Posted on 11/11/2005 1:40:09 PM PST by CarlEOlsoniii
Sen. George Allen is standing on the sideline of an empty Giants Stadium about an hour-and-a-half before the 1 p.m. start of a New York Jets vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. His brother Bruce is general manager of the Bucs, so Allen is here to root on the family team.
A guy with a vest reading FIELD PHOTO comes up to him: "You're going to be a tall president," he says, smiling. Allen laughs and they banter about the senator's height. He is commonly called 6' 4", but he is quick to note he is more like 6' 31/2" or 3 ", explaining that you never want to be inaccurate or to be seen as exaggerating. It is an unremarkable interaction, but the photographer has hit on something important: Standing there, basically unnoticed, soaking in the pre-game vibe, is quite possibly the next president of the United States.
It is not hard to do a calculation that says at this early stage in the '08 race George Allen has perhaps a better chance of winning the nomination than any other Republican. He combines the people skills of a Bill Clinton, with the convictions of a Ronald Reagan, with the non-threatening persona of a George W. Bush circa 2000, prior to his becoming a hate-figure for the Left. With a personal history that has forged a rare and particular political talent, blending amiability with a streak of competitive ruthlessness in a way that makes him, at age 53, one of the nation's top politicians.
He is about to embark on a challenging journey: running for reelection in Virginia next year, then -- assuming he doesn't founder on unseen shoals -- for the Republican nomination in 2008.
"He's not even beating McCain in the polls"
I tend to think it's "name recognition".
I say we get out and get his name out there. He's ten times the man mccain is.
He has 5 strikes against him in my book, and managed to accomplish them all within 5 months.
AMEN!!!
Here is a link to a speech Sen Allen gave in New Hampshire in June of 2005.
I don't think he was dull at all. I also liked what he said.
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/allen062505spt.html
I particularly liked this: "I don't like meddling government, I don't like nanny government, I don't like a government pestering people; if they are not harming someone else, leave 'em alone."
This: "He said in this inaugural address that the sum of good government is a wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another but otherwise leave them free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and that the government should not take from the mouths of labor the bread they have earned. I trust you agree that is still the sum of good government today. [applause]."
I also like everything he mentioned that was accomplished in VA under his watch as Governor. Particularly this: "For example, we said that if a mother has a-- a mother who is on welfare has another child while on welfare, we are not going to increase welfare benefits. The liberals said, oh my goodness, well who's going to take care and pay for that child. Our reaction was, well, how about the father. Oh what a novel idea. And [laughter, applause]. We also wanted to find out who that father was. Previously they said, oh they don't know who the father is. We said, no unless you identify who the father is, you're going to get zero. And it is amazing how many recollections were refreshed. [laughter]. .......And the way that we as Republicans, as common sense conservatives, look at welfare reform: it's not how many people are on welfare, but rather how many people are leading independent, self-reliant lives with families intact."
Sen Allen has my vote in the SC primary. Not just from the above; I realize that was only a speech given at a luncheon. But from what I've seen and heard in his recent appearances making the rounds on the news channels.
Sen McPain will NOT ever have my vote. Primary or otherewise.
Just going by the quotes you posted he does sound pretty good, but I think we still have a few more weeks before we make our final decision. I believe I heard Edd Hendee talking about him, and as best I remember he said only good things.
Not to worry. The polls this early on are simply a reflection of name recognition mixed with pop celebrity.
What you really have to watch is who the money falls behind. Poppy knew how to connect W to the GOP kingmakers. Bush 43 had the nomination in hand almost as soon as he was announced. The only thing left was to actaully "sell" him to the party and then to the rest of the country.
I'm not saying Allen is that guy but if the kingmakers are convinced that he is, the rest will be accomplished in the backrooms and behind closed doors. Do they really want him calling the shots more than McCain or Giuliani? Hard to say since there has always been a Bush or a Dole to put on the ticket since 1976. It isn't exactly an open party at the top - more like a tag team.
Guilliani-Great in dealing with 9-11 and tough on crime. Otherwise a pro gay pro abortion Vagina monologue liberal.
Rice-Great in foriegn policy and would be another Clarence Thomas moment (forcing liberals to attack a minority) but... see above.
Frist-once the conservative choice-wimping out on dems and fetal stem cell research may leave only Allen.
Santurum-the darling of pro-life conservatives, his stabbing other cons in the back for rinos will cost him.
This gives him two good years to develop strong conservative policies, get some funds from donors, get his name out there behind the scenes, and work the grassroots. Plus he should take a vacation and spend some time with the family. Running for re-election for Senate when the Momma of all elections (2008) is just two years (actually, a scant six or seven months since candidates will start declaring themselves in summer of 2007) is a fool's errand.
So far I like Allen. He's tall (voters prefer tall Presidents) uh, from a female's perspective, handsome, and he's a solid Republican. But remember he's also a Senator, and only one Senator (JFK) has won the Presidency in the last 100 years or so.
He shouldn't run for re-election, I'm telling ya. All he's doing is bloodying himself up for 2008.
McCain, yes. Condi, no.
The media has invested a lot of time and effort into having us all believe that there is no such thing as a black Republican. And if they are forced to mention one at all, a black Republican is portrayed as an "uncle tom" and not truly black.
They will not turn Condi Rice into a media star. They will cover her if they must but they aren't going to go ape#%&* over her the way they did Barbara Jordan.
Good point. I guess I have to recalibrate87).
Another thing is, how many black votes does Condi pull from the Dem coalition? so that's three points...
a)votes Hillary! loses to chauvinism if against a man
b)votes Condi can take from blacks if against Hillary!
c)votes Hillary! takes from moderate women due to female chauvinism. (voted for her because she's a woman)
Better feed these back into the meat grinder...
BUMP
(Just a reminder of where groupthought has gotten us before on FR).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.