The Long-Distance Runner (Be afraid, be very afraid for 2012)

Boston.com ^

[Replace all Democrats]

Just before Thanksgiving last year, a group of former aides to Mitt Romney convened at his salmon-colored Belmont home, many of them gathering for the first time since Romney had disbanded his presidential campaign some nine months before. Romney had invited them for a post-mortem of the election weeks earlier, the type of dispassionate assessment that the Harvard Business School alumnus so enjoyed. But over cookies, they found few of the metrics for success that Romney prized -- Republicans had been decisively thumped at all levels -- and his attention shifted from 2008 to the future.

[AzaleaCity5691]

Italians, Irish, Polish, Germans, and so on. I guess a better word to use would have been white Catholic but the main point of that was more of a dig at Jindal, who I believe would have real electability problems out of the gate and because if we are to run a Southerner it should be someone like Barbour or Riley

[HereInTheHeartland]

“I do believe that she cost us a lot of votes.”

BullClinton...

She added 10 points to McCain.

The fact is, Obama had the momentum and the glassy eyed fanatical part of the electorate behind him. He would have been hard to beat in 2008.

Palin is a true conservative who electrified many of us. She opened our eyes to seeing that true conservative ideas could be articulated and won with.

She got me off my butt to make phone calls and give money.

[MHGinTN]

WSe know, n00b, ‘your’ principles. Such selfishness is the hallmark of what the DNC counts upon to continue winning. Now, if you want to discuss fundamental values, that's a bit different from shouting ‘your’ principles. You see, n00b, there are certain fundamental values which should not be compromised so that voters know where you stand. Ont he other hand, there is the axiom that politics is the art of compromise. Principles the left will compromise, but their fundamental values of anti-capitalism and societal engineering they do not ever compromise. Until you grow up a bit more, you will be more of a hindrance to conservative values leading the Pubby party. Learn where you may compromise without doing violence to your fundamental values ... that's a sign of actual conservatism rather than dnc talking points methodology for keeping conservatives divided into little cliques hallmarked by the vagaries of ‘your’ principles.

[Mariner]

As far as I can tell, Romney is more liberal than McCain!

I honestly believe that if Palin does her homework and pays her dues over the next couple of years, the nomination would be hers...should she choose to take it.

There's a revolutionary cry in the air...

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Romney: The same old, same old. Can a tiger change his stripes? I don’t think so. What we need is young, vibrant conservative candidates that people will support. And more importantly where do they stand with respect to the many problems which face the United States?

There is something about these guys which can’t admit that they are loosers and has beens. They still have money, perhaps position, trophy wives, etc - but they are losers. We need to shake the bushes and turn up some viable candidates.

[Castlebar]

And, I’m sorry to say this, but I think the election of Obama, Bush II, and Clinton indicate that from here on out, in the Video driven media age, you have to have at least a modicum of charm. Charisma, personality, whatever you want to call it. And it’s got to be translatable on the tube.

I would suggest two things -

First, ever since the passing of the 19th amendment (women's suffrage,) no president has had facial hair.

Second, ever since the passage of the 26th amendment (lowering voting age to 18, the winning candidate has been the candidate from the two major parties generally perceived to be the "least un-cool."

1976: Ford had been portrayed as clumsy bumbler; Carter: New and exciting.

1980: Carter's lack of coolness made even Reagan look cool by comparison.

1984: Reagan may not have been cool, but Mondale was the caricature of the old party hack.

1988 GH Bush was probably the 2nd least cool candidate in history having the good fortune to be running against the all-time least cool Michael "Tank-Man" Dukakis.

1988: Clinton was possibly the slickest candidate ever, and used the democratic party's ownwership of the MSM to perfection.

1996: Few candidates ever had as little grip on public perception as Dole.

2000: George W was never cool - and probably lost the popular vote (we'll never know.) But Al Gore truly thought he was God's Gift, and made W look cool by comparison.

2004: Kerry was the second copming of Al Gore.

2008: From immediately after the 2004 election, Newsweak (with its infamous Seeing Purplecover, and the rest of the MSM, started preparing the US to recognize that there were two kinds of people; the cool and the racist.

I hesitate to guess what awaits us in 2012.

[af_vet_rr]

However, we have worked very hard at chasing away Mitt voters, and Mormons in general, since last year.

I don't necessarily agree with chasing away all Mormons (just chase away the RINOs), but are you including Glenn Beck's followers since next to Romney he's the highest-profile Mormon involved in politics and since he talks about being a Mormon so much (much more than Romney)? Beck is an adult convert to Mormonism as well.

These days, Beck maybe an even higher-profile Mormon than Romney. Between his Mormonism and being a Libertarian, I'm surprised as many FReepers follow him as there are. My reasons for not being a fan of his have nothing to do with his being a Mormon or Libertarian, but I've found it interesting how many like him so much.

[Allegra]

We need Senator Jim DeMint!!!!!

I really only began noticing him this year and I like what I've seen.

[PhilDragoo]

I don't see him getting past Iowa.

WHO-AM Des Moines Steve Deace and Jan Mickleson ate his lunch last time.

And despite massive pamphleting and phone blitz his performance was poor relative to expense.

His cowardly attacks on Sarah Palin make his candidacy DOA if he had no other political history.

But I hear the hum of his air pumps trying to reinflate himself.

[Darnright]

>2000: George W was never cool - and probably lost the popular vote (we'll never know.) <

And we know the MSM didn't tell the Florida panhandle voters the polls had already closed in their region. We know all of the military votes were counted.

[jocon307]

I think your quantification of “least un-cool” is right on, not coolest, least un-cool, exactly.

Also, I’m reminded of something a friend of mine told me, I forget how far back it goes, certainly a 20th century thing, but I’m not sure when it kicks in. The candidate with “the best smile” wins. She told me that when Bush & Gore were running (my friend is a big libertarian type, so she wanted neither of them), I said: for sure Bush will win. Which, in the end, he did.

Now, one thing I will say for the big O, he does have a great smile. He also has a dreadful scowl, so I hope we’ll have him in full grump mode by ‘12.

[broncobilly]

including their presidential prophecy, will come to national light.

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I am not aware of that one. Enlighten us.

[TigersEye]

How was McCain a disasterous candidate?

• Leading proponent of Global Warming.
• Bought and paid for by Soros.
• Tried to supply arms to KLA terrorists.
• Leading proponent of Shamnesty.
• Co-author of McCain/Feingold the most unAmerican legislation ever put into law.
• Constantly supporting Dems over Republicans.

[ari-freedom]

“Your preaching to the choir here. You could probably count the Mittbots at FR on one hand.”

this wasn’t the case during the primaries when it seemed like 95% of FR was smitten with mitt love. And he also had ann coulter, ingraham, basically everybody who wrote or spoke for the conservative movement.

[Diogenesis]

"Yes, I am responsible for Obama winning. It is my stategery.
How is it working out for you?"

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Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers, some of whom are currently working for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin's bid for the White House,
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide, now working for McCain-Palin.
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
He's in charge on November 5th.'"
The Prowler added: "Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."
The Romney supporters in the McCain campaign had access to internal polling which indicated well in advance of the November 4 election that McCain had no chance to win.
So they began working to position their man Mitt for a run in 2012. Just two days after the election,The Palmetto Scoop reported:
"One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
These aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.
Erick Erickson, who organized Operation Leper, said:
"Here’s what I think: I think there are some staffers on the McCain campaign who seriously screwed up the roll out of Sarah Palin, to which Governor Palin herself objected.
These staffers are now out trying to finish her off thinking, as typical D.C. types do, that if they don’t do it to her, she’ll do it to them. They just never understood who Palin is or what she is about."
"Likewise, I do think there are some staffers and others who expect Mitt Romney to run again in 2012,
they decided McCain could not win, and decided to undermine Sarah Palin and her chances hoping it would ingratiate themselves with Mitt Romney."

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"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign? (Mark Wallace, Romney pimp)
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."

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Who benefits most from Sanford meltdown? Californian (that's right) Mitt Romney

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"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

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Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:

Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"

Said Novak: "The rumors were traced in part to Mitt Romney's campaign,
trying to stir up strife between McCain and Thompson."

"Despite outspending his rivals by huge margins throughout the primaries,
(Mitt Romney, Carpetbagger UT,CA,MA,NH,Mexico) lost Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and California.
The only primaries he won were in Michigan, where Dad was governor; LDS states;
and a few states on Super Tuesday in which his California-obsessed rivals
couldn't spare the cash to advertise.
Only John Connolly in 1968 had a worse cash-to-delegates ratio.
And John McCain rightly did not like Romney's tactics during the primaries.
(W)hen (Romney's early leads) started slipping away, he resorted to unfair,
distorted, scorched-earth negative ads, betting that his opponents couldn't
afford to spend enough for the truth to catch up to his charges."
[Romney: A Mistake for McCain, 7/23/2008, Dick Morris]

[ari-freedom]

“We should have run a Hispanic, a Hispanic woman or a woman who could have at least held her own intellectually”

so you mean someone like Linda Chavez?

[Diogenesis]

FLASHBACK:

FRee Republic Member Opinion
Thompson 66.8% 1,658 - WINNER
Romney 12.7% 315

Post Election Rasmussen poll - GOP voters:
Palin -- 64% - WINNER
Huckabee -- 12%
Romney -- 11%

Pick one:

Sarah Palin/John Bolton 2012

Mitt Romney/Perez Hilton 2012

[ari-freedom]

"if we are to run a Southerner it should be someone like Barbour or Riley"

barbour would be like running boss hogg from the dukes of hazzard. sorry, but it is true and the same goes for newt or Fred.

[ari-freedom]

“Palin is a true conservative who electrified many of us. “She opened our eyes to seeing that true conservative ideas could be articulated and won with.”

I don’t know if she is the true conservative. She sure didn’t sound like one when she had to go with mccain but she was VP...she had to go along with mccain. I’ll give her that.
Now she’s on her own. I don’t even know if she’s even planning on running for anything but if she does: what’s her position on tax reform, Israel, TARP, etc? There’s a lot we just need to know.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

The only way to protect the party from another McCain type RINO being foisted upon us is to close the primaries and reconfigure the calendar for them by eliminated the over-whelming influence of Iowa and New Hampshire.