GOP Hopefuls Make Pitch To "Values Voters"

McCain Tells Summit He Can Be "Trusted"; Thompson Says He Has Been A "Consistent Conservative"

(CBS/AP)  Leading Republican presidential candidates, all flawed in the eyes of influential social conservatives, sought Friday to convince the restive group they will carry the torch for the right flank - and Rudy Giuliani won't.

"This is not the time to turn our back on the progress we've made on the issues that matter most," John McCain, the Arizona senator told a gathering of "values voters." Added Mitt Romney, in prepared remarks: "We're not going to beat Hillary Clinton by acting like Hillary Clinton."

Seeking to draw a contrast, Fred Thompson highlighted his Senate tenure, saying: "I was a consistent conservative ... That's who I was then, that's who I am today, and that's the kind of president I would be."

Without naming Giuliani, they challenged the candidacy of the former New York mayor, their thrice-married GOP rival who leads in national popularity polls and has sought common ground with social conservatives despite his support for abortion rights and gay rights. Giuliani argues that whether people agree with him or not on the issues, he has the best chance to beat Clinton, the Democratic front-runner.

All the major Republican presidential hopefuls - and most of the lesser-knowns - were speaking to a gathering sponsored by the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy group. This segment of the party's base has not coalesced around a Republican candidate.

The fact that no candidate has yet locked up the support of this segment of the party's base may be one of the most interesting facets of the summit, reports CBSNews.com's David Miller. In 2000, Christian conservatives were quick to rally around George W. Bush and stuck with him, helping him win two terms in office.

"These are the influencers, these are the talkers," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said of the attendees that will take over the Washington Hilton hotel. "This could be when things start to shake out and a candidate begins to emerge with a certain level of support. I don't think anybody's going to walk away with a lock, but maybe one or two candidates, maybe three, will begin to take off with strong support from the base."

According to a new CBS News poll, evangelical voters remain overwhelmingly conservative, but they are largely unsatisfied with the current crop of Republican candidates, who they feel are not discussing their priorities -- not gay marriage and abortion, with which evangelical voters are often identified -- but issues that are also a top priority for voters overall, including the war in Iraq and health care.

Among white evangelical registered voters, 23 percent want to hear presidential candidates discuss health care, while 20 percent want them to talk about the war in Iraq. Both figures are only slightly lower than the overall population of registered voters. Abortion and same-sex marriage were at the bottom of the list for both groups. (Read more from the CBS News poll.)

At the event, Thompson's campaign distributed fliers trumpeting his current anti-abortion rights views and assailing both Giuliani and Romney. Thompson has drawn criticism for conflicting statements on abortion in his Senate races and his lobbying work on behalf of an abortion-rights organization, as well as his opposition to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

"We've been together for a long time," Thompson told the crowd. "We've not always agreed on precisely the right approach to absolutely everything but our goal has always been the same" - to improve the country.

He earned a standing ovation and cheers when he mentioned what he would do in his first hour as president, saying: "I would go into the Oval Office and close the door and pray for the wisdom to know what was right and I would pray for the strength to do what is right."

Last month, Thompson said he was not a regular church-goer, typically attending services when he visited Tennessee but not while he was living in McLean, Va.

On the eve of his address, Thompson also told reporters he had no regrets about the work he did on behalf of National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. "That was private life," Thompson said, adding that while in the Senate he opposed abortion rights.

Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, a favorite of the religious right, received an enthusiastic response from the couple of thousand conference attendees. He made no mention of his plans to drop out of the race later Friday.

As he lamented the lack of a consensus candidate for social conservatives, Brownback did, however, say: "I came to them with the cause, but I don't have the resources and the name." (Read more about Brownback's appearance in Horserace.)

McCain, who got a polite reception and a standing ovation, indirectly slapped at Giuliani, Romney and Thompson.

"I'll match my record of defending conservative principles against any other candidate in this race," McCain said, adding that while voters may not always agree with him, "I hope you know I'm not going to con you."

Social conservatives, McCain said, should pick a candidate who has demonstrated a consistent commitment to their values. "I have a record that can be trusted," he said.

That pitch gets to the heart of McCain's woes with this group: It doesn't trust the man who in 2000 called its leaders "agents of intolerance." He also hasn't been a vocal champion of its core issues - even though his voting record on topics like abortion is solidly conservative.

"I have been pro-life my entire public career," McCain said. "I won't ever change my position to fit the politics of the day."

In his own prepared remarks, Romney, whose Mormon faith has made some evangelical Christians wary, implicitly tries to dismiss the notion that his religion is repelling Christian conservatives. He says: "I'm pleased that so many people of many faiths have come to endorse my candidacy and my message."

He also pokes at Giuliani repeatedly. Romney, who ran for governor as a moderate in 2002 but who has shifted to the right as he seeks the presidency, is hoping to emerge as the main alternative to Giuliani.

Setting up a contrast with Giuliani's multiple marriages, Romney says: "I am pro-family on every level, from personal to political." He emphasizes his three-decade-long marriage to one woman, Ann, and talks about their five sons, his daughters-in-law and 10 grandchildren.

As he does often, he talks of "three legs of the Republican stool" - a stronger military, a stronger economy, and stronger families - that unite the three types of conservatives in the party, defense, economic and social.

Romney adds: "We won't win the White House with only two out of three or one out of three" - a clear reference to Giuliani's moderate-to-liberal views on social issues.

[taotxzen]

(cont)

Gonzales %u201Clied about%u201D reasons for the firings when questioned under oath in July by the Senate Judiciary Committee and now has hired a lawyer and is refusing to answer questions from the Inspector General, McKay said.

The White House said McKay was fired for poor performance ratings of his office, but the ex-U.S. attorney said he and his office got exemplary reviews just three months before he was fired.

%u201CThe chief law enforcement officer for the United States should not lie under oath,%u2019%u2019 McKay told the bar association.

It was reported last week that Gonzales has now retained a high-profile defense lawyer, and apparently is refusing to answer questions from the Inspector General, which could signify the investigation is nearly complete, McKay said.

%u201CWhen it lands %u2026 it is going to be an extremely negative report on President Bush%u2019s Justice Department,%u2019%u2019 McKay told the packed conference room, which included federal prosecutors and judges.

%u201CThere was a conspiracy to politicize the Justice Department,%u2019%u2019 the former U.S. attorney said, %u201Cand they did not get away with it.%u201D

[taotxzen]

(cont)

Career prosecutors in his office and FBI agents agreed there was no reason to go forward with a federal investigation of the Gregoire-Rossi election, and issues associated with it were more properly addressed by state officials, McKay said.

Some also have suggested his dismissal may have been tied to his relentless push to solve the 2001 murder of Tom Wales, an assistant U.S. attorney in Seattle. %u201CI consider that a disgusting (explanation),%u2019%u2019 McKay said, explaining he didn%u2019t need to justify aggressively pursuing the investigation of a prosecutor %u201Ckilled in the line of duty.%u201D

McKay said he was summoned to Washington, D.C., in June and questioned for eight hours about possible reasons for his firing by investigators with the Office of Inspector General, who will forward their final report to Congress.

%u201CMy best guess is it will be released sometime next month,%u2019%u2019 and likely will include recommendations for criminal prosecutions of Gonzales and maybe others, McKay said.

(cont)

[taotxzen]

With God on our side:

Gonzales could be prosecuted, McKay says

By Bill Morlin
Staff writer
October 20, 2007

The U.S. Inspector General may recommend criminal prosecution of departed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the conclusion of an investigation, possibly as early as next month, the fired former U.S. attorney for Western Washington told a Spokane audience Friday.

His refusal to open a federal criminal investigation into voter fraud allegations in Gov. Chris Gregoire%u2019s razor-thin victory over Republican challenger Dino Rossi in 2004 may be the reason he was fired, John McKay told the Federal Bar Association.

Appointed by President Bush in October 2001 to the top law enforcement job in western Washington, McKay said he believes he and seven other U.S. attorneys were fired last December by Gonzales for political reasons, perhaps with former White House chief of staff Karl Rove pulling strings.

(cont)

[finewoven]

"evangelical voters remain overwhelmingly conservative . . ."

Sometimes I get in impression that evangelicals want a biased nation, more war, wealth at the expense of the poor, increased survellience of the population, and all the other attributes of conservative politics. That all you have to do is mouth the words "family values," and then everything is aligned with the above attributes in stark contrast to the Gospel and Christian ideals.

Evangelical ideals based on Pauline doctrine have a double-edged sword aspect to them, in that Paul himself killed many many Christians before he converted by having had a religious experience. That his prosecution of the Christians was later converted to prosecution of non-subservient women, people of alternative lifestyles, and even those men who simply were not circumsized. I suppose these aspects are the antithesis of family values in the evangelical mindset.

Maybe Conservative GOP folk need to have a religious experience themselves.

[suhaalnafa]

m

[brianbwb-2009]

Reaching out to the KKK and Aryan Nations with their code word "values". Usually this is the last tactic before the election, the Republicans smell of desperation (amongst other vile odors)...

I don''t know if my posts are accepted by CBS, for some reason this page''s comments are not showing up on my monitor.

[brianbwb-2009]

Guess my comment was a bit too heavy, CBS?

[brianbwb-2009]

"Values". Here we go again, trotting out the Republican code word for "racial", cultural, and religious bigotry.

It is quite early in the game to be using the weapon of last resort, an appeal to the darker aspects of humanity. Usually the fascists wait until just a couple months before voting day to call on the KKK, and the Aryan Nations voters, this time it smells of desperation.

If the Democrats knew what is good for them, they will seize upon this tactic, and lay it bare for all to see, but somehow I don''t think they know how to do it.

Too bad I''m not a campaign strategist...

[usayesterday]

It would be great for the GOP to nominate the candidate that would thoroughly believes in the fight against gay rights and women''s health rights.

I hope the GOP voters can come together and chose such a candidate for the Presidential nominee in 2008!

[ubrew12]

Based on the way they vote, ''values-voters'' must value bankrupting the nations treasury, destroying countries with little but oil of consequence to our own nation, and abandoning the young to the ravages of impoverishment and untreated ill-health.

[nmsuip]

What''s the only way a republican can raise his IQ?


Standing on a chair.

[radiob-2009]

test

[mcvet]

Who will crawl long enough to get the blessing of the American Taliban. This is the group that gave us George W. Bush so anyone who is okay with them should be rejected by the rest of us. Sieg Heil Bush

[siete-pesos]

christian creeps, redneck republicans, bush lovers, bible thumpers, war makers...

that''s the south for you, folks!

[siete-pesos]

christian creeps, redneck republicans, bush lovers, bible thumpers, war makers...

that''s the south for you, folks!

[siete-pesos]

christian creeps, redneck republicans, bush lovers, bible thumpers, war makers...

that''s the south for you, folks!

[pcbdesigner]

Why isn''t the top-tier candidate R o n P a u l mentioned?

[pcbdesigner]

Why isn''t the top-tier candidate R o n P a u l mentioned?

[ajnania]

I am at the Value Voters Summent.
Tancredo was the only candidate who captured the hearts and minds today with standing ovation after standing ovation.
No story here mentions him at all.
Also, the above picture was not taken here.
The ID badges bear no resemblence to the ones we are wearing

[neoconslayer]

Values Voters: Fool you once, shame on me, fooled you for decades, you''re pathetic!
For years the so-called ''values voters'' have supported the GOP seeking a relatively simple agenda: End Abortion and Put Prayer back in schools (which is, of course, not the entire list). Yet in those decades they haven''t gotten anything, and now there is gay marriage for them to deal with, too.
Hey, Bucket Heads: The GOP will NEVER outlaw abortion. If that happened, why would you support them? Do you as Christians really feel that the poor deserve what they get? Do you as Christians really support going to war against people who didn''t attack us on 9-11? Do you as Christians really favor cutting taxes on the rich?
The GOP needs you to worry about gay marriage so you ignore they ways that they sell you out to special interests. Haven''t you noticed that when there is a tough election, they put some gay rights or abortion thing on the ballot so you will be there to vote for their pro-wealth candidate?