The failure of the GOP to produce credible presidential candidates

[kwc57]

Really? Considering their opposition, I'd say they could run Bozo the Clown and win.

If you think you beat an incumbent President by being "Not Him" you should ask Kerry or Dole how that worked out for them.

You can get away with being the "Not the Incumbent" candidate farther down ticket, but up ticket people tend to vote for the incumbent candidate unless you really make a case for why you're the better man. Most of the GOP field seems to have forgotten this, which is downright scary. Here in the primary phase of the game you set yourself apart based on your ideas, and right now you have a whole group of folks for whom their only publicly stated policy initiative is "I'm not Obama."

Most incumbents haven't screwed the pooch nearly as bad as this one has either. Things change. Shit happens.

 

[Ropey]

The Republican field for president seems frustratingly weak.
40 years ago the GOP was a strong party with credible leaders. They represented family values, small government, and strong national defense. Today, they don't seem to represent anything?

The Tea Party is the Republican Party Waterloo, as independents are running away from the radical policies the tea party has forced onto the GOP this year. Independents are not happy with Obama, but poll after poll has shown that Independents would prefer him over the new Tea Party lead GOP. The Tea Party is the worst thing that has ever happened to the Republican Party, and 2012 will be the final nail that splits the GOP up for years to come. So, Whatever happened to Reagan's God's honest truth of placing Country over politics. President Reagan must be rolling over in his grave watching what NeoCons have done to the grand ol' party he rebuilt. Shame

That's not what the polls are showing. The polls are showing a move of the independents towards the Republican party.

President Obama will swoop into the heartland this week in a high-stakes bid to boost enthusiasm for Democrats by reigniting the coalition of young and minority voters who were critical to his success two years ago.

With polls showing independent voters swinging toward Republicans in Wisconsin and the nation's other battlegrounds, Democrats are turning elsewhere to make up ground. So on Tuesday in Madison, Obama will stage the first in a series of rallies on college campuses designed to persuade what some call his "surge" voters - the roughly 15 million Americans who voted for the first time in 2008 - to return to the polls this fall.

Shakesville: Um

Soon we will see which way the swing goes.

Poll: Obama Is Losing Independents - Washington Wire - WSJ
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/08/11/gop2012poll.pdf

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Most incumbents haven't screwed the pooch nearly as bad as this one has either. Things change. Shit happens.

Obama has really screwed the pooch, I agree, but even Roosevelt and Reagan, guys running against some of the most villified and idiotic incumbents in US History, offered more than "I"m not him." I've yet to see more than that from most of the current crop.

I will give Cain some props here, even though I think he won't win. At least he's got a policy idea out there that amounts to more than just "I'm not Obama." Past him, Perry, and Romney, the rest are just showing up and saying they're not Obama. Maybe that's why those three are the front runners.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

None of the Tea Baggers are real Republicans. No more so than John Birch Society members were real Republicans

They have managed to hijack the party and take it to the far right. They are the Republicans in name only

The genuine Republicans are the moderates. Always have been

For example?

Ronald Reagan.

There's a reason he picked up so many Democratic crossovers, and there's a reason he was able to work with Tip. Moderates are pragmatists. He's spinning in his grave right now when he sees the hard lines the Tea Party forces the GOP to take. Hell, Reagan was willing to work with his sworn enemies, the Russians, when he saw a chance to get things done. What the Tea Party has done to his legacy is a crime.

Do you think that Mitt Romney is a moderate in the same vein as Ronald Reagan?

I voted for romney as my governor just a little FYI.

 

[kwc57]

Most incumbents haven't screwed the pooch nearly as bad as this one has either. Things change. Shit happens.

Obama has really screwed the pooch, I agree, but even Roosevelt and Reagan, guys running against some of the most villified and idiotic incumbents in US History, offered more than "I"m not him." I've yet to see more than that from most of the current crop.

I will give Cain some props here, even though I think he won't win. At least he's got a policy idea out there that amounts to more than just "I'm not Obama." Past him, Perry, and Romney, the rest are just showing up and saying they're not Obama. Maybe that's why those three are the front runners.

Well, of course there is also Ron Paul and Gary Johnson who actually have ideas of substance, but the media has no interest in covering anything more than a cat fight.

 

[Bigfoot]

The Republican field for president seems frustratingly weak.

and anyone of them would do a better job then Obama.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

The failure of the GOP to produce credible presidential candidates.

The GOP is capable of producing credible presidential candidates, they’re just wisely waiting for 2016.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Do you think that Mitt Romney is a moderate in the same vein as Ronald Reagan?

I voted for romney as my governor just a little FYI.

Actually, yeah. I think Romney is an example of something I've thought for a while now, namely that despite the sanctification of Reagan, if he ran today he'd lose.

Think about it for a second. Both came from Liberal states where they easily won the governorship, proving they can appeal to cross over voters. Both were pragmatic enough that they could work with, and implement the ideas of, people that they had serious ideological differences with. Both come from a background that would normally alienate Republicans (Reagan was an actor, Romney a Mormon).

What Romney needs right now is that "Morning in America" moment where he stands up, reminds us of what made us great in the past, and lays out what can make us great again. I'm sure he has the charisma to do that, and once he does it he'll walk away with the general election.

I believe you can have principals AND the ability to be pragmatic and get things done. EDIT: Found the quote. Reagan himself said: "The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor." Try explaining that to Republican partisans today.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Well, of course there is also Ron Paul and Gary Johnson who actually have ideas of substance, but the media has no interest in covering anything more than a cat fight.

They're never going to get any attention. Part of the problem is that a libertarian outlook is fine in theory, but in practice, people reject it pretty darn quick. Considering their stances, they're just not worth covering.

 

[kwc57]

Election 2012: Barack Obama 42%, Ron Paul 41% - Rasmussen Reports™

^^^^^^ Holy crap I was shocked when I typed "Poll Ron Paul V Obama" into google and found that as the first result!

Wool de ******* do...

41% of Americans do not even know who Ron Paul is

Hey I thought you were right but the polling shows even Ron Paul could give obama a run.

No reflection on Ron Paul.....who I like, but a dog turd could give Obama a run.

 

[kwc57]

Well, of course there is also Ron Paul and Gary Johnson who actually have ideas of substance, but the media has no interest in covering anything more than a cat fight.

They're never going to get any attention. Part of the problem is that a libertarian outlook is fine in theory, but in practice, people reject it pretty darn quick. Considering their stances, they're just not worth covering.

Even if those stances might be exactly what our nation needs to dig themselves out of the hole? We're kind of like the fat guy who goes t othe doctor complaining that we can't reach our shoes to tie them anymore. He suggests a diet and exercise plan that we reject because we want a magic pill. There are no magic pills, just diets and exercise. Any wonder why snake oil salesmen got rich and politicians get elected?

 

[UndercoverAngel]

Is this the part where the far left whackaloons tell us who to run and then proceed to trash said candidate?

McCain?

I'd say, pick out whoever the Left attacks the most, and run that one.

Well maybe you could tell us who you think should get the GOP nomination?

Time to run away now

Huntsman. He deserves much more credit and attention than he's getting.

 

[Ame®icano]

The Republican field for president seems frustratingly weak. The front runner is not conservative. He was the inspiration for ObamaCare and has a "pro choice" past. And then there is Perry, who seems intellectually unfit. Finally there is Cain, the anti-Romney candidate, who is fast becoming a joke. Behind the "Big Three" we see people like Gingrich and Bachman, who can't be taken seriously as candidates.

40 years ago the GOP was a strong party with credible leaders. They represented family values, small government, and strong national defense. Today, they don't seem to represent anything.

A question arises. What happened to the Republican Party? Have they lost anything of value on the long road from William F Buckley & Milton Friedman to Sarah Palin & Donald Trump? Can anyone speculate why this once great party has become such a powerful breeding ground for misfits, morons, and opportunists?

 

[rightwinger]

The GOP must be kicking themselves. With the current state of the economy, Obama is vulnerable to a credible candidate. As much as they try, the only credible candidate running is Romney, and republican voters hate him.

Any number of Republicans waiting until 2016 could have made a more interesting challenge

As it is, Obama will face a token challenge from Republicans

 

[kwc57]

The GOP must be kicking themselves. With the current state of the economy, Obama is vulnerable to a credible candidate. As much as they try, the only credible candidate running is Romney, and republican voters hate him.

Any number of Republicans waiting until 2016 could have made a more interesting challenge

As it is, Obama will face a token challenge from Republicans

Bullshit. Obama is suffering disenchantment even from some of his most ardent followers. He is vulnerable period! But keep believing what you want, it'll just make the job that much easier to unseat the failure in 2012.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

The GOP must be kicking themselves. With the current state of the economy, Obama is vulnerable to a credible candidate. As much as they try, the only credible candidate running is Romney, and republican voters hate him.

Any number of Republicans waiting until 2016 could have made a more interesting challenge

As it is, Obama will face a token challenge from Republicans

Bullshit. Obama is suffering disenchantment even from some of his most ardent followers. He is vulnerable period! But keep believing what you want, it'll just make the job that much easier to unseat the failure in 2012.

The problem facing the GOP is the problem the Democrats faced in 2004 and the problem they themselves faced in 1996. You have a vulnerable President, but your best potential candidates for one reason or another decide to sit it out. And just like in 2004 and 1996, you won't win at the top of the ticket just by being "Not Obama." You can't pick up moderates or independents without some kind of plan and you can't get any cross over votes without something that they can latch on to.

I still think Romney can win, but most of the rest of the field? Not so much.

I also think you're making a dangerous mistake in underestimating Obama in campaign mode. Clinton, Bush, and Obama were all dangerously weak thanks to some horrible first terms, and yet Clinton and Bush won. Part of that was a weak opponent, but the other part is that they, like Obama, were INCREDIBLY strong on the campaign trail. Not only that, but if the GOP picks someone too far to the Right Obama's base will shore up incredibly fast.

I won't predict an Obama win yet, but in about 3 months if the candidate isn't Romney... yeah, you can call it. Obama will win.

 

[kwc57]

The GOP must be kicking themselves. With the current state of the economy, Obama is vulnerable to a credible candidate. As much as they try, the only credible candidate running is Romney, and republican voters hate him.

Any number of Republicans waiting until 2016 could have made a more interesting challenge

As it is, Obama will face a token challenge from Republicans

Bullshit. Obama is suffering disenchantment even from some of his most ardent followers. He is vulnerable period! But keep believing what you want, it'll just make the job that much easier to unseat the failure in 2012.

The problem facing the GOP is the problem the Democrats faced in 2004 and the problem they themselves faced in 1996. You have a vulnerable President, but your best potential candidates for one reason or another decide to sit it out. And just like in 2004 and 1996, you won't win at the top of the ticket just by being "Not Obama." You can't pick up moderates or independents without some kind of plan and you can't get any cross over votes without something that they can latch on to.

I still think Romney can win, but most of the rest of the field? Not so much.

I also think you're making a dangerous mistake in underestimating Obama in campaign mode. Clinton, Bush, and Obama were all dangerously weak thanks to some horrible first terms, and yet Clinton and Bush won. Part of that was a weak opponent, but the other part is that they, like Obama, were INCREDIBLY strong on the campaign trail. Not only that, but if the GOP picks someone too far to the Right Obama's base will shore up incredibly fast.

I won't predict an Obama win yet, but in about 3 months if the candidate isn't Romney... yeah, you can call it. Obama will win.

And America will lose.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

The GOP must be kicking themselves. With the current state of the economy, Obama is vulnerable to a credible candidate. As much as they try, the only credible candidate running is Romney, and republican voters hate him.

Any number of Republicans waiting until 2016 could have made a more interesting challenge

As it is, Obama will face a token challenge from Republicans

On that note, a lot of really strong candidates for the GOP sat out due to just bad timing. In 2016, if Obama wins re-election, you'll almost certainly see Christie, Jindal, and Brown all run, along with Ryan and a few others. All of them are in the midst of trying to get some stuff done in their current position so they actually have something to run on in 2016.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

And America will lose.

At this point that's going to happen no matter who wins. We'll weather this current Recession, and would weather a Double dip or even a Depression, but the hole we're dug into financially and politically after Roosevelt/Truman/Eisenhower/Kennedy/Johnson/Nixon/Ford/Carter/Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush/Obama is just too deep. It's too much damn debt and too much military presence all over the world.

 

[rightwinger]

The GOP must be kicking themselves. With the current state of the economy, Obama is vulnerable to a credible candidate. As much as they try, the only credible candidate running is Romney, and republican voters hate him.

Any number of Republicans waiting until 2016 could have made a more interesting challenge

As it is, Obama will face a token challenge from Republicans

On that note, a lot of really strong candidates for the GOP sat out due to just bad timing. In 2016, if Obama wins re-election, you'll almost certainly see Christie, Jindal, and Brown all run, along with Ryan and a few others. All of them are in the midst of trying to get some stuff done in their current position so they actually have something to run on in 2016.

Rubio also looks strong

Hate to say it.......but I would like to see Jeb Bush make a run