Republican Presidential Nominee for 2012
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5 members have voted
I believe that
* President Eisenhower was the last non politician elected president, and
* Herbert Hoover was the last non-military man who had no prior experience winning an election to be elected president.
Governors
Haley Barbour of Mississippi
Mitch Daniels of Indiana
Former Governors
Sarah Palin of Alaska (2008 vice presidential candidate)
Mitt Romney of Massachusetts (2008 presidential candidate in Republican primary)
Mike Huckabee of Arkansas(2008 presidential candidate in Republican primary)
Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota
Bob Riley of Alabama
Buddy Roemer of Louisiana
George Pataki of New York
Gary E. Johnson of New Mexico
Senator
Scott Brown of Massachusetts
John Cornyn of Texas
Jim DeMint of South Carolina
John Thune of South Dakota
Rand Paul of Kentucky
Former Senators
Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania
Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
Representatives
Ron Paul of Texas (2008 presidential candidate)
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
Michele Bachmann of Minnesota
Former Representatives
(Speaker of the House of Representatives) Newt Gingrich of Georgia
Joe Scarborough of Florida
Other
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York (2008 presidential candidate in Republican primary)
Businessman Donald Trump of New York
Businesswoman Meg Whitman of California
Retired General Stanley McChrystal of Connecticut
Former U.S. Senate Nominee Sharron Angle of Nevada
Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John R. Bolton of Maryland
U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, Jr. of Utah
Please add names if appropriate.
Another way to break it down:
Not truly candidates in any traditional sense but names thrown in the list that could possibly cause confusion and be a name that political opponents would latch on to to try to mislabel the party or movements or candidates as a whole:
Donald Trump, Meg Whitman, Stanley McChrystal, Sharron Angle, Joe Arpaio, John Bolton, Jon Huntsman
"Candidates" in the Dennis Kucinich sense because they hold/held office but are not considered seriously by the movement or the party and are names that can be used by political opponents to mislabel the movement or the party:
Ron Paul, Joe Scarborough
"Candidates" (but not really candidates) with credibility in the movement and the party but are not serious contenders and have served as political whipping boys from the opposition:
Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Michele Bachmann
People the Republicans and the movement respect but are not going to play any sort of major candidate role:
Mitch Daniels, Bob Riley, Buddy Roemer, George Pataki, Gary Johnson, Scott Brown, John Cornyn, Rand Paul, Judd Gregg, Paul Ryan, Rudy Giuliani
People whoshould be at or near the center of a realistic, honest discussion on candidates and not just a name thrown out that could possibly confuse the discussion and allow political opponents to paint an unfavorable picture:
Haley Barbour, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Jim DeMint, John Thune, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich
No doubt there will be more than seven butts at the table in the earliest "debates," which should be getting started here somewhat soon. But my guess is, the Repbulican nominee will be either one of those seven or someone who does not appear on this list.
EDIT: added parentheses for clarity of one category, highlighted for clarity. Did I mention I love the highlighting tool?!?
Quote: ItsCalledSoccerNice list, although I would be quick to say that some names are not candidates, even in the Lyndon LaRouche or Dennis Kucinich sense. I would urge a little more care in naming names; adding crazies to the list doesn't help (what I hope to be) the intent of the discussion.
Another way to break it down:
Not truly candidates in any traditional sense but names thrown in the list that could possibly cause confusion and be a name that political opponents would latch on to to try to mislabel the party or movements or candidates as a whole:
Donald Trump, Meg Whitman, Stanley McChrystal, Sharron Angle, Joe Arpaio, John Bolton, Jon Huntsman
"Candidates" in the Dennis Kucinich sense because they hold/held office but are not considered seriously by the movement or the party and are names that can be used by political opponents to mislabel the movement or the party:
Ron Paul, Joe Scarborough
"Candidates" but not really candidates with credibility in the movement and the party but are not serious contenders and have served as political whipping boys from the opposition:
Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Michele Bachmann
People the Republicans and the movement respect but are not going to play any sort of major candidate role:
Mitch Daniels, Bob Riley, Buddy Roemer, George Pataki, Gary Johnson, Scott Brown, John Cornyn, Rand Paul, Judd Gregg, Paul Ryan, Rudy Giuliani
People whoshould be at or near the center of a realistic, honest discussion on candidates and not just a name thrown out that could possibly confuse the discussion and allow political opponents to paint an unfavorable picture:
Haley Barbour, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Jim DeMint, John Thune, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich
No doubt there will be more than seven butts at the table in the earliest "debates," which should be getting started here somewhat soon. But my guess is, the Repbulican nominee will be either one of those seven or someone who does not appear on this list.
I feel fairly strongly that Huckabee and Santorum should be flipped.
* Barack Obama, U.S. Senator from Illinois
* Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator from New York
* John Edwards, former U.S. Senator from North Carolina
* Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico
* Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Representative from Ohio
* Joe Biden, U.S. Senator from Delaware
* Mike Gravel, former U.S. Senator from Alaska
* Christopher Dodd, U.S. Senator from Connecticut
* Tom Vilsack, former Governor of Iowa
* Evan Bayh, U.S. Senator from Indiana
Some of the folks on the republican list will shoot themselves in the foot and be eliminated; a dark horse or two will contend for a bit.
The media will build someone up and then tear them down...that seems to be their usual routine in elections. The most conservative will draw in the most support early but I suspect that they will not prevail in the end. I would say that a conservative will emerge as the candidate but not one so far to the right as some on the list.
I am ready to watch this process...I enjoy it!
Quote: rdw4potusI feel fairly strongly that Huckabee and Santorum should be flipped.
Fair enough. BTW, who is rdw and why do you think he's a good person 4 potus?
If I had to pick a nomination winner now, knowing that a zillion things could happen between now and then, I would pick Mitt Romney. He was popular enough in the 08 primaries, and his biggest "strikes" (whatever that means and however it's measured) are his abortion stance, his religion, and his Masachusetts health care law. Otherwise, he seems to be electable and seems to (overall) align well with the party's platform and movement. Not perfect, of course, but no one person will ever fully agree with the 50 million or so who will vote for him.
I think he will get over the abortion thing. I think the religion thing will be used by the opposition party in an effort to try to create controversy far more than the people within the party care about. And, I think his answer for the MA health care thing is a good one.
In September, I picked the Packers to win the Super Bowl (over the Ravens). So, who knows???
NB: I don't think that it was the best thing for MA, but it was a state problem addressed at the state level, which makes sense to me.
Quote:People who should be at or near the center of a realistic, honest discussion on candidates and not just a name thrown out that could possibly confuse the discussion and allow political opponents to paint an unfavorable picture:
Haley Barbour, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Jim DeMint, John Thune, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich
There isn't anyone else remotely able to catch the "genie in the bottle' like Obama did in 2008 on the Republican side.
Sorry, its like sending Bob Dole out there for the "final mission" Its not gonna work.
All the resume will say for who ever is chosen, is that they were the 2012 Republican Presidential candidate.
SFB
Quote: ItsCalledSoccerFair enough. BTW, who is rdw and why do you think he's a good person 4 potus?
If I had to pick a nomination winner now, knowing that a zillion things could happen between now and then, I would pick Mitt Romney. He was popular enough in the 08 primaries, and his biggest "strikes" (whatever that means and however it's measured) are his abortion stance, his religion, and his Masachusetts health care law. Otherwise, he seems to be electable and seems to (overall) align well with the party's platform and movement. Not perfect, of course, but no one person will ever fully agree with the 50 million or so who will vote for him.
RDW is me, and I'll be a good POTUS because I'll annex Canada. They're basically the 51st state anyway;-)
To me, this election comes down to two possibilities:
1. GOP nominates a conservative candidate, Obama wins a landslide.
2. GOP nominates a moderate candidate, GOP wins a landslide.
Sadly, with the current makeup of the GOP base, I think the former option is the more likely to come to fruition.
It is interesting, but I think maybe the country will lose some interest in a demographically balanced ticket. Originally, I thought that the vice presidential candidate would have to be a woman or a minority, but I no longer think it will be a requirement. The country may just say, "been there, done that", and be willing to support two middle aged white guys.
Quote: SFB
There isn't anyone else remotely able to catch the "genie in the bottle' like Obama did in 2008 on the Republican side.
SFB
Palin caught fire out of nowhere pretty much -- true, if only for the Vice President, but it sure looked like plenty were willing to put her a heartbeat away next to one of the oldest (the oldest?) potential presidents ever. So, never say never..
Quote: pacomartinMitt Romney is probably the front runner right now. He has both political and business experience which will be widely attractive to much of the country as we slip trillions of dollars more into debt every year.
Votes are not cast for such logical reasons, especially for president. Charisma is the order of the day. Romney is about average in the charisma department. Handsome, and he seems a good fellow, but to me at least he comes off a bit plastic and fake. Kind of like Kerry. I would take Palin over Romney any day. Care to make a friendly wager on it?
I like Giuliani, but after his badly managed primary campaign, the technical term for him now is "toast."
Charisma is a funny thing. The last go-round it turned the least telegenic candidate was Fred Thompson, who is a famed TV actor!
Quote: rdw4potusRDW is me, and I'll be a good POTUS because I'll annex Canada. They're basically the 51st state anyway;-)
To me, this election comes down to two possibilities:
1. GOP nominates a conservative candidate, Obama wins a landslide.
2. GOP nominates a moderate candidate, GOP wins a landslide.
Sadly, with the current makeup of the GOP base, I think the former option is the more likely to come to fruition.
I opined this in another thread. The Republican strategy seems to be to pick the most skewed ideology and the most radically far-right persons to do their talking. I think that their strategy has been to seem as extreme, doctrinaire, and unyielding as possible. I think they'd nominate Cotton Mather if he was still alive (though being dead does not necessarily exclude a candidate from consideration by the Republican party).
I favor the passage of a Constitutional amendment allowing persons not born in the US to become president. AHNOLD! AHNOLD! AHNOLD! AHNOLD!
As a GOP voter and active politico who volunteered for Mike Huckabee in Iowa in 2008, my early selection is Tim Pawlenty. The biggest problem with Pawlety is what the wizard notes as important, charisma. He seems to lack the Charisma needed to win. If you don't think charisma is important in the DOP primary, compare the canidates Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback. Brownback had Huckabee beat in every category in spades for social conservatives except Charisma and Brownback had to drop out after a poor showing in the Iowa straw poll in August.
I still love Huckabee but I don't expect him to run. He may, but I think he really likes the check he collects working for FNC and he has a huge new problem in that a criminal who he gave clemency to killed police officers since the last election. This plus the problems of Wayne DuMond will make it that much easier to pin Huck as soft on Crime.
A few notes on some of the other names throw out there:
Sarah Palin- won't run, can't win a GOP primary that matters and she will get beat up if she runs. Still she has about 20% of the GOP base while she controls and can play a big queenmaker role.
Mitt Romney- Romneycare will be hung around his neck. The GOP base hates it and he basically authored the trial balloon. He had a perfect setup to win last time and he blew it. The early front runner but will fade.
Haley Barbor- A few of my friends are big on him but I dont think he can win with that accent.
John Thune- Watch out for thune
Santorum- I personally love Santorum but its not going to happen.
Paul Ryan- Too soon but this young gun wonk is a serious player.
John Bolton- I cracked up when I heard he was seriously thinking about running. Can you say Carol Mosley Braun.
Jon Huntsman- He can win after serving for Obama. I give him creadit for having balls though.
Chris christie- He has presidental timbre. Not sure if he wants it though. Needs to lose some weight though.
