Republican candidates for 2012

• BGFalcons82

  

  Writerbuckeye;862785 wrote:Oh please, please, please let the Democrats try and make comparisons to Bush with Perry.

  
  I dunno, writer. People acquire labels, earned or unearned, and they're hard to break.
  
  The press is already on board. For example, did you see 60 Minutes last night? Their first story was about companies relocating their business' headquarters to Zug, Switzerland and Ireland. Apparently, there are thousands of large corporations doing this to escape the 35% corporate income tax bracket, which was stated to be the 2nd highest on the planet. By doing so, these companies are saving up to $60,000,000,000 in yearly federal income taxes they don't have to pay. I suppose the logical answer would be to drop the rate from 35% to say 15% and they'd likely move back home, but that's wayyyy too much common sense. Hell, there are posters on here that would like to see it raised to 50% or more. But I digress.
  
  My point about the press is that the 1st two companies that 60 Minutes tracked were oil companies from Texas. Coincidence???? Yeah, right.
• bigdaddy2003

  

  Writerbuckeye;862785 wrote:Oh please, please, please let the Democrats try and make comparisons to Bush with Perry. That would be such a losing effort that Perry might end up carrying more than 40 states on the way to victory.

  
  I concur.
• jhay78

  

  BGFalcons82;862764 wrote:Why I like Rick Perry (from - http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/08/ponzis-and-predators-perry-outlines-policies/GocJEtJGv5iKloBLrLTbmK/index.html):
  
  Like most in the GOP, Perry espoused a muscular support for Israel amid a turbulent Mideast, saying, “Israel is not ever gonna have to worry, if I’m the president to the United States, where we’re gonna be.”
  Like most Republicans, he also labeled himself a fiscal conservative bent on reining in government spending. “We’re going to stop spending the money, unless I run out of ink in a veto pen,” the governor pledged.
  Asked about how the country copes with the growing cost of Social Security and other entitlement programs, Perry said political leaders had to show “courage” especially in dealing with Social Security, which he labeled a “Ponzi scheme.” He said: “I can promise you, my 27-year-old son, Social Security, under the program that we have today, will not be there.”
  Perry said that before deciding how to deal with immigrants already illegally in the country, United States needed to secure its border with Mexico both to block new illegals and also to tamp down on drug-related violence.
  On budget issues, Perry said he supported a balanced-budget amendment “to clearly say, if it’s not coming in, we’re not going to spend it.”
  More immediately, he pledged a series of executive orders to reduce government spending and regulation, as well as to halt implementation of the federal universal health care law enacted by President Obama. “Stopping that is one of the first things we have to do as a country and as a people, because it will bankrupt this country,” he said.
  Finally, on energy policy, Perry exuded a confidence in discussing the issue that is common from those hailing from such an oil-producing state. He branded himself as “all-of-the-above” supporter of all types of energy, except for the subsidies paid for ethanol production.
  
  These statements are manna for conservatives and he speaks like he means what he says.

  
  Yeah I like all that. I wasn't too sure about his past policies on immigration, but I'll take him. Definitely sounds like a leader.
• jhay78

  

  Good analysis on Perry and his chances:
  
  http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/274629/five-questions-about-rick-perry-ramesh-ponnuru?page=1
• derek bomar

  

  BGFalcons82;862797 wrote:I dunno, writer. People acquire labels, earned or unearned, and they're hard to break.
  
  The press is already on board. For example, did you see 60 Minutes last night? Their first story was about companies relocating their business' headquarters to Zug, Switzerland and Ireland. Apparently, there are thousands of large corporations doing this to escape the 35% corporate income tax bracket, which was stated to be the 2nd highest on the planet. By doing so, these companies are saving up to $60,000,000,000 in yearly federal income taxes they don't have to pay. I suppose the logical answer would be to drop the rate from 35% to say 15% and they'd likely move back home, but that's wayyyy too much common sense. Hell, there are posters on here that would like to see it raised to 50% or more. But I digress.
  
  My point about the press is that the 1st two companies that 60 Minutes tracked were oil companies from Texas. Coincidence???? Yeah, right.

  
  if someone like GE can pay no corp taxes in the US, why would they pay 15%?
• tk421

  

  derek bomar;862909 wrote:if someone like GE can pay no corp taxes in the US, why would they pay 15%?

  
  why would any business have headquarters in this country if you raised our already high tax rate? What incentive do they have?
• gut

  Gasp...you mean US Corp tax rates are high? Funny, someone here told me differently.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  derek bomar;862909 wrote:if someone like GE can pay no corp taxes in the US, why would they pay 15%?

  
  I can assure you, no one other than a GOVCO sponsored company is paying no taxes.
  
  Small business are getting the rear admiral, and our government is shocked, shocked that they aren't expanding.
• BGFalcons82

  

  derek bomar;862909 wrote:if someone like GE can pay no corp taxes in the US, why would they pay 15%?

  
  They mentioned GE paid a net 3% in corporate taxes last year. It was an after-thought in the piece and if you blinked, you missed it. They spent the vast majority of the hit piece looking for a Texas-based oil company and asked the tenants of the building if they'd even seen their CEO or any employees. Lesley Stahl even opened their mailbox, which shocked me because that would be a felony in America...and they showed it. Zug must have different mailbox laws.
  
  My point is that of the thousands of American-based companies with European HQs, they chose to go after 2 Texas-based oil companies. I'm 100% certain they weren't chosen at random.
• QuakerOats

  BGFalcons82;862983 wrote:My point is that of the thousands of American-based companies with European HQs, they chose to go after 2 Texas-based oil companies. I'm 100% certain they weren't chosen at random.

  I stopped watching 60 Minutes years ago ---- it is so biased and contrived it is hard to stomach.
• Writerbuckeye

  

  QuakerOats;863169 wrote:I stopped watching 60 Minutes years ago ---- it is so biased and contrived it is hard to stomach.

  
  Ditto.
• BGFalcons82

  

  QuakerOats;863169 wrote:I stopped watching 60 Minutes years ago ---- it is so biased and contrived it is hard to stomach.

  
  Me neither...usually. It was on right after the golf though, so I stayed with it.
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  jmog;861091 wrote:What has Obama done to keep your vote?

  
  It's not that. I have a lot of issues with how he has governed. But, it is more what have the others done to sway my vote? The answer is nothing yet. That said, Romney and Perry could sway my vote with more specifics and policy over the next year.
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  Writerbuckeye;861255 wrote:P-town is blind where foreign policy is concerned. He has a set view and I don't believe any Republican has ever conformed to it. However, apparently a policy of appeasement is something he does like, since Obama is keeping his vote.

  Umm ok. I was going to vote for McCain, and then he chose Palin. I'm a huge HW Bush fan, and one of the favorite Presidents is Ike. I also am one of the few who like Nixon and his views, especially on detente, Arms Control, and China. Oh, and I loved Reagan from 85-89.
  
  

  Honestly, P-town, I don't know how anyone can be worried about foreign policy over domestic policy in the next election. If the economy keeps going to hell and we default, it won't matter what our foreign policy is. We'll be dead in the water.
  
  I'd say the first step toward having a strong defense is having a healthy system at home. If that's falling apart, all the rest is going to follow pretty soon after.

  Well, the two are interconnected, more than you know. Oil, trade, globalization, etc. all have a huge impact on domestic policy, but are made on the foreign policy side.
  How is the next President going to ensure DoD budget cuts going forward do not lead to our allies abandoning us and start to balance with other states like China and India?
  How do we balance cuts and our security needs by friends and allies?
  How do we ensure the DoD budget cuts do not negatively kill jobs and economic growth? Some plants may shut down, (Look at the Lima plant that makes the A-1 tank)
  Do we just throw our allies by the way side? If so, given the international economy, how can we keep our standing in the world?
  How does the next President deal with the Middle East and the future of the Saudi state, which is all about the oil for the foreseeable future? (Even if we drill here now, we still need ME oil to meet demand).
  How would the next President keep America strong?
  All ideas that the R candidate needs to flesh out. There is still a long way to go, so no rush right now. These are deep questions that cross over into the domestic policy side.
• jmog

  ptown_trojans_1;863335 wrote:It's not that. I have a lot of issues with how he has governed. But, it is more what have the others done to sway my vote? The answer is nothing yet. That said, Romney and Perry could sway my vote with more specifics and policy over the next year.

  
  What has Obama done to "sway" your vote, shouldn't each election be open minded not stuck on whoever you voted for last time? Why should your vote be stuck with Obama unless someone else can "sway" it? Shouldn't you be looking with an open mind and the candidate's record and pick who you believe to be the best person for the job?
  
  Looking at Obama's record, there are quite a few in the republican race who should easily get a vote over Obama from anyone who isn't WAY left of center.
• BoatShoes

  jmog;863819 wrote:What has Obama done to "sway" your vote, shouldn't each election be open minded not stuck on whoever you voted for last time? Why should your vote be stuck with Obama unless someone else can "sway" it? Shouldn't you be looking with an open mind and the candidate's record and pick who you believe to be the best person for the job?
  
  Looking at Obama's record, there are quite a few in the republican race who should easily get a vote over Obama from anyone who isn't WAY left of center.

  
  No. No. No. No. Can we all agree, that at least when it comes to the demographics on this board, that I tend to be to the left of most of the people who regularly post? Can we all agree on that? And I'm sitting here, from my vantage point, looking at choosing between a President who has governed moderately (he passed Newt Gingrich and the boy's 90's health care plan after all) and very hardcore conservatives. The only candidates on their face who look appealing to me might be John Huntsman or Mitt Romney and Ptown has noted how Romney has, at the very least, been trumping up the hardcore conservative rhetoric.
  
  Even Karl Rove has said the GOP is going way far right in this primary. Why would a moderate be interested in that?
• bases_loaded

  

  BoatShoes;863833 wrote:No. No. No. No. Can we all agree, that at least when it comes to the demographics on this board, that I tend to be to the left of most of the people who regularly post? Can we all agree on that? And I'm sitting here, from my vantage point, looking at choosing between a President who has governed moderately (he passed Newt Gingrich and the boy's 90's health care plan after all) and very hardcore conservatives. The only candidates on their face who look appealing to me might be John Huntsman or Mitt Romney and Ptown has noted how Romney has, at the very least, been trumping up the hardcore conservative rhetoric.
  
  Even Karl Rove has said the GOP is going way far right in this primary. Why would a moderate be interested in that?

  
  Karl Rove likes to stay in the convetsation.
  
  By your analysis, moderates won't be voting in the next election because the guy in the WH is about as far left as any president we've had.
• Devils Advocate

  

  BGFalcons82;861381 wrote:Barring a last-minute Chris Christie change of heart, Mr. Perry has my vote. Prepare for the assault on him because he's from Texas. We're about to find out how being from one of the 58 states can be a negative.

  Y'all know that Perry was Al Gore's Campaign manager right
• bases_loaded

  

  Devils Advocate;863884 wrote:Y'all know that Perry was Al Gore's Campaign manager right

  
  You didn't till the news told ya today.
• BGFalcons82

  

  Devils Advocate;863884 wrote:Y'all know that Perry was Al Gore's Campaign manager right

  
  Yeppers.
  
  Y'all know Ronald Reagan was a Democrat for a significant part of his life? He was also the head of the Screen Actors Guild. Not saying Perry is Reagan redux, but the fact he was once a Dem is not a deal-breaker, as he's not the first nor will he be the last.
• Cleveland Buck

  

  BoatShoes;863833 wrote:Even Karl Rove has said the GOP is going way far right in this primary. Why would a moderate be interested in that?

  Moderates, Democrats, and typical Republicans have no solutions for the problems we face, so why would anyone be interested in that?
• Writerbuckeye

  

  Chrissy Matthews said on his show that the media will be spending every nickle they have investigating Perry's background.
  
  Like we didn't already know that.
  
  http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/08/15/chris-matthews-news-organizations-are-going-spend-every-nickel-they-h
• jmog

  BoatShoes;863833 wrote:No. No. No. No. Can we all agree, that at least when it comes to the demographics on this board, that I tend to be to the left of most of the people who regularly post? Can we all agree on that? And I'm sitting here, from my vantage point, looking at choosing between a President who has governed moderately (he passed Newt Gingrich and the boy's 90's health care plan after all) and very hardcore conservatives. The only candidates on their face who look appealing to me might be John Huntsman or Mitt Romney and Ptown has noted how Romney has, at the very least, been trumping up the hardcore conservative rhetoric.
  
  Even Karl Rove has said the GOP is going way far right in this primary. Why would a moderate be interested in that?

  
  If you truly believe Obama is a moderate then you are really far left.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  jmog;863927 wrote:If you truly believe Obama is a moderate then you are really far left.

  
  At this point who can describe him from a political angle? He's spearheaded policies that have certainly tilted our country left at least from the statist side and his SCOTUS appointments are decidedly liberal (but likely will be ineffectual, does anyone think the "wise Latina" will ever author an influential opinion?) but those same policies created his resistance.
  
  I credit people for following candidates' opinions, or at least what they say they are, there is nothing wrong with an educated populace. But nothing that has happened since Obama's inauguration that has shown that he's no less green then when our country elected the most unqualified POTUS in modern history in terms of experience. He's in over his head. Even if I agreed with his viewpoints (which I don't for many of them) he's an ineffective leader that is in over his head.
• majorspark

  

  Devils Advocate;863884 wrote:Y'all know that Perry was Al Gore's Campaign manager right

  I have noticed a lot of media outlets report it this way, like he was Al Gore's national campaign manager. Perry served as Gore's Texas campaign chairman in the 1988 presidential primary. Gore back in the 80's was considered by many a pro life conservative southern democrat. Just like Perry. A little context helps.
  
  Its been nearly 25yrs and ones personal politics can change. Mine have somewhat. As for Perry and Gore, I'd say Gore did more changing. Al Gore has learched so far left he is hardly recognizable.