Sam Brownback is defining his brand and he thinks “full scale conservative” will sell. He again used the term to describe himself Thursday, this time in conjunction with a promise to stand in opposition to gay rights and reproductive rights.
Sam Brownback said Thursday that conservative values like opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage will distinguish him from others vying for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. ”I think there’s room in the field for someone with full-scale conservative values,” the Kansas senator told about 80 people at a conference room of a branch of the Spartanburg, S.C., Regional Healthcare System. ”I don’t think that end of the field’s crowded.”
Brownback has used the “full scale conservative” label in South Carolina (12/21), Iowa (12/19, 12/5), Kansas (12/15) and on ABC’s This Week (11/26). That’s just in a few minutes of searching Google News; I’m sure there are other occasions he’s used the term.
Nate points out in the comments that the moniker “full scale conservative” is hard to mesh with Brownback’s position on immigration. Brownback also supported McCain-Feingold, breaking with pro-business elements of the conservative caucus. He will surely have to defend his rhetorical land-share from criticisms like these.
Brownback makes two claims with his title of “full scale conservative.” First, he’s suggesting that he’s the only person in the field that is what conservatives are looking for, a fact that most would doubt when nativists like Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo, neocons like presumptive nominee John McCain, and theocons like Mike Huckabee are in the field. Second, Brownback’s label implies that a FSC is what the Republican base needs and wants. This is more likely correct. The advantage of staking this claim now is that it creates the context for a highly dismissive attitudes to be taken towards Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Chuck Hagel and George Pataki.
The right side of the right’s field is very crowded. Brownback is trying to clear it out by staking linguistic claim to ownership of conservatism. It’s smart branding and it certainly makes it harder for anti-Helmsians like Mitt Romney to make it far in this race.
Technorati Tags: full scale conservative, Sam Brownback
Something to say?
