Posted on 05/19/2009 4:31:55 PM PDT by pissant
Fred Malek, a heavyweight Republican fundraiser and kingmaker, has singled out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the GOP’s leading contender in the early stages of the 2012 Republican presidential derby.
In a largely unnoticed post to his blog late last week, Malek, a wealthy businessman who served as national finance co-chair of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, ranked Romney No. 1 on a list of influential Republicans “who might both lead our party back and who might be our nominee in 2012.”
Malek, who did not return an email requesting comment from POLITICO, blogged that Romney has “the established organization, fundraising network, time, and talent to get the nomination this time” and predicted he could “be in the best position when the serious campaigning begins in early 2011.”
Though Malek conceded Romney “does retain an image problem with some Republicans, who are not sold on his conservative credentials or upset with him for changing his emphasis of issues from his time as governor to presidential candidate,” he called Romney “self-aware and very smart.”
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who is popular among fiscal conservatives, ranked second on Malek’s list. Sanford recently attended a dinner with major GOP donors at Malek’s McLean, Va., home. The dinner, held the night before this month’s White House Correspondents Association event, was intended to help party donors shop for a 2012 candidate.
Malek praised Sanford’s initial stand against accepting federal stimulus funds and asserted he “could be a challenger to Mitt or on the ticket if he decides to go that way.”
Malek, the founder and chairman of Thayer Capital Partners, also invited Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the dinner but Palin was unable to attend due to flooding in Alaska and instead sent her husband Todd. In January, Malek hosted her at another dinner in his home on the weekend of Washington’s prestigious Alfalfa Club dinner.
Palin, who ranked sixth on Malek’s list, “is vastly underestimated by the press, has an enormous grasp of issues and a strong devotion to what is important to Alaska, where she will be re-elected easily, and will be the most powerful money and mobilization magnet in GOP for some time,” Malek wrote.
Malek pegged Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour third, praising him as “extremely sound on policies, clear thinking and the best political strategist,” but pointing out “he does not have the best name recognition” and asserting he’s “more likely a king maker than king, but one never knows.”
At No. 4, Malek floated former Vice President Dick Cheney.
“That’s right, I am putting Dick Cheney on this list,” he wrote. “He deserves to be. He is willing and able to take it to Obama, no matter the criticism, and he’s on point in defending the Bush-era policies that led to 8 years of safety.”
“Of course, we know that he won’t run but if the past few weeks tell us anything, he will be around. His presence alone will challenge other future leaders in the party to be more prepared, less squishy and sharper on core issues like foreign policy,” Malek noted.
At No. 5, Malek lists a group of four moderate Republicans who are eying Senate races: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, former New York Gov. George Pataki, Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk and Delaware Congressman Mike Castle. Though he concedes moderates aren’t popular with the GOP base, especially after Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties, Malek asks, “[C]an we ever expect to be a majority party without embracing a tent big [sic] philosophy that encourages those at the middle of the spectrum to think of themselves as Republicans?”
Rounding out the list after Palin are Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell (“able to build a center-right majority”), President Obama’s Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (who had yet to join the administration at the time of Malek’s post), Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan (“a clear and compelling message on economic reform … who will be short-listed for VP in 2012”) and Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor (“My guess is he has what it takes to become Speaker of the House, and I’d bet that one day he will.”).
Really? I thought they were born out of the oppressive Socialism of Obama, Rick Santelli's rant and average American citizens responding to both.
I’m old line GOP and a McCain supporter. I also gave to Ron Paul. He was never in any danger of actually becoming President but I want Liberty back on the front burner. The future GOP is going to start looking a lot like he envisions.
You can search and find several other contemporaneous polls that come very close to this number. I've included an exit poll that examined Biden's "qualification" rating.
I've also included a poll that showed Palin's approval rating about 8 weeks before the election and two weeks before the election. It's clear that she enjoyed fairly strong approval immediately after her nomination, but it quickly began to erode.
The poll taken about 14 days out wasn't as bad as the exit polls, but it wasn't terrific either. She really cratered the last two weeks before the election, probably due in large part to the saturation from the Couric/Gibson interviews as well as the savaging she took from SNL the last three weeks.
http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2008/11/brownstein_on_t.php
http://www.writeslikeshetalks.com/2008/08/31/palin-doing-poorly-wwomen-says-gallup-rasmussen/
So, these kingmakers are responsible for our present king? King Hussein?
hey, I’m glad to hear Oklahomans didn’t hit Gov. Keating with the cult line.
We should plan to beat Romney fair and square and get rid of the developing tradition of smearing our fellow GOPers.
Reagan - practiced voodoo
Buchanan - wanted to sell our nukes to SKorea
McCain - fathered a black child in South Carolina
Romney - tortures enemy combatant dogs on family vacations
With me, if a candidate does get past being a cult-member, I don’t even bother with his politics. He’s *done* at that point...
There's absolutely no evidence to support a claim that Paul attracted any voters to the GOP. Paul certainly appealed to an element that was entirely against the Iraq war, and all foreign military entanglements. There was a word for that movement in the late '30's, isolationists, and it nearly destroyed the Republican party. Paul's youth voters were loyal to Paul and Paul alone.
And my first statement still stands. Anyone who thinks that 9/11 was an "inside" job perpetrated by George Bush and Haliburton operatives so that they could gain control of the world's oil supply, is suffering from paranoid delusion.
Our nation will really be at the end, if Romney is the choice for the GOP.
Just imagine the contrast between a Palin/Jindal type of candidate vs a Romney type
Some wildcards could be Newt and Mitch Daniels of IN.
Is this the same kingmaker who gave us Presidents McCain and Dole?
was Bush43 a cult member? Bush41? JerryFord?
a typo correction... :-)
“With me, if a candidate doesn’t get past being a cult-member, I don’t even bother with his politics. He’s *done* at that point...
—
And while I’m here... another little comment...
You said — “hey, I’m glad to hear Oklahomans didn’t hit Gov. Keating with the cult line.”
Well, if he had been a cult-member, they would have hit him with it. It was a good thing he wasn’t... LOL...
No cult-groups with those guys...
tell us who the cult members are, Star. Eric Cantor?
If you want some help with definitions for cult-groups, as defined by Christians, per the doctrines of Christianity..., a good and solid reference works is...
Kingdom of the Cults
by Walter Martin
[author is dead now, but a husband/daughter team carries on the ministry, and the reference worked has been updated by Ravi Zacharias...]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0764228218
Post #136 gives the standard reference work...
Oh..., and by the way..., the two largest cult groups in the United States are the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have always been considered cult groups from the very beginning of each, per their doctrines, as compared to Christian doctrine and heresy (the reference work I gave will help document that for anyone).
And these two largest cult groups were also “home grown” right here in the U.S. :-)
The AK Dems don’t have a deep bench, thankfully. Bob Poe, an attorney, is asking for money from Daily Kos and other liberal groups to run against Palin in 2010. Poe is an unknown. I don’t see Palin losing to Poe unless she really implodes. She really needs to build a record of accomplishments and show she can handle tough budget problems if she wants to prove she is competent to the Lower 48. SHe do it by serving 8 full years as Governor. If she opts out of re-election in 2010, then she loses credibility as a national candidate. After all, Sanford served 8 years. Huckabee served 10 years as Governor.
Is this say anything and hope it sticks speech?
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