29 replies to this topic

[cityboi]

A lot of names have been thrown out there as potential candidates (Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Jeb Bush, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee and even Donald Trump).  Forget about Sarah Palin and Jeb Bush making the cut. I don't even have to explain why Sarah Palin won't win the nomination and George Bush pretty much stained the Bush name. No one wants a dynasty and it seems that every time a Bush gets in office we go to war in the middle east. Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump are also not likely to win the GOP nomination.  When I look at the two strongest candidates to win the republican nomination, I see Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. At least by today's polls, those two would be in a dead heat with Obama while the others are well under Obama 5 to 10 points. But there are serious problems with the GOP's two strongest contenders. Lets start with Mitt Romney. The GOP seems to be making "repeal Obamacare" central to their campaign. The problem is that Mitt Romney imposed an almost identical plan as governor in Massachusetts. Mitt Romney would never be able to make the case to repeal Obamacare when he put the same healthcare policies together in his state. Mitt Romney is not as likable as Obama and he seems like a shady and corrupt person.

Lastly the Rev Mike Huckabee. I personally think he will win the GOP nomination in 2012. On the surface he seems like a great candidate and is popular among conservatives. He is also a likable guy. The problem is that he is too scary to moderates and independents who are the ones that will decide the election. He is the GOP version of an extreme liberal. His conservative views are too radical and he tries to combine his religious beliefs with government policy and that is a big no no. Here is what Mike Huckabee said in an interview some time ago.....

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And thats what we need to do is amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than trying to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family."

Having a president trying to insert Christian faith in government policies would also inflame things in the middle east and would make it easier for terrorist to recruit. It really would be a "holy war". Mike Huckabee also stated that the Abortion issue is more important to him than all other issues including the economy. (I guess we all know what the economic situation would look like under a Huckabee administration...pretty scary.) "abortion is the most important issue in the country" There is a reason we have separation of church and state. He is so out of touch with mainstream America. Mike Huckabee also resembles Richard Nixon a little and thats a big turn off.

He also made some very controversial statements in the past. He said he believed that all people with AIDS should be quarantined.

Mitt Romney would be popular among moderate republicans while Mike Huckabee would get the blessings of the extreme right and conservative evangelicals.

If this is the best the GOP has, than Obama should win pretty comfortably in 2012.

Now its possible there could be a dark horse or an unknown that could be a threat, especially if the Tea Party is behind this unknown. Clearly the Tea Party flexed its muscle in the midterms and were a big reason the GOP took over the House or Representatives.

It will also be interesting to see what happens with congressional seats in 2012. Because Obama wasn't on the ballot in 2010, democrats didn't come out in large numbers. More than likely we will see a much larger turn out among key groups such as African-Americans in 2012. Larger democratic turn out could actually result in the GOP losing seats, maybe not enough for the democrats to take back the house but it will be interesting.

Edited by cityboi, 22 February 2011 - 01:29 PM.

[krazeeboi]

I've always thought Huckabee was a rather reasonable person, but it's been pretty disappointing seeing him parrot the "Obama's not one of us" line lately. Guess he's playing to the base.

Romney has the healthcare program of MA, that state's version of national healthcare reform, hanging around his neck like an albatross. I don't think he'll be able to shake that.

[Charlotteman]

When Mitt runs for the Rep nomination, the national media will surely start discussing his religion.  When Republican Southern Baptists find out what the Latter Day Saints religion is really all about, ol' Mitt is gonna have quite a bit of trouble in the Deep South.

Mitt also was totally pro abortion when he was governor of Mass.  And pro gay etc.

Gov. Hucklebury not only wants to replace the US Constitution with his own theocracy, but when he was governor he also pardoned a murderer that went on to do horrific acts....

Bobby Jindal is so silly that people laugh at him.

Sarah Palin is beyond silly.

People just don't like Newt.  Period.

People are tired of the Bush family.

Trump for president? You've got to be kidding.  

Obama will have no trouble winning re election.  Who do the Reps have?

[zman9810]

Charlotteman, on 07 April 2011 - 05:00 AM, said:

When Mitt runs for the Rep nomination, the national media will surely start discussing his religion.  When Republican Southern Baptists find out what the Latter Day Saints religion is really all about, ol' Mitt is gonna have quite a bit of trouble in the Deep South.

Mitt also was totally pro abortion when he was governor of Mass.  And pro gay etc.

Gov. Hucklebury not only wants to replace the US Constitution with his own theocracy, but when he was governor he also pardoned a murderer that went on to do horrific acts....

Bobby Jindal is so silly that people laugh at him.

Sarah Palin is beyond silly.

People just don't like Newt.  Period.

People are tired of the Bush family.

Trump for president? You've got to be kidding.  

Obama will have no trouble winning re election.  Who do the Reps have?

I agree with all of your assessments but you didn't mention Ron Paul. In the current political climate he might have the broadest appeal of any likely Rep. candidate. He has some name recognition from the last election and support from outside the Republican party. I don't think he would beat President Obama but he would be a far better choice than any of the others. As much as I would like to see another Arkansas native become president I cringe at the thought of Huckabee becoming that person. He is much more pragmatic than some of his words indicate but would still push a social agenda that would set the country back decades.  

It will be a battle to see who controls power in the Republican Party- the old guard or the extreme right wing wackos- I don't see it ending well for the GOP.

[Charlotteman]

Maybe ol' coot Johnny McCain should run again.

Even as lousy as he is, he still looks better than any of the potential 2012 Republican candidates~

He might could tap Palin as his VP again too!  That way he can stand on stage with her once more, and shamelessly stare at her butt, like the good old days of 2008.

[richyb83]

Yeah even so-called GOP-leaning FOX News sweeps Ron Paul's name under the rug...bec he is an actual threat to the Globalist Shills Agenda..unlike all the other puppets; he would like to audit the Fed; but that's a no-no.... fact is his message has never changed over the past 20 years; unlike the politrixsters...he the closest thing to a modern day Thomas Jefferson..the two-party Republicrat system  is a failure. Easy to dismiss him as some old coot while older dudes like Rockefeller & Soros have so much clout. He could have Jesse Ventura as VP...No worse than Biden & Hilliary Clinton. Paul Ryan might make a run in 2016...

Obama could easily be a OTP; but stays 4 more years... none of those GOP names stand out...

Edited by richyb83, 23 April 2011 - 07:27 PM.

[cityboi]

Well the Rev Huckleberry Hound won't be running for president. This is a game changer because now there is no other GOP candidate that can beat Obama in 2012 in my opinion.

[cloudship]

Unfortunately Obama's biggest republican threat is himself. People today aren't voting for people, they are voting against them. Obama has manged to alienate a large group of Democrats. He has annoyed the more liberal voters because not only has he failed to pull out of the Middle East effectively and lead corporate and banking reform, he is now getting even deeper involved in the mid east - the democratic revolutions have ironically produced even more fervent extremism because of both the assassination of Osama as well as failing to provide real assistance to those trying to find a new way of life there. So that group, which is important to boost his vote count, is now not going to be out in droves, many of them simply failing to vote at all.

Likewise, he has alienates the more conservative democrats, because of his stand against Israel, his failed reform ideas, and failing to really address the health care issue instead of just promoting an idea. Likewise they see him as just extending the mid east conflict. So those voters are going to vote for Romney, because he is in their eyes the lesser of two evils.

At this point I don't think there is ANY good choices. If in fact Obama does wish to get re-elected, he is going to have to be a little more direct in his more liberal ideas, and he has to start taking a more provocative role in pushing reform instead of trying to cater to the middle of the road voters. Unless someone else comes up with a good run for the Democratic side...

[zman9810]

cloudship, on 19 May 2011 - 06:44 PM, said:

Unfortunately Obama's biggest republican threat is himself. People today aren't voting for people, they are voting against them. Obama has manged to alienate a large group of Democrats. He has annoyed the more liberal voters because not only has he failed to pull out of the Middle East effectively and lead corporate and banking reform, he is now getting even deeper involved in the mid east - the democratic revolutions have ironically produced even more fervent extremism because of both the assassination of Osama as well as failing to provide real assistance to those trying to find a new way of life there. So that group, which is important to boost his vote count, is now not going to be out in droves, many of them simply failing to vote at all.

Likewise, he has alienates the more conservative democrats, because of his stand against Israel, his failed reform ideas, and failing to really address the health care issue instead of just promoting an idea. Likewise they see him as just extending the mid east conflict. So those voters are going to vote for Romney, because he is in their eyes the lesser of two evils.

At this point I don't think there is ANY good choices. If in fact Obama does wish to get re-elected, he is going to have to be a little more direct in his more liberal ideas, and he has to start taking a more provocative role in pushing reform instead of trying to cater to the middle of the road voters. Unless someone else comes up with a good run for the Democratic side...

Sounds like spin coming from a Romney supporter. Of course, if Romney were in office he would also face the stark realities facing any sitting president when it comes to foreign affairs and domestic issues. Obama has done a great job considering the extremist oppostition both abroad and here at home that he has faced. Between the closet racist opposition here at home and the unpredictable nature of world politics he has done surprisingly well and deserves another term in office.

[cityboi]

WoW! Republicans are in trouble Guess who tops the polls in the republican field? Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin

Romney 17%

Palin 15%

Only 17% and 15%???

Wow looks like the majority of republicans say none of the above. Where is the enthusiasm on the republican side? For Sarah Palin to be ranked second in the field, you know the GOP is in trouble. Romney is a mormon which is a problem for many people and conservatives aren't too excited about him because of Romneycare in Mass. Rudy Giuliani may run again but he can forget it. He supports abortion and gay marriage which is something republicans are totally against. Rudy has his own skeletons as well. The man moved his mistress in his house while his wife and kid were living there. Jeez what a circus.

Looks like there are a lot of people scared to run against Obama because they know they will lose. Some don't want to get bruised up in this election so they are waiting for 2016.

http://politicaltick...spots/?hpt=Sbin

Edited by cityboi, 27 May 2011 - 10:54 AM.

[cityboi]

Well a fresh face may be entering the GOP run for president. Sources are saying Gov Rick Perry of Texas may run. this could potentially be a game changer for the republicans in regards to who will become the nominee or even our next president. Up until this point, republicans were settling for Mitt Romey but they weren't too enthusiastic about him for several reasons. Romney can't escape the fact that he put a universal healthcare plan in his state as governor. He is a mormon and he is also old news. Rick Perry is a fresh face and he is a governor. It remains to be seen if Perry has skeletons in his closet but one thing is for sure. Being governor of Texas, he will be capable of raising a lot of campaign funds. Perry has a more youthful appearance, he looks presidential and he seems to be more of a leader than the other candidates running on the GOP side. If Perry runs, providing no exciting unknown decides to run, I could see Governor Perry as the GOP nominee. The question is can he beat Obama? Perry could have a few issues with Latino voters though. Latino lawmakers sued Rick Perry for "attempting to undercut the Latino vote" But the GOP in general is having problems with Latino voters because of the immigration issue. Certainly Rick Perry is a friend of big oil so if becomes president we could see gas prices rise even more and we would be even more involved in the middle east.

Obama is still polling well in states he won in 2008 that democrats lost in 2004 and 2000. With Perry out of the equation Obama would win the state of Iowa if the election were held today. I think that says a lot in how many people are supporting Obama even in tough times.

The Public Policy Polling (note the margin of error in this poll is the same as the margin of error in the results of the 2008 election with Obama can McCain.) If anyone of these of these people in the poll below wins the GOP nomination, it should be a cake walk for Obama. But if gov Perry runs, Obama is going to work harder and fight for the votes. The reason? Perry does However have a solid record of job creation in Texas and on the minds of the average voter, Job creation is the most important. Its a lot more difficult to run a country than a state. He would still have to wor with the GOP in congress. The way he ran the state of Texas will likely be different from the way a GOP congress runs the country. Perry has a lot of friends in high places. The results of the 2012 election could be a lot closer than 2008. If Perry announced he were running today, he would be Obama's biggest threat in the current field. Beating Obama is one thing but being a successful president is another thing. After Obama won in 2008 and the democrats controlled congress and the economy started to gradually pick up. Stimulus spending did help because it put people back to work and created some demand for products. While the economy is still improving, its improving at a slower rate than a year ago. The slide seems to coincide with a GOP controlled house in Washington. The GOP has been able to stop Obama's agenda. If the republicans take back the White House in 2012, we could see the economy slide even further. GOP economic policies have proven to be a failure and I hope people will recognize that. Trickle down economics and less government policies does not work. We saw those polices in action between 2000 and 2008.

IOWA (June, 2011)

Obama 54 percent, Mitt Romney 40 percent.

Obama 55, Sarah Palin 35.

Obama 49, Tim Pawlenty 37.

Obama 54, Newt Gingrich 33.

Obama 50, Herman Cain 32


Gov. Rick Perry

Edited by cityboi, 10 June 2011 - 09:19 AM.

[nashbill]

So no democrats will bother to run against Obama.  Is this what usually happens?  Why bother spending all that money on a Primary election and convention and the rest of the hoopla if Obama is running against no one for the Democratic nomination.  Is he really the best choice?  Would there be any viable choices?  Has any one term presidents ever been challenged within there own party for the second term?  Most recent George Bush the first.  Before that, Jimmy Carter.  Gerald Ford, kind of an odd ball, since he really didn't complete one term and he never ran in a primary, even as Vice President. I'm just curious.  Having lived through all of that, I would think I would remember it.

Edited by nashbill, 08 July 2011 - 02:58 PM.

[cityboi]

OK Rick Perry has proven he is a right extremist nut.

He said the BP oil spill was an act of God. At the same time Perry is an oil man. Much of his fortune comes from big oil. Never elect an oil man for president. I thought we've learned that by now. Its scary how much Perry and Bush are alike. But he is a religious nut at the same time.

Perry quote:

"the economic downturn, and the Republican’s efforts to sabotage recovery, are all part of god’s plan"

he also suggested that his political targets are enemies of the state and that violence could be one way of dealing with them.

In Texas he wanted to force all teenage girls to take the HPV vaccine.

He is a carbon clone of George W Bush and Sarah Palin but he is much more dangerous

[cityboi]

BTW Obama is ahead of Perry in Public Policy Polling in North Carolina. PPP has always been an accurate poll

http://www.publicpol..._NC_0811424.pdf

While Obama has a low approval rating in NC, residents still would vote for Obama over the existing GOP candidates

Obama 48%

Perry 40%

[krazeeboi]

Perry is too extreme to win the GOP nomination, even with the pro-religion and anti-science leanings of a nice swath of the party.

[Charlotteman]

I agree with an earlier statement that Obama is his own worse competition.  He can't even convince a Leftie like me to vote for him again.

I voted for him in 2008.  But what I got was Bush Part 2.

[cityboi]

While Herman Cain is considered a long shot to win the GOP nomination, he is leading in the national polls and the vast majority of Tea Party members support him. As long as he doesn't make any serious political gaffes and continues to get the support of the Tea Party, its not out of the question that Herman Cain could win the GOP nomination. The question is can he beat Obama? The problem for the GOP is that the Tea Party supports candidates that are at the extreme right. That would have political consequences in the general election where the Independent vote is important. On the other hand, both Cain and Obama are black so there wouldn't be the urge among some in the black community to necessarily vote for Obama to continue a historical presidency. The black vote led Obama to victories in solid GOP states like Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana in 2008.



http://www.cbsnews.c...poll/?tag=stack

Edited by cityboi, 25 October 2011 - 10:30 AM.

[sean]

i really wish Obama would throw down the gauntlet and stop running for a second term.  then he could discard the baggage of a permanent campaign and start a systematic prosecution of fraud.  he could awaken the zombie attorney general Eric Holder and have him haul in the heads of goldman sachs, jp morgan, boa, etc. and prosecute them for fraud...FRAUD!  unburdened with campaigning, he could 'call out' the feckless and cowardly members of his own party, while simultaneously calling out the bat$#*! crazies in the republican party.  he could get his base that elected him in '08 to support an amendment to the constitution that would roll back the definition of corporations as persons!  people would get behind that kind of heroic leadership and we could all watch as the lobbyist scum that has imbedded itself throughout our government, run for cover.  finally he could demand that we stop referring to ourselves as consumers!

i know of course, none of this will happen, but a guy's gotta have hope!

[cityboi]

The problem with Obama is not his policies. He appears to be weak to many. This is why many democrats wanted somebody tough in the White House like Hillary Clinton. I think Obama will still win in 2012 but he certainly wont sweep the country like he did in 2008. Its going to be another 2000 or 2004 election, very close.

In terms of permanent campaigner, both parties are guilty of that. That's why we are in the mess we are in today because the focus is on politics rather than solving serious problems in our nation. The mindset is damn the country......as long as our party gets in power thats all that matters.

Edited by cityboi, 26 October 2011 - 07:02 AM.

[cityboi]

Perry regrets taking part in debates. Does he really think he can become president of the United States without participating in debates? There is a saying. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. If he can't take criticism from fellow republicans how can he take criticism from the democrats or run this country? Perry regrets taking part because he has been exposed as being a third term George W Bush. The similarities between George W Bush and Rick Perry are scary. But I think Perry is much worse than W. He is definitely further to the right than W. Any proposal for a nationwide flat tax would lead to soaring deficits and higher taxes for lower and middle class Americans. Perry's plan would give the rich the largest tax cut in U.S. history.

http://politicaltick...art-in-debates/

Edited by cityboi, 26 October 2011 - 11:18 AM.