Republican Candidates for the 2012 Nomination

[DGuller]

For now at least, he's my guy.  I think I finally got past the Mormon thing.

Don't worry about that.  He's a M.I.N.O.

It seems like he's everything in name only.

[Barrister]

I agree he's likable and charismastic. Problem is, I don't see him winning states outside of the Bible Belt. In 2008, the reason he won states was because he was the only half-way viable candidate highly appealing to evangelical voters, and the candidate pool was fairly large and diverse, meaning that a single candidate could win primaries by dominating a single voting bloc, if the voting bloc was large enough. Which explains why he won mostly states in the South and Midwest. I just don't see how Huckabee can get voters outside of his base. Which is a shame, because he's not a sleazeball like most other politicians.

Echoing Yi and Caliga, I too think Romney will be the frontrunner.

Edit: Another problem for Huck is that he isn't a strong fundraiser, or at least he wasn't in 2008. He had to run a pretty bare-bones campaign back then.

But Huck 2012 isn't Huck 2008.  He has a national profile that he didn't have in 08 (or even 07).  He's also repositioned himself somewhat - in 2008 he clearly tried to position himself as the candidate of the religious right.  I don't think he needs to do that.

I think he'll run from the moderate middle, and count on social conservatives just subliminally knowing he's on their side.

Now what might kill his candidacy would be the early release of that multiple cop killer.  Not sure how that plays out.

And I think I'm with spicey - my man at this stage may well be Romney.

[Admiral Yi]

Have you seen him drinking the forbidden nectar?

edit: That was for Caligula.  Thread moving at warp speed!

[katmai]

And I think I'm with spicey - my man at this stage may well be Romney.

Ewwww

[garbon]

I don't want to see that threesome.

[Sheilbh]

Petraeus pro imperator!

I'd love it if the Republicans ran him only to discover he was like Ike

I think Palin has more chance of the nom than I did a while ago, I also think she's a better candidate than most people give her credit for.  I don't like (I heart Huckabee) but she's strong.

[katmai]

I also think she's a better candidate than most people give her credit for.  I don't like (I heart Huckabee) but she's strong.

[dps]

I agree he's likable and charismastic. Problem is, I don't see him winning states outside of the Bible Belt. In 2008, the reason he won states was because he was the only half-way viable candidate highly appealing to evangelical voters, and the candidate pool was fairly large and diverse, meaning that a single candidate could win primaries by dominating a single voting bloc, if the voting bloc was large enough. Which explains why he won mostly states in the South and Midwest. I just don't see how Huckabee can get voters outside of his base. Which is a shame, because he's not a sleazeball like most other politicians.

Echoing Yi and Caliga, I too think Romney will be the frontrunner.

Edit: Another problem for Huck is that he isn't a strong fundraiser, or at least he wasn't in 2008. He had to run a pretty bare-bones campaign back then.

But Huck 2012 isn't Huck 2008.  He has a national profile that he didn't have in 08 (or even 07).  He's also repositioned himself somewhat - in 2008 he clearly tried to position himself as the candidate of the religious right.  I don't think he needs to do that.

I think he'll run from the moderate middle, and count on social conservatives just subliminally knowing he's on their side.

Now what might kill his candidacy would be the early release of that multiple cop killer.  Not sure how that plays out.

And I think I'm with spicey - my man at this stage may well be Romney.

Are you saying that Romney is your guy in the sense that he's who you'd back, or in the sense of he's who you'd bet on to win the nomination if you had to put real money on it?

And I mean "you" in the plural sense--I'm addressing the question to derspiess as well.

[stjaba]

Palin doesn't seem cut out for a national campaign, based on what I read in Game Change. She makes a great local politician, as well as a national demagouge/celebrity, but she is not capable of running and winning a national campaign. She's definitely formidable, and has a lot of support, but there's no way in hell she could win a Presidential race, and I think that will cause a lot of Republicans to not vote for her in the primaries.

[Admiral Yi]

Are you saying that Romney is your guy in the sense that he's who you'd back, or in the sense of he's who you'd bet on to win the nomination if you had to put real money on it?

And I mean "you" in the plural sense--I'm addressing the question to derspiess as well.

I'd bet on him and back him in the primary at this point.  If I'm arsed enough to even go to another caucus that doesn't mean diddly.

[Jaron]

MMM I could vote for Huck but I don't think he is as strong as BB attempts to portray him. Sadly I'm pretty sure Obama will take it in 2012 too. Democrats and liberals tend to bicker in off season and pull it together when it counts. Republicans will continue to be divided for years to come as they bicker between moving to the center or moving to the extreme right. I could support a moderate GOP, but as long as the Sarah Palin and Tea parties continue to wrestle for the strings many moderate voters such as myself are going to keep their distance.

[Eddie Teach]

Sadly I'm pretty sure Obama will take it in 2012 too.

[Fireblade]

In any case, I'd take him over Palin any day of the week.

That is setting the bar pretty damn low though.

Indeed, but social conservatives usually give me hives, but Huckabee doesn't fill me with rage when he talks.
The peculiar inability of many so-cons to see that their personal decisions and personal mores are not and should not be law is something that bothers me... but I've always had the impression that Huckabee was too sensible for crass populist bullshit... just a feeling.

Fuck Huckabee. Partisan considerations aside, he's a hypocritical, corrupt, thin-skinned prick. That fat fuck should be handling snakes and frying up snakes in his popcorn popper, not thinking about running for President.

[Fireblade]

Bobby Jindal

our next president

i just want to be on record early

He's an interesting fellow, but he needs an image makeover.  I do see him having a shot, but I think 2012 would be a bit too early.  He's young though and has decades to get elected to the Oval Office still.

A Jindal election would generate tons of good lines too:

ASK NOT WHAT YOUR SLURPEE CAN DO FOR YOU, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR SLURPEE

Noun, verb, 7/11?

[Barrister]

Are you saying that Romney is your guy in the sense that he's who you'd back, or in the sense of he's who you'd bet on to win the nomination if you had to put real money on it?

And I mean "you" in the plural sense--I'm addressing the question to derspiess as well.

As in at this stage, as a foreigner of the conservative persuasion, he's the guy I would want to win.