MittMentum! GOP Must Now Choose Between Jeb and Mitt!!!
Good news! We now have another tired old retread to contend with! Mitt is apparently going to run:
Mitt Romney is moving quickly to reassemble his national political network, calling former aides, donors and other supporters over the weekend and on Monday in a concerted push to signal his seriousness about possibly launching a 2016 presidential campaign.
Romney’s message, as he told one senior Republican, was that he “almost certainly will” make what would be his third bid for the White House. His aggressive outreach came as Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) — Romney’s 2012 vice presidential running mate and the newly installed chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee — announced Monday that he would not seek the presidency in 2016.
Romney’s activity indicates that his declaration of interest Friday to a group of 30 donors in New York was more than the release of a trial balloon. Instead, it was the start of a deliberate effort by the 2012 nominee to carve out space for himself in an emerging 2016 field also likely to include former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
This actually is good news. Competition among the squishes is a net positive for actual conservatives.
So is Cruz running or not? If he is, he’s my man. There’s nobody more principled. If not, Walker seems like the best choice. A guy who can fight unions and win is not a bad thing, in my book.
Romney 3.0? I’ll pass, but I’ll watch him duke it out with Jeb with a smile.
Tell me where I’m wrong.
Or don’t — because I’m not wrong.
Patterico (9c670f) — 1/13/2015 @ 7:38 amI agree that splitting the “squish” vote is a good thing.
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:05 amThough if Romney ends up getting the nomination, he would have a pretty impressive list of “I told you so”(s) for the general campaign.
i like Mr. Walker and I like him more better than Cruz cause he’s actually governed a real actual state
Romney is so not-mainstream
he’s strange and awkward and not somebody i can relate to
I do not want to have a beer with Mitt Romney
i just want him to go away
happyfeet (a037ad) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:11 amWalker/Jindal,
all of flyover from top to bottom.
Walker doesn’t have a college degree. Can’t get more “one of us” for a large segment of the population than that.
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:16 amI support Jeb, or Mitt, or Christie, just simply in response to the people who support Ben Carson or Rick Santorum or Huckabee. If you want to support someone who is simply not a realistic candidate, then I will support someone to make your head explode. (Cruz, BTW, much as I like him, is very close to that Carson/Santorum/Huckabee range.)
A.S. (23bc66) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:21 amA.S., more fiber in your diet might correct your issues.
John Hitchcock (89836d) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:30 amPalin
Cruz
West
Any 2 of the above 3 would be a very good ticket.
John Hitchcock (89836d) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:31 amI think this is a contrived setup. Remember JEB said that he could win the general but first he’d have to lose the primary. Mitt is a stalking horse. He pretends to be “severely conservative”, so he will run to the right of JEB and try to win over conservatives. JEB will have the squish vote all to himself. Assuming one of them comes out the winner after the primaries, that one gets the top of the ticket, the other gets to be VP. But they will announce in advance of the general that the vice president will be a strong vice president, not a Biden-like ceremonial figurehead. More of a co-presidency thing, kinda like what almost happened with Reagan/Ford in ’80.
That’s what I think they believe will defeat Hillary: Two guys from political dynasties known by their first name or nickname against the woman from the dynasty known by her first name. It will come down to which dynasty you prefer most, the liberal Republicans or the slightly more liberal Democrat.
Scott (6d92d8) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:56 amWell, I suppose since Nixon won in 1968 it is possible for M.R. to win in 2016. But sheesh, I really hope he does not run. The resources can be better spent.
seeRpea (3cc998) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:59 amRomney’s a Socialist and a scion of a political dynasty (his dad was a governor and his 3rd cousin on his mom’s side was on the city council of Lander, Wyoming), so he’s a squishy non-starter for me.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:03 amYou know who Mitt running benefits………
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:12 amSo it’s the Republican national convention and Jeb has brokered a deal for Romney’s and Christie’s delegates by giving the Vice-Presidency to Romney and the Secretary of State post to Christie. A crazed group of evildoers takes all three of them hostage and threatens to douse them with gasoline and set them on fire unless the GOP raises $100 million in ransom in the next hour. A delegate comes up to you and asks you for a donation. Would you donate one gallon or two?
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:25 amMitt, Jeb, Rand and Cruz and Walker (and that ahole Christie) all have a message to carry. This is still a big-tent party (despite some people’s best efforts to convert it into a loser’s ghetto) and it will be the GOP voters’ choices that decide who is a Republican and who is a RINO.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:25 amI voted for each and every GOP candidate since 2000, and don’t regret a single one. Each of them was a better choice than the Democrat who ran, and in the cases of 2004 and 2012 a FAR better choice.
Romney was the best single potential President this party has put up since 1985. If you think either Bush, Dole, or McCain was better, then I pity you. I sent him money and I will do so again, even though I voted for someone else in the 2012 primary. Anyone who voted for anyone else for any reason in 2012 can kiss my ***. It is partly your fault the country continues to die.
$%#& ^%$%@ Q@&$ %@@.
Anyone who says there is no difference between the Democrat Party and the GOP (or any two members thereof) is a fool.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:35 amI like Mitt more than Jeb, plus it’s good for Ted Cruz if he decides to run. I think it hurts Christie’s ability to get donors lined up.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:35 amI vote for Mitt three times. That’s enough for me.
Pious Agnostic (7eb3b0) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:37 am*vote[d]
Pious Agnostic (7eb3b0) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:37 amI do regret my vote for the LP in 1996. Even though Dole was a horrid candidate, and doomed, I should have stuck by my own principles. That year I was the fool. Especially considering the LP candidate was a crook.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:38 amEasy, Kevin. I voted for Romney in 2012. I was disappointment that the didn’t win. I wouldn’t mind him as President. I mind him as a candidate because the Democratic nominee will walk all over him just like time.
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:38 amKevin M,
I agree the parties are different, but there is overlap between the actions of the current GOP and Democratic leadership. They both look like crony capitalists and that hurts them with their ideological bases. It hurts the GOP more because it doesn’t have control of the White House.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:40 amAs for the other two, Bush emotes bland and Christie emotes “Blecch!”
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:41 amre #10: 3rd cousin twice removed on his mothers side.
If Romney keeps out Christie then I’d be for his running. But give him money? Please – the man does not need any of our money.
seeRpea (3cc998) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:41 amDRJ–
Mitt running kills Jeb and Christie. Mitt is still the leader of that wing, and for good reason. Note how Jenny Rubin (who pushed for Mitt in 2012) is now so upset that he’s upstaging her new heartthrob Jeb.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:42 amI agree the parties are different, but there is overlap between the actions of the current GOP and Democratic leadership. They both look like crony capitalists and that hurts them with their ideological bases. It hurts the GOP more because it doesn’t have control of the White House.
This is what primaries are for. We get a fair competition of ideas and then the party chooses. Without an incumbent, the hated crossover primaries won’t be as much of a problem this year.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:44 amnk,
I do hope that Romney has learned from his experience. The Mitt that lost to McCain in 2008 was not the Mitt that showed up in 2012. His handlers made him into Mister No-Sharp-Edges and that was a complete mistake. They always do that. They tried to do it to Reagan (you should have seen his AWFUL first Presidential debate where they tried to make him Mr Numbers).
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:47 amWhen you have a fresh Texas Cut Sirloin sitting right there, why do you go into the back of the fridge and pull out the 7 week old sloppy joe that has gone from red to green?
John Hitchcock (a0099e) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:49 amYes, I get wound up. The dump-on-Mitt stuff continues to piss me off. Great candidate. On a scale of 0 to 10, Obama being 0 and Reagan being 10, he was at least an 8. He just lost to two hurricanes, vote fraud, a corrupt media and own-goals by so-called conservatives.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:51 amGive me a break. Flip Flopney was nowhere near an 8. Mister Severely Conservative was a disaster. A ham sandwich could’ve beaten Obama, but we got a tofuburger instead.
John Hitchcock (a0099e) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:53 amMitt has lost that new car smell, but he’s still better than that clotty-brained clunker Hillary.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:53 amMitt vs. whomever? OK, that’s 16 straight years I haven’t voted in a presidential election.
CrustyB (69f730) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:03 amWell, John, just one more thing
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:12 amyou are wrong aboutwe disagree on.OK, that’s 16 straight years I haven’t voted in a presidential election.
And you probably never will. The system is DESIGNED to create incremental change. FDR, Reagan, Obama are unusual, Almost always you get a choice of nudges. Leftward or Rightward. People who want sudden and complete one-fell-swoop change are going to die disappointed.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:15 amDaley–
Weren’t you the guy bashing me (and others) for supporting Gingrich over Romney in 2012? Just sayin’
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:17 amI am with Kevin M on this. Mitt would have been, and still could be, the most honest and most principled occupant of the WH ever.
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:19 amI think Romney’s management competence is an urban legend. I donated twice to him after he secured the nomination in 2012 and was in range of maxing out. I received one email thanking me for the first the donation. I then requested a yard sign and bumper sticker. Neither were provided. We made our own Romney sign. I then began receiving daily emails encouraging me to donate $3 with the promise that my name would be entered into a lottery with the winner getting to fly with Mitt on a campaign trip. It wasn’t clear whether it was one way, but I don’t recall many opportunities to board the plane in the NW, so the $3 would have involved maybe a thousand dollars in related travel. I made the second donation despite this appearance of indifference, and I never received even a thank you for the donation. I was concerned that the donations had gone amiss, but both donations were reported to the FEC, so he did receive them.
I bring these facts to your attention only to make the case that he ran a totally incompetent campaign. A phone call by a staffer, or a letter acknowleding my contributions would have gotten him the remaining allowed donation, but neither event happened. The Democrat office holders in Washington State are uniformly more organized and focused than Mitt appeared to be. I can understand that he wrote off Washington State as an electoral college opportunity, but dollars (thousands of dollars) from Washington State are just as useful as those garnered from Texas.
I agree that he would have made a much better President than the feckless fool who currently lives in the WH, but this is small praise. Clint’s empty chair would make a better President. If Romney intends to run again, he needs to learn how to run a modern campaign. It’s not just who you know. You need to enlist hundreds of thousands whom you will never know, and they need to be encouraged that their contributions will make a difference. In that light, we were going thru my mother-in-law’s paper following her passing, and we found a very nice, personalized note to her from “Her pal, Barry” acknowledging a small contribution to his 2008 campaign. No note from “my pal” Mitt will even be found in my papers.
bobathome (d4306f) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:23 amNo way will I vote for Romney. He’s terrible. Anybody that votes for him is voting for the Dems and Obama. They aren’t different.
Cruz or Paul or Walker- those are my choices.
Patrick H (5f08e3) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:33 amKevin M:
Maybe so but I think all 3 will try to run. It will be nice to see moderates compete with each other.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:43 amMitttens has his chance in 2012, and deliberately threw it away.
if he wouldn’t go toe to toe with Obola, who is supposedly male, there’s even less chance he’s going to suddenly man up and take it to either Shrillery or Fauxcahontas, because they are allegedly female.
Jeb is even further left of center than Mittens, as he himself has said, and counting on either of these squishes to make good appointments to the federal bench is like laying down a large bet on me winning the Miss America pageant this year, so no, voting either of these fools into office is a mug’s game, and will just guarantee moar of the same.
we need to either elect someone who will w*rk at putting things right, or just admit we’re doomed.
redc1c4 (589173) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:46 amdoomedy dommedy doomdoomed
happyfeet (a037ad) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:54 amFlip Flopney, who has “always been” on all three sides of every issue, the most principled and most honest ever? You have got to quit free-basing those banana peels.
John Hitchcock (a0099e) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:02 amMy preferred choices would be Rick Perry or Scott Walker; Ted Cruz says the right things, but he’s never really run anything before, and Barack Hussein Obama has proven as well as anyone can that the Presidency is not an entry-level executive job.
One thing I don’t get upset about is the fact that Messrs Bush and Romney seem to be ready to run; in the end, they have to get the votes in the primaries. If one of them does, then he is the party’s choice, and I have a difficult time arguing with the results of elections.
The realistic Dana (f6a568) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:41 amWhile John Edward Bush is not my preferred candidate, if he actually won, we’d have the great theater of seeing the Democrats’ heads absolutely exploding! 🙂
The amused Dana (f6a568) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:46 amthe problem isn’t with Mittens running, it’s the resources he’s going to aim at what they consider
narciso (ee1f88) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:49 amthe real enemy, the hobbits who won’t bow down,
I suspect that some here think that being a strong social conservative is a good thing in a candidate. I don’t. Our problems are largely fiscal and structural. Perhaps, as Santorum suggests, there is a moral component to our problems, but government is a lousy leader on moral questions. That change must come from other places.
Kevin M (56aae1) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:51 amAnd I think you suspect wrong, Kevin M.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:54 amherein liea the problem, the Clique is addicted to crony capitalism (on their terms), amnesty, constructivism, and then later focus on economics and foreign policy,
narciso (ee1f88) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:56 amI think social conservatives like myself realize we can’t legislate morality, but we can govern in a way that protects our freedoms and our fiscal standing. That’s all I ask.
I like Cruz because I think I can trust him to keep his word, even when it costs him. I liked Reagan for the same reason. I also like other candidates and I trust some of them to a degree, but I don’t trust them as much as I trust Cruz.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 11:57 amFWIW, in all those little polls that tell you which candidate best fits your position, the results have consistently shown that I should vote for Santorum. I never have and don’t think I ever will, and that’s because I don’t vote based on morality. I’m sure there are some people who do, perhaps especially single-issue voters, but I doubt you’ll find any single-issue voters at this website.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:00 pmGazzer and Kevin M… yes! I’ve sent money to Mitt during the last two campaigns and will do so again.
As for the anti-Mittsters… yeah, well that’s, like, just your opinion, man. Having said that, I will support whoever it is that wins the nomination whole-heartedly.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:11 pmThey say what happened here was that Mitt Romney went campaigning (for others) in 2014, and this got his interest started again. There was one particular person urging him on.
This is no good, because he’s incompetent.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:14 pmAnother instance of the Incredibly poor judgement of teh Sammeh.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:15 pm12. nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:25 am
Is the idea in this joke to give people the least suitable position? Attorney General would make more sense.
Anyway maybe this way Christie won’t run.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:19 pmnow that’s just mean! http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/jilted-wife-chopped-husbands-penis-4969780
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:21 pmKevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:42 am
It is also very possible that one or the other of Jeb or Mitt will get far more votes than the other. It will become clearer when there is a debate. They may very well split on some issue.
The last time the Republican primary voters didn’t really want Mitt Romney, so he doesn’t really have a base.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:23 pmFool says- Go conservative or shove it team rino.
Fool (31009b) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:24 pmCruz-Whittle
Walker-Cruz
25. Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:47 am
He did so badly in that debate because he tried to memorize too many details, and it got in the way of his thinking.
This was not Alzheimers disease. This can happen to a college student who crams too much. Alzheimers isn’t like that.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:25 pmI said it before. Mitt Romeny was so rattled by Obama saying he had said terrorism, that he didn’t want to touch the subject at all. And he only did so well in the first debate with Obama (where the subject was the economy) because it was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:27 pm34. Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:19 am
I don’t know how anybody can say that. Throughout his political career, he was not intellectually honest at all – while JEB wants to be.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:28 pmThanks Sammy for confirming my choice. If your agin it, I’m for it.
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:31 pm35. bobathome (d4306f) — 1/13/2015 @ 10:23 am
He shouldn’t have although it wouldn’t be the median sate to tip.
It was carried by Ford in 1976.
In times past, smaller contributions got acknowledged. My father got a note written in ink (probably really Autopen) acknowledging a $50 contribution to Adlai Stevenson in 1956.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:33 pmObama was going after small contributions in 2008.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:35 pmWhat a couple of thrilling choices. Turn-out is going to go through the roof. 😐
carlitos (c24ed5) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:36 pmWho is more honest than Flip Flopney? Oh, how about William JB Clinton for one. And Tricky Dick Nixon for another.
John Hitchcock (a0099e) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:37 pmSeriously, Billy Jeff!
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:42 pmEven most people who don’t want Mitt to run agree that he is the most qualified possible candidate. He will be nominated and he will lose because purists like you are talking him down even before the race gets started. Ted Cruz is obviously the smartest and most principled candidate, but I will be elected President before he will. He is seen by too many in the middle as a bomb thrower, and he’d be lucky to get 40% in the general.
mikehertz (f7a71b) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:43 pmThe invade/invite/spend GOP establishement won’t give up until Hillary! is back in the White House.
Bugg (3a2abd) — 1/13/2015 @ 12:46 pmMikehertz, your argumentum ad populum fallacy fails because “most people” disagree about that “most qualified” fertilizer. And Gazzer, yes, even the prevaricating Billy Jeff is more principled and honest than Flip Flopney.
John Hitchcock (a0099e) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:07 pm67… certifiable.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:14 pm#65: mike, Mitt has shown himself to be quite capable of taking himself down. That is my point. He doesn’t have the confidence of his own convictions, even when he heard Obola obfuscate about Benghazi, and he wasn’t able to assemble a compentent campaign staff. If we appointed Presidents, he would be a good candidate. He knows the right people, and his appointments would be praiseworthy. I would vote for him if he was our candidate, but I would expect to lose.
OT: Demsey certainly showed that Obola appointed the right guy last Sunday. “Political” Generals are the most despicable of creatures. And in times of peace, that’s what our officer corps devolves to, toadies who treasure their careers above all else. It is a miracle that Grant was able to assume any command at the beginning of the Civil War, but once in command he demonstrated what a bunch of buffoons the establishment Generals were. We’ve had very few great Generals since.
bobathome (d4306f) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:18 pm67- Mr “I would rather be right than popular” proves that is neither. Always wrong, but never in doubt.
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:19 pmWebb is more conservative than team rino.
mg (31009b) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:19 pmThis comment may be worthless because it’s based on my impressions of politics during the 1960s-80s but, during some of those years, it seemed like the electorate focused more on candidates it didn’t like than on candidates it liked. I think that’s why recent Presidential races remind me of the base’s disaffection with GOP stalwarts Nelson Rockefeller (1960s-70s) and George HW Bush (after his first term). Republicans need someone who makes voters want to vote the way Democrats wanted to vote for Obama. I don’t know who that is but I hope it happens this time.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:19 pmAny relation to Eleanor Clift, Hitchcock?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:26 pmI can’t wait to see mitty, jebby, and the jersey pumpkin out left each other.
mg (31009b) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:32 pmmpp
that’s what you get for reading its drivel. if there was a way to plonk poasters here, i would.
redc1c4 (589173) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:37 pm== Republicans need someone who makes voters want to vote the way Democrats wanted to vote for Obama. I don’t know who that is but I hope it happens this time.==
DRJ- I know what you’re getting at and I agree to a large extent. But always remember, too, that Obama exaggerated, and or lied about a lot of things to attract voters. When people say they think they they can “trust” a politician’s word or that they believe a particular politician is “principled” I always think it’s wise to remain a bit wary.
It took a bit for many people to see what Obama is and isn’t. Much of what we now love about Reagan (some in the party were quite leery of him as you recall) came as a result of his instincts and actions on the job and how he addressed events once he became president.
elissa (6a9829) — 1/13/2015 @ 1:40 pmNew poll results from Neil W. McCabe at Gravis Marketing:
ropelight (c4a66f) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:00 pmIt sounds like you’re saying we develop trust in our leaders only after their elections, and the chance to see how they perform. I’m sure that’s true for some voters and that also explains the advantage of incumbency, but I’m not sure I agree when it comes to high-information voters.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:02 pmI know this sounds flip, but I’ll say it anyway. Despite being mindful, and careful, doing our homework (due diligence), and applying what we’ve already observed about them, whether it’s boyfriends, pets, or politicians one really doesn’t know what you’re getting until you marry them, adopt them, or elect them.
elissa (6a9829) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:12 pmIf we could get a Kennedy to throw their hat in the ring, we could have a well-rounded crop of dynastic re-treads.
JD (86a5eb) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:33 pmIts like when hitler attacked stalin you don’t know who to boo for! If allah is so great lets see in he can stop a neutron bomb on mecca!
mr.gop (63a230) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:34 pmI think the reason for the feeling (that we don’t really know someone, whether it’s our leaders or our family) is that events can change people and present them with unexpected challenges. George W Bush ran on a platform of humility, and avoiding empire and the use of power, and then 9/11 happened. So it’s true that time and events show us more about someone but it also matters who the person is underneath, and I think we can know a lot about these candidates if we’re watching.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:40 pmPerry is demented
JD (86a5eb) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:45 pmHe should have those boils lanced. It’s not only that they make him irritable; infections aggravate neurological conditions.
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:01 pmPerry was troubled last time around by his then-recent back surgery and presumably the need for pain medication. I read or heard nothing at all about dementia or festering boils.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:14 pmof course he is: that’s why he was blocked here.
redc1c4 (589173) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:15 pmMr Finkelman wrote:
Uhhh, really? In the 2012 Republican primaries, Mr Romney received 10,031,336 total votes, or 52.13% of all of the votes cast; Rick Santorum was second with 3,932,069 votes, or 20.43%.
When a candidate, in a multi-candidate race, receives over half of the total vote, I’d say that means the Republican primary voters really did want Mr Romney to win, at least more than they wanted any other candidate to win.
The Dana who can remember things from only three years ago (1b79fa) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:17 pmwhen Sammeh speaks, people hasten…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:20 pmSo let’s all say hello to possible candidate Huck and welcome him to the ever growing field. /sarc
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-huckabee-obama-daughters-beyonce-20150113-story.html
elissa (6a9829) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:28 pmKevin M wrote:
A strong fiscal and economic conservative is going to be a social conservative, because the two go hand-in-hand; to be a fiscal conservative means to oppose the cockamamie spending plans of the left, and those all go toward social liberalism. The economic conservative who says that he wants to cut welfare because we cannot afford it is saying the same thing as the social conservative who wants to cut welfare because it is unfair to steal money from people who earn it to support lazy scumbags; it’s simply that they are giving different reasons to come to the same conclusions. The economic conservative who opposes nationalized health care because we cannot ever hope to pay for it is saying the same thing as the social conservative who believes that people ought not be given something they haven’t earned and paid for.
The real trick to for the fiscal and social conservative to be able to explain his positions from both sides of the equation, and tie them together to form a coherent whole.
The economist Dana (1b79fa) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:29 pmjust wanted to make sure Hitchcock didn’t miss this one… http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/protesters-gather-clinton-foundation-complain-missing-money-haiti-recovery_823527.html
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:33 pmOur troll “Perry” who comments under various names and IPs, today “mr.gop”, Haiku. Not Rick Perry.
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:37 pmOr this piece of moral fortitude, Colonel,
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:40 pmhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/02/duncancampbell
A crowded field is good news, and not just because Jeb and Mitt will be duking it out for top squish. Unlike the competition, we are not a party of aphorisms, but a party of ideas. Let’s get those ideas out on the table as the candidates try to differentiate their products.
The problem last time around wasn’t one of quantity, but one of quality. Herman? Michelle? And, especially, Rick Santorum? Where did they find these people?
ThOR (5d4ee2) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:45 pmMitty and Jebb – Two lying silver spooners that will never have a chance.
mg (31009b) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:49 pmI will support whoever it is that wins the nomination whole-heartedly.
Yes, but please god it isn’t Santorum or Huckabee or Christie.
Kevin M (56aae1) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:18 pmDana, #90
Perhaps we have a different idea of what social conservative means. I can see someone supporting, say, gay marriage and still wanting the government gutted like a fish. That does not mean they want the government forcing people to celebrate or even LIKE gay marriage, just that they want the government clerks to sign the licenses, should there still be licenses, and/or clerks.
Kevin M (56aae1) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:23 pm92… I know, nk, I keed, I keed.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:25 pmThe GOP is very respected, like old whores and ugly buildings. But if they’re gonna run either of these milquetoasts or Christie, we KNOW they will lose to Hillary!. Understand while Bill Clinton might be an awful human being to be married to, it can be argued his was the last fiscally-responsible administration. The 1990s was a mostly good economic times in America. Clinton was greatly constrained by a Republican Congress but it’s fair to say he worked well with those constraints.His wife does not have his charisma, but after 8 year of amateur hour and 8 years of incoherent compassionate conservatism before that, the return of Clintonian government is something many Americans might welcome. In short while many of us view Hillary! as evil and would crawl over broken glass to vote against here, many of our fellow citizens can respectably cast a vote for her in hopes of a return to that.
Which is the point; if the GOP candidate is going to run Mitt 2.0 of Bush 3.0, with no fire and no idea, that nominee is going to lose and badly. Bush Jr. and Sr. could never finish a sentence much less discuss limited conservative governance, clear form Romneycare and 2012 Romney could not care less about it. Bush’s family damaged the brand(INVADE! INVITE! SPEND!), Romney thinks a few bromides spoken like a car salesman can close the deal. These 2 or Christie would be sending silly children into a gun fight with nothing more than water balloons.
Cruz, please. Dear God, not this old crap again. Are they really that dumb?
Bugg (f0dbc7) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:25 pm96… agreed.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:26 pmI pretty much prefer it to be a Governor. They have at least some executive experience. Senators, not so much.
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:34 pm“I’ll watch him duke it out with Jeb with a smile.”
– Patterico
If I saw two bowls of porridge duking it out, I would smile too.
Leviticus (f9a067) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:36 pmIf we could get a Kennedy to throw their hat in the ring
I think they’re mostly dead now. And Arnold can’t run.
Kevin M (56aae1) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:41 pmyep, Gazzer… Mr. Hitchcock must have a stomach for what terms the “principled” and the “honest”.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:42 pmSome of us apparently pine to return to teh land of Wouldashouldacoulda… http://t.co/7V7Nsm9Q4y
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:49 pmGreat ad.
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:50 pmI’m just surprised he made a decision. Now let’s see if he keeps it.
Meanwhile he still has lots of flip flops he can flip or flop depending
on the direction of the political wind blowing the day of the primaries.
He may be a nice guy and smart and all but he’s just like every other
politician; he says what he thinks YOU want to hear. That leads to a lack
of sincerity about anything he says.
Don’t trust him, don’t want him, won’t vote for him.
jakee308 (f0aa61) — 1/13/2015 @ 5:25 pmIf you expect to win in 2016 you better start putting birth control pills in the tacos. They don’t like republicans.
mr.gop (63a230) — 1/13/2015 @ 5:31 pmI choose none of the above.
The 3rd party is looking so much better these days.
WarEagle82 (b18ccf) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:00 pmHaiku, I never said Clinton was principled or honest. He wasn’t and isn’t. I said he was more principled and more honest than Flip Flopney.
John Hitchcock (a0099e) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:16 pmRick Santorum is a conservative’s conservative. But he can’t win nationally. Heh. If he could, we wouldn’t need him.
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:21 pmMaybe the biggest problem with Romney (and anyone else the establishment is comfortable with) is that he would make the campaign about “competence”. It’s natural for Romney to make that argument because his resume is his biggest selling point. We’re at a stage where the standard bearer has to make the case that today’s Democrats are radical – that we don’t all share the same objectives but just have different ideas of how to achieve them.
Gerald A (d65c67) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:21 pm“Weren’t you the guy bashing me (and others) for supporting Gingrich over Romney in 2012? Just sayin’”
Kevin M – I don’t recall bashing you specifically, but I thought the only thing Gingrinch brought to the table was intermittent entertainment chewing on a debate moderator or interviewer and that he had no shot at winning. I supported Romney. My reference to the new car smell was for 2016.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:26 pmI don’t recall bashing you specifically
It’s all about me.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:31 pmRick Santorum is a conservative’s conservative.
What we used to call a “young fogey.”
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:32 pmGerald–
Given the guy in office, “competence” isn’t a bad argument, and one Hillary can’t use without trotting out Bill. For Hillary to win as Bill’s “beard” would destroy every irony meter on the planet.
I would like:
1) competence and decency
2) a solid view of the world and America’s place leading it.
3) a clear desire to pare government back to, oh, 1960 levels.
4) the ability to work with others to get things done.
The rest can vary. I need to hear Walker on #2, Romney on #3, Cruz on #4 and maybe 1, and Rand on #2, and probably 1 and 4. Rick Perry is a dark horse (he has to overcome the dumb vibe) and Jeb would rally have to surprise me to get on the list.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:44 pm“It’s all about me.”
I know.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/13/2015 @ 6:45 pm#116
Of course I’m not anti-competence. But what would Prez Romney do about Obama’s illegal amnesty for millions of illegals? Or the fact that the Justice Dept. and IRS are likely riddled with people who have broken laws? Probably other areas of the govt. as well. Would Prez. Romney go after them? I’m guessing not. Then there’s Obama/Clinton’s wacko foreign policy. Supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt or emptying Gitmo goes beyond incompetence. It suggests Obama likes radical anti-Americans.
It’s very tricky to bring those things up in a campaign because a lot of voters just want to hear about jobs and things like that. You need a talented person like Reagan to do it right.
Gerald A (d65c67) — 1/13/2015 @ 7:21 pmAs for Romney’s managerial ability, it was Romney’s campaign which kept calling me to get my vote in the GOP primary. At tge time when my household had two registered voters, both with D after their name.
kishnevi (3719b7) — 1/13/2015 @ 8:07 pmOn the other hand, my family back in Boston all detest him. They are Democratic to a (wo)man.
I lived with Jeb as my governor. He was, I think, an effective conservative, and to the right of Romney. You would not get a precursor of Obamacare from him. This in contrast to our current governor, who is either an ineffective or a fake conservative. The main point Jeb departs from orthodoxy is immigration, where he maintains a position pretty consistent with what he has always said. A contrast to Romney. Jeb’s big flaw is that he is part of a dynasty.
The last three elections I voted for the Libertarian candidate. Of the current crop of likely GOP candidates, Jeb is the only one for whom I currently would change that pattern. The others would have to convince me.
What’s this Cruz stuff? what’s this Santorum stuff, for that matter?
What makes people think that a person who works good making the laws (or corporate policy) makes a good CEO? There are two different personalities and mindsets involved. Making laws is easy. Law makers only must convince the CEO er POTUS that the law is good or else provide that 2/3 majority that says, “By definition the law is good.” The CEO/POTUS must implement the laws. That involves leading large numbers of people, convincing them to follow the BOD policies er laws are good enough to enthusiastically work with them. This is something law makers don’t even dream of doing. The two talents are unrelated. Good law makers are not necessarily good corporate, state, or national leaders.
Unfortunately the candidates available who have at least state level leadership experience are a mixed bag at best.
Huckabee has near zero reach to the (so-called) social liberal fiscal conservative (small government sorts). In fact, his social policies insert more government into our personal private lives, thus expanding government. At least he digs the Islamic threat concept.
Christie is, well, Christie. At least he is an experienced leader. I am not sure his style would play well in DC among the people he’d find himself leading. He emphatically does not seem to understand the Islamic threat.
Jeb is, well, experienced; but, he’s another Bush. He might be quite capable fiscally and maybe to a degree socially. His name precludes his election even in the face of a Clinton or a Warren. It’s unfair to him. But, I’m not even bothering to look further into his qualifications because I feel it is a waste of time.
Palin is, well, Palin. At least her heart’s partly in the right place, or so people tell me. Her Alaska tenure seemed to tend to big nanny government when looked at carefully. So she’s out.
Romney is 3.0. He has a lot going for him. He was basically right about everything said during the debates. Is “I told you so” a good campaign slogan? He has management experience in spades. He even has “small management” credentials for bringing in the Olympics under budget. As a manager he’s a winner. And he seems to understand the Islamic threat. Can that survive his “leftish” reputation and his 3.0 stigma? I dunno. I’d vote for him happily enough. I believe he’d make a fine POTUS. Best? I don’t know. Maybe the next guy is better?
Walker has good experience. He seems to lean the correct directions. I need to look into his record more. At this moment I prefer him to most any of the alternatives when I think of his prospective performance as POTUS. His chief downside is that he’d galvanize the unions into trying to purchase the Clinton or Warren Presidency.
West has some modest management experience from his military service. He understands the Islamic threat. He might be a decent person to have in place as VPOTUS but perhaps not POTUS.
So, guys, where do your candidates stand with regards to management experience for large enterprises? Where do they stand with regards to small government? Where do they stand with recognition of the Islamic threat?
But, please, let’s forget the life time legislators. They are as inexperienced as Obama when it comes to trying to manage something like the US government. Give me people with gubernatorial experience or large corporation or enterprise (e.g. Olympics) experience and good small government credentials.
Get the frinking government out of my face and keep the frabbling Mohammedans out of my face.
{^_^}
JDow (770dee) — 1/14/2015 @ 1:17 am110… Well, Hitchcock, if you really believe that, I wish you a swift return to sanity. Be well.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/14/2015 @ 4:52 am3, 7. I’m not Republican and really don’t regard Palin, West or Cruz as Thugees.
Among Republicans Walker is the only candidate selling what I care to buy.
$500 million on consultants, hit pieces and party favors and no friggin’ T-shirt.
WTF 4 America? Why?
DNF (5e8377) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:18 am109. I know I said this last time but the Dhims scorched Earth policies leave a ‘business as usual’ GOP Executive a guaranteed failure.
He absolutely cannot save 2017 azzes kissed Kokomo to Peoria goodbye.
We need an Armageddon President.
DNF (5e8377) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:30 amThe only reason we reached ostensive 50% voter participation in 2012 was thru fraud.
Democracy is a teats up beginning to rot catastrophe.
DNF (5e8377) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:40 amKevin M wrote:
You aren’t describing what most people would see as being a social conservative, but an idea which would be more libertarian, but even there, I think you are a bit off target: a real libertarian would say, at this point, that government should not recognize marriages at all, and leave churches alone to marry, or decline to marry, whomever they choose. With the exception of how we would handle Social Security for a widow who never worked, and was solely dependent upon her husband’s Social Security, and how legal paternity is established, I could go along with that.
But by having and licensing marriages, the government is not only interjecting itself into the institution, but is stating that marriage is a societal preference, a restricted societal preference. Homosexuals want legally recognized same-sex “marriage” to establish the fact that their relationships are somehow just as good and just as normal as heterosexual ones, but even if we accept that cockamamie notion, we still have legal restrictions on who can marry: I cannot marry my sister (except, of course, in West Virginia), and I cannot have more than one wife at a time (though why any man would ever want to is beyond me).
Most people would see a social conservative as someone who believes that the traditional organization of society has worked very well in creating an orderly and efficient culture, and that that ought to be legally preferred; adding a libertarian element to that would allow for that legal preference, but without adding legal penalties for those who choose to live differently. Thus, normal marriage would be legal, while same-sex relationships or whatever wouldn’t be considered as legal marriages, but wouldn’t be prohibited or punished; that’s how I believe we ought to do things.
The Dana from Kentucky (f6a568) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:41 ambut, most importantly, the University of Kentucky Wildcats thumped the University of Missouri Tigers 86-37!
The University of Kentucky alumnus Dana (f6a568) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:49 amHog-calling contest?
nk (dbc370) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:50 am127. Let’s start a list.
DNF (5e8377) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:56 amJDow wrote:
Her heart is in the right place, but her family isn’t exactly great campaign material, and 2½ years as Governor, a job she quit before finishing one term, doesn’t strike me as impressive. I understand why she had to resign, and it was unfortunate, but the most notable thing about her term as Governor was her resignation; that’s the part which will be remembered. Had she not resigned, and run for re-election, I’m not certain that she’d have been re-elected, because Alaskans like practical people, and the Palins got caught up in her celebrity.
To win the presidency, a candidate is going to have to sell himself beyond just his natural base. Scott Walker has done that, Jeb Bush has done that, and Chris Christie has done that; I’m not certain that Sarah Palin or Ted Cruz or Rick Santorum could do it.
The practical Dana (f6a568) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:57 amSooie pig, pig, pig! We’re calling the hogs, who’ll be at Rupp Arena for a whippin’ on February 28th!
The snarky Dana (f6a568) — 1/14/2015 @ 6:00 amWorld markets crashing USD backing up this AM.
Yesterday saw a 950 point swing in the Dow.
A general gnashing of teefs in outer darkness regime prevails.
DNF (5e8377) — 1/14/2015 @ 6:19 amThe 30-year is now at an all-time low.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-01-14/market-wrap-copper-plummets-euro-plunges-9-year-low-euro-courts-omt-ruling-futures-d
A mattress! My 401K for a mattress!
DNF (5e8377) — 1/14/2015 @ 6:32 amI love Ted Cruz, I voted for him as my senator. Your description of him as a true, principled conservative is very accurate. I do not look at him as a serious candidate for President. He has never shown me that he has the capability to do the job. I want to see accomplishments, I want to see him gather and lead a coalition of Senators that actually accomplishes something before he gets my consideration for President. I would think our recent experience with a one term Senator with no record of getting things done would be a big red flag.
Robert (d30dd8) — 1/14/2015 @ 6:34 amThere comes a time during the natural course of every Banana Republic when a military strongman directing indiscriminate death-squads becomes the unavoidable next step forward.
DNF (5e8377) — 1/14/2015 @ 6:45 amInteresting. Rand Paul has just hired Chip Englander to be his presidential campaign manager. Englander was most recently the campaign manager for newly elected Gov. Rauner of Illinois. A hallmark of the Rauner campaign was its outreach effort to broaden “the base” in several areas, which in doing so managed to make some inroads into the AA community. Small but noticeable inroads. That surprised many traditional pols and watchers. Paul already seems to have the interest of many younger college age voters. His campaign will be worth watching if he can get any donors.
elissa (757b3f) — 1/14/2015 @ 9:20 amRauner’s inroads into the AA community were by way of his best bud and crony Rahm Emanuel who supported him with cash during the primaries and votes in the general election. As well he should. Rauner hired him as his fixer after Rahm left the White House and went to New York, sending large fees and commissions his way making him a multi-millionaire. Chicago Magazine was writing about this, but who cared? Quinn was worse.
nk (dbc370) — 1/14/2015 @ 4:14 pmGiven the enormous Democratic margins among AAs, a candidate doesn’t have to do much more than ask to make inroads. Dems tell Reps they’ll be increasing turnout if they try, and this has hitherto worked for the most part.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:22 pm‘AA community’ ?
Jeff Session’s middle class, why is this such a nonstarter for Republicans?
Who without a trust of millions cares a whit for Bush or Romney? Those without who pick up their baton and run are as queer as blue-footed boobies.
DNF (846224) — 1/14/2015 @ 5:46 pmAn absolute requirement of any successor to the Renegade Muslim antiChrist shall be that charges four score of Treason foul and craven be leveled against him and pursued thru to his mortal destruction.
DNF (846224) — 1/15/2015 @ 6:48 am