2012 Presidential Race
Any thoughts on the candidates? So far all of them are too conservative or too liberal.
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As much as I'd LOVE to see Romney in the White house (@ a longshot a guy like Huntsman), IMHO anyone who thinks there's any realistic chance of Obama not getting re-elected has trouble understanding the current political climate. The GOP is, and will remain in the near future, too fragmented to garner the EC votes where they need it. I don't forsee a huge margin though, perhaps much closer to Bush v. Kerry circa. 2004.
The factions are too extreme and fragmented and they refuse to acknowledge basic facts of political reality: FOR EXAMPLE: everyone makes deals, ie 'compromises' while in office. Then there's this schizophrenic nonsense about how the current president sucks so much, but is just like Bush in so many ways, but we should vote GOP in 2012, BUT WAIT, it's not the GOP, it's the Tea Party, but they have no central vision, and anything even Trump is better than Obama blah blah blah. It's almost painful to watch, but they have tried to take every side of the debate and basically have no coherent message and no leaders that enough people take seriously.
In short, they need to calm the fuck down, clean house, and get back on track.
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This country needs a strong independent candidate. I do not mean Trump.
Romney's cool, but he's too mormon...
Obama is clearly going to win so this is just a silly discussion... The GOP is divided and has gone overly conservative- alienating independents / moderates (such as myself)... they're not going to do anything.
I'd love to see Bloomberg run, but it's not going to happen.
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bloomberg for the win. issue is his views on gun control will piss off the republican parties socially conservative base
And the fact that he's Jewish. It's sad but that would alienate a significant chunk of the Republican base he'd need. He's also way too socially left for the Huckabee people.
obama...prob
Everyone's comments about the GOP being too fractured are on point, there's no way we'll be replacing Obama (who has low approval ratings but will get the overwhelming bulk of the black and 'poor' vote, people who typically factor minimally into approval ratings) when we have a complete gamut of candidates from moderate to right-wing nutcase (read: Tea Party).
A brief summary of each of the major GOP Presidential hopefuls:
Romney: I was actually for healthcare reform before I was against it. (feel free to substitute abortion, gay marriage, and basically anything else you want for "healthcare" and the statement is still true.)
Newt Gingrich: I was for the air strikes in Libya before I was against it. Literally went from criticizing Obama for not striking quickly enough to saying we shouldn't be striking at all. Also, cheated on his second wife with a staffer while he was impeaching Clinton for lying about cheating on his wife with an intern. Also, ended a marriage with one of his wives (I think the first) while she was in the hospital with cancer. Family values, people, family values.
Huckabee: Was relatively normal until he went off the deep end about Obama being raised in Kenya (which is actually just plainly untrue) and making the birther argument. He did, however, defend Michelle Obama's promotion of exercise and healthy eating. What a fascist! Don't tell us how to eat! Hahaha.
Palin: One of two reality TV stars who may make a run for it. Quit her job as Governor less than half-way through her first term to sell books and give speeches for a ton of money. Also, couldn't name a single publication she reads.
Bachmann: Believed that Lexington and Concord were in New Hampshire. I think that ought to disqualify her from holding any office, but that's just me.
Trump: The other reality TV star in the thick of things. Thinks we should solve our problems by "taking the oil" from other countries. Offers overly simplistic "solutions" to problems he doesn't seem to fully grasp. Wants to impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from China. Has a constant sour puss on his face and a great combover.
Jon Huntsmann Jr: Would be great, but he has moderate social views and doesn't think that gay marriage will destroy heterosexual marriage. So, sorry buddy!
Herman Cain: Was CEO of a shitty pizza company and has declared that Sharia law is a serious issue in this country. What? Oh, also wouldn't hire a single Muslim into his administration, he actually said that out loud. Good luck, Herman!
Not really sure how Obama is going to be beaten when this is what the Republicans are putting forth. Give me a break.
Allen West has potential bu has only been in office since 2010......maybe by 2016 he may have a shot.
This isn't true obviously, but you have to admit some of the most vocal republican presidential hopefuls right now are either public jokes or completely insane.
Bachmann is literally a lunatic and should not have the opportunity to hold any office. This is the woman who took to the floor of the house to claim that because carbon dioxide is a naturally produced gas that it cannot possibly be harmful.
Palin is a publicity whore and is in it for the cash.
Trump's ego has ballooned to the extent where he thinks he is a viable candidate to become the leader of the free world. Simple delusions of grandeur.
New Gingrich is a hypocritical scum bag and a political hack.
Romney is the most sane of the bunch, but he has flip flopped on so many issues over the course of his career that it would make allot of people uncomfortable. The mormon thing does not help either.
Huckabee has gone so far of the deep end that its scary. He used to be a very level headed moderate Republican but not so much any more.
If the ticket was Bloomberg/Scarborough I would vote for them in a second, but the Repubs have to pander to their social conservative base which really really holds them back.
@happypantsmcgee:
How have I said that? I took a look at the field of prominent Republican Presidential hopefuls and pointed out that many of them have some glaringly obvious flaws.
Furthermore, I'm pretty sure everyone on that list (save for maybe Huntsmann) would consider themselves extremely conservative (even though a few of them would be lying to themselves.) So, really, I didn't even comment on people "right of center," but rather those much further to the right.
Wow reading this just confirms what a shitshow our government is. Agree that if the GOP doesn't get their act together (which it does not look like they will), Obama should get the win. The US just does not have good political leadership at the top right now.
Bloomberg would be perfect - the "dealmaking" that Trump promotes + a realistic understanding of the economy + a track record of getting shit done. But he won't run (why would he?).
Isn't Tim Pawlenty running with the GOP? Don't worry, no one else has heard of him either
Too lutefisk. I heard he destroys bridges for fun and instated martial law during the 2008 Republican National Convention. May or may not also be from a state that hasn't gone Republican in a presidential election since Eisenhower.
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Yeah because Bush was as straight as an arrow his whole life. Idiot.
AWM you lack reading comprehension skills.
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If they found pictures of Obama doing a line of coke you don't think the media would be all over that shit?
Remember how much press Clinton got for saying he tried weed but never inhaled?
Your argument is just stupid.
1) Allen West was a Lt.Col. and was deployed 4 times (might be more). Read about his discharge and the ensuing congressional action too, even the dems were supporting what he did.
2) Bill Clinton fucked young hot women, really? Have you seen Monica 'cottage cheese' Lewinsky?
Bloomberg and Allen West, please.
Also, Cory Booker in 2016.
Honestly why does anyone care? Barring some Ron Paul type or a socialist opposite there wont be much of a shift. Think about barrack and dubya for a minute. Polar opposites right? Bush: - intervening in foreign wars - increased federal spending more than all the presidents before him - began bailouts - shitting on civil liberties - one side believes he is neo-nazi war criminal while another thought he was reagan reincarnate Obama: - intervening in foreign wars - increased federal spending more than all the presidents before him - continued bailouts - shitting on economic liberties - one group thinks he is a dormant muslim extremist bent on turning America into a socialist commune while the other reveres him as the messiah
Whatever your positions are, you have realize that the two options aren't all that different
@ dwight schrute: Exactly, we tend to think of American politics on our two party spectrum but on a world scale, both Democrats and the GOP are a hair right of center economically and a middle-right on social issues. There isn't a huge difference in our modern political system which is mostly run by special-interest and lobbyists.
yup, basically.
Christie 2016!
Based on his principles and conviction. Newark is better than it was, it't the complete and untempered shithole it was five years ago, now it's only part shithole.
who do i want to get it? ron paul who will get it? obama
Bobby Jindal was touted to be Mcain's running mate before the repubs chose Alaska's favorite hoebag. He's certainly qualified and from a race standpoint it might be a good counter for the republican party to throw out a young non-white candidate. I could also see America having a problem electing an indian president, not to mention the majority of ignorant uneducated white voters who will use words like "arab" and "muslim" when describing his candidacy.
Irrelevant because Jindal has emphatically said numerous times he won't run or be a running mate.
I realize this...just a shame that he isn't
Donald Trump is the candidate with the most experience of dealing with large amounts of debt and coming out with young blond wives.
America got debt probblem. Trump seems to shrug off debt problems. Maybe he's the man america needs!
^^ Except you can't file for bankruptcy and just start a new country.
Or can you? hmm...
I'm sure you can. You will cause worldwide chaos and no one will ever trust your country/company again. But hey, Don knows we have a powerful military so he'll just find a middle east country and just "get the oil"
Thank you for coming back. Your posts are great.
I see Trump doing exactly what Nader did to Gore in 2000. Bottom line is Trump wont get the gop nod, will run as an independent and steal votes from the republican candidate, which is a god damn shame.
We agree completely then. I can't reiterate how disappointed I am with the Tea Party nutheads. I agree with a few of their points, but how can anyone be so stupid, blind that they don't see that they're further splintering the conservative vote and completely crippling the chance that we'll replace a liberal President?
I'm hopeful for 2016.
I love how you call them "nutheads". I guess they are nutheads for wanting fiscal responsibility. Another thing, you can vote for whatever moderate Republicrat imposter the GOP is likely to nominate, I'll stick with someone who is aligned with my views (aka...a Libertarian).
They are nut heads because they are basing their rampant anti-Obama, anti government, anti-healthcare reform, etc positions on information that isn't true. That is why so many people do not take them seriously. They call Obama a socialist even though he lowered their taxes (85% think he raised them), they don't want government involved in their health care even though a large percentage of tea partiers use medicare, they want fiscal responsibility but don't want medicare, medicaid, SS, or defense cut, etc etc. I think the most ironic thing is the original tea party was anti corporation, not anti government which I think speaks volumes about their ignorance.
They have these idealistic ideas but are not grounded in reality. Everyone wants fiscal responsibility, but people who are more moderate do not scream it from the roof tops because there is no magical solution.
I'm going more and more towards the Jon Stewart idea of politics.
"I disagree with you but I'm pretty sure you aren't Hitler"
"Down with Zippers"
"9/11 was an outside job"
"Homophobia is so gay"
Shit like that.
I consider myself a Libertarian. I call the nutheads within the Tea Party what they are, nutheads. I did a poor job of conveying that I don't believe the Tea Party itself is a nuthead organization, but some of the absolute extremists within it carry their more rational companions' arguments beyond any and all reason or rationale.
Well, you succeeded.
PE not keeping you busy enough big guy?
The street has spoken (some at least). Republicans will win this time:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487034615045762311212651175…
Some posters imagine the Tea Parties magically emerged from the swamps to fight Obama... The Tea Parties are a new MECHANISM, not a new constituency.
The current GOP field does not in any way resemble the 2012 primary field.
Any of these guys could beat Obama with a well run campaign:
Rick Perry- Governor of Texas
Mitch Daniels- Governor of Indiana
Chris Christie- Governor of NJ
(Pair them with a foreign policy expert as VP)
If the bid fails in 2012, then in 2016, we're looking at:
Romney, Palin, Huckabee, Trump = these are pedants who will fade to the dustbin of history.
You really think America is going to elect another Texas governor anytime soon?
d*mn triple post, c'mon interwebs...
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