A powerful group of conservative Christian leaders decided Saturday at a private meeting in Salt Lake City to consider supporting a third-party candidate for president if a pro-choice nominee like Rudy Giuliani

wins the Republican nomination.



The meeting of about 50 leaders, including Focus on the Family's James Dobson, the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who called in by phone, took place at the Grand America Hotel during a gathering of the Council for National Policy, a powerful shadow group of mostly religious conservatives. James Clymer, the chairman of the U.S. Constitution Party, was also present at the meeting, according to a person familiar with the proceedings.

Tom Schaller gets it so very right inwhen he makes the points that a)- the GOP is rapidly declining into a regional, racist, backward southern party which will be unable to compete in national elections, and b)- that the Democrats can win the presidency without wasting a dime on the Old Confederacy. You may have noticed that yesterday Giuliani was wimpering how even though he's out of step with the traditional reactionary southern values that have come to dominate the contemporary GOP, "The reality is we need a candidate who can run in all 50 states . I can." He may sound like Howard Dean there but he has a very good reason for pointing that up to Republicans who hate him. He says it's because he's the only one of the pathetic pygmies™ who can beat Hillary. But it goes beyond just that. You see, there was another little meeting yesterday, a very closed door one among the power-brokers who control the Hatred and Bigotry part of the Republican coalition that has paired Hatred and Bigotry with Greed and Selfishness. (Giuliani already competes well for the Greed, Selfishness and Fear-mongering contingents.)The secretive-- even paranoid-- group of neo-fascist politicians agreed that if Giuliani wins the nomination, they'll bolt and take the South with them, dooming any already far-fetched hopes Giuliani has to win the presidency. Dobson , one of the big dogs in the group has already announced that nothing would permit him to support McCain, Giuliani or Frederick of Hollywood. He was the moving force behind the Gingrich trial baloon , which crashed to earth yesterday when Gingrich admitted that he can't run. Both Romney and Cheney addressed the group earlier in the day. The religionist right doesn't trust Flip Flop Mitt, not just because he changes his positions the way normal people change their socks, but because they view his Mormon religion as a dangerous-- and competitive-- cult. Some left the meeting muttering about finding someone else to run, either another Republican-- Sam Brownback and that Arkansas fella who lost all the weight must feel like shooting themselves about now-- or a third party spoiler. Looking at the Progressive Punch lists of the most reactionary senators and House members, may I suggest John Barrasso or Mike Enzi of Wyoming or, if that's digging a little too deep in the shitpile, how about Miss McConnell or John Cornyn, each facing huge disapproval ratings and possible defeat in his home state? OK, from the House we could go with any of a dozen congressmembers with perfect zeros: Patrick McHenry (if he manages to not get indicted and/or outed before the primaries, Steve King ( the Ann Coulter of Congress ), Virginia Foxx , Michelle Bachmann ( fun at parties ), Tim Wallberg. I think any of these would be the perfect representative of what is left of the Republican Party. Go for it, boys!Oh, and one more thing. You know all that stuff up top about Rudy whining how the GOP has to be inclusive and bring everyone into the party, not just white southern bigots? He was just kidding. As this new video clip shows, he avoided Tavis Smiley's GOP debate that addressed issues important to the minority communities while he kissed up to California Hispanic's most distrusted ex-governor, Pete Wilson... and some former actress who now serves as a beard for Republican closet queens like David Dreier and Mark Foley.

Labels: Dobson, GOP racism, Religionist bigotry, Republican presidential race, Rudy Giuliani