Now, don't let the thread title mislead you: obviously I'm not voting Republican, firstly because I'm not American, and secondly because everyone knows I'm a card-carrying, homo-loving, Reagan-hating liberal commie.

It's no secret that CD -- and indeed most of the internet, really -- is left-leaning. Derision of Romney, Santorum, Gingrich et al is a lot easier to find than derision of Democrats. So in this thread, free of derision or scorn, I want to hear from Republican voters, past and present (especially present). Who do you support above the rest for the 2012 nomination? Why? Do you agree with their social conservatism, or do you think they are economically more responsible and don't really care about social views, which they probably mostly espouse to win far-right votes? If you agree with their social standpoints, how do you react to claims that, for instance, social conservatives are almost always judged to be on the wrong side of history (e.g. pro-slavery)?

Republican voters, you can ask the same things back, but I'm aiming this thread at you because the "default" on the internet is pretty anti-GOP.

I will be EXTRA VIGILANT in this thread: there is to be no antagonising, no picking fights, no quibbling, no accusations, and no baiting. This thread is to gain insight into other people's views that you don't understand.