Would the Tea Party Run a 3rd-Party Candidate if Romney Wins?

[California Girl]

(If Barack Obama is not defeated November 6, 2012 there will be no America left to campaign for in 2016. Bernie Goldberg argues the premise of giving us "The most Conservative candidate whio can win" a la William F Buckley.)

"I was part of a panel a few days ago on politics, culture and the media. And the first question put to us was right to the point: “Can Barack Obama win re-election?”

Political guru Dick Morris, Tea Party unofficial leader Dick Armey, a scholar from the Heritage Foundation all said no. It’s tough to argue with that. President Obama’s approval ratings are not good and most Americans think we’re on the wrong track. He’s lost support from his key constituents, including Jewish voters and African-Americans. Worst of all for the president, independents who supported him in 2008 have jumped ship in big numbers.

Like the others, Dick Armey offered a smart analysis of why Obama is in big trouble. But unlike the others, he ended his analysis saying, quietly and almost as an afterthought, Obama won’t win, “Unless the Republicans nominate the wrong candidate.”

That’s like saying, “Besides that Mrs. Lincoln, how’d you enjoy the play?”"


]

Leaving all the silly "Obama is a closet Marxist" nonsense aside. (Seriously, Marxists don't bail out big corporations.)

But here's the thing, who is the "right" candidate?

Every last one of the GOP candidates has pretty severe flaws.

Also, incumbants are tough to beat generally.

I personally think Romney is unelectable. He ticks off too many key groups the GOP will need to win- Tea Partiers, Evangelicals, Hispanics, Women. I know I would never vote for him.

Perry I support, but I'm having doubts about. He's letting himself get beaten to snot by the MSM and GOP establishment, the latter of which would rather lose an election than have a candidate they don't approve of.

Chris Christie, maybe. But he's got to get moving. And he probably needs to lose some weight.

I don't think anyone else they have is even remotely electable.

So the sad commentary about the GOP today is that faced with the worst president since Herbert Hoover, they are unable to beat him due to their inability to find a candidate that even they like.

I'm not so sure that these novices or also-rans - i.e. Cain, Bachmann, Santorum - couldn't beat Obama.

After all, pretend its 2006 again. Would it seem feasible that a black, inexperienced northern liberal with a funny name and a link to Islam have a realistic shot of becoming President? Yet, it happened. People were so pissed off at the Republicans that this is who they chose as President.

So, yeah, a Mormon can become President. But so can a Herman Cain or a Rick Santorum or a Michelle Bachmann. People are hurting so much right now that they might be willing to try something - anything - to change Washington, like they did in 2008. The candidate has to have poise, be intelligent and look the part - which Obama did in 2008 and Perry definitely is not now (though there is still time to change it). If Obama could get elected, so could a Mormon or a pizza king with no political experience or a slightly off kilter evangelical or a ... a ... a whatever Rick Santorum is.

I think this race is wide open and Obama is in serious trouble. It baffles me that more people don't see this, especially those potential Republican candidates who would have a semi-legitimate shot at winning the nomination.

I pretty much agree. I like Romney on economics... I could care less about his religion... and, other than the evangelical twits, I don't think many people will care about it. Right now, and I haven't done a lot of research yet... the only one I would absolutely not vote for is Bachman.

 

[JoeB131]

I'm not so sure that these novices or also-rans - i.e. Cain, Bachmann, Santorum - couldn't beat Obama.

After all, pretend its 2006 again. Would it seem feasible that a black, inexperienced northern liberal with a funny name and a link to Islam have a realistic shot of becoming President? Yet, it happened. People were so pissed off at the Republicans that this is who they chose as President.

So, yeah, a Mormon can become President. But so can a Herman Cain or a Rick Santorum or a Michelle Bachmann. People are hurting so much right now that they might be willing to try something - anything - to change Washington, like they did in 2008. The candidate has to have poise, be intelligent and look the part - which Obama did in 2008 and Perry definitely is not now (though there is still time to change it). If Obama could get elected, so could a Mormon or a pizza king with no political experience or a slightly off kilter evangelical or a ... a ... a whatever Rick Santorum is.

I think this race is wide open and Obama is in serious trouble. It baffles me that more people don't see this, especially those potential Republican candidates who would have a semi-legitimate shot at winning the nomination.

Actually, I think they were grooming Obama for bigger things the minute he won an upset against Blair Hull for the Democratic nomination for Senator from IL. He got to do a keynote address to the 2004 Democratic Convention, even though he was nothing more than a back bencher in the IL Legislature.

But to the point- beating an incumbant is quite different than winning an open seat. Always has been. We haven't voted out an incumbant president in 20 years. We've only voted out nine incumbants in our entire history.

Obama is also going to have the advantage of fawning media coverage, while Romney is going to get a parade of ex-AmPad workers and "Mormonism Exposed" exposes. Just like in 2008, the MSM didn't talk about Reverand Wright, didn't talk about Bill Ayers, downplayed the "Bitter Clinger" comments.

But, hey, Perry went to a camp that used to be known by a racial slur 30 years ago. that's news!

 

[JoeB131]

I pretty much agree. I like Romney on economics... I could care less about his religion... and, other than the evangelical twits, I don't think many people will care about it. Right now, and I haven't done a lot of research yet... the only one I would absolutely not vote for is Bachman.

Actually, lots of non-evangelicals will take that into account. While 18% of Republicans won't vote for a Mormon, neither will 19% of independents and 27% of Democrats.

I'm an atheist, I won't vote for Mittens over his religion. (His sleazy business practices, his flip-flopping, his race-baiting would also make me less inclined to support him, but he was done with me when I found out he was LDS.)

And after the MSM gets done educating the American public about just how crazy Mormon beliefs are, neither will anyone else.

"Please don't throw me into the briar patch, B'rer Fox!"