Gallup: Palin top choice of Republicans to run in 2012

hotair.com ^ | November 22, 2008 | Allahpundit

[Free ThinkerNY]

They’re asking whether various candidates should run, not who the nominee should be, but it’s a fair proxy for enthusiasm. 67 percent say yes to the ‘Cuda, 62 to Romney, 61 to Huck. No one else cracks 50. Among conservative Republicans, it’s Palin 73, Huck 65, Mitt 64; among moderates and liberals, Mitt 59, Palin 48, Huck 46. Based on those numbers, it’s actually Romney who’s best positioned to unite the party.

The more I think about it, the more skeptical I am that all three will run. Even I’m not pessimistic enough to believe the recession will last until 2012, which means The One will inevitably be credited with having succeeded in his chief task by the time his term ends. Huckabee will run anyway because he’s hot to remake the party in his image, but Romney doesn’t strike me as eager for another expensive primary war just to be a sacrificial lamb in the general. My hunch is he’ll run only if Obama looks vulnerable and, even then, only if there are enough social cons running to split the base among them so that his strength with moderates is magnified. (It worked for McCain this year, didn’t it?) If he doesn’t run, I assume Pawlenty will throw in and try to capture those moderates with his “Sam’s Club” rhetoric. He won’t win, but he desperately needs a higher profile if he’s going to make a serious run in the future. (It worked for Huckabee this year, didn’t it?)

[org.whodat]

And how many of them know who the speaker of the house is???

[E. Cartman]

If they do pick Huckster than I pray we lose. That is how serious I am about that idiot.

The MSM and the democrats picked McCain for the GOP, and unless the GOP changes it's primary rules, they'll pick their candidate for them again. They'll pick the craziest, least-electable person, and that will be Huckabee.

[napscoordinator]

Flip floppers don’t appeal to me, regardless of their area of expertise.

Obviously they do...we got McCain. A flip flopper on tax cuts.

[napscoordinator]

Oh please. Romney is brilliant in economics. That is proven everywhere. Your right Palin WAS successful but with her not working for three months. She was discussing that she needs to get back to Alaska as the budget surplus is falling away due to oil going down. We will see if she can handle this crisis.

[napscoordinator]

I don’t care if Romney is President as long he is somewhere in the administration. Vice President is fine or treasury sec or something like that.

[mombrown1]

Sanford or Jindal/Palin

[napscoordinator]

The MSM and the democrats picked McCain for the GOP, and unless the GOP changes it’s primary rules, they’ll pick their candidate for them again. They’ll pick the craziest, least-electable person, and that will be Huckabee.

I know. It is scary that we have to rely on New Hampshire and Iowa to basically chose our candidate. Huckster will probably be the pick and that is why I already have it in my mind that Obama is a two term President. It seriously was bad enough to vote for McCain this year and only Sarah really sealed the deal but to keep having to force myself to vote for losers is getting tiring. I would need a lot of convincing to vote for Huckster. I would have to be completely DRUNK!!!

[Diogenesis]

During a real crisis no one should take the "advice" of a failed ex-GovernorRomney
who --when Massachusetts' economy was roaring--, busted it,
and got a "C"-rating from the Cato Institute.
And that was even before Romney's fascist socialist RomneyCARE was installed.

Romney also betrayed President Bush. Here are the facts.

"As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years, but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent, nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace.
* While 8 million Americans over age 16 found work between 2002 and 2006, the number of employed Massachusetts residents actually declined by 8,500 during those years.
"Massachusetts was the only state to have failed to post any gain in its pool of employed residents," professors Sum and McLaughlin concluded.
In an April 2003 meeting with the Massachusetts congressional delegation in Washington, Romney failed to endorse President Bush's $726 billion tax-cut proposal.
[Cato Institute annual Fiscal Policy Report Card - America's Governors, 2004.]

Romney: “Make all the promises you have to...”

---

Now compare with a Conservative winner:

Alaska House OKs Gas Pipeline Plan for North Slope - July 23, 2008
JUNEAU, Alaska -- Alaska's House of Representatives has approved a company's plan
to pursue a natural gas pipeline that could unlock 4.5 billion cubic feet of gas reserves a day.
Lawmakers in Alaska's House voted to support Gov. Sarah Palin's proposal to award TransCanada Corp.
an exclusive license to pursue federal certification for the 1,715-mile North Slope pipeline.

---

avacado:

"For anyone interested, go read up on the Alaska Highway Pipeline that Sarah Palin
negotiated to be built by TransCanada Corp. Sarah busted the chops of ExxonMobil,
ConnocoPhillips and BP who had been sitting on their butts for years not wantingbr
to build a much needed gas pipeline coming off the North Slope. In doing so,
this new pipeline will provide the USA with 6%-8% of natural gas needs. Iran, Russia,
and Qatar are in the process of forming a natural gas cartel. Sarah Palin just beat those
three countries in a geopolitical economic war and put the USA on the road
to ensured independence for our natural gas needs.

[mombrown1]

Not conservative enough

[TheZMan]

I don’t remember ever saying I support McCain except when compared to Obama :) My primary problem with McCain was amnesty.

[mombrown1]

You betcha!

[livius]

Unless Jindal gets disqualified because his parents were not American citizens at the time of his birth, I think that’s a great idea. People don’t know about Alaska and would probably respond better to somebody from the Lower 48.

Osama blocked out Hawaii and pretended he was from Chicago. While I don’t think this is any recommendation, Garrison Keiler swooned over him and called him a “son of the prairies.” I kid you not.

But I bet that Palin could pick a VP from the Lower 48 and win it on her own.

[FrankR]

Any speculation that he would have done any better than McLame, is just that...speculation.

I was the democrats who cross-voted and put McLame on the ticket, as they thought he was the weakest of the opponents...which I agree.

Actually, I wasn't crazy about any of the candidates in the primary, and when they picked mclame, I vowed to just stay home. However, when he picked Palin and I heard her, I was recharged, as was most of the base.

First impressions always count, especially with voters... and my first impression of Romney was that of a stuff, rich guy - the GOP version of Edwards. I was never excited about him at all. At first I like Thompson, but he fizzled out like a roman candle; I didn't figure Huck would win because the media had him branded as a religious nut from the git-go.

As for the rest of the field, I don't even remember who they were...

As for Palin, if I were her I wouldn't run in 2012 if you paid me megabucks. Actually, she could make enough now from speaking and book/movid deals to retire comfortably for the rest of her days.

In closing, unless the conservatives in this country start worrying about how to reform the media, and quash the political machine that controls the elections, there's never going to be another GOP President anyway.

[mombrown1]

Huck’s too liberal.

[mombrown1]

That’s why he is in Iowa this weekend?

[napscoordinator]

I didn’t actually say you did. I was referring to Free Republic members in general. But we really didn’t have much choice but to support him...lol.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Beware Willard and his rat friends.

[mombrown1]

Sanford from SC was in DC begging congress to stop the bailouts. they weren’t going to work.

[moose2004]

I like all 5 of these possibilities:

Jindal/Hoeven (Gov of N Dakota)
Jindal/Rounds (Gov of S Dakota)
Jindal/Huntsman (Gov of Utah)
Jindal/Pence
Jindal/Cantor

[buccaneer81]

Romney all the way!

Then enjoy another four years of a crack smoking foreigner in the White House.