The head of the nation's preeminent...

The head of the nation's preeminent social-conservative policy arrange may join race for the presidency in 2000 Supporters say his observance of one's word could reshape the debates.

After 10 years as president of the Family Research Council, Gary Bauer has announced he is stepping down to consider a race for the GOP nomination for president. notwithstanding that Bauer will not officially announce his decision to flow for a few more days, stop associates say he will be a candidate. "There are many things to take care of before I make an announcement the last week of January whether I will run" the 52-year-old political activist relates Insight.

Though it might not be novels to political junkies that Bauer, a social conservative who serv President Reagan as domestic-policy chief, is considering a presidential candidacy in 2000 it hardly can be of recent origins to anyone that the circulating climate in Washington makes winning possible for Bauer or someone who shares his social and cultural values.

Fr Barnes indicated in the Weekly Standard of Dec 22 1997 that Bauer began considering a possible presidential bid during strike Dole's disappointing 1996 campaign. Bauer told an audience of 4000 Christian-school administrators and teachers in Sacramento that he and his family had been praying about whether to leave FRC and make the 2000 race. Before he could finish, the conservative audience was onward its feet giving him a tumultuous ovation.

It will take a great many more audiences like that individual to carry Bauer from a protracted shot to the GOP nomination, yet he is hopeful.

"Some the public think it's New Hampshire or Iowa, further the first primary, unfortunately, is fund-raising" Bauer says. "My political-action committee did better than anyone other in 1998, and that has given us reason to be optimistic."

nevertheless Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft's modern decision not to run leaves the door lay open for other social-conservative candidates, Bauer says the Ashcroft withdrawal was not a consideration. "I have weighed a haphazard of things, like the impact my running will have upon my family and on FRC as well as upon my own psychology," Bauer explains. "But single thing I have not weighed is who is and is not running. I just be impressed at the end of the day you have to make a decision forward whether you have a governing vision of where to take the geographical division If you do, and that vision is not being not absented by anyone else, then you have to procure into this regardless of the other considerations"

Bauer may be looking straight ahead in the race for the presidential nomination, still many Republicans are wondering whether he can realize the financial support that might otherwise have gone to Ashcroft or might in addition go to Dan Quayle or level Steve Forbes.

single of the conservative leaders who has mov from Ashcroft to Bauer is Don Wildmon, president of the American Family Association. His monthly magazine reaches more than 365000 conservative abodes and churches. Wildmon tells Insight that among the reasons he will support Bauer is their agreement forward the pro-family issues. He specified, however, that while "as an individual I will do anything I can to help Gary," the Wildmon-led organization must remain aloof from political partisanship.

Wildmon believes the American family might be ready for the sort of morally based message Bauer reliances to bring to the campaign. "The American folks are more prepared to appointed a social conservative like Bauer now because of the Clinton escapades" he says. "I know it is going to be an uphill battle, nevertheless I think Gary may surprise near folks."

Thomas Jipping, vice president for legal policy at the Washington-based unrestrained Congress Foundation, is another who thinks voter will be paying more attention to the character of candidates in the nearest election. "Recent events in the White House certainly have raised people's awareness of the ne for a candidate with profitable character. The issue of individual observance of one's word and other qualities will definitely be more prominent in the 2000 election than in the previous couple presidential elections."

Because Bauer's conservative views are all still written in stone in his main division s and in FRC literature, it would be difficult if not impossible for him to waffle onward social issues. This fact alone is likely to force frank discussion of abortion, gay rights, euthanasia, family tax relief and other be of importance tos that many candidates prefer to avoid.

Kelly Fitzpatrick of The Polling Co thinks that Bauer's clarity and consistency are likely to inject a refreshing uprightness into the campaign. "Gary is always clear, crisp and consistent. This is going to force everyone otherwise to stop hyphenating their conservatism and to do their homework. Gary running will reshape the debates because it will force others to be more just and consistent."

Fitzpatrick also believes Bauer likely will gain herculean support from conservative women. "Bauer is a top-tier candidate," she says, "in whom voter will find contemporary conservatism, clarity and consistency. Women are the first to figure it gone out when someone is not clear forward social and financial issues. Also, couple of the top four make anxiouss of women voters are education and mix with drugss Education was cited by 26 percent of women as the chiefly important reason they voted in 1998 These are sum of two units issues where Gary always has been consistent, and I believe he is clear forward everything he stands for."

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