Republican Candidates for 2012

[djsimp]

I found this article interesting. Thoughts anyone?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/42745
I didn't think Nute would be running. I would have to think that he could handle the Dems better than the others. Huckabee would be a good running partner for him.

[GH2001]

Palin - although a fresh face, is way too polarizing to win a general election.

Newt and Huck at this point are old blood and have established themselves as part of the machine.

Santorum seems ok.

Personally, I think Bobby Jindal and Tim Pawlenty need to get in this race. They both ooze of common sense. Jindal's handling of the oil spill was as good as one could do given the circumstances. I also like Rand Paul but I think he may be a few years away.

[djsimp]

Palin - although a fresh face, is way too polarizing to win a general election.

Newt and Huck at this point are old blood and have established themselves as part of the machine.

Santorum seems ok.

Personally, I think Bobby Jindal and Tim Pawlenty need to get in this race. They both ooze of common sense. Jindal's handling of the oil spill was as good as one could do given the circumstances. I also like Rand Paul but I think he may be a few years away.

Newt and Huck may be old blood but they are also key people in this whole Tea party movement, mainly Newt. I my opinion Newt oozes of common sense as well, its just he is too bold at times but at this point I think we need someone that is bold not a shit talker.

[AUTiger1]

Palin - Damaged goods and will never win again.

Newt and Huck - Bad combo, Huck would kill him with the moderates/Independents and as GH stated.  They are part of the machine.  Newt with someone else would be ok to me.

This worries me about Santorum: "Santorum was defeated 59% to 41% in the 2006 U.S. Senate election by Democratic candidate Bob Casey, Jr. This was the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent Senator since 1980."   I don't thin he will sit well with the moderates/Independents either.   

I personally don't want someone up there preaching to me about abortion, homosexuals, and weather or not God should be allowed in schools.  I won't someone that is going to fix this shitty economy, kill the terrorist, punch the hippies    , start to reduce our debt to the Chinese, start to fix SS/Medicare/Medicaid, and get rid of some of the social give away programs.  Get that shit fixed and then you can bitch about all the other.

Personally I like Bobby Jindal and Duncan D. Hunter (not to be confused with his father, who is also a good one).  I like Rand Paul, hell I like his old man.  I think if Ron Paul was president, we would start righting the ship economically and probably have the strongest mind when it comes to the economy.  I don't dislike his idea of isolationism (which is what it is), I don't think it can work in today's world, but I am not totally against it.  He may get my support this next time.  I haven't made up my mind.  All I know is I am sick of the old guard from both parties and would like to see new blood on Capital Hill and in the White House.

[GH2001]

Newt and Huck may be old blood but they are also key people in this whole Tea party movement, mainly Newt. I my opinion Newt oozes of common sense as well, its just he is too bold at times but at this point I think we need someone that is bold not a shit talker.

Actually Newt and Huck are neo cons much in the costume of GWB and Nixon. They talk a good talk, but Newt sold out years ago to that side. Sad too, because he had some great economic ideas (1994 comes to mind).

[GH2001]

Palin - Damaged goods and will never win again.

Newt and Huck - Bad combo, Huck would kill him with the moderates/Independents and as GH stated.  They are part of the machine.  Newt with someone else would be ok to me.

This worries me about Santorum: "Santorum was defeated 59% to 41% in the 2006 U.S. Senate election by Democratic candidate Bob Casey, Jr. This was the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent Senator since 1980."   I don't thin he will sit well with the moderates/Independents either.   

I personally don't want someone up there preaching to me about abortion, homosexuals, and weather or not God should be allowed in schools.  I won't someone that is going to fix this shitty economy, kill the terrorist, punch the hippies    , start to reduce our debt to the Chinese, start to fix SS/Medicare/Medicaid, and get rid of some of the social give away programs.  Get that shit fixed and then you can bitch about all the other.

Personally I like Bobby Jindal and Duncan D. Hunter (not to be confused with his father, who is also a good one).  I like Rand Paul, hell I like his old man.  I think if Ron Paul was president, we would start righting the ship economically and probably have the strongest mind when it comes to the economy.  I don't dislike his idea of isolationism (which is what it is), I don't think it can work in today's world, but I am not totally against it.  He may get my support this next time.  I haven't made up my mind.  All I know is I am sick of the old guard from both parties and would like to see new blood on Capital Hill and in the White House.

The Pauls are both good. Hell, I have voted for Ron Paul every chance Ive had. Duncan Hunter was also a good one in the last election but got outspent by the machine (Guiliani, McCain).

[AUTiger1]

The Pauls are both good. Hell, I have voted for Ron Paul every chance Ive had. Duncan Hunter was also a good one in the last election but got outspent by the machine (Guiliani, McCain).

Yeah, he didn't have deep enough pockets.  You should really check out his son.  Duncan D.  He has his shit in one sock. 

[djsimp]

What I am looking at though is our best chances to get Obama out of the White House. All these may be great and all that have been mentioned but I don't see them doing that. Also, they a semi-unknown in the presidential front and unless you're Obama with billions of dollars, half black and half Muslim you're gonna need to be known and be known well. There may be a lot of folks that don't completely agree with Newt, he can make it happen and make those in Obama's court look stupid along the way. Let me let you guys in on something else too, the Steel Industry, mainly Dan DaMicco, is hard on this Chinese bullshit trade and Newt is being supported by people like DaMicco. DaMicco is the President of Nucor.

[AUTiger1]

What I am looking at though is our best chances to get Obama out of the White House. All these may be great and all that have been mentioned but I don't see them doing that. Also, they a semi-unknown in the presidential front and unless you're Obama with billions of dollars, half black and half Muslim you're gonna need to be known and be known well. There may be a lot of folks that don't completely agree with Newt, he can make it happen and make those in Obama's court look stupid along the way. Let me let you guys in on something else too, the Steel Industry, mainly Dan DaMicco, is hard on this Chinese bullpoop trade and Newt is being supported by people like DaMicco. DaMicco is the President of Nucor.

I don't mind Newt, at all.  I like the man.  I just don't want Huck as his running mate.  I don't like Huck to start with and I think a lot of people are starting not to like him as well.  He will never appeal to the moderates and independents.  He is also from the South and I don't think that Georgia's own Newt will have a problem carrying the South.  Get Newt the right man to run with him and I could possibly vote for him.

[djsimp]

I don't mind Newt, at all.  I like the man.  I just don't want Huck as his running mate.  I don't like Huck to start with and I think a lot of people are starting not to like him as well.  He will never appeal to the moderates and independents.  He is also from the South and I don't think that Georgia's own Newt will have a problem carrying the South.  Get Newt the right man to run with him and I could possibly vote for him.

Huck was just one that I picked out of the lineup from the article. I agree though, with the right man, I think a lot of people would. Whomever it would be needs to be strong. Palin isn't, besides she has too many media hypocrisies for my liking; in the lime light in a negative way.

[GH2001]

Huck was just one that I picked out of the lineup from the article. I agree though, with the right man, I think a lot of people would. Whomever it would be needs to be strong. Palin isn't, besides she has too many media hypocrisies for my liking; in the lime light in a negative way.

Pawlenty and Jindal - those are the two you want.

Huck is not what he seems. Too evangelical. Too Mr. Rogers.

[Tarheel]

Interesting article but all four of those candidates mentioned are terrible.  There's absolutely no appeal to moderates, young voters, or independents among them.

Huckabee is a bigoted, provincial hayseed who will only appeal to the far, far right evangelical Baptists (no offense to any Baptists here).  Newt and Santorum are both opportunistic neo-cons who will not have broad appeal.  Plus Newt has a checkered personal life which the left would deliciously exploit.  And Sarah Palin has been so demonized by the media and the leftist moon bats that it would take a herculean effort for her to overcome the negativity...not to mention that she's very polarizing too (as others have said here). 

None of them can carry more than perhaps the South at most (not including Florida).  You can't win doing that.  To win the White House you have to get the East, Southern States (including Florida especially), some big Northern States, and some big Western States.  It is what it is.

I like Jindal and Pawlenty as others have opined here.  Both could run successful campaigns and both have remarkable backgrounds as Governors, one in the South, one in the North.  I also like Mitt Romney for the same reasons but there's no way he'll get the South because of the anti-Mormon bigotry (thank you Hick-abee) and he's got the issue of Romney-care which is not working well in Massachusetts.

The person I think that has the most appeal right now is New Jersey's new outspoken Governor Chris Christy.  He's definitely not an Establishment Republican; he strikes me as being real person and not an elitist, arrogant, self-entitled politician.  He stands up to the establishment and media on both sides, tells it like it is so to speak, and is getting the job done with some tough decision-making and real leadership without getting bogged-down with the social issues.  People will recognize that in a national candidate; he won as a Republican in a "deep blue" State!  That's not an easy task even in an off-year election.

[Snaggletiger]

New Jersey's Governor, huh?  Will he select Snookie or J-Wow for a running mate?

Seriously, when do the powers that be inside the Republican party make a decision about who needs to be the new face?  I'm making a big assumption that this is really what goes on and that a party knows who they really want out there and who they wish would shut up.  Not pimping her at all, but Palin has put herself out there non-stop since the election and were she not so "polarizing" she might be the logical choice.  I certainly don't follow politics with the same fervor as many of you in this forum so some of these names are new to me.  I guess my point is that despite how much you want to choose the candidate who's positions most closely reflect your own views,(and certainly that's what it should be about) the campaigns usually evolve into beauty contests. 

That being said, if the Republicans are not going to try and push Palin to the White House, shouldn't they go ahead and get somebody else's face in front of the public? 

[Tarheel]

New Jersey's Governor, huh?  Will he select Snookie or J-Wow for a running mate?

Seriously, when do the powers that be inside the Republican party make a decision about who needs to be the new face?  I'm making a big assumption that this is really what goes on and that a party knows who they really want out there and who they wish would shut up.  Not pimping her at all, but Palin has put herself out there non-stop since the election and were she not so "polarizing" she might be the logical choice.  I certainly don't follow politics with the same fervor as many of you in this forum so some of these names are new to me.  I guess my point is that despite how much you want to choose the candidate who's positions most closely reflect your own views,(and certainly that's what it should be about) the campaigns usually evolve into beauty contests.

That being said, if the Republicans are not going to try and push Palin to the White House, shouldn't they go ahead and get somebody else's face in front of the public?

Sadly, that's all-too-true, Snaggle.  I was talking with GarMan about this not too long ago and he used almost exactly that same verbiage.

I think since the world abhors a vacuum Palin's there filling the obvious void on the Republican side.

But I also think that after the election you are going to see some new faces on the Republican side of the aisle in the House taking the lead like Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) and a few other young guns.  Assuming the Republicans retake the House we're going to be exposed to a LOT of guys like these; the media will no longer be able to ignore them. 

The future of the Republican leadership will come from the House...or from one of the Governors like Pawlenty or Christy.

[GH2001]

Sadly, that's all-too-true, Snaggle.  I was talking with GarMan about this not too long ago and he used almost exactly that same verbiage.

I think since the world abhors a vacuum Palin's there filling the obvious void on the Republican side.

But I also think that after the election you are going to see some new faces on the Republican side of the aisle in the House taking the lead like Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) and a few other young guns.  Assuming the Republicans retake the House we're going to be exposed to a LOT of guys like these; the media will no longer be able to ignore them. 

The future of the Republican leadership will come from the House...or from one of the Governors like Pawlenty or Christy.

Paul Ryan is a good one.

[Tarheel]

Paul Ryan is a good one.

I neglected to mention Marco Rubio in Florida.  He's definitely not a traditional, establishment Republican and he is an up-and-coming, articulate young gun.

[djsimp]

Whomever the candidates are, they need to start getting their faces out their soon. We already know who some of them are but those that we don't need to to start preparing. This in my opinion is one of or the most pivotal elections in US history. We got to have somebody that is rock solid and aint scared of shit but at the same time shows his love for this country and the people in it.