Most Electable Republican Candidate

Rasmussen Reports ^ | October 19, 2007 | Scott Rasmussen

[Huck]

If Duncan Hunter's popularity were to rise, I'd be happy to support him over Thompson.

So yer just gonna follow the herd. Why not just pick the best and let the chips fall. By definition, the most popular will get the most votes. You know, votes. Not polling numbers. Actual votes. So why not cast YOUR vote for who you like the best, and let the most popular win. THEN, support that guy in the general? In effect, you're already admitting Freddy aint the best one. Worst of all, his supposed popularity is smoke and mirrors. Polls. Look at how popular howard dean was. Then when actual campaigning and voting happened....whoops! Thompson is a crappy candidate. A lousy speechifier. A slow, tired debater (when he shows up). And he supported John McCain in 2000. Thats surrounding yerself with good ppl? Seems he's surrounded himself with ppl he had to fire a few times already.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

Hunter didn’t run a good enough campaign and didn’t appeal to enough conservative voters. It’s as simple as that.

A lot of Hunter folks spent more time on FreeRepublic trying to tear down Fred Thompson than they did actually going out and trying to promote their candidate.

Hunter also didn’t manage to work in the right places at the right time to win the nomination. He hasn’t behaved like a serious candidate.

I’ll be picking Fred over Hunter, because Hunter hasn’t proven to me that he has any of the necessary traits to get his agenda enacted. Also, I don’t agree with much of his protectionist rhetoric.

[Reagan Man]

You’re missing the obvious.

Comparing the top four candidates in both parties is impossible. Fred is a life long conservative and a life long federalist. Obama, Hillary and Rooty are life long liberals. They have more in common with each other through their support of liberalism. Linking Fred to those three liberals isn’t only unfair, its the ultimate in sophistry.

[DoughtyOne]

My problem with doing that, is that by doing so we may split the vote to the two best candidates and watch Rudy or Romney slip by. I can not afford to do that.

Pro-life and anti-illegal aliens invading our nation are very important issues for me. I will not allow anyone who disagrees on these two issues to get in, if I can help it.

The primaries are the last chance for us to make sure the right guy is standing for us in November 2008. The primaries will be every bit as important as the November 2008 election.

We can lose the whole ball of wax in the spring, because Rudy and Romney will never be elected from this party. The leaders may think so, but you’re going to see a massive exodus if Rudy, McCain or Romney get the nod.

[Califreak]

Bookmark

[sig226]

I don’t listen to RINOs and I don’t vote for them, either.

[Huck]

How can you on the one hand write a post mortem of Duncan Hunter's campaign, while on the other hand support a guy who just now is getting into the race?

And don't get me wrong. I'm not a Duncan Hunter supporter either. As I've said, I support none of them. I'm wary of them all. I'm just saying it's funny that even the grass roots are choosing marketability over substance. Let's be honest. And meanwhile, I'm not convinced that Fred's presentation is going to be that appealing anyway.

Fred's got to actually produce. The problem is Fredmania is premature. The other problem is that there is apparantly no alternative.

[The Coopster]

We heard a lot of this same stuff from the Keyes supporters in the last few elections, and the Buchanan supporters before that.

Fortunately, most of the country is more pragmatic than your dire predictions.

If most of conservative America is truly represented here, then we are already screwed. It’s shameful, all of the rabid rhetoric and name calling that flies around these parts.

I’m sure the left is eating this up. What was the saying about standing together, or falling separately...?

[DoughtyOne]

We heard a lot of this same stuff from the Keyes supporters in the last few elections, and the Buchanan supporters before that.

That is true.  I would remind you though, that at no time did a significant portion of this forum buy into the idea that RINOs need not apply during that period.  Today they do.  In a poll on this forum in the last week to ten days, 47% of forum members said they would vote third party, write in or simply not vote if Rudy were the Republican nominee.  When it was visitors to the forum plus members, that number dropped to 45.4%.  That's a rather revealing response IMO.  I will say that we are a little over a year from the election and a lot could and probably will change, so this is just prelim stuff.

I just saw a report this evening that Republican fundraising was at about a 17 to 22 ratio vs the Democrats.  Evidently the home team is beginning to get the message.  I cannot tell you the specifics, and Lord knows the numbers could have been jobed by the media, so I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in that figure.  I do sense a change in the public debate.  It's my assessment that the illegal alien problem and our leadership's ignorance on the issue is driving folks away from the party in droves.  Is that true?  Is that what we are seeing?  I honestly don't know, but something has changed, as evidenced even here.

Fortunately, most of the country is more pragmatic than your dire predictions.

You've got as much right to tell us what your gutt feeling is on this as I do to you.  Perhaps you're right.  Perhaps I'm all wet.  We can only wait and see.

If most of conservative America is truly represented here, then we are already screwed. It’s shameful, all of the rabid rhetoric and name calling that flies around these parts.

I'm not sure why you would say that.  If Thompson pulls it out, we're in excellent shape.  If one of the RINOs does, we'll have to wait and see what the overall consensus is.  As for name calling, I try to mention what I have seen in a candidate that turns me off.  Rudy isn't pro-life.  There are several other stances that drive me nuts.  Romney is a problem for me, because it appears he's had a come to Jesus (political) moment and I can't trust his new found stances on certain issues.  As for McCain, I've watched the guy rip Bush a new one since he took office.  And it pains me to say that as much as I have disliked what Bush has done on a number of issues, McCain's views were even worse IMO.  He's not only not a team player, he's a maverick with berzerk alternative views.  Worst of all, he actually teamed up with Ted Kennedy on several issues.  Now he wants my vote?  LOL, that will be the day.

I’m sure the left is eating this up. What was the saying about standing together, or falling separately...?

Perhaps the left is eating it up.  And perhaps for the first time in a long time, they are coming to realize that their agenda is not going to be advanced by a Republican.  And if that is true, it doesn't bode well for them.  When the Republicans figure out that a RINO isn't going to win them anything from here on out, they may just stand up and support Conservative candidates.  And the Dems won't be laughing long if that is the case.

California will be voting for a new governor in 2010.  If the national level characters begin to drop like flies, perhaps the Republican leadership in California will get off their duffs, and support the next conservative to run.  If they don't, Californians are going to bolt the RP in numbers that will be stagering.  And they should.

We've tried third parties and it hasn't worked.  We've communicated our disattisfaction with the leadership on a number of issues and it hasn't worked.  We've actually voted in people who should have run as democrats, and that hasn't worked.  Conservatism has lost at every turn.  I guess it's finally time to put the party on notice.  Run RINOs and look for a new base.

There are people out here looking for a conservative to vote for.  If there isn't one why bother to vote for someone who will rule against you again and again?  It sure hasn't worked in California.  It sure hasn't worked in Washington, D.C.  I think it's time to try something else.  We'd be pretty stupid of we continued to try the same things and expected a different outcome.

[jacknhoo]

I agree with Brownback on this one, the GOP will not nominate a Pro-Choice candidate - Rudy is out.