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Haley Barbour and 2012 - First Read - msnbc.com
Posted: Friday, April 16, 2010 3:57 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Republicans, 2012
From NBC's Mark Murray
Politico's Martin reports that Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) convened a meeting with his closest advisers to discuss, in part, a possible presidential bid. And Martin weighs the possible pros and cons of a White House run by Barbour.
Among the pros: an "unmatched Rolodex" that could make him a fundraising juggernaut; credibility among establishment Republicans (especially due to his stewardship of the RNC and RGA); and a pragmatic streak (while he's conservative, he isn't a purist like, say, Jim DeMint is).
Among the cons: He's a former lobbyist. And as a white man from the Deep South, he might not be the ideal Republican to challenge the nation's first black president.
Besides the race angle, geography also might be a hurdle for Barbour. As we saw in '08, Obama did incredibly well in the states neighboring Illinois (IA, IN, even MO). Barbour doesn't expand the GOP's map -- in fact, he'd only solidify the impression that the GOP is the party of the South.
Posted: Friday, April 16, 2010 3:57 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Republicans, 2012
From NBC's Mark Murray
Politico's Martin reports that Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) convened a meeting with his closest advisers to discuss, in part, a possible presidential bid. And Martin weighs the possible pros and cons of a White House run by Barbour.
Among the pros: an "unmatched Rolodex" that could make him a fundraising juggernaut; credibility among establishment Republicans (especially due to his stewardship of the RNC and RGA); and a pragmatic streak (while he's conservative, he isn't a purist like, say, Jim DeMint is).
Among the cons: He's a former lobbyist. And as a white man from the Deep South, he might not be the ideal Republican to challenge the nation's first black president.
Besides the race angle, geography also might be a hurdle for Barbour. As we saw in '08, Obama did incredibly well in the states neighboring Illinois (IA, IN, even MO). Barbour doesn't expand the GOP's map -- in fact, he'd only solidify the impression that the GOP is the party of the South.