GOP Nominee 2012 - who will it be?

[kramwest1]

From experience, I can say that Wisconsin's liberal reputation is almost completely derived from Milwaukee and especially Madison. The rest of the state is quite conservative. The new governor, for instance, is a hard, hard-line conservative.

This native Wisconsonian says "Yes, I do believe you're right."

I know a lot of Catholics and Union members (who are also avid hunters and gun rights supporters) in central Wisconsin who vote Democratic. It's an odd State.

 

[lemon_drop]

It's an interesting pool for the (R) I've heard an interview of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann that would lead a person to think that's she is considering a run for the nomination.

Although her nomination into the Intelligence Committee is an oxymoron - dontcha think? It does beef up her resume.

 

[kramwest1]

It's an interesting pool for the (R) I've heard an interview of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann that would lead a person to think that's she is considering a run for the nomination.

Although her nomination into the Intelligence Committee is an oxymoron - dontcha think? It does beef up her resume.

I heard on local radio (Minnesota) someone arguing for Bachmann's run for President--something like, "She has far more legislative experience than President Obama and has private sector experience which Obama doesn't."



If Bachmann runs as the "anti-Obama," I don't think I or anyone here would disagree with that.

 

[lemon_drop]

Anti-Obama? Yeah, that would be right - but have you heard her interviews? Okay I won't go into some of her "anti-American" go get 'em remarks a'la McCarthy of the 1950's - that shit is scary stuff.
How well known is she outside of people that follow politics as sport?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Huffington Post

GOP strategist Karl Rove recently needled potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over the health care system he signed into law while governor of Massachusetts, saying that he would effectively have to admit wrongdoing in pursuing the program.

In 2006, then-Gov. Romney worked to implement a new health care system that, among other reforms, pioneered the individual health insurance mandate, a staple of the national overhaul passed last year that congressional Republicans vehemently opposed.

Now, Rove says, the only way Romney can save face, considering the current GOP bluster -- including from Romney himself -- over repealing President Obama's "overreaching" and "unconstitutional" health care reform, is if he publicly recognizes his past as a "problem."

Here's the discussion between Karl Rove and conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt:

HH: All right, let's get to the presidential stuff. In the first hour of tonight's program, Dick Morris, with whom I'm appearing tomorrow night at the Nixon Library, said flatly Mitt Romney cannot get the presidential nomination because of Massachusettscare. Do you agree with that?

KR: I think it's too early to make that declarative sentence. But I do agree that this is the principal challenge that Mitt Romney's candidacy would face if he were to become a candidate. But look, my view is this year is a year in which every candidate gets a chance to recognize their challenges, to recognize their strengths, and to overcome their challenges, and to bolster their strengths. And if Mitt Romney recognizes that his answer on why on what they did in Massachusetts looks so much like what Obama tried to do to the country, if he recognizes that is a problem, then he'll work his way out of the problem. If he doesn't, he doesn't. But right now, everybody, it's better to describe the challenges they each face, than to make judgments about how they're going to handle those challenges over the next six or seven months. If somebody says look, I think this is so and so's challenge, and I don't think they're going to be able to overcome it, I don't think that they're going to be able to find an answer, that's one thing. But to say look, it's over right now, I'm not certain I would be that definitive.



While Rove seems to suggest that Romney simply repent for what is now considered a political sin by many on the right, Steve Kornacki wrote at Salon last year that Romney, who at the time was railing against the Democratic health care reform package, would be better off coming up with a different solution.

But Romney can never admit [he was wrong]. He's the early front-runner for the 2012 GOP presidential nod and the party's base is convinced that Obama's reform package represents some kind of Marxist plot. So Romney must be against it -- really against it. It's as if he believes the combination of heat and volume in his response to the House vote will cause Republicans to ignore his own Massachusetts record.

 

[Irvine511]

it is interesting that Obama has already neutered his likely GOP challenger.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Mittens is very good at being against things after he was for them, being for things after he was against them. Don't count Mittens out

Plus he has great hair-and unlike Obama I bet he never dyes it. OMG, Obama dyes his hair. I was heartbroken after I read that on Yahoo today. I wish he would grow it out and dye it green, like Chia Obama.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Tim Pawlenty: Courage to Stand
A Film by J.J. Abrams
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer

YouTube - Courage to Stand

 

[anitram]

I guess if you're not particularly charismatic on your own and have to compete with Obama, then making overblown movie trailers infused with HOPE is your best bet.

Remember those days when the Republicans constantly ripped into Obama for behaving like a Hollywood star? No? Neither do they.

 

[kramwest1]

I guess if you're not particularly charismatic on your own and have to compete with Obama, then making overblown movie trailers infused with HOPE is your best bet.

^This is what an empty suit Pawlenty is. NO accomplishments to speak of.

I think the only thing that makes him a credible GOP candidate at this point is that he doesn't have any major screw-ups or gaffs. Low bar.

 

[maycocksean]

Tim Pawlenty: Courage to Stand
A Film by J.J. Abrams
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer

YouTube - Courage to Stand

Can I just say I'm tired of this practice of politicians kissing the ass of the American polity. As if the "American people" are somehow better than everyone else in the world. People are people. What makes America special is our system of government, not our people.

 

[kramwest1]

CPAC Straw Poll Results:
(unscientific)

30% Rand Paul
23% Mitt Romney
6% Gary Johnson (NM Gov)
6% Chris Christie
5% Newt Gingrich
4% Tim Pawlenty
4% Michele Bachmann
3% Sarah Palin
2% Mike Huckabee
2% Rick Santorum

Ron Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll; Mitt Romney Comes in Second

 

[Canadiens1131]

Other fun nuggets from the CPAC:

CPAC Audience Cheers Wildly For Coulter Comment, "I Think There Should Be More Jailed Journalists"
CPAC Audience Cheers Wildly For Coulter Comment, "I Think There Should Be More Jailed Journalists" | Media Matters for America

What a well-read bunch they are!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Other fun nuggets from the CPAC:

CPAC Audience Cheers Wildly For Coulter Comment, "I Think There Should Be More Jailed Journalists"
CPAC Audience Cheers Wildly For Coulter Comment, "I Think There Should Be More Jailed Journalists" | Media Matters for America

What a well-read bunch they are!

What. The. Hell?

Angela

 

[maycocksean]

Other fun nuggets from the CPAC:

CPAC Audience Cheers Wildly For Coulter Comment, "I Think There Should Be More Jailed Journalists"
CPAC Audience Cheers Wildly For Coulter Comment, "I Think There Should Be More Jailed Journalists" | Media Matters for America

What a well-read bunch they are!

This is typical--the types of little one-liners that people cheer for without stopping to think about the implications of what they are cheering for.

Jailed journalists! Yah, boo-hiss to the liberal media!

Apparently, these "Constitution-lovers" forgot a little something called the 1st Amendment.

 

[2861U2]

So everyone truly thinks Ann and the people laughing were 100% serious in that sentiment? If so, you need to open a window or something...

And as a general rule, let's not go to Media Matters for news about what went on at CPAC.

 

[yolland]

CPAC Straw Poll Results:
(unscientific)

30% Rand Paul
23% Mitt Romney
6% Gary Johnson (NM Gov)
6% Chris Christie
5% Newt Gingrich
4% Tim Pawlenty
4% Michele Bachmann
3% Sarah Palin
2% Mike Huckabee
2% Rick Santorum

That should read Ron Paul, not Rand Paul. I think he won the CPAC poll last year too eh?

 

[PhilsFan]

So everyone truly thinks Ann and the people laughing were 100% serious in that sentiment? If so, you need to open a window or something...

And as a general rule, let's not go to Media Matters for news about what went on at CPAC.

I don't think Ann Coulter believes anything she says. She likes money.

 

[kramwest1]

That should read Ron Paul, not Rand Paul. I think he won the CPAC poll last year too eh?

Wow, thank you.

I was either tired or didn't give a shit. Probably both.

 

[maycocksean]

So everyone truly thinks Ann and the people laughing were 100% serious in that sentiment? If so, you need to open a window or something... .

Of course we didn't think she was 100% serious. . .it's a joke that's anti-Constitution, which I find odd given the supposed fealty this group has to the document.

And as a general rule, let's not go to Media Matters for news about what went on at CPAC.

As a general rule I do not "go to Media Matters" period. Looking at that link was the first time I've ever visited that site. And I duly noted the slant of the source. Did she make the joke or didn't she? Look I ain't all bent out of shape about it. . .I was just commenting on the careless hypocrisy of her statement and the uncritical way in which her audience lapped it up. But trust me, I'm not losing any sleep over Ann Coulter or her audience.

 

[kramwest1]

I don't think Ann Coulter believes anything she says. She likes money.

Exactly.
My first thought was that she must have a new book coming out. Could that be its title?

She's a whore.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Oh, no doubt about that. Just the wild cheering...disturbed me.

And joking or not, Ann's still annoying as hell anyway.

Angela

 

[Irvine511]

i still believe that Ann is some kind of satirical performance artist, years ahead of her time -- like "Showgirls" or "Starship Troopers."

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Or Lady Gaga. There is a slight physical resemblance

 

[Harry Vest]

If you had asked me a year ago I would have said Sarah Palin but as it stands right now this does not seem to be transpiring (although I wouldn't count her out in 2016) - her poll numbers keep going down and it seems like the powers that be within the Republican party do not want her to run. Given this scenerio (that Palin doesn't run) who do you think will be the nominee?

The way I see it the nominee has to be someone who can bridge the gap between the country club Republicans and the Social Conservative wing (not to mention the Tea Party wing). Remember, I did predict that Sarah Palin would be McCain's Vice-Presidential pick back in 2008 and was almost laughed off Interference because of it. My top three picks for the Republican nominee of 2012 are...

1. Mike Huckabee

2. John Thune

3. Mike Pence

As of this moment it looks like Huckabee has all the momentum but remember that the race hasn't even started yet. Thune and Pence may be considered unknown "Dark Horses" now but we'll see how this pans out by the end of 2011. The nominee will not be Romney or Gingritch - Romney's too middle of the road for most of the party plus he's MORMON which, let's face it people, is a no no to most of the "Christian" wing of the party. Gingritch is, well Gingritch...nuff said. Let's hear everyone else's picks...

Well, it looks like my power of prediction is way off this year with Pence and now Thune both out of the race. That leaves Huckabee and it doesn't even seem like he's that interested yet..hmm. Will a "surprise" dark horse enter the race? Someone like Chris Christie perhaps? I guess time will tell.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Actually in the past Romney did say (years back, can't remember what year) he thought it could be applied across the country-they showed a video clip on the news.


(AP)WASHINGTON — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that potential White House rival Mitt Romney should offer an apology for the health care overhaul he oversaw as Massachusetts governor.

"I think it's not a killer for him. But he has to say either 'I love it,' 'I hate it,' or, 'Hey I tried it, it didn't work and that's why I would say to you, let's not do it nationally,'" Huckabee said.

"He's got to figure out how he wants to deal with it. It's the 800-pound elephant in the room for him," said Huckabee, who is on tour to promote his latest book, "A Simple Government: Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington (and a Trillion That We Don't)."

Romney's health plan in Massachusetts has many similarities to the national overhaul that President Barack Obama championed, including requiring coverage and fines for those who do not have insurance. Conservatives who are likely to choose the Republicans' presidential nominee loathe Obama's plan and equate it to socialism, while Romney has said that his plan worked for Massachusetts but should not be applied from coast to coast.

In the paperback edition of his book "No Apology: Believe in America," Romney calls the Democrats' plan an unconstitutional power grab that took a one-size-fits-all approach that cannot work. He blames the Massachusetts legislature for altering his plan and the current Democratic governor, Deval Patrick, for poorly implementing it

During his 2008 campaign, Romney said he would have structured the plan differently but said the Massachusetts plan worked because everyone had health coverage.

Huckabee said the only explanation Romney should consider is a complete reversal.

"The position he should take is to say: 'Look, the reason Obamacare won't work is because we've tried it at the state level and we know it won't work,'" Huckabee said, offering an unsolicited script to his fellow former governor.

"'We gave it our best shot and I'm proud we tried it because – in a world where we all agreed something needed to be done – we thought this might be a way to fix the crisis we had in health care. Our experiment did not turn out as we had hoped. It cost more, waiting times were higher, quality of care went down, people were greatly dissatisfied and it ended up having almost the polar opposite effect of what was intended.'"

Huckabee, who is mulling a second White House run, is on a book tour that takes him through Washington and then Iowa and South Carolina, early nominating states. He said he has not yet made a choice whether to run again for president and said it will be months before he reaches a decision.

Romney, too, is weighing a second presidential bid. But questions about his health care overhaul dog him and his potential rivals have not shied from pointing out the similarities to Obama's efforts. Romney is not expected to make a decision to enter the race until after March.

 

[yolland]

Politico, Feb. 23

Rick Santorum launched into a scathing attack on the left, charging during an appearance in South Carolina that the history of the Crusades has been corrupted by “the American left who hates Christendom.”

“The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical,” Santorum said in Spartanburg on Tuesday. “And that is what the perception is by the American left who hates Christendom.” He added, “They hate Western civilization at the core. That's the problem.”

After asserting that Christianity had not shown any “aggression” to the Muslim world, the former Pennsylvania senator—who is considering a 2012 run for the White House—argued that American intervention in the Middle East helps promote “core American values. What I'm talking about is onward American soldiers,” he said. “What we're talking about are core American values. ‘All men are created equal'—that's a Christian value, but it's an American value. It's become part of our national religion, if you will,” he continued. “The point I was trying to make was that the national faith, the national ideal, is rooted in the Christian ideal—in the Judeo-Christian concept of the person.”

So, to summarize, Professor Santorum contends that the ancient Judeo-Christian teaching that all persons are endowed with equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was the true and historical foundation for the Crusades. Except, it hadn't properly become part of the American national religion yet, which perhaps explains why the 'Judeo-Christian' Crusaders routinely slaughtered Jewish communities they encountered en route--apparently not realizing Jews actually shared their friendly intention of bringing these good tidings to the Muslim world, which unlike ours has a long and sorrowful history of slavery, imperial conquest, and clerical meddling in politics.

If you're going to accuse your political opponents of hating civilization itself, it might be good to first acquire some minimal competence in articulating what that civilization consists of.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Is Christendom a word?

 

[yolland]

Yes; it's essentially a Christian counterpart to the Arabic Ummah, and carries roughly the same range of meanings (can refer to all the world's majority-Christian/majority-Muslim countries collectively; or to Western European/Arab societies specifically; or to the whole gamut of cultural and intellectual achievements historically associated with majority-Christian/majority-Muslim nations, whether those achievements were specifically religious in origin or not).

 

[PhilsFan]

Rick Santorum makes me hate both Christianity and Pennsylvania, which is a damn shame as an Irish Catholic from Philadelphia.