[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Yes, and conventional "wisdom" was that Carter, Reagan, and Clinton couldn't win either. Voters care about the ISSUES....just not way in advance. They haven't enough information yet. Star power won't cover the sin of liberal positions to voting Republicans. Hunter has a better chance of winning than either Guiliani, McCain or Romney.

[BonnieJ]

Other than Ford (appointed), has a Representative ever gone directly to the Presidency?

[vetsvette]

"Star power won't cover the sin of liberal positions to voting Republicans"

Well, voting Republicans will make up about 30% of the voters in 2008 -- unfortunately Dim voters make up about 30% as well and the other 40% are Independents (people without discernible principles). I don't like the odds for Hunter.

By the by, Carter won because Ford's pardon of Nixon (pretty unfair, but the MSM couldn't resist demonizing even a liberal Republican) and Clintoon only won because Bush I broke his word on taxes and gave that terminal nutcase Perot a shot at him with Republicans.

I can't imagine who, other than the idiot left-wing, thought that Reagan couldn't win. Beating the moronic Jimmah didn't take much charisma I can tell you. Reagan just had to prove he'd never raised peanuts and understood that stagflation could actually be dealt with and America didn't have to take the kind of crap from Iran that Jimmy seemed to think we deserved.