Handicapping '08

08 Nov 04 | Fidelio

[fidelio]

I know we have four more years of The Man in The White House, but I am curious as to what other Freepers think of possible 2008 candidates.

Here is my potential staring grid:

Rudy Giulliani (NY)
Sec. Colin Powell (NY)
Sen. Bill Frist (TN)
Gov. Jeb Bush (FL)
Sen. John McCain (AZ)
Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR)
Gov. Mitt Romney (MA)

In my opinion, Giulliani may be the force here. Although he will need someone to balance out the ticket and appeal to the base. My thinking would be Huckabee, a former Baptist minister who has dumped 110 pounds in a year and is also a "Man from Hope."

Thoughts?

[Diverdogz]

For every Rabid Hillary fan, there are 1.5 equally rabid anti-Hillary Republicans. But you are right, the last two elections were too close for comfort.

We need to keep an eye on Barak Obama in 12 years or so... We need to be grooming a conservative young man to counter that threat. There will be conservative military heros coming out of Iraq....we need to find them for the future.

[tkathy]

Rudy winning NY plus others could absolutely demoralize and destroy the dims. They would not recover for a long time. No one else could possibly do this.

[Diverdogz]

Yes, but since Rudy is practically a democrat, who really wins?

[WoodstockCat]

it's a good point on Allen and name recognition, however, prior to 1998, what name recognition did Bush have short of Texas governor and son of a former President?

Until he stepped into the Presidential ring, there were alot of doubters about Bush also.

Allen is already a strong name in the conservative grassroots and the strong grassroots are what brought out the massive turnout for W.

[WoodstockCat]

McCain/Voinavich 08. You heard it here first.

No!! it hardly fits on a bumper sticker..it rolls off your tongue like Mondale/Ferraro...

j/k.

[WoodstockCat]

Don't discount the grass roots groups and their impact on this process (primary elections). President Bush wasn't their favorite until they learned who the man was "inside" on the 2000 trail.

It's that reason that I think Allen already has a upper hand from a grassroots and organization standpoint.

heck, I don't even know if he'd be interested in running but I really like him..

[Reagan Man]

Mitt Romney is pro-choice and supports both the assault weapons ban and the Brady Bill.

[The Hollywood Conservative]

Yes, but since Rudy is practically a democrat, who really wins?

Practically a Democrat is better than a full blown Marxist ANY DAY.

[Diverdogz]

Do the Democratic and Republican primaries happen at the same time? i.e., will we get to choose our nominee AFTER the Dems choose theirs? The nominee that is chosen second seems to have the advantage, as he can be chosen with the other in mind.

[t_skoz]

Jeb's not a rino, it was just my stupid and over the top criticism. The real issue for him is the "d" word. I for one think it would be innapropriate for anyone from that family to run for President any time soon. In a nation of 290 million people there have to be others we can pick from. I doubt I'm alone in my skepticism.

[t_skoz]

Alright, alright. So my comments were in no way constructive. For that I sort of apologize.

As to whom we could seriously consider, let me say that I am not sure Hillary! will be the Dems choice in 08. How is she supposed to win all of those red states and have a chance? I see her winning NY, MA, ME, VT, CA, CT, RI, DC, maybe NJ, maybe DE, but can she win the midwest? Can she win PA, FL, WI, MI, IN, etc? I'm not so sure. She is a formidable candidate, and she has a formidable machine. I would almost HOPE she doesn't run. Let's hope Rudy G kicks her ass out of the Senate in 06 and we've got someone else to worry about.

Now as far as GOP prospects? There are tons of Gov's, Senators, MC's, or what about fellows like Schwartzkopf or someone else? Those might be good choices too.

I guess we'll have to see.

best regards,

[MHT]

Aren't the odds-makers already on this one?

[The Hollywood Conservative]

I think Hilary will have NO problem winning the states John Kerry just won. (look to the red map/blue map).

She is an avowed socialist, but most people don't know/care. Plus, she will run as a Conservative Democrat. And Most people will buy it. The vast middle don't vote for the issues. They vote for the candidate who they "like". Who they feel "connected to" or who brings their pet-issue to the table. Hilary has name recognition and is EXTREMELY popular among liberals and moderates. Plus she has the novelty factor of being a woman in a country that is 54% female... Also, she is not above pandering to the pet-issue voters.

After she picks up all of Kerry's states, she will also WIN Florida. With that, she wins the presidency. Add to this I think she would win Iowa, Arkansas & New Mexico, now you're talking she wins walking away. Add a tough fight in Ohio, Colorado and Nevada, and you have the makings of an honest to God landslide. She is a STRONGER candidate than either Gore or Kerry. The only chance I see of beating her is stealing a BIG blue State (or a couple of them.) Do not count on an "anti Hilary" backlash. Campaigns based on such a notion are DOOMED before they begin. That means our party has to move to the center, rather than pinning its hopes on energizing the base for a "Vote Against Hilary." The Dems just tried that with their "Anybody But Bush" campaign, and we see how well it worked for them.

Newsflash- SHE WILL NOT BE RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION IN '06. The 2004 presidential race has STARTED. She has formed, or will be forming shortly an "exploratory committee" NOW.

In 2005, based on the findings of that exploratory committee (i.e. how much money she has raised- which will be more money than any candidate in the history of the Union has EVER raised by that point) she will decide whether she will run... We all know the answer.

She will NOT waste time and money campaigning to save a Senate seat she doesn't want/ need any more. By 2006, the 2008 Presidential election is underway IN ERNEST. She will be gearing up for the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primaries by then.

[Josh in PA]

Edwards has zero chance of the nomination IMO.

He's going to have been out of work for 4 years by the time 08 comes around. He's already a "loser" and he was proven ineffective and a lightweight the last 3 months of this campaign.