Dennis G’s already covered the “tool speaking truth to fools“, but there’s lots more entertainment value for us godless lie-brals to glean from the “Value Voters” this year. One reason I read Dave Weigel faithfully is that I think of him as my Ambassador to the Monotheistically Mazed:
Conservatives have more cattle calls than liberals do. No bias, just fact. The constellation of social conservative groups, fiscal conservative groups, Tea Parties et al demand that Republicans come and pitch to them. So there are plenty of opportunities to hear conservatives re-heating their red meat, instead of “reaching out to independents.”
I say this to explain how Mitt Romney’s campaign-rattling statement [concerning] embassies became a rallying cry. At the Values Voter Summit, Romney’s “gaffe” has been explained as a Reaganesque statement of heroic principle. Bill Bennett, who was given the task of introducing Paul Ryan, told the audience that Romney had “thundered” — not just, you know, e-mailed — his statement. “When [remarks] are condemned so universally by the establishment press,” he said, “It’s likely that they are true.”…
Later, that same day:
Time To Panic: Religious conservatives are worrying out loud about Mitt Romney
… The Values Voters Summits began in 2006, based on a simple premise: The voters who had brought the GOP to power were being disrespected. Twenty-two percent of voters had told exit pollsters that “moral values” motivated them. Democrats, engaged in their quadrennial bout of hand-wringing, agreed that social issues had befuddled the country and cost them a victory.Fast-forward to now. President Barack Obama supports gay marriage, and refuses to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act. He signed a health care bill that lowers the cost of birth control coverage. He reversed the Reagan-era ban on aid to international family planning programs. He appointed two pro-abortion rights Supreme Court justices. One in five voters still think the guy’s a Muslim. And he’s winning….
Conservatives have started to process that. “There’s a growing segment of the American population that is dependent on government funds and largesse,” says Dean Welty, an activist from Virginia. “Many of them give the Obama administration credit for that. We have the largest number of people on welfare we’ve ever had. We have the largest number of people on unemployment. It’s not good for the country, but it’s good for Obama.”
Open Thread: Grifting the Marks at the Values Voters SummitPost + Comments (200)