

Ok... so Ron Paul's issue isn't ABORTION BY FAR!!!!

He makes a big deal about the Constitution... Freedom, Peace and Prosperity.

He'd pull us out of Iraq ASAP - big issue #1
He'd start getting rid of the IRS - big issue #2
(to see how he's ACTUALLY pull that off, check this out, it's in the very begining) http://youtube.com/watch?v=IWfIhFhelm8

He'd make us look at the constitution again, and start bring the powers of the State back, and reduce the size of our Federal Central Government (the ones taking over)

He'd get rid of the Income Tax (again, see video)
He'd reform out foreign policy, and make less threatening... i'd advise you to watch his debates with other candidates on Fox News (P.S. he WON those debates on fox new's poll, but they silenced him about it... CORRUPT!!)

Hmm... what else

He wants to restore the value of our dollar, and is a fan of bringing back the Gold Standard, which has both advantages and disadvantages, but with high inflation, and low value... something NEEDS to be done. (That's his most extreme issue that congress would have to agree on anyway... and he's not bush... he'd pursue his policies constitutionally.)

He's such a complex candidate, and completely spells reform, that you'd be doing yourself a disservice by NOT investing time listening to his messages... best way is on youtube... type the name in.

Answer 7

I wouldn't vote for anyone from this Neo Fascist party, notice not one of these so called "christian" nazis has come out against the 19 year old rape victim being tortured and imprisoned nor have they condemned the Pakistani dictator dismissing the courts and appointing cronies in their place to rubber stamp his "appointment". (maybe this is because that's what the Republicans did in 2000) The Republicans are a party of greedy, souless, selfish pricks who hide behind a thin veneer of religion to hide their evil souls.