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Huntsman strategist: If Palin and Limbaugh dominate, GOP 'headed for a blowout' in 2012
Washington Examiner ^ | 05/18/09 | Byron York

Posted on 05/18/2009 7:22:04 AM PDT by redk

The Republican strategist who helped Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman prepare for a possible presidential run says the Republican party is in for a devastating defeat if its guiding lights are Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. "If it's 2012 and our party is defined by Palin and Limbaugh and Cheney, then we're headed for a blowout," says strategist John Weaver, who advised Huntsman and was for years a close adviser to Sen. John McCain. "That's just the truth."

Huntsman, a favorite of GOP moderates, left the Republican presidential race last week after accepting President Obama's offer to become U.S. ambassador to China. Before that, Huntsman appeared to be working hard on preparations for 2012. "He had not made a decision to run for president, but he had made a decision to prepare to run," says Weaver. "We were probably a month away from announcing the formation of a political action committee, so we were pretty far down the road."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Utah
KEYWORDS: 2012gopprimary; byronyork; huntsman; huntsman4romney; limbaugh; mccain4obama; mccainiac; nomorerinos; palin; purgetherinos; rino; rinoromney; rinotraitor; romney; rush; talkradio; time2partyagain; waronrush; waronsarah
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To: Clint N. Suhks

“They didn’t follow because they were leading”

No the country clubbers were leading it was the moderates that voted Dem. After talking about abandoning the party conservatives on this board voted for McCain and then later on claimed that conservatives stayed home. Some did but for the most part the past 8 years was nothing more than a lack of responsiveness to anyone including conservatives and moderates (accept of course those who were paying the bills.)


101 posted on 05/18/2009 8:19:44 AM PDT by bilhosty (Tax payers for change)
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To: redk
He might come home soon. Communist China may be too far to the right for him. They aren't gay friendly and don't have open borders.
102 posted on 05/18/2009 8:19:44 AM PDT by puroresu (Enjoy ASIAN CINEMA? See my Freeper page for recommendations (REALLY & TRULY updated!).)
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard

Yes, indeed. Another prescription for defeat.


103 posted on 05/18/2009 8:22:01 AM PDT by MBB1984
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To: redk
"If it's 2012 and our party is defined by Palin and Limbaugh and Cheney, then we're headed for a blowout," says strategist John Weaver, who advised Huntsman and was for years a close adviser to Sen. John McCain. "That's just the truth."

He's right and he doesn't even know it. If the party is defined by Palin and Limbaugh, 2010/2012 will be 1994 all over again -- the Republicans will blowout the Democrats.

104 posted on 05/18/2009 8:24:28 AM PDT by Ol' Sparky (Liberal Republicans are the greater of two evils)
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To: Ol' Sparky


Hey, what can I say, I'm going to kick some @#$ in 2012
105 posted on 05/18/2009 8:26:27 AM PDT by Scythian
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To: Ranald S. MacKenzie

“He still thinks Palin is damaged goods.”

She may well be. It may well be that the MSM has locked in a view of Palin that makes her hard to elect over Obama.

The comparison might be with Mondale in 1980 and then 1984 vs Reagan. Mondale made no inroads over where Carter was in 1980.

It’s a matter for the swing voters to decide though, and neither pundits nor base GOP voters are the ones to make that call. We know Palin is popular with the GOP base, and the more other politicians go wobbly, the more the base will gravitate to Palin.


106 posted on 05/18/2009 8:29:54 AM PDT by WOSG (Why is Obama trying to bankrupt America with $16 trillion in spending over the next 4 years?)
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To: redk

As I said before, Choco-Carter is trying to make a “Trojan Horse” out of this mamby-pamby Republican, Jon Huntsman. This is actually quite clever of Choco.


107 posted on 05/18/2009 8:31:57 AM PDT by prismsinc (A.K.A. "The Terminator"!)
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To: redk

Quite the dilemma for RINO’s. Kick Limbaugh, Palin, and Cheney out from under their BIG TENT and risk losing voters like me OR ... EMBRACE capitalism, the constitution, freedom, lower taxes, the 2nd amendment, traditional marriage, and a pro-life platform and risk losing those old GOP standard bearers like 96 year old Mrs. McCain and her granddaughter Megan?


108 posted on 05/18/2009 8:37:40 AM PDT by carmody
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To: Bringbackthedraft

He’s LDS, a billionaire heir, and a Mod Squad favorite.

Yeah, let’s just take the most unelectable and able-to-stereotype parts of the GOP, marry it to the worst political positioning to ruin the GOP brand ... and pretend thats genius.

yeah, McCain’s advisor. Figures.


109 posted on 05/18/2009 8:42:12 AM PDT by WOSG (Why is Obama trying to bankrupt America with $16 trillion in spending over the next 4 years?)
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To: drpix

THE GOP NEEDS TO DUMP WEAVER...NO CANDIDATE SHOULD HIRE OR TAKE ADVISE FROM HIM AGAIN!

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8624.html

This is not the first time Weaver finds himself in the middle of an uproar. A brooding, volatile, longtime top strategist who serves as a favorite inside source for political reporters, Weaver had a high-profile falling-out with Karl Rove in the late 1980s and a well-publicized reunion with him a decade and a half later. In 2002, Weaver left the Republican Party, worked for Democratic candidates, and then returned to McCain’s side shortly afterward.

Even after quitting the McCain campaign last summer in a staff shake-up, Weaver still maintains close ties to remaining staffers, he told Politico on Thursday, though his role remains minor.

Weaver vigorously maintains that he is loyal to McCain. “Not one day has gone by that I have not talked to campaign leadership, … that I haven’t tried to help him become president,” he said.

A former executive director of the Texas Republican Party, Weaver first gained national prominence when he served as political director to McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign. When McCain suffered demoralizing losses in that race, which was marked by ugly intraparty conflicts in places like South Carolina, Weaver became disillusioned with the Republican Party.

In early 2002, Weaver left the GOP and registered as a Democrat in Manhattan. By May, he was consulting for the House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, plotting strategies to defeat Republicans. The DCCC’s then-executive director was Howard Wolfson, now chief spokesman for Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Soon after, though, Weaver was back with McCain, orchestrating a public reconciliation with President Bush after the acrimony of the 2000 campaign. Putting together that meeting required that he make peace with his old nemesis Rove. Yet during the same campaign, Weaver was reported to be informally advising John F. Kerry and discussing with him the prospect of a Kerry-McCain ticket.


110 posted on 05/18/2009 8:44:18 AM PDT by roses of sharon
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To: Dick Bachert; 50mm; stockpirate; Eaker; ducdriver; ChrisInAR; AvOrdVet; MaggieCarta; indylindy; ...

...says strategist John Weaver, who advised Huntsman and was for years a close adviser to Sen. John McCain.

The McLame strain is apparently one of the more virulent strains of the deadly RINO virus.

The Juan McCain Truth File.

"I have great respect for Al Gore."
—John McCain, October 2, 2008

FR Keywords: mccaintruthfile, mcqueeg, mcbama

Please tag all relevant threads with the aforementioned keywords.

This can be a very high-volume ping list at times.

To join the ping list:
FReepmail rabscuttle385 with the subject line add  mccaintruthfile.
(Stop getting pings by sending the subject line drop mccaintruthfile.)
 
Republican Commissar’s Warning: By joining this ping list, you may be subjected to the delusional rants and ramblings of McCainiacs, of "moderate" Republicans, of pragmatic conservatives resigned to voting for the lesser of two Democrats, and of countless RNC shills who simply want to meet a new overlord.


111 posted on 05/18/2009 8:44:21 AM PDT by rabscuttle385 ("If this be treason, then make the most of it!" —Patrick Henry)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

“And you conveniently forget that those moderates have been getting their butts handed to them by the Dems in elections throughout the Northeast. In California, moderates such as Arnold completely ruined the GOP party there. Look at Illinois, which also has a GOP run by moderates. “

The mods got killed because they were saddled with the attacks on conservatives and they refused to debunk (in fact aid and abet) the attacks on conservatives.

The conservatives got killed because they were saddled with defending the non-conservative errors/actions of Bush and others Republicans.

The old ‘divide and conquer’ is taking us out. Only when and if we UNITE THE RIGHT will we defeat this trend. The mods need to quit attacking the right and need to start creating common ground response to the Obama era.


112 posted on 05/18/2009 8:45:47 AM PDT by WOSG (Why is Obama trying to bankrupt America with $16 trillion in spending over the next 4 years?)
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To: Bringbackthedraft

I really see no evidence that Palin fired up the independents, in fact indys went for Obama. She absolutely did fire up the conservative base which probably made the McCain/Palin loss much closer.


113 posted on 05/18/2009 8:48:20 AM PDT by mono
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To: redk

I agree it’ll be a blowout. I just think we’re going to be giving the beatdown, not getting it.


114 posted on 05/18/2009 8:49:23 AM PDT by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich! (What'd I say?))
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To: redk

He showed whar a shithead he is when he accepoted an appointment from the Kensian socialist.


115 posted on 05/18/2009 8:50:22 AM PDT by dalereed
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To: mono
Palin was saddled with McCain,an old has-been backstabber of conservative and traditional America.And the stupid old loser won't shut up;just like Jimmy Cahtuh,he keeps chipping away at the foundation of America.

Long ago honorable military service doesn't mean we have to accept the stupid policies of the same person now.

116 posted on 05/18/2009 8:53:01 AM PDT by hoosierham (Waddaya mean Freedom isn't free ?;will you take a credit card?)
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To: carmody

Yup, its funny how Obama being associated with Rev Wright and Ayers didnt hurt him in the election, yet this RINO douchebag seems to think Sarah , Rush, and Cheney are more toxic than the aforementioned anti-American scum.

Out with ALL RINO’s!!! Boot em in the ass and show em the door.


117 posted on 05/18/2009 8:59:11 AM PDT by HailReagan78
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To: Ranald S. MacKenzie

“He still thinks Palin is damaged goods.”

I heard the caller. She was good.

Bennett is damaged goods.


118 posted on 05/18/2009 9:01:40 AM PDT by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
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To: HailReagan78

Attention LIBS, DEMS, and RINO’s:

If I was to run for office, I would do so as a Republican. My entire campaign would be run from RUSH24/7.com. Yes there would be a Blowout.

Anyone who follows that campaign, will have on their hands, a 40+ state Electoral College BLOWOUT!!!

To the 3 aforementioned classes. Save the responses. You will not be able to DAZZLE me with your BRilliance. and THUS, you will not be able to BAFFLE me with your BULL****!!


119 posted on 05/18/2009 9:05:08 AM PDT by gwilhelm56 (Orwell's 1984 - To Conservatives, a WARNING - to Liberals, a TEXTBOOK!)
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To: pnh102

I don’t understand why people are so much promoting Palin, McCain is the one that picked her. It’s interesting how people ignore certain important details when it suits their purpose. The woman should stop doing press releases, it isn’t helping her cause, only reinforcing the image that she is some sort of front woman.


120 posted on 05/18/2009 9:07:03 AM PDT by rodeo-mamma
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