Republican candidates for 2012

• bases_loaded

  

  sleeper;1058648 wrote:If Paul drops out, we are f'd. I hope he runs third party.

  
  If he runs third party we are f'd.
• sleeper

  

  bases_loaded;1058672 wrote:If he runs third party we are f'd.

  Only if he doesn't win.
• Con_Alma

  sleeper;1058648 wrote:If Paul drops out, we are f'd. I hope he runs third party.

  He won't. It would damage the future opportunities in the Republican Party for his son.
• bases_loaded

  

  sleeper;1058674 wrote:Only if he doesn't win.

  
  He wont. He can't win without the republican vote.
• fish82

  

  Con_Alma;1058685 wrote:He won't. It would damage the future opportunities in the Republican Party for his son.

  This.
• Con_Alma

  bases_loaded;1058686 wrote:He wont. He can't win without the republican vote.

  ...or the Republican Party money.
• sleeper

  

  Con_Alma;1058685 wrote:He won't. It would damage the future opportunities in the Republican Party for his son.

  I doubt it. I mean not like it will matter anyway, 4 more years of increasing deficits and a likely war with Iran, Rand Paul won't have a chance to run for anything other than a penny-a-day factory work(in real terms of course).
• Skyhook79

  

  sleeper;1058648 wrote:If Paul drops out, we are f'd. I hope he runs third party.

  As much as I would like to see 2 people attack President Obama's record in the debates there is no way he runs as a 3rd party candidate.
  The best chance of beating Obama is a Romney/Christie ticket or a Romney/Rubio ticket.
• bases_loaded

  

  Rubio rubio rubio
• QuakerOats

  Perry out / endorses Gingrich
• Tobias Fünke

  

  bases_loaded;1058523 wrote:Hermain Cain takes a lead...media destroys him.
  
  Rick Perry takes a lead....media destroys him.
  
  Newt takes a lead...media destroys him, but Newt rebounds and inches closer...media prepares to drop a nuke.
  
  It's clear who the media/repub party wants here.

  Hermain Cain would have been a pathetic President. I really like the guy and hope he runs for Senator or something because I like what he's all about, but let's be honest he was political amateur who couldn't come close to handling the heat or answering questions about anything other than being a Pizza CEO.
  
  Rick Perry is a horrible public speaker and used way too many southern platitudes. Honestly I think he is an egotistical hack and is the embodiment of the stereotypical politician who again is miserably uninformed on a lit of national issues. I like him as a governor, but he was simply exposed.
  
  Newt Gingrich has always had a love/hate relationship with the American people. He says a lot of great things and is generally one of the most knowledgeable guys on intra-Washington affairs and policies...but holy hell he says a lot of inflammatory things and gets what he deserves. I have serious doubts that he could make it through the general election without having "gotcha politics" fuck him over big time. He just doesn't have the tact to be a media darling.
  
  I think all of what I just said is fair.
• Skyhook79

  

  Tobias Fünke;1058751 wrote:Hermain Cain would have been a pathetic President. I really like the guy and hope he runs for Senator or something because I like what he's all about, but let's be honest he was political amateur who couldn't come close to handling the heat or answering questions about anything other than being a Pizza CEO.
  
  Rick Perry is a horrible public speaker and used way too many southern platitudes. Honestly I think he is an egotistical hack and is the embodiment of the stereotypical politician who again is miserably uninformed on a lit of national issues. I like him as a governor, but he was simply exposed.
  
  Newt Gingrich has always had a love/hate relationship with the American people. He says a lot of great things and is generally one of the most knowledgeable guys on intra-Washington affairs and policies...but holy hell he says a lot of inflammatory things and gets what he deserves. I have serious doubts that he could make it through the general election without having "gotcha politics" fuck him over big time. He just doesn't have the tact to be a media darling.
  
  I think all of what I just said is fair.

  Well that tops the current President's experience at running anything and didn't stop him from being elected.
• fish82

  

  Tobias Fünke;1058751 wrote:Hermain Cain would have been a pathetic President. I really like the guy and hope he runs for Senator or something because I like what he's all about, but let's be honest he was political amateur who couldn't come close to handling the heat or answering questions about anything other than being a Pizza CEO.
  
  Rick Perry is a horrible public speaker and used way too many southern platitudes. Honestly I think he is an egotistical hack and is the embodiment of the stereotypical politician who again is miserably uninformed on a lit of national issues. I like him as a governor, but he was simply exposed.
  
  Newt Gingrich has always had a love/hate relationship with the American people. He says a lot of great things and is generally one of the most knowledgeable guys on intra-Washington affairs and policies...but holy hell he says a lot of inflammatory things and gets what he deserves. I have serious doubts that he could make it through the general election without having "gotcha politics" **** him over big time. He just doesn't have the tact to be a media darling.
  
  I think all of what I just said is fair.

  Agreed...except I think Cain being a "pathetic" POTUS is a bit of a reach. He likely would struggle the first year, but after that would have been fine.
• BGFalcons82

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;1058357 wrote:Do you think Obama can carry Virginia again (NO WAY), or Ohio? Forget the media and the concentration on the OWS losers, the people that have a stake will vote, will talk to their friends and co-workers about voting and will show up in November. This is the most important election in my lifetime. We're voting absentee (in Virginia) but are doing what we can here. We don't know a single Obama voter...and again we're ex-pats where the typical American is a DEM. Everyone hates him.

  I think you've brought up a very salient point. This is a race to 270 Electoral College votes. It is not a national popularity contest wherein the Left Coast and Northeast Elites can tell the other 40 or so states what is best for them. A detailed look at the Electoral Map is crucial to determine whom will be taking the oath on 1-20-2013. The swing states are huge and nearly all of them were captured by Obama in 2008, so he has much more to defend than the R candidate. We must keep a sharp eye on the individual state battles and fuhgetabout any national polls, as difficult as that is to do.
• fish82

  

  BGFalcons82;1058864 wrote:I think you've brought up a very salient point. This is a race to 270 Electoral College votes. It is not a national popularity contest wherein the Left Coast and Northeast Elites can tell the other 40 or so states what is best for them. A detailed look at the Electoral Map is crucial to determine whom will be taking the oath on 1-20-2013. The swing states are huge and nearly all of them were captured by Obama in 2008, so he has much more to defend than the R candidate. We must keep a sharp eye on the individual state battles and fuhgetabout any national polls, as difficult as that is to do.

  I don't know what the numbers would look like today, but in early December Gallup had both Newt and Mittens running ahead of Bam in the 13 swing states.
• jhay78

  

  sleeper;1058591 wrote:Good, maybe they'll give Paul more debate time tonight. It seems every question is given to Romney.

  Not sure if more debate time will really help the Paul campaign.
  

  sleeper;1058674 wrote:Only if he doesn't win.

  Not only would he not win, he'd be lucky to get 15% of the popular vote. Ross Perot in '92 got 18% of the popular vote, but won zero states. Even an immensely popular former president Teddy Roosevelt only got 27% in 1912. Both did well enough to foul things up and ensure Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton won. A Ron Paul 3rd party bid would do more for Obama's reelection than anything else. And like a typical politician (like many of y'all claim he's not), Paul refuses to rule out a 3rd party bid, only saying he "has no plans to run 3rd party".
  
  Which leads me to believe this is why he hasn't attacked Romney very much if at all. His campaign is drilling everyone else with the hopes that Romney gets the nomination, and thus all the people who hate Obama but are not excited about Romney will vote third party. Recipe for disaster. But I don't think Ron Paul and his followers really care. If he cared about this country's future, or the Republican nomination, he would go after Romney like we all want him to. Instead I think he has other motives.
• BGFalcons82

  

  jhay78;1058887 wrote:Which leads me to believe this is why he hasn't attacked Romney very much if at all. His campaign is drilling everyone else with the hopes that Romney gets the nomination, and thus all the people who hate Obama but are not excited about Romney will vote third party. Recipe for disaster. But I don't think Ron Paul and his followers really care. If he cared about this country's future, or the Republican nomination, he would go after Romney like we all want him to. Instead I think he has other motives.

  Interesting point that got me to thinking...
  
  I've noticed Dr. Paul spends far more time/effort/dollars attacking his fellow Republicans than he does going after Barry. Now someone will post, "well, you have to beat the other Republicans in order to get nominated, so they're the competition." While a true statement, words on film and in print will be carried through to November and I'm 99% certain the Democrats will use all of his inflamatory language in the debates and on the television against the eventual Republican nominee. I'm equally certain the fact that Dr. Paul is a Republican gnaws on his supporters, but he is what he is at this point in time. The fact that he keeps taking Newt, Perry, Bachmann and Santorum to the woodshed in full view is not helping to defeat Barry. The fact that he's essentially stayed away from Mittens is indeed a curious point; leading me to believe he has an unopened cache of attacks ready to spring upon him. All of which leads to a 3rd party run and a guarantee of 4 more years of the Dear Leader. Hope I'm wrong.
• majorspark

  

  Newt is surging in South Carolina polls.
  

  Newt Gingrich led Mitt Romney 34-28 in PPP's South Carolina polling last night, the first of what will be three nights of tracking. Ron Paul at 15%, Rick Santorum at 14%, Rick Perry at 5%, and Buddy Roemer at 3% round out the field.

  Perry at 5% threw his support to Newt. Palin's campaigning for him.
• sleeper

  

  jhay78;1058887 wrote: Not only would he not win, he'd be lucky to get 15% of the popular vote. Ross Perot in '92 got 18% of the popular vote, but won zero states. Even an immensely popular former president Teddy Roosevelt only got 27% in 1912. Both did well enough to foul things up and ensure Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton won. A Ron Paul 3rd party bid would do more for Obama's reelection than anything else. And like a typical politician (like many of y'all claim he's not), Paul refuses to rule out a 3rd party bid, only saying he "has no plans to run 3rd party".

  To the bolded part, who gives a shit that he hasn't come out and said "I will not run 3rd party"? Is this really an issue to you? If it is, why don't they ask Perry/Romney/Santorum if they plan to run 3rd party? It's a stupid question and a pointless issue. He doesn't want to rule it because ultimately he wants to win and become the next President of this country, and if he can do it by running 3rd party, then he will.
  
  I hope Ron Paul goes 3rd party. I don't think Romney will be any better than Obama, maybe slightly better sure, but only because we know Obama is a complete failure and Romney hasn't fouled it up yet. I'd be willing to bet if Ron Paul went 3rd party he'd win a few states. The Republican party is fractured because of Paul and a lot of his supporters will simply not just back Romney unless Romney starts addressing the issues Paul supporters want. If Romney chooses not to do this, Paulists will not vote for him. Ron Paul would also garner a significant chunk of the independents and even some of the Democrats.
• majorspark

  

  As president Gingrich says he wants an open Constitution.
• Little Danny

  

  majorspark;1059027 wrote:As president Gingrich says he wants an open Constitution.

  According to his ex-wife, he wanted an open marriage as well.
• QuakerOats

  Little Danny;1059053 wrote:According to his ex-wife, he wanted an open marriage as well.

  Clinton had one (directly in the White House, no less), and is hailed every day.
  
  
  Because, when you're a democrat ........................ it's different.
• majorspark

  

  Kennedy too.
• pmoney25

  

  My only options are Ron Paul or Gary Johnson if Paul doesnt win or run third party. I dont even know how you can consider Newt ot Romney a small govt conservative.
• IggyPride00

  

  Newt would humiliate BHO in the presidential debates were he the candidate. He is so good at them, and would expose him for hating America. Newt has that special ability to dumb things down to short buzz worthy sounding headlines that can be easily understood by low info voters.
  
  Imagine the look on the Messiah's face when Newt would ask him why he is more interested in being the food stamp president than paycheck Preisdent. BHO would literally have a heart attack on stage.