Republican presidential nominee 2008

[Reader of news]

List of possible candidates:

Bill Frist

Rick Santorum

George Allen

Chuck Hagel

John McCain

Sam Brownback

George Pataki

Rudy Giuliani

Mark Sandford

Bill Owens

Mitt Romney

[HapaxLegamenon]

No No No. We don't want a Senator, no matter how great. Think of a Governor such as Perry (TX), Pawlenty, (MN), Barbor (AL), Bush (FL), Blunt (MO), etc.

At the moment I am open to suggestions, but any of the above would be great.

[beckysueb]

W signed partial birth abortion ban. Its not aban on R/V/W but its a good start. Rome wasn't built in a day.

[beckysueb]

Dick Morris said Condi was the only one who could beat Hildabeast. I like J.C. Watts.

[IStillBelieve]

I'm thinking the veep will need to be Hispanic.

It will be Allen or Owens at the top, with a Hispanic VP.

[HapaxLegamenon]

Taft is a non-starter. He almost lost us Ohio.

[beckysueb]

Don Sundquist is out. He was despised in Tn. Probably victim of unfair media bias but it worked. He would never carry Tn.

[beckysueb]

What about Ollie North? Too much baggage? I vote Rush for Prez! Wouldn't that be wonderful?

[beckysueb]

Hillary will only run if she is positive of a win. The Clintons are very corrupt. They will do anything to win so if she is nominated, it will makethe 2004 election look like a lovefest.

[beckysueb]

True. It has to be someone who can get the Christain vote. GWB got it cause he is openly Christain. Jeb? People seem to like the Bushes. And his wife is Mexican. Could get the Mexican vote.

[Vision]

I didn't see his speech at the convention. I did see him calling in the electors and saying stuff like "Come on people, don't stop now, we're almost home". I didn't like it. That wasn't some community center function where we can get all folksy.

On election night in 2002 Steele was introducing Ehrlich around midnight or so, I was ecstatic. As a background on this story, know Maryland has horrific traffic problems. Steele gets up there and begins this "it ends tonight" rally. He mentioned a lot of stuff that "ends tonight" which I can't remember, but I do believe it was very weak. Then that guy actually says "Our traffic problems end tonight". I wanted to kick in my TV. What type of a dumbass would actually say, let alone think, that the age old traffic problems here can be solved just like that. BTW, we're two years into your term Steele, and people are caught up in 1 1/2 hour backups at midnight.

I've heard some other interviews where he doesn't shine with brilliance. I wanna like him and I think he has a good heart, but he needs much more time to develop, if he has the talent to think for himself. He's been rushed to the front of the line, and it shows big time. He would be destroyed politically on a national level. I don't think he can handle Maryland's governorship right now. Maybe he'll surprise me, which I would enjoy.

[beckysueb]

I disagree. It would be very shrill. Anything but boring. She would pull out the old poor little woman routine like she did on Lazio.

[IStillBelieve]

She would pull out the old poor little woman routine like she did on Lazio.

Lazio's lucky that's all that happened. He ran against Hillary and lived to tell about it. He should be thankful! ;-)

[comebacknewt]

Jeb Bush and Tim Pawlenty. Locks up FL and probably gets us a couple of states in the Upper Midwest.

The "dynasty" question is a non-factor because the RATs will run Hitlery who is pursuing a dynasty of her own.

[beckysueb]

You're absolutely right! Kennedy would have been a shooin in 08.

[CaraM]

Re: Michael Steele:
Ah, you are adding inside information to the mix. Sounds like he can be groomed for the future, but is not ready yet.

All I saw at the RNC was an excellent speech. I don't know whether he wrote the speech or some brilliant speech writer came up with it. But I remember jumping up from my seat and cheering.

[CaraM]

Blunt (MO) is too young. I think he is only 33.

[beckysueb]

Again that takes you back to Jeb Bush. I think the rising youg star, George Prescott Bush will be president someday. Latino and very handsome and charismatic.

[mdw278]

The biggest stars in the GOP outside of the Bush Administration seem to have problems concerning Presidential aspirations:

Giuliani: Too liberal socially; after an election in which moral values was the top concern, Evangelicals might stay home if he's on the ticket.

Pataki: See Giuliani.

McCain: The likely favorite if not for age and health issues, has also angered conservatives with his grandstanding.

Arnold: Law needs to be changed, and is pro-choice.

Jeb: May have to wait 4 to 8 years for his turn just to avoid the dynasty charges.

Who's left? I don't think Condi wants the job. If Rick Santorum were a Governor, he'd probably be the favorite. Many like George Allen; someone in another thread said he has the Used Car Salesman look and I tend to agree. Bill Owens has marital issues. Bill Frist is solid on the issues and a nice guy, but has no charisma and is a Senator.

The two names that personally intrigue me the most is Pawlenty and Sanford.

[the infidel]

What planet are you from? Santorum's ACU rating for 2003 was 90. The only thing keeping from a perfect 100 was his vote for the Medicare prescription benefit (which the President also fully supported and signed into law). Santorum's ACU rating for 2002 was 95. His lifetime ACU rating is 87 -- over twice that as fellow Pennsylvanian Arlen Specter.

http://acuratings.com/acu.cgi?ACT=3&STATE=PA&YEAR=2003

In terms of the other names on the list of potential candidates in 2008, Frist's and Sessions' ratings last year were 90 (same reason as Santorum), Allen's was 85, Brownback's was 80 and McCain's was 75.

Oh yeah, I forgot one. Chuck Hagel's rating was 100. FWIW.

[beckysueb]

I live in TN. too. I have heard some comments from Bredesen I didn't like. He said Bush was not his president but other than that I think the state media has really shilled for him. I can't prove it but I know when he reworked Tenncare, if he had been a Republican, the media would have drug out a list of victims but with Bredesen they said he was saving a lot of money for the state. I do think however that southern Democrats are much more conservative, Algore being the exception.