President or VP in 2008? An Interview with Senator George Allen

opinioneditorials.com ^ | January 8, 2006 | Judson Cox

[HitmanLV]

Well, at least some people know who Allen is. Mike Pence isn't a dream candidate for FR - he is a 'Fantasy Island' candidate. Won't happen.

[RockinRight]

Not McCain. Just like in 2000, he might start off strong in the primaries in "open primary" states where one doesn't have to be a registered Pubbie to vote in the GOP primary. Once he gets to states where only registered Republicans can vote (in primary) then he'll go down.

[Howlin]

At this point, who can stop him?

The South.

[HitmanLV]

Well, you've got me there. On the gridiron, I'm sure Allen has it all over Kerry. Then again, my senior citizen sicilian mama probably does, too. ;-)

[redgirlinabluestate]

Yes, conservatives won't rally behind McCain, but he can win without conservative support in the early stages. Only later would he need conservatives, who will of course soundly oppose his potential opponent, the popular HRC.

Right, conservatives will not let Hillary win, even if it means voting for McCain. If Hillary doesn't run(is that possible?), I don't think we need McCain. Otherwise, I fear that we do (in order to win).

[RockinRight]

True, but one can be staunchly conservative and still appeal to the mainstream.

Does the name Ronald Reagan ring a bell? At the time, he wasn't a "mainstream" conservative by the traditional Republican definition at the time.

[Howlin]

Get use to the "my way or the highway" FR posters; their myopic tunnel vision, coupled with their one issue agendas, will become quite familiar to you in the coming months.

[RockinRight]

I don't completely believe Pence is hopeless. He COULD become majority leader, Speaker, or Whip and make enough of a name for himself to do it.

Newt coulda run in 1996 if he'd have wanted to!

[redgirlinabluestate]

Not McCain. Just like in 2000, he might start off strong in the primaries in "open primary" states where one doesn't have to be a registered Pubbie to vote in the GOP primary. Once he gets to states where only registered Republicans can vote (in primary) then he'll go down.

This kind of talk scares me. Not because I want McCain to be president, but because I SO want Hillary NOT to be president. I hope we don't cut off our noses to spite our faces and end up with President Hillary Rodham Clinton. I shudder to think about it.

[RockinRight]

I'm not "my way or the highway" but we really need a candidate who:

-can beat the snot out of Hillary
-is more fiscally conservative than Bush
-is mainstream enough to appeal to people, but just bold enough to excite the "fringe" as well-for example, supporting a flat tax or the FairTax
-remembers that the GOP is Reagan's party, not FDR's, and acts like it
-will DO SOMETHING about the borders
-can be counted on to nominate good judges/justices

[Sonny M]

We all better chip in and get Allen a personality before the primaries.

Actually, I think his personality is his strong point.

He is more personable then most of his potential competitors and is very hard to villanize, reminds me of a John Coryn on decalf.

I like the way to paraphrases and uses quotes from Reagan and Jefferson and other patriots of the past.

It adds alot to him.

[HitmanLV]

Well, you have to be fair. In 1980 the country was in the dumps, and folks largely blamed President Carter. This was for number of reasons: the economy, gas prices, the Iranian hostage crisis, the Olympic boycott, etc. I think almost any Republican could have beaten Carter, all else being equal.

Also, Reagan was fairly likable and the MSM's depiction of him as a right-wing-nut never stuck to him with most people.

Even then the image of Reagan had softened by the time 1984 rolled around. The country wasn't going to give the reigns to Carter Jr. And the perception was that things were better than they were in 1980 (and they were). Reagan's core principles resonated with enough people in 1980 and 1984 to win.

So it depends what you mean by staunchly conservative. I can tell you this: the consensus positions on FR tend to be significantly more conservative than mainstream folks. The good news is that people instinctively lean conservative, though nowhere near as much on FR.

My 'scale' - based on instinct and my evaluation of the political climate - with -100 being crazy liberal, 0 being moderate moderate, and +100 being crazy conservative, has the consensus among the electorate at about +25 or so, give or take, and the consensus on FR ranging from +70 to +100.

[HitmanLV]

I just don't see him as even a blip on the national radar. A lot can change in a couple of years, but I don't see it Wait and see.

[Sonny M]

I'm beginning to think that John McCain, no favorite of most of us here, will coast to the 2008 GOP nomination, much as Reagan did 28 years earlier.

He won't even make it to super tuesday>

At which point, he'll blame all the moderates for spliting his votes.

With Rudy and Romney running, its going to divide McCains vote numbers into small digits.

[oceanview]

indeed. and he's not out front on any issues that I see. he voted for the McCain AQ bill of rights torture bill. and I think when pressed, we are going to find out that he is willing to tolerate abortion for adult women in the first 10 weeks - which is going to send the right to life GOPers into a frenzy.

[HitmanLV]

Dullsville. I like the guy but he is a dud on the personality meter. The good news is if Hilly would be his opponent, then her personality is a huge negative. The bad news is if it's Warner (as I suspect it will end up being), who isn't exactly colorful but looks better in comparison to Allen.

[Howlin]

-remembers that the GOP is Reagan's party, not FDR's, and acts like it

Ronald Reagan, who doubled the government?

Just checking :-)

[RockinRight]

I just see George Allen and John McCain (as well as Condi) as "second verse, same as the first" candidates.

[HitmanLV]

Sad to say the abortion train has left the station a long time ago. First trimester abortion isn't going away anytime soon - even if Roe is overturned, I can't think of one state that would outright outlaw first trimester abortions.

This sends one-issue pro lifers into fits, but its just the truth.

[HitmanLV]

At least Allen, Condi, and McCain are blips on the radar. That's all I'm saying.