[meandog]

Report on Hunter: "No reason to rank him anymore" (BARF)

[Keith]

Sad, but true...

[ClearCase_guy]

I like Hunter's positions better than Thompson's (though they are mostly similar), and I find that Hunter made a better impression on me than Fred.

Hunter is at the bottom at least in part because the media wants him there.

[VictoryGal]

Another BARF for ranking RINO Rooty at the top. Typical MesSNBC.

If the choice is Julie Annie or Hitlery, we got worse and worser. Please Lord let it not be so.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

“three out of four GOP voters care more about issues Giuliani can prove he’s conservative on (terrorism, taxes and education/health care) than issues he struggles with”

I agree. I like Rudy’s 12 Commitments. I remain concerned about how he will handle immigration, but I believe he will do better than Bush.

The Twelve Commitments:

I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us.
I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation.
I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.
I will cut taxes and reform the tax code.
I will impose accountability on Washington.
I will lead America towards energy independence.
I will give Americans more control over, and access to, healthcare with affordable and portable free-market solutions.
I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children.
I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges.
I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents.
I will expand America’s involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world.

[Vigilanteman]

Rudy: Ignore Thompson and try to make this a two-person race again.

Ignore who may be the most conservative candidate of the moderate wing to go after the one closest to him politically? Doesn't sound like a smart strategy to me.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

“three out of four GOP voters care more about issues Giuliani can prove he’s conservative on (terrorism, taxes and education/health care) than issues he struggles with”

I agree. I like Rudy’s 12 Commitments. I remain concerned about how he will handle immigration, but I believe he will do better than Bush.

The Twelve Commitments:

I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us.
I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation.
I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.
I will cut taxes and reform the tax code.
I will impose accountability on Washington.
I will lead America towards energy independence.
I will give Americans more control over, and access to, healthcare with affordable and portable free-market solutions.
I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children.
I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges.
I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents.
I will expand America’s involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world.

[xzins]

The latest NBC/WSJ poll shows that three out of four GOP voters care more about issues Giuliani can prove he's conservative on (terrorism, taxes and education/health care) than issues he struggles with re: conservatism (moral values and immigration).

In other words, Giuliani will lose 25% of GOP voters. That means he cannot win.

I am one of those voters, and I will NEVER vote for him.

"If you will just agree to the murdering of your children, then we can win the presidency."

[Brilliant]

It’s really a two man race at this point. Maybe a three man race.

[longtermmemmory]

NYC based MSNBC favors the NYC liberal....

Last night was a romney in the lead with Guilain fighting him.

Thompson moving solidly into the front row.

Ronpaul showing he should be in the silly party of monty python. Enough already, kick him out he is a fake candidate.

The rest of the red tie squad (because that is what they wore) should just get out of the race and stop wasting our time.

Hillary is counting votes why we are counting candidates.

[The Pack Knight]

Hunter certainly looked good last night, and that's coming from someone who thought Hunter has been flat and repetitive in all the previous debates. I loved the last line of his "fleeting target" answer, where he said it was (paraphrasing) "a responsibility the President will have to take on his shoulders."

Whether that translates into support is still unclear, but I'm at least willing to wait and see if a bump materializes before writing him off. Not terribly likely, but I think he gave more Republicans reason to vote for him last night than Paul or Huckabee did.

Yes, "National Journal", it does seem silly to say Fred needs a "re-launch" after only a month. I think this guy, and the media in general, are in Fred denial. They haven't been impressed with Fred's performance, so they believe the voters haven't been either. The polls and the money suggests otherwise, however. See where he is in another month before you say he needs a relaunch. That is, unless you like eating crow.

One kernel of truth here, "[D]on't write off Paul's supporters as simply angry anti-U.N. black helicopter types. There's been anger from the GOP's less-government libertarian wing for some time, and Paul may be becoming the protest vehicle for those folks." I think there still are Paul supporters that are mainly protesting against the nanny-state, big-spending party the GOP has become, but are still uncomfortable with his kookier views, particularly on foreign policy. I actually think he was a loser last night because, if anything, he made it less comfortable for these supporters to stay on board by his goldbuggery, complaints about the "wealth gap", and his constant mentioning of the war.

The article goes on to say, "It'll be interesting to see which of the front-runners actually 'gets it' and tries to co-opt some of Paul's supporters." I think a candidate who comes out with a hard-line small-government but pro-defense message can benefit from a defection by the less committed (or committable) Paul supporters. Fred can certainly be this candidate if he can clearly and forcefully articulate that his "first principles" would, in a Thompson Administration, include a strong push for a drastic reduction in the size, scope, intrusiveness, and expense of the federal government.

Indeed, Fred's ability to put forth a clear-cut, common sense message that connects with voters from across the conservative movement will likely be the test of his campaign.

[wastedyears]

Well it is PMSNBC.

[jer33 3]

Hunter is still on the top on my list.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“If anyone is in need of a re-launch, it’s Thompson.”

Oh, no! And with only 13 months to go, LOL! What a bunch of hogwash.

Thompson/Hunter or vice versa, works for me for now. I’ll never vote for: The Beast, Obama, McCain, Romney or Guilliani, no matter how amusing it would be to hear Sean Hannity say President “Gee-oo-li-annie” every day for four years. *SNORT*

[bboop]

I really like Duncan Hunter. Those who watched — how do you think he did? I did not see the debates.

[M. Dodge Thomas]

I'm sorry, but to me there there is just a certain air of unreality to a Giuliani candidacy.

To take just one example, I have a hard time imagining the actual mechanics of a Giuliani nomination.

Would the existing party's leaders alter it's planks on issues like abortion and stem-cell research, or would a convention dominated by Giuliani supporters rewrite the party platform on such issues, or would he take the stage to accept the nomination promising to campaign against the party platform or to to promise somehow split the difference ("I support the right to choose, but I promise to appoint Justices who support the right to life")?

Would there be a Republican party, as we understand it, left standing afterwards?

It's just very, very hard for me to comprehend how this would work.

[donnab]

Fred Thompson Former Tennessee senator Last Ranking: 2 If anyone is in need of a re-launch, it’s Thompson.

LOL I just love spin....Mitt who has spent a fortune to lead in Iowa might be the one in need of a relaunch, since he is behind Fred here.

Laughing with the glee.

[SunStar]

Report on Hunter: "No reason to rank him anymore" (BARF)

It's true. He literally repeated the same information about China three times in the debate yesterday, nearly verbatim. Not only that, but he told the same store about only being able to find a single American contractor for a defense item that he told in another one of the debates. He also looked stiff and irrelevant, though not as irrelevant as Tancredo or Brownback. All three of them should drop out of the race immediately. They have all failed to gain any traction.

[iowamark]

MSNBC admits that they want a Giuliani-Romney Northeastern Liberalfest.

“”1. Rudy Giuliani “Stars are aligning.”
2. Mitt Romney “The good news for Romney? The media seems ready to bite.”
3. Fred Thompson
4. John McCain
5. Ron Paul
6. Mike Huckabee “can we acknowledge that the reason he isn’t getting more traction is that he — not Thompson — is the laziest Republican in the field? Had Huckabee done the hard work two years ago of courting donors and then been willing to go a million miles on a plane to talk to folks who could build a campaign (not simply put his face on TV or his words in print), he’d be in the first tier, raising $8 million or $9 million a quarter.”
7. Sam Brownback There’s no real reason to rank him any more.
8. Duncan Hunter There’s no real reason to rank him any more.
9. Tom Tancredo There’s no real reason to rank him any more. “”

[George W. Bush]

The whole list:

---

1.      Rudy Giuliani
Former New York City mayor  Last Ranking: 1
Stars are aligning. It's not his nomination to lose, but there's a clear path to win for him. The latest NBC/WSJ poll shows that three out of four GOP voters care more about issues Giuliani can prove he's conservative on (terrorism, taxes and education/health care) than issues he struggles with re: conservatism (moral values and immigration). If the primary becomes a referendum on those two issues, Rudy's in trouble -- but so far, it's not. The electability thing seems to be an added trump card, but how does he make peace with the Christian conservative activist crowd? Does he do a sit-down? Is he making personal phone calls? What's Ted Olson up to behind the scenes?

2.    Mitt Romney
Former Massachusetts governor  Last Ranking: 3
After languishing a bit for the last month, it seems Romney's camp has a plan for how to tackle Rudy: Ignore Thompson and try to make this a two-person race again. The good news for Romney? The media seems ready to bite.

3.    Fred Thompson
Former Tennessee senator  Last Ranking: 2
If anyone is in need of a re-launch, it's Thompson. It seems silly after just a month, but he needs something to go against the media stereotype that's hardening on him. Not sure what we'd suggest (not our job), but we're wondering: Where is this different kind of campaign he promised?

4.    John McCain
Arizona senator  Last Ranking: 5
His base (the media) seems desperate to deal him back in, but what's going to happen to McCain if he loses in Iowa to Paul and Huckabee? Can he really turn it around again in New Hampshire?

5.      Ron Paul
Texas congressman   Last Ranking: 7
Look who's crashing the party! His $5 million is impressive because no one on the GOP side is raising BIG bucks. And don't write off Paul's supporters as simply angry anti-U.N. black helicopter types. There's been anger from the GOP's less-government libertarian wing for some time, and Paul may be becoming the protest vehicle for those folks. It'll be interesting to see which of the front-runners actually "gets it" and tries to co-opt some of Paul's supporters.

6.    Mike Huckabee
Former Arkansas governor  Last Ranking: 4
A lot of our colleagues love to talk up Huckabee, and there's no question he's been great at the debates. But can we acknowledge that the reason he isn't getting more traction is that he -- not Thompson -- is the laziest Republican in the field? Had Huckabee done the hard work two years ago of courting donors and then been willing to go a million miles on a plane to talk to folks who could build a campaign (not simply put his face on TV or his words in print), he'd be in the first tier, raising $8 million or $9 million a quarter.

7.      Sam Brownback
Kansas senator  Last Ranking: 6
There's no real reason to rank him any more.

8.      Duncan Hunter
California Congressman  Last Ranking: 9
There's no real reason to rank him any more.

9.      Tom Tancredo
Colorado Congressman  Last Ranking: 8
There's no real reason to rank him any more.

---

[BeckB]

I’m voting for Hunter or I’m voting for nobody. Come what may.