GOP Primary Megathread!

[grumbler]

Only because grumbler supports marijuana legalization.  He gets stoned and claims glaucoma, but it's really near-sightedness.

I do support marijuana legalization, but haven't used the stuff since my college days (and it was legal in Ann Arbor back then).

[mongers]

Only because grumbler supports marijuana legalization.  He gets stoned and claims glaucoma, but it's really near-sightedness.

I do support marijuana legalization, but haven't used the stuff since my college days (and it was legal in Ann Arbor back then).

[Sheilbh]

The author argues that "you haven't heard anyone accuse him of flip-flopping."  He won his house seat in large part by attacking Doug Walgren for living outside the state most of the year ; he then proceeded to move his family to DC and live there most of the year (admitted that he probably spent a month year in Pennsylvania).  He has changed his mind (flip-flopped) on abortion, intelligent design, ethanol subsidies, synthetic fuels, and earmarks.

Hadn't heard about abortion or intelligent design, but that surprises me.  The rest are issues that I don't think matter too much, they're very rarely the subject of conviction politics.  I think I'd be suspicious of someone with fixed, immoveable ideological views on ethanol

The first poll from Florida came out today.  It's rated by Nate Silver's blog.  Had Newt 8 points ahead of Romney (34-26).  One interesting point which I didn't know is that Romney won the white vote in Florida in 2008 but he was absolutely destroyed by the Hispanics (52% for McCain, 14% for Romney).  As I mentioned earlier Romney's had issues connecting before (using Castro's slogan) and is to Newt's right on immigration which could make it difficult for him.

Does anyone know if there's any stuff on how Catholics feel about Mormonism?  I know the evangelicals don't like it, but I suspect Catholics could actually be even more hostile.

Edit:  Also interesting.  Apparently evangelicals and religious right leaders are furiously fundraising for Santorum.  It's not really for Santorum so much as it's for a stop Gingrich campaign.  Their worry is that if he's their candidate they won't really be able to raise the issue of 'family values' in the general

Edit:   Romney's releasing his 2011 and 2010 tax returns.  I don't think that'll suffice.  As Ben Smith put it I think that'll just be blood in the water and before the week's out there'll be calls for him to release the past decade or so.

[grumbler]

Hadn't heard about abortion or intelligent design, but that surprises me.  The rest are issues that I don't think matter too much, they're very rarely the subject of conviction politics.  I think I'd be suspicious of someone with fixed, immoveable ideological views on ethanol

Indeed.  Santorum's convictions are "honestly held;" they just change based on geography.

One interesting point which I didn't know is that Romney won the white vote in Florida in 2008 but he was absolutely destroyed by the Hispanics (52% for McCain, 14% for Romney). 

One interesting thing I didn't know is that some people don't think Hispanics are "white."

[Sheilbh]

I thought that was standard terminology in the US, for example, here:
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1024/exit-poll-analysis-hispanics

But I find it a very odd distinction.

Edit:  Although according to that Pew thing it is cultural not racial so it's a bit different.

[Neil]

One interesting thing I didn't know is that some people don't think Hispanics are "white."

Yeah, people like polling agencies, anybody who is civilized, those sorts of people.

[grumbler]

Yeah, people like polling agencies, anybody who is civilized, those sorts of people.

It's funny to think that some people can consider themselves civilized even when they know they are categorizing people in the way polling agencies do.  You know who I am talking about.  Morons. 

[Sheilbh]

It's funny to think that some people can consider themselves civilized even when they know they are categorizing people in the way polling agencies do.  You know who I am talking about.  Morons. 

  Harsh.  I was referring to polling data, seems fair to use pollsters terms.

[Eddie Teach]

Which alternate method of categorizing people would you suggest?

[DGuller]

Which alternate method of categorizing people would you suggest?

Uber and unter. 

[MadImmortalMan]

Newt is kind of scary, very smart in some ways and ideas, but scary, tempermental. Before this primary season, I used to like his ideas, and kind of wished he'd run. But after seeing him more and finding out more, I'm a lot more reluctant to jump on his band wagon. Some of his fellow Repubs don't like him, to the point that he was voted out of the Speakership, and some are speaking out now.

Newt has been going around for the last couple weeks talking in interviews about how he's mellowed out since the 90s and become more circumspect. Probably a reaction to that stuff that came out in the news about his history as Speaker. Says now that he has grandkids everything's different blah blah blah.

[Razgovory]

I guess that means he is less likely to push for an impeachment of a sitting President.  Especially if he wins.

[grumbler]

  Harsh.  I was referring to polling data, seems fair to use pollsters terms.

I think it might be a mistake to take my comments, or Neil's, as seriously meant.   

[Phillip V]

[Siege]

I'm kind of liking Newt more then Mitt.