RIGHT WING ACTIVISTS HATE ALL THE GOP CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

As far as I know, I've never agreed with Rush Limbaugh about anything in my life. Until today. He hates all the third-rate assholes the GOP is putting up to run for president in 2008. And Limbaugh isn't the only far right extremist filled with disdain for the field. "From consultants to bloggers to talk show hosts, there is a climate of suspicion-- at times bordering on contempt-- among conservative activists about their 2008 choices." Limbaugh, whining last week to whatever audience of reactionary robots he has still managed to hold on to, moaned "To be honest with you, there's nobody out there that revs me up so why should I pretend there is?"

McCain is courting social and economic conservatives this year, but still faces grave doubts because of his past attacks on conservative religious leaders and his frequent willingness to make common cause with Democrats. Romney, who is positioning himself as the true conservative alternative, faces charges of opportunism because of his recent past as a social moderate. Giuliani's potential candidacy would test whether a leader with liberal views on abortion and gay rights could prosper in a party whose activists are steadfastly opposed to both.

Some activists see all three men failing the test. "The party is headed for the wilderness," complained conservative publicist Craig Shirley, author of a book on Ronald Reagan's insurgent 1976 campaign. "In some ways it's a victim of its own successes, but it's also been co-opted by folks from the inside with less than pure intentions: People who've come to party for power, money, access, celebrity."


Romney "is a question mark" who has "got problems because of his past," Shirley observed. As for McCain and Giuliani: "I don't know of any conservative who is excited about either one of them."

"I really feel strongly that if the slate is what we have now, then we're not going to win in 2008," added Erick Erickson, the founder of the influential blog, RedState. Erickson, who recently posted an entry about the GOP contenders titled "They All Suck," said in an interview that he's "not sure if there is a Republican out there who can win" the general election next year.

Last week's bloggers poll of right wing extremists showed they hate everyone but could live with Newt Gingrich. And there's a groundswell developing for Jeb Bush, although many think this is being stoked by smart Democratic operatives who feel that although any Democrat could beat any Republican in 2008, a Bush at the head of the ticket will guarantee the Democrats super-majorities in both houses of Congress.