We REALLY Do Not Know (who will be the GOP nominee, could be someone not in the race yet)

Weekly standard ^ | Bill kristol

[Bigtigermike]

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that we do not know who the GOP presidential nominee will be:

It could be Mitt Romney—though our warnings in this space a couple of weeks ago that his victory is by no means inevitable seem increasingly justified by the dynamics of the race.

The nominee could be Newt Gingrich—whose rise in the polls has been spectacular, and whose skills and appeal are still widely underestimated by many elites, including conservative elites

[....]

It could be someone not yet in the race. If the Gingrich surge turns into a Newt bubble, and if there continue s to be the present level of resistance to Romney, then anyone from Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin to Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels, Marco Rubio, or Jeb Bush—or someone else!

Let me repeat, with emphasis: We REALLY do not know who the GOP nominee will be.

[af_vet_rr]

Palin might just be the VP nominee. It’s her time. Newt as President and Palin as VP.

She's already been through Hell once, why would she do it again only to be in the second slot.

[no dems]

I predict that we will know that Newt is going to be the nominees before May 2012 and he can start running against Obozo then; not wait until Labor Day.

[no dems]

What are the chances that Jim DeMint will get into the race? Anybody???

[af_vet_rr]

I don’t pay much mind to Mr. Kristol, but one could safely conclude from his remarks that he is not happy about the Gingrich engines roaring into 2012.

A lot of folks in the media that claim to lean right are probably pulling for Romney, because they know if he runs, he loses to Obama, and 4 more years of Obama means they rake in the money.

[no dems]

If someone put a gun to my head and made me tell what my gut feeling is, I'd have to say that I have a gut feeling it will be Gingrich/Romney or Romney/Gingrich in 2012. But, I so hope the VP spot will be filled by Marco Rubio

[no dems]

Christine O’Donnell endorsed Mitt Romney on Hannity tonight.

[fightinJAG]

If there is ever a year where something like this could happen, this is it.

That said, such an occurrence would be a political miracles.

But miracles do happen.

In the meantime, we have to deal with what it.

[af_vet_rr]

I predict that we will know that Newt is going to be the nominees before May 2012 and he can start running against Obozo then; not wait until Labor Day.

If they can't take him down in the next six weeks, I think he's got it in the bag. They tried dang hard last weekend during the debate when they trotted out the "marital fidelity" question and it didn't hurt Newt and there were a few other questions they were hoping to hurt him with.

They also tried with that woman who claimed an affair back in the '70s and people just yawned. The MSM's problem is they don't really have anything new on Newt and there is no reason for Newt to lose a lot of support. It's not like Bachmann, Perry, or Cain where they knocked themselves out of the race or left the race.

I'm not the happiest about it, but you know what? I think Newt is raring to fight the Democrats rather than his fellow Republicans, and that moves him to the top of my list. I really have no desire to see any more debates that have Romney and Perry sniping at one another like two kids on a playground or Bachmann acting holier than thou. Those three are just damaging themselves.

[Vigilanteman]

Don’t see anyway there will be two white guys on a ticket. Especially a has been and a never was.

[fightinJAG]

If the Gingrich surge turns into a Newt bubble, and if there continue s to be the present level of resistance to Romney, then anyone from Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin to Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels, Marco Rubio, or Jeb Bush—or someone else!

This analysis is spot on.

The key is that the current frontrunner could, in fact, stumble. That is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

And the party is finally getting it that, no matter what they or anyone else does, voters are just not that into Romney. They have continued to resist him at all costs, basically.

That means that, yes, if Gingrich flames out, the voters STILL won't go to Romney, then someone else is going to emerge to fill the gap. It may or may not be someone in the race at this point.

[af_vet_rr]

Something else to think about: Newt appears to be damaging Romney in New Hampshire. That is going to appeal to a lot of folks, because Romney is our first order of business. Bachmann, Perry, and Cain really didn’t do much damage to Romney - they slowed him down, made him a little anxious, but that was about it. Newt is doing what I thought impossible - eroding Romney’s support.

[cva66snipe]

What are the chances that Jim DeMint will get into the race? Anybody???

I wish he would. He really would be the best one for the job.

[comebacknewt]

I'll take Ryan or Rubio. Even Eric Cantor is still OK in my book.

No one in the current field excites me any more, although ultimately my vote will go to Anybody But Obama.

[newzjunkey]

Bill Kristol sees Romney floundering and spins tales that it could be anyone. It’s going to be someone in the race now, it’ll likely be over shortly after Super Tuesday because money will run out. Obama will be attacking non-stop.

[AmericanInTokyo]

CEO Cain could step back in at a deadlocked, brokered summer GOP convention and if by the time, all the investigative exposures of where the character flaw smear/leaks came from on him during the character assassination (Axlerod/Chicago Machine), and official RINO-dom (Karl Rovey types, talking head talk show hosts, etc) and related monie flows and payoffs, and details thereof. If they could nail the sources, you could have a general campaign on the one hand multitasking with Herman Cain on the ticket, and on the other, Lin Wood suing the hell out of them, the nasty detractors and poisonous politicians and wonks, for slander and libel as they quite deserve it.

[Billyv]

Run, Sarah, Run!

[matthew fuller]

Haven’t several filing deadlines been missed at this point?

[StAnDeliver]

You’ll get your wish if it’s Mittens...Gingrich ain’t pickin Rubio...

[AlexisHeavyMetal1981]

If no one wins on the first ballot, perhaps it there will be a movement to draft the good Senator from South Carolina, “James Warren DeMint”. At the beginning of 2011, I said to Barbara, my wife, that I have a gut feeling that Jim DeMint will somehow be involved.

[CatDancer]

Bless your heart, Vet ... Really. I love your posts about Sarah and I always agree with them. I imagine you’ve written to her personally, as I have, but your words are better.

Write to her again.