"Mike, you shouldn't run...."
Posted on 09/04/2009 11:59:39 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Top Republicans, inspired by President Barack Obama’s recent drop in popularity, are newly optimistic about their chances of challenging him in 2012 and are focusing on some surprising names.
Some major donors and GOP strategists have approached Joe Scarborough, the host of MSNBC’s "Morning Joe,” about a national run, according to party sources.
Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas, the Republican nominee in 1996, told POLITICO that he would like to see Army four-star Gen. David Petraeus — the head of the U.S. Central Command, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan — run for president as a latter-day Ike.
Some fiscal conservatives, convinced that they’ll never “out-Obama Obama,” are sold on a solid-but-unflashy choice: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) was able to generate some early buzz — and news coverage — simply by telegraphing plans for a quick trip to Iowa later this year.
Then there is freshman Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor who cut a high profile as an opponent of the Obama administration’s auto industry strategy and keynoted the South Carolina GOP’s annual dinner in May.
“Several GOP candidates are coming to the view that the way to run against Obama is not to out-Obama Obama with flash or sizzle,” said Dan Senor, an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Bush administration veteran. “They want to go in the opposite direction: smart, back-to-basics, competence.”
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I'm a proponent of the "what's in a name" theory of candidate viability. The theory states that candidates with funny-sounding names are at an automatic disadvantage.
My sense of the uninformed electorate -- which comprises most of the voters -- is that they go with the candidate who "sounds nicest." Names are a big part of that equation: the undecided will vote for the guy with the best name.
"Corker" is, unfortunately, one of those names that the undecided would not choose.
This theory obviously assumes that elections often turn on the emotional responses of incredibly shallow voters.
I should think that our current president proves the soundness of that assumption.
I like Mike Pence too. I hope there are no skeltons preventing him from running.
The same wizards of smarts that gave us McCain.
No thanks.
Palin/Bachmann ‘12
““Then there is freshman Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor”
Uh... no.
Disregard previous response.
"Mike, you shouldn't run...."
Petraeus has already said, no way. Joe? Who is writing this stuff? 6th graders?
Joe Scarborough
WILL NOT BE FORCED DOWN MY THROAT BY THE MEDIA.
NEVER!
seems the country club rinos need some sacrificial annodes at this stage to keep the true conservatives at bay.
NO CURRENT CONGRESSCRITTERS. Please.
Just thinking out loud but:
Demint/Pence 2012
No Joe!
I have a novel idea:
Let’s choose from the conservative candidates who WANT to run.
Joe Who?
You mean you wouldn’t even vote for a RINO to save us from thobama? How could you?
Scarborough?
Scarborough?
Please, not this dolt...
Mourning Joe?
I don’t think so.
General Petraeus?
What do we really know about his politics?
At least they’re not talking Sarah Palin.
What I’d like to see is a vigorous primary debate, and this time around, letting the best person win.
We have a lot of serious problems in this country, and 0bama compounds them daily.
We need a candidate who will be able to sell the Right solutions to the American public, and then have the ability to get them done.
We’re going to need someone of real substance, not just a political calculation of who would look best on TV next to 0bama.
In other news, the New York Yankees are eying Olive Oyl to become their first female designated hitter.
Corker seems to be entrenched in the McCain/Grahamnesty wing of the party - a mushy get-a-longer. No?
Isn’t this the RINO clown that stuck up for Michelle Obama when the Tenn GOP was running ads against her “pride” in America speech?
Petraeus would be quite an interesting candidate . . might even enter the race as front-runner.
Scarborough? I am not sure he would run as a Republican, honestly.
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