Posted on 01/31/2007 8:46:24 AM PST by Antoninus
Political analyst and former Democrat insider Keith Thompson says even though Duncan Hunter is considered a long-shot for the White House, the California congressman could move into the top tier of GOP hopefuls as the 2008 presidential campaign progresses.
Hunter officially entered the 2008 presidential "sweepstakes" last week, Thompson notes. He says the candidate, as the former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has a strong conservative voting record working in his favor; and he is particularly known for his support of the military and his opposition to illegal immigration.
For these reasons, Thompson feels the California representative is at the top of the second tier of Republican hopefuls right now and is capable of moving up. Hunter has "a fairly decent financial base right now [and] some key supporters who are helping him get his campaign to the next level," the political analyst points out; "so I think he could come right into that first tier very quickly and be a significant candidate for the nomination."
Hunter's biggest problem is name recognition, Thompson acknowledges. He says that is one advantage early GOP favorites John McCain and Rudy Giuliani have over the California lawmaker.
But even though Hunter does not come in with the years of exposure that those virtually "mythological figures" have, Thompson observes, he says "the name recognition factor could change," and Hunter could become a force to be reckoned with in the coming 2008 presidential campaign.
You are 100% correct. However, lately when you state such truth you will be attacked.
So he is below Barack (husein) Obama but above Denis (did the federal matching funds arrive) Kucinich.
NO. If you like Big Government, Duncan Hunter is your man. He is one of those big spending Republicans that have been spending like crazy while losing their majority. The Club for Growth notes the following about Hunter:
YES on No Child Left Behind
YES on Sarbanes-Oxley
YES on the 2003 Medicare Drug Benefit
YES on 2005 Highway Bill
YES on the 527 bill (like most Republicans, he flip-flopped, having first voted NO on McCain-Feingold)
Hunter also went 0 for 19 on the Flake anti-pork amendments.
Despite being a member of the Republican Study Committee, Hunter frequently votes NO on their fiscally conservative annual budgets (2006, 2005, 2003...)
We gave him a 49% on the 2005 Club for Growth scorecard. That places him 187th within the House GOP conference, out of roughly 230 members.
National Taxpayers Union shows a more telling trend. He was strong in the early 1990s, getting "B's" and one "A", but as time went by, like most politicians, his score dropped. For the past few years, he's been getting "C's".
So do Hillary and Obama, ESPECIALLY if we roll out a conservative-lite candidate. Heck, Richardson could swamp the middle ground voters, and fairly easily be made to look more conservative-freindly than Rudy - without much effort.
And you think Rudy doesn't have as many, if not more negatives? Where would you like me to start? Pro-Abortion/Anti-Second-Amendment/Cheated on his wives multiple times/Pro-Gay/Pro-Illegal immigration and that's only what is on the surface.
His anti-second amendment stance alone will lose him most, if not all, of the southern vote.
Screw em', let 'em attack me, I can handle myself.
Not until he's got 15-20% of a national poll, not a Free Republic or other activist poll. Heck Hillary would have trouble getting nominated by DU...too conservative for them.
Since when is cold political analysis "cowardly"? Most of those not on the Hunter bandwagon still like the guy but simply see no chance for him to win either the nomination or the presidency. If we don't agree with you why does that make us cowardly?
Almost EVERY pro-Rudy poster has stated that should, by some miracle, Hunter get the nomination he would get their vote. In fact, I have seen NO such poster say he would not vote for Hunter. Unfortunately I have seen only a few Hunter fans who say they would vote for whomever wins the nomination.
This was a list someone listed as to indicate who was running for the GOP. I added MY input to it, no need to get upset :)
But when you look at the list, who are the three candidates supposedly in front?... That's right, two lefties and one questionable... Naturally they will cause disagreement and division among Republicans. If I were a "conspiracy" nut, I could even consider the possibility that the MSM or the left are pushing these three, (or at lease McCacain and Gulliani) just to divide us Republicans.
Could that be possible?... Anyone doing this on purpose to screws us up? Are we really that dumb and we can't see that values voters can NOT compromise on "values?" just as fiscal conservatives or gun owners can not compromise on their main issues/principles either... Well, then the logical answer is, let's hold our horses a bit, and let's see all the candidates we have, consider them carefully and pick the one that will satisfy most of us Republicans.
But I do believe that IF we are smart, we should find a candidate we can all support. When you look at the list... I wonder who in heck is trying to divide us... Is it possible we are that "dumb?" :)
Some people are accusing us of hating Guiliani... Nothing of the kind (as this pic we put out a while ago shows), but when we see the Lefties pushing him as MR. CONSERVATIVE, When there is enough pictures and evidence to fill up two 18 wheelers with his baggage, "insinuating" otherwise, THEN that is SOMETHING ELSE, that is LIE, and we must act. This is a crucial time we all know it.
Okay, let's put talk of "delusional" to the side for the moment. I'll ask this in all seriousness.
Never mind whether Republican-base conservatives would vote for them. The winning candidate will need to be able to appeal to voters from both sides of the middle. Why would any left-of-center voters, especially women, vote for any of those three, given that Hillary paints herself as moderate, but the leftists know better and will turn out for her in spite of that?
DH4WH
Your support would make a difference.
Bingo!
Did you know that John Kerry was a decorated Vietnam Vet?
unless Hillary gets caught having sex with a horse the day before the election [Insiders tell me that she is planning this in order to assure the Jockey vote.]
It's a word not permitted here when used like the poster used it. DUH on you.
It's certainly not a stupid comment in context. There are folks on both sides going over the top. Claiming it's just one side is incorrect. I just asked yuor opinion on that one comment.
I know (strongly believe, anyway) that you don't feel the people who publish facts about Rudy are KKK'ers.
I may be mistaken about electability, but I feel electing Rudy will only get us the lesser of two liberals. There is enough time to get a decent candidate like Hunter to the fore.
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