POLL: Hostettler v. Coats; others irrelevant

[Lyudmilla]

From Hoosier Pundit

Leaked GOP Primary Senate Poll Shows Race Between Dan Coats & John Hostettler


From Hoosier Advocate:

Don Bates, Jr. - 5%
Richard Behney - 3%
Dan Coats - 29%
John Hostettler - 26%
Marlin Stutzman - 18%
Undecided - 19%


So, I suppose now the question becomes a simple one (and potentially an academic one):

Which conservative (or conservatives) in the field are going to take sufficient responsibility in setting aside whatever personal political ambitions they might have in order to consolidate the conservative Republican primary voting bloc and thus prevent Dan Coats from returning to Washington, this time again as a senator instead of as a lobbyist?

Divided as they are among four candidates, the conservatives will almost certainly ensure a victory for Dan Coats. Two of the conservative candidates are proving to be viable. Two of them are not. That's just straight talk.

They're all good men, but the honorable and decent nature of their intentions and their integrity and conservatism mean nothing if all they do is split the conservative portion of the electorate to allow a narrow plurality victory by a relative moderate like Dan Coats.

So which conservative will step up, and step aside, for the greater good?

Conservatives statewide will owe that person a profound debt of gratitude, particularly if their withdrawal helps ensure that Indiana sends a conservative to Washington to replace Evan Bayh.

After all, there's always tomorrow, and tomorrow is another day.




Posted by Scott at 7:40 AM ShareThis Labels: 2010 Election, Congress, Dan Coats, Indiana Politics, John Hostettler, Polls, Republican Party

 

[Prometheus]

So which conservative will step up, and step aside, for the greater good?

How about conservatives tell their friends, family and neighbors coats is traitor and d-bag and not to vote for him?

WTH is the deal with this "greater good" B.S. that keeps getting parroted around?

Get off your duffs, step away from the computer and get OUT THERE!

Support your favorite and may the best (wo)man win.

The idea that conservatives have to "band together" to defeat coats boils down to one of two things:

#1 conservatives are lazy and refuse to get off there asses and educate fellow republicans

or

#2 conservatives are so outnumbered by NEOcons that the GOP is so far gone, it's virtually a lost cause.

I'm tending to lean toward both personally.

 

[melensdad]

Pro, I think the problem we have is that the conservatives run the risk of SPLITTING our votes between Hostettler and Stutzman. Both are real conservatives, both are worthy of going to Washington.

My hope is that, given that Hostettler is so far in front, that conservatives get behind Hostettler for THIS election and ship Dan Coats back to Virginia or South Carolina or wherever the hell he wants to peddle his crap.

THEN I'd love to see Stutzman elected to EITHER follow in the footsteps of Mitch Daniels and take over the Governors job -or- when that old wrinkled RINO Dick Lugar finally shrivels up, see Stutzman replace Lugar as our other Senator in Washington.

However the first hurdle we have is getting the conservatives to stand behind 1 candidate so that Coats is not elected because we split our votes. The problem is COATS is winning because we Stutzman is draining votes from Hostettler. Stutzman is a good man, but the fact is he is too far back and he would have to fight past Hostettler to get close to Coats.

 

[E5RANGER375]

it boils down to that some people are so retarded that they will throw away their vote that could have counted. they will vote for a candidate that has NO chance in hell of winning just to make a point (they think) the only point they make is that they are retarded and actualy damaged the best chance they would have had of having a good candidate win. if your vote for anyone in this race besides John Hostettler then you are just throwing away your vote. im just telling the truth. if you wanna be a retard, then go for it, be a retard and allow coats to get elected and watch him screw you out of your guns and other rights. have fun ruining america some more you ignorant retards

 

[Truckerman79]

Pro, I think the problem we have is that the conservatives run the risk of SPLITTING our votes between Hostettler and Stutzman. Both are real conservatives, both are worthy of going to Washington.

My hope is that, given that Hostettler is so far in front, that conservatives get behind Hostettler for THIS election and ship Dan Coats back to Virginia or South Carolina or wherever the hell he wants to peddle his crap.

THEN I'd love to see Stutzman elected to EITHER follow in the footsteps of Mitch Daniels and take over the Governors job -or- when that old wrinkled RINO Dick Lugar finally shrivels up, see Stutzman replace Lugar as our other Senator in Washington.

However the first hurdle we have is getting the conservatives to stand behind 1 candidate so that Coats is not elected because we split our votes. The problem is COATS is winning because we Stutzman is draining votes from Hostettler. Stutzman is a good man, but the fact is he is too far back and he would have to fight past Hostettler to get close to Coats.

I have to agree with you here. I've been pulling for Marlin. He is the best man for the job. If Dan Coats didn't ruin everything by entering the race, I'd pull for Marlin over Hostettler all the way. It's time to get strategic and stand behind Hostettler to ensure that Coats gets sent back to retirement in NC.

 

[melensdad]

it boils down to ... if your vote for anyone in this race besides John Hostettler then you are just throwing away your vote. im just telling the truth. if you wanna be a retard, then go for it, be a retard and allow coats to get elected and watch him screw you ...

Well I tried to be more diplomatic in how I said it, but what you said is correct.

Marlin Stutzman's supporters are correct in that he is a fine man. However if they vote for him then they are putting Dan Coats into office. That is the simple fact.

Hostettler and Stutzman are both real conservatives who can fight Washington. Both seem to be in the RON PAUL mode of legislators and that is what we need. But Stutzman is simply too far back. All his supporters are drawing votes from Hostettler and the fact is that Hostettler is close enough to Coats to beat him. Stutzman is not in that position.

We need Stutzman to drop out and endorse Hostettler. We then need Stutzman to run for Lugar's seat

 

[E5RANGER375]

yeah, im not trying to tell people their guy might not be better. im just saying their guy wont win. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO PUT COATS BACK ON HIS THRONE IN D.C.

 

[E5RANGER375]

Well I tried to be more diplomatic in how I said it, but what you said is correct.

not saying you personaly. but that attitude of trying to be diplomatic or Politicaly correct, or polite, is why we are where we are. time to stop being nice people. we need to fight with words before it turns into fighting with guns. and YES i do believe we are that close, and its that serious. so stop being nice and start calling it for what it is.

 

[CarmelHP]

Stutzman has a bright political future, but this time around I'm hoping he'll throw his support behind Hostettler as he hasn't garnered enough support himself to beat Coats, but could keep Hostettler from beating Coats.

 

[melensdad]

Stutzman has a bright political future, but this time around I'm hoping he'll throw his support behind Hostettler as he hasn't garnered enough support himself to beat Coats, but could keep Hostettler from beating Coats.

Exactly my point.

 

[smoking357]

Will Stutzman let Coats get the nod?

 

[melensdad]

Will Stutzman let Coats get the nod?

Stutzman is running a distant, but strong 3rd place. There is not enough time for him to catch up to Hostettler let along pass Hostettler and catch up to Coats. Stutzman and Hostettler share the same basic conservative values and have similar voting records so they are splitting the conservative voters between them.

As Hostettler and Coats are running neck & neck in the polls (within 2 points) the best we can hope for is to have Stutzman back out and throw his support to Hostettler and have the majority of his voters back Hostettler. Doing so would cause Coats to lose.

Not doing so and its very likely Coats will win by a slim margin as the conservative voters split between 2 great choices.

I've said all through this primary that conservatives better get behind the 1 strong candidate or Coats will win. Clearly conservatives have not done that and are splitting their votes among the candidates. We have only a couple weeks before the primary.

Fact is Hostettler can beat Coats. Fact is Stutzman can keep Hostettler from beating Coats.

 

[jedi]

It's pointless.. Conservatives will end up splitting their vote and we will see Coats in office in NOV. Why? The IN GPO "committee" likes Coats & they like the status quo.

 

[CarmelHP]

It's pointless.. Conservatives will end up splitting their vote and we will see Coats in office in NOV. Why? The IN GPO "committee" likes Coats & they like the status quo.

What does the "committee" have to do with anything? The "committee" liked "progressive" Jon Costas over conservative Greg Zoeller for AG a few years ago, going for far as to start issuing threats county chairman. They got their ass handed back to them and Zoeller is AG.

 

[jedi]

Carmel there was a post on INGO a few days ago (I think I read it yesterday) in which an INGO member talked to the Chairperson of the Indiana GPO Committee about how coats is not a good choice and the chairperson basically told the member to "bug off" that Coats *IS* the choice and to get behind him. That is what I'm referring to by the "committee". the GPO Committee has already made their bed with the devil's kind and does not care what it's members think or want. Just like how AARP made a pact with the devil for Obamacare and cared less what it's own members wanted!

In essence the established "sources" are NO LONGER paying attention to their members.

---
EDITS
I do hope you are right with the AG example on this one but right now I'm just not "feeling" it. =(

 

[Prometheus]

What does the "committee" have to do with anything? The "committee" liked "progressive" Jon Costas over conservative Greg Zoeller for AG a few years ago, going for far as to start issuing threats county chairman. They got their ass handed back to them and Zoeller is AG.

The GOP polls are always rigged. The State GOP will run a dozen phone polls listing two candidates for a position. Almost without exception one o fthe two drops out just prior to the final phone poll. On the 13th (roughly) phone poll the list their guy they had in the past 12 polls and finally include everyone else.

Then the voters like you people wonder why "XYZ" has such name recognition.

It's a rigged game.

As to Zoller, next time you see a Ron Paul supporter thank them for Greg as our AZ. It was the HUNDREDS of "Ron Paul delagate invaders" that pushed Greg over Jon Costas. If it wasn't for the Ron Paul movement we'd have Jon- tax train- Costas as AG right now.

The system is rigged.

Get off your asses and start getting the word out that Coats is liberal douche.

Stop wasting time trying to get a handful of votes from one candidate when you could be getting tens of thousands away from the actual problem.

You guys remind me of idiot leaning over the railing of a cliff trying to grab a single dollar bill when you have 100 in the other hand. You fall on your face and come up with nothing.

These are the same failed tactics that got us Clinton and Obama. You would think you people would have learned something by now.

 

[melensdad]

Get off your asses and start getting the word out that Coats is liberal douche.

Stop wasting time trying to get a handful of votes from one candidate when you could be getting tens of thousands away from the actual problem.

Pro there is no question that we need to get the word out about Coats. The truth will doom him. But the reality is we need every vote we can get for Hostettler so we need Stutzman supporters AND we need the truth to be told about Coats. The combination will be fatal to Coats. Time is very short, only a couple weeks.

But the more conservatives who split away from Hostettler the harder it will be to keep Coats out of office.

 

[CarmelHP]

Get off your asses and start getting the word out that Coats is liberal douche.

Stop wasting time trying to get a handful of votes from one candidate when you could be getting tens of thousands away from the actual problem.

You guys remind me of idiot leaning over the railing of a cliff trying to grab a single dollar bill when you have 100 in the other hand. You fall on your face and come up with nothing.

These are the same failed tactics that got us Clinton and Obama. You would think you people would have learned something by now.

Well thank you for that advice. We would have never have thought of it otherwise. However, you may want to check your math, if you just have fewer people vote for Coats and just spread those votes out among the other candidates, Coats could conceivably win with a plurality of as little as 21%. That's what happened with the 3 way race for Senate GOP nomination with Price, Rusthoven and Helmke in 1998, with the liberal anti-gun candidate Helmke taking the nomination with only a third of the vote but with a slight plurality over either of the other two. Just telling people not to vote for Coats isn't sufficient to prevent that.

 

[Bigum1969]

Interestingly, I heard on Dick Morris on O'Reilly last night say that Indiana is already pretty much assumed to get a Republican in Evan Bayh's seat. He said that either Hostettler or Coats would win.

 

[CarmelHP]

Interestingly, I heard on Dick Morris on O'Reilly last night say that Indiana is already pretty much assumed to get a Republican in Evan Bayh's seat. He said that either Hostettler or Coats would win.

I don't doubt that, but anti-gunner, liberal Coats would not be a win for us. He would be Dick Lugar II.