Posted on 06/08/2005 5:00:47 PM PDT by Remember_Salamis
Im tired of this MSM talk of McCain, Frist, Guiliani, Romney, and Pataki for the 2008 nomination. Out of those, onyl Frist has a chance at winning the primaries. So let's take a look at some real candidates.
Republicans with a shot in 2008:
Sen. Allen - the front-runner Sen. Brownback - Probably running for VP Sen. Thune - His name has been thrown around as a serious "sleeper" candidate in 2008 Gov. Pawlenty - Popular Conservative Gov. could give the GOP the great lakes states Gov. Sanford Gov. Bush (won't run) Gov. Owens (if marraige is fixed) Newt Gingrich
Thanks for the info. I'll definately keep my eye out for this guy.
Cheny Rice, or Rummy Rice. Either way, a killer combination.
U.S. Senators typically make for abysmal presidential candidates, and Senate majority leaders are the worst of them all. If Frist were selected to head the GOP ticket in 2008, he'd probably make Bob Dole look like a champ.
Allen/Brownback or Brownback/Allen.
Out of the people talked about on this thread, George Allen looks pretty darned good.
Frankly, I like him personally, and think he's a very talented politician. And I have no doubt that he's one person who can withstand the incredible rigors of a presidential campaign. He truly does have a shot at being the next President.
But I struggle with this 'life begins at commencement of brainwaves' thing.
"All the rest were VP's first -- big difference."
Well if you make that disqualifier there have really only been a few elections you can even look at. Certainly not enough to call a representative sample (especially considering you're excluding a significant portion that disproves the theory to begin with). Sorry to be taking this so seriously, I'm just really tired of hearing the Governor/Senator excuse. All of my Dem friends were saying how that's the only reason Kerry lost. Alot of hte MSM was saying it also.
I think Sam Brownback is the greatest.
Not in the current bunch of clowns. The country would be better off if they all resigned and went home and tried to get real jobs. They should all be fired. The chance of any of them winning a national election is nil. The only reason they get re elected is because they have corrupted the system so to favor incumbents and so many of their constituents are more concerned about pork rather than what's good for the country.
Remember this - the US Senate is NOT a good platform to jump to the White House - last person to make it was Kennedy. Too many things can sink you as a Senator, that's why Hillary is "acting conservative" in her voting for the most part. Govornors IMHO have the best chances to make it to the WH.
I think Sanford said he wasn't running. If he changes his mind, I'll vote for him.
I don't know if this is true at all. I don't think Truman, Ford, or Bush 41 ever served in the U.S. Senate. And even if they all did, you'd also have to consider that McGovern, Mondale, Dole, Gore, and Kerry -- arguably the five worst candidates for an executive office in the history of mankind -- were all former U.S. Senators.
The rest is pure coincidence.
No, it's not. Most U.S. Senators are unmotivated, lazy, chummy people by nature who are more interested in getting along with the other members of their exclusive club than in getting things done and taking principled stands. Most governors, on the other hand, are leaders by nature because they serve in an executive capacity.
Jon Corzine was a high-powered executive at Goldman Sachs who spent $68 million of his own money to run for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey in 2000. He was bored out of his mind within six months, and set his sights on running for governor of New Jersey sometime after that. In what was probably the worst return on a $68 million investment in the history of politics, he'll probably win in November and won't even finish his one term in office in Washington.
I didn't know about his "life begins at commencement of brainwaves" statement. I'm not crazy about it, either but I'm also going to be practical about this. I'll go for the most conservative candidate I think can be elected.
Not in the current bunch of clowns.
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I appreciate your sentiments. It is a sorry situation, when you look at the Senate. I have heard it best equated to the bar-scene in the first STAR WARS movie. A group of thugs, misfits, crooks, reprobates and just plain useless politicians, being fed by the taxpayers with zero return on investment. At the same time, the voters have to learn how to fight with an anti-incumbent vote. They do not do it. Just look at how long some of those hermaphrodites have been around (chuckle) -- how about Sheets Byrd? God help us.
" Not in the current bunch of clowns."
I'd agree with you 100%. One of my favorites is John Kasich. He's smart, conservative, 100% pro-life, believes in reducing government size and waste.
Additionally, he's got good hair and a likeable personality.
With the exeption of Kennedy, the rest were VP's.
Bump for later.
If he doesn't seek re-election next year, and it appears he won't, he's got two years to distance himself from the Senate and he won't have any recent controversies to haunt him. And he might leave as a hero in the judges battle and possibly some important legislation.
It's just too early to dismiss him as a contender.
Think about who wins presidential elections. G.W. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, FDR all govenors or ex-governors. Other than Clinton a govenor of a fairly good sized state. Now a VP like G.H.W. Bush on rare occasions win and VPs, like LBJ and HST can succeed a president that dies and win reelection. But Senator are very rare, with JFK being the only sitting Senator in many years to win. Chenney could win, but he says he is not running now.
So with Arnold out due to not being native born, to me that makes the list:
1. Jeb Bush
2. Mitt Rommey
3. George Pataki
4. Rick Perry
5. Matt Blunt
6. Bill Owens
7. etc.
Now Frist quiting the Senate and running as a private citizen ala Carter in 1980 is an interesting twist, maybe that is what it takes for a Senator to win the presidency? Rudy has run a city the size of many states so maybe he belongs on the list. I see no way an old McCain still in the Senate has any shot.
George Allen a Senator who was a governor is an interesting case. Do we elect ex-governors for their administrative experience or do we not elect Senators because they have such a long record of votes and so many compromises that their opponents can use against them.
Neophytes like Rice just have no electoral experince and if you are not Ike a huge war hero, I doubt you can win the nomination or the general. It would be interesting to run a Tommy Franks or Swartzkoff. It stir the DU crowd up, of course it is not like they need much stirring.
That is about the list to me. I would be discussion govenors and let the press talk about Senators and be wrong as usual, if I were you.
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