Palin vs. Romney. If both seek the presidency, it could split the Republican party.

National Review ^ | 03/01/2011 | Ramesh Ponnuru

[SeekAndFind]

Two potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination have been described as

[Huck]

Are we willing to accept another 4 years of Obama by making the next election a split between Conservatives and “Traditional Republicans” aka RINOs? Or are we willing to roll the dice with a common-sense Tea Party Conservative who may have his or her own imperfections but is cast from a different mold, and who stands for more than a political label?

Put it this way: Are we willing to have a national election with the same result as the DE Senate election, and for the same reasons?

[Psalm 144]

This guy should find something to do because he has too much time on his hands and this also shows just which way the National Review is leaning.

******************

Ditto Fox.

[Steel Wolf]

I really don't see how this is different from any other nominee process. Yeah, there's different candidates. They have different supporters. It 'splits the party' until someone is nominated. I'm not really seeing any indications that Palin or Romney are going to be as vicious as, ... say, Hillary and Obama were.

So, don't try and make drama where there is none. This ain't a big deal.

[Roklok]

STOP running people just because it is their turn. This is what happened with Bob Dole and John McCain. It is not Romney’s turn!

[Huck]

Excellent post. I concur.

[Steel Wolf]

I really don't see how this is different from any other nominee process. Yeah, there's different candidates. They have different supporters. It 'splits the party' until someone is nominated. I'm not really seeing any indications that Palin or Romney are going to be as vicious as, ... say, Hillary and Obama were.

So, don't try and make drama where there is none. This ain't a big deal.

[mjp]

a straight-up power struggle between the tea parties and the Republican establishment

similar to Goldwater vs Rockefeller,1964

[SMARTY]

Exactly! There is no time left for fine distinctions about the KIND of Conservatism practiced by THIS RINO or THAT RINO. They consistently prove themselves to be too compliant with DC Liberals.

The Tea Party Conservatives have basically invalidated the RNC and I don't think GOP ‘establishment’ Republicans can reinvent themselves in time to field a candidate the Tea Party will accept.

[sport]

To answer your question. The Establishment Republicans do not want to win. If it is Mitt, Huck, Rudy, or John Mc Cain who will be the best candidate to insure that that is what will happen.

They will never nominate Sarah Palin, Herman Cain,Demint, or Allen West. If, by some miracle , one of the four gets the nomination, they will do everything in their power to sabatog their campaigns.

They are more than enough Palin haters, a/k/a latent obama supporters, on this forum to do the job on her.

[McGruff]

my ultra-conservative friends.

Please enlighten us with the presidential choice of "ultra-conservatives".

[Diogenesis]

Milt Romney is ineligible AND does not deserve
the GOP nomination because he attacked the previous
GOP candidates through his agents.

Milt Romney IS ObamaCARE, and IS the BIG-DIG Coverup
and IS the flip flop RINO that Obama DREAMS of challenging.

[ReneeLynn]

Oh yeah, we’ll just unite behind another candidate cause you say so Mr. Jackass. Who the heck does this writer think he is and who is he really working for? If we don’t get behind Sarah, Romney’s the kid. Or Newt. I don’t think I’ll be taking this guy’s advice like a chump.

[Fresh Wind]

For instance, do you think that she's a quitter?

Quitting her job as governor will be a very serious problem for her in the general election. Not for her hard core supporters, but for the squishy swing voters that she will need to beat Sheik Hussein. Imagine the campaign ads showing her facing an international crisis, and then quitting.

I've heard all the arguments justifying her action, so don't bother repeating them. If her resignation coincided with her announcement of candidacy, that wouldn't be so bad, but quitting and almost immediately showing up on Fox News, that will put off a lot of voters.

[jla]

This is a Republican Party issue. No concern of yours or the ‘pimple on the arse of American politics’ - the AIP.

[TexasPatriot1]

As of right now, none to report.
Kinda wish Cain would do something here.
But we are still looking.

[bigbob]

Probably a good analogy, at least from today’s perspective. Things can change, but generally leopards don’t change their spots quickly - just look at how long it took after 9/11 before the lies and attacks from the left against Bush ratcheted right back up again.

One point in Palin’s favor - she’s been scrutinized more than any candidate in history I’d say. She’s definitely not a witch.

[Diogenesis]

"One of the traditional methods of imposing statism
or socialism on people has been by way of medicine..."
President Ronald Reagan

Death Panels imposed by Mitt Romney (ObamaCARE=RomneyCARE).

[Psalm 144]

“...[I]f Palin won the nomination by a whisker, Romney’s supporters would back her in the general election.”

I disagree. If she won, the whole Bush/Rove/Romney amalgamation would open fire with everything they have got aimed right between her shoulderblades. “We’ve got your back”, voodoo Republican style.

Then they would run Jeb in an effort to fool us the third time, following the second Obama term.

[r9etb]

Our nominee will be running against ObamaCare, so how in the world can the RomneyCare creator run against his own program?

And that would be a poltical mistake of the first order.

The winning issues are the ones John Boehner has begun laying out: government overreach,spending, and deficits. They're huge and, quite frankly, terrifying issues. And also, Obama's feckless and rudderless foreign policy. Those are winning issues.

ObamaCare can be lumped in as an excellent example of the overreach and deficit spending, but as a fundamental campaign issue it plays right into the Democrats' hands -- "So, Mr. Republican, who are you going to let die because you want to repeal this.....?"

I think Boehner's approach is actually part of a Congressional strategy for 2012. I think a winning presidential campaign will go the same route. I think the single-issue folks in the party have missed the unease caused by Obama's deficits; and somebody like Daniels, who has been talking about them and trying to do something about it, might do unexpectedly well in the primaries.

[Huck]

Quitting her job as governor will be a very serious problem for her in the general election. Not for her hard core supporters,

Just for the other 80% of GOP voters, plus independents and leaning DEMs.