GOP Primary Megathread!

[Neil]

Sorta amazing how he went hard right after 9/11.  Was always a bit centrist with a common sensical approach, but 9/11 really put the zap on his head.  Still enjoyable, though.

Yeah, I think his laid back approach was related to the relative safety of the US.  When foreign assholes are suddenly attacking American soil (as opposed to blowing up Siegebreakers in Beirut), and a town that he lived and worked in for years, I think it changed his worldview a bit.

[Neil]

If anything he was a bit on the left in the 80s.  He certainly wasn't too fond of Ronnie Ray-gun.

A lot of the detente kids weren't.

[MadImmortalMan]

If anything he was a bit on the left in the 80s.  He certainly wasn't too fond of Ronnie Ray-gun.

Never know. Maybe he was just in the closet about it to help his career.

[Syt]

So, for the unwashed foreigners here in Europe:

How likely is it that Santorum:
- becomes the Republican candidate?
- becomes High Priest President of the U.S.?

Is he just a nutjob, or a nutjob with serious popular backing?

[11B4V]

So, for the unwashed foreigners here in Europe:

How likely is it that Santorum:
- becomes the Republican candidate?
- becomes High Priest President of the U.S.?

Is he just a nutjob, or a nutjob with serious popular backing?

There

[fhdz]

My prediction is that Santorum will make a strong showing but will not receive the Republican nomination. This will be appropriately scary for Americans whose heads are not firmly implanted in their assholes, because it will indicate that social conservatism of the truly theocratic variety has increased in popularity over the last few years. Santorum's politics are a politics of hate, which isn't necessarily distressing - what is distressing, however, is that such a large number of people just don't get it.

I think it will be a close-ish race between Obama and Romney, but Obama will get another term in the end.

[garbon]

I'd think it just means he isn't Romney.

[Razgovory]

This is the end result in believing that government doesn't require any special skills.  That all problems can be solved through "common sense", folk wisdom, and gut instinct.

Given the job career politicians have done, it's not hard to see why people start out with that belief.

Judging other people's competency in a field you don't actually understand is common failing.

[Tamas]

the bane of modern democracy is the professional politican. It is not about lacking common sense, or common sense being enough to run the tehnical side of a ministry, for example. It is about this circle being more and more a detached aristocracy. An aristocracy with relatively easy entry requirements compared to past aristocracies, granted, but still.

[Razgovory]

I think you may be biased because all of your politicians are also Hungarians.

[Eddie Teach]

I think you may be biased because all of your politicians are also Hungarians.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/congressional_job_approval-903.html

[Sheilbh]

the bane of modern democracy is the professional politican. It is not about lacking common sense, or common sense being enough to run the tehnical side of a ministry, for example. It is about this circle being more and more a detached aristocracy. An aristocracy with relatively easy entry requirements compared to past aristocracies, granted, but still.

I sort-of agree.  I wouldn't mind loads of professional politicians but they're not even very good at their jobs. 

The strange thing we have right now is that the leadership of all three parties are from incredibly similar backgrounds.  But the Commons itself is as diverse as it's ever been and there's certainly not a majority of career politicians.

[Razgovory]

I think you may be biased because all of your politicians are also Hungarians.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/congressional_job_approval-903.html

It's away "congress", not the individual congressmen.  Sort of like how someone might say "people are stupid", but not think they themselves are stupid despite being a person.

[Razgovory]

So, for the unwashed foreigners here in Europe:

How likely is it that Santorum:
- becomes the Republican candidate?
- becomes High Priest President of the U.S.?

Is he just a nutjob, or a nutjob with serious popular backing?

He has backing, but not enough.  Besides, his star is already fading.  Also I think that Paul will throw his delegates behind Romney.  Don't know what Gingrich will do.  He doesn't always act rationally.

[Ed Anger]

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has a small lead over rival Mitt Romney in the latest poll of likely Republican primary voters in Ohio.

Conducted by Quinnipiac University, the poll found Santorum leads the former Massachusetts governor 36 percent to 29 percent, though almost half of respondents said they could still change their mind ahead of the Buckeye state primary to be held in a little more than a week's time.

Mitt's folk here seem...disorganized. Haven't seen a single Romney sign. Seen plenty of the black Santorum ones though.