Posted on 11/22/2008 11:56:31 AM PST by 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?)
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I agree with some of your points. I was even excited about Palin and still like her, but she just needs a huge education and fast. She can do it as she has plenty of time (well 2 years). Romney is a bit stiff but when he gave that speech at CPAC everyone was moved and excited about him. Of course that was the day he selflessly left the trail. Not like Huckster who lingered as the laughing stock he is.
They don’t care.
You forgot to include South Carolina Gov — Mark Sanford.
Now, a Jindal/Sanford ticket or even vice versa will inspire me.
Huckabee would be fine; he’s socially conservative and I’m sure he’ll get other positions in order over time. That said, he’s moved on, gotten some opinion TV and radio shows, and is obviously going to be somebody who we will know a lot about and with whom we can speak. And he may not even want to run.
The only one who would be a disaster is Romney, who I read is even now using his huge campaign chest to start his campaign for the nomination. I wouldn’t vote for him, because he was a raving big-government, give away taxpayer bucks type of governor, and only became pro-life and anti-gay “marriage” when he had to do so to conform to the GOP platform.
My daughter lives in SC and is not very impressed by Sanford. How would you sum up his positions?
Speaking of smoking crack, Obama’s biggest weakness was economics. Unfortunately, McCain was even weaker. A Romney-Palin ticket would have mopped the floor with Obama-Biden.
And what are Romney's "serious accomplishments?" The Olympics? Please. MassHealth? Barf.
BTW, I see a President-elect who can't accomplish the arduous task of producing his own birth certificate.
What? No Mark Sanford?
I for one cringe at the thought of MSM treatment of a Mormon nominee. Sadly, that is one big reason Romney will never be president.
Romney/MCain 2012
If we’re going to lose, let’s lose big!
I agree with you there.
There is no chance that Romney would have even considered Gov. Palin, let alone put her on the ticket.
I could support Jindal/Sanford.
No way. That kind of thinking gave us Bush 41.
who I read is even now using his huge campaign chest to start his campaign for the nomination.
You have to admit this guy is smart. While everyone else is goofing off, once again Romney is out there working hard. This guy should be highly respected for his family values and work ethic at least. He may have made a few mistakes along the way, but he is a good person.
That works.
I could support Jindal/Sanford.
Palin / Jindal, Huck and Rom or whomever, is only part of the show. We have to have a tried and true, well oiled machine on EVERY FRONT otherwise we will be eating dim dirt for a long time to come.
Somehow, we must turn the media against ohbummer and in doing so, help the conservative cause. What we MUST not let him do is cut by X and increase by a smaller Y and take credit for a net loss.
The Spin stops here my friends
Now if only we could get our fellow FRiends on board with this. I am sure that even the position of Treasury Secretary for Romney would come with scorn and negativity. I think at least on Free Republic, Romney gets the most negativity that is in 99.9 percent unfair.
True. And like a dummy, admitted it on camera.
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