Posted on 09/27/2005 12:04:34 PM PDT by Keyes2000mt
Please, not now!!! There is a long way to go...
No, there's not a long way to go. What are the candidates doing in New Hampshire if there's a long way to go? I refer to myself a couple weeks ago:
As I begin a series on the 2008 Presidential race, its basically required to make the case why you should even care about 2008. In fact, we're less than a year from the conclusion of the last election, so this whole issue would seem utterly premature.
Yet, it's not. Do you think that Hillary, George Allen, Rudy Giuliani, Condi Rice, and the others are not thinking about '08? No, but there are several factors that require them to think about 2008. First, if you're going to run for President in 2008, you need to have organization and money begin being built now. Also, they have to schmooze leaders of state political parties to get support from the party establishment.
If you wait until 2007 or 2008, it'll be too late to think about who to support, a nominee will in effect be chosen. Remember back to 2000 when Bush raised $80 million. He had so much more money that the race was over for everyone but Steve Forbes and John McCain, but Bush's 50 state campaign overwhelmed them as Bush supporters controlled all the big States.
With our front loaded primary system, an upstart has got little shot of toppling the leader. Iowa and New Hampshire vote first, followed by a scattering of states and then six weeks after New Hampshire, there's Super Tuesday that pronounces the end of the Presidential campaign. If a candidate hopes to ride a strong place or win in New Hampshire or Iowa to victory, he has another thing coming. Unless he has funds after the primary, the campaign will go nowhere fast.
For those who don't prepare and start paying attention now, it means several things. When their candidates need financial support, they'll have none to give. They won't organize their precinct to support their candidate because they didn't pick someone in advance, nor will they be in a position to do so.
Of course, there will be a candidate chosen, the candidate of the party establishment. As of this writing, that candidate has yet to be named, but he or she will be. State Party chairman will find a candidate, generally one of small ideas and a big personality, a safe choice who will keep the Status Quo pretty much as is.
However, after 8 years, I think its time for some changes. The Bush Administration has provided some great leadership in reducing income tax rates, and the War on Terror. However, the administration has refused to constrain Congress' spending, ran an immigration policy that doesn't protect our national security or identity, and added more pages of unnecessary regulations to the Federal Register.
I believe that with respect for the current Administration, the next Republican administration needs to be more fiscally responsible, more serious about cutting the size and scope of the federal government, and have a good immigration policy. In addition to being good government, it allows the GOP to be dynamic coming into the next election. If all we try to do is carry the past eight years forward, sooner or later, Americans are going to want something different.
If you think we need change in 2008, now's the time to start thinking about what you're going to do about it. 2007 will be too late!
He sounds like your every day attention-whore looking for a claim to fame in being someone who predicted whomever is chosen. Poor guy.
Mike Pence is the guy.He meets ALL your criteria..and more!
No, I do not expect Alan Keyes to be a candidate for President of the United States in 2008, so he will not even enter into the discussion.
2008 is one of two.
George Allen and Condi Rice
George Allen and Sam Brownback
Allen is on my list..
Mike Pence. All the way.
I cannot agree, the way he ran his Senate campaign was crazy. I like the guy but no way could I ever vote for him as President after that.
"The character . . . of the president cannot be underestimated."
Well, that statement was rewritten, of course, for clintoon who had NO character nor morals or ethics.
I am looking forward to your list quite eagerly.
From where I sit, 2006 is shaping up to be something of a disaster, and 2008 will be worse. The Democrats do not represent me at all, and their shrill-shrieking idiocy on the War on Terror has rendered them completely out of the question, in my eyes.
But the Republicans of late have been offering me nothing either.
On life issues, we had the Bush boys play Pontius Pilate on Terri Schiavo and the US Congress wash its hands of the matter and allow judges to disregard Congressional subpoenas and we've got Supreme Court kabuki theater going on.
On immigration the Republican Party isn't distinguishable from the Democrats: do nothing.
On overall government philosophy, we've got exploding debt and regulation and programs, and no sense at all that anything is going to be made better. The current Republican leadership has no intention of changing its course.
So I look at that, and I shake my head sadly and see that the Republican Party is leaving me.
I can't even think of anyone else.
So I'm looking forward to your list.
I'll keep you posted.
Exactly.
I do believe there are several main issues that conservative voters can judge a candidate on.
*supports a strong national defense/security
*supports limited govt
*fiscal conservative on spending
*fiscal conservative on tax reform
*supports conservative nominees to federal courts
*supports anti-illegal immigration reform
*supports pro-life/right to life issues
I think that's a solid list, Reagan Man, and right on the money. Hopefully, we can be more together on our choice for '08 than we were on our choices for 2000, I've seen a lot of your posts on some other threads and I've enjoyed what you have to say.
Yes, that's a good list. That hits all the bases without leaving off anything crucial, nor adding anything extraneous (like, for example, "supports the flat tax" or "supports the Fair Tax" or "will privatize Social Security", for instance).
Right now I don't see any qualified conservative candidates on the political horizon. Let's hope for the best set of choices possible.
*supports a strong national defense/security=PENCE
*supports limited govt =PENCE
*fiscal conservative on spending =PENCE
*fiscal conservative on tax reform = PENCE
*supports conservative nominees to federal courts =PENCE
*supports anti-illegal immigration reform =PENCE
*supports pro-life/right to life issues =PENCE
Sorry for the overkill,but Pence is our ONLY hope for a real conservative in 08!
No overkill. I like your passion for Mike Pence. Let's see who announces and then we'll have a better idea who to support.
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