Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

The Associated Press speculates that Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback isn't catching fire with conservatives because "some Republicans fear he may be too conservative to win a national election."

They've got it all wrong...

Checking in with the Brownback campaign in Iowa, the AP reports that Brownback doesn't talk about his accomplishments or level criticisms at his better-known rivals for the Republican nomination.

Instead, he explains where he stands on various issues and seeks to define himself for the right-leaning GOP voters who matter in primaries -- "a full-scale, economic and social conservative with a smile."

With the GOP's influential conservative wing still scrambling for a candidate to back for the 2008 nomination, Brownback presents a paradox. He has the kind of unquestioned credentials as a family values crusader that conservatives have long sought in a presidential candidate. Yet he hasn't been able to leverage his credentials to break out of a crowded pack of White House hopefuls.

Well, it's clear right there why the AP doesn't get why Brownback hasn't raced to the top of the polls. They think "conservatives" are a monolithic group focused on "family values" issues, which is the AP's shorthand for "pro-life, anti-gay-marriage."

Memo to the AP: Some "conservatives" are fiscal conservatives, some are social conservatives, some are national security conservatives, and some are all of the above, or two of the above. And - this is where it gets complicated, AP, so pay attention: Some conservatives who are fiscal, social and national security conservatives base their vote primarily on fiscal issues, while others vote primarily on social issues, and still others vote primarily on national security issues.

And just to make it even more complex, some conservatives balance their choice on all three categories, or two of them. And others are single-issue voters, or single-issue disqualifiers.

For example, illegal immigration is an issue that, for some pro-fence, anti-amnesty conservatives, can a deal-breaker if the candidate is down-the-line conservative on everything but supports some version of the McCain-Kennedy amnesty-light immigration "reform" proposal.

That's one of Brownback's problems. (The other being name recognition and lack of dough). Brownback backs immigration reform proposals that lots of conservatives don't like.

His problem with lots of Republicans isn't that he's "too conservative to win a national election," it's that on a very important issue he's not conservative enough.

Update: For pro-Brownback bloggery, visit Blogs 4 Brownback.