Your Next Republican Preznit!

[bjkeefe]

Because it's never too early to start horserace coverage, amirite? So we will have a straw poll of the highly influential Bhtv commentariat, and also use this thread for relevant news and gossip.

Sadly, vBulletin only allows a maximum of ten options in their polls, so I picked the nine that seemed to be getting the most buzz that I've seen. Following is a more extensive list of those mentioned (here, here, and/or here) as candidates to be the 2012 GOP nominee. A leading asterisk means that person was in this thread's poll; a trailing -FFC means that person is among those invited by the Faith and Freedom Coalition to participate in a forum in Iowa on 7 March 2011.

Joe Arpaio
Michele Bachmann
* Haley Barbour -FFC
John Bolton
Scott Brown
Jeb Bush
Herman Cain
John Cornyn
* Chris Christie
* Mitch Daniels -FFC
Jim DeMint
* Newt Gingrich -FFC
Rudy Giuliani
Lindsey Graham
Judd Gregg
* Mike Huckabee -FFC
Jon Huntsman
* Bobby Jindal
Gary Johnson
Fred Karger
Bob McDonnell
* Sarah Palin -FFC
George Pataki
Ron Paul -FFC
* Tim Pawlenty -FFC
Mike Pence -FFC
David Petraeus
Buddy Roemer
* Mitt Romney -FFC
Marco Rubio
Paul Ryan
Rick Santorum -FFC
John Thune -FFC
Donald Trump

[bjkeefe]

Whenever you hear the name Tim Pawlenty from now on, never forget.

Going on the radio show run by that crazed, hate-filled loon Bryan Fischer, unless you're going on to tell him he's a crazed, hate-filled loon, ought to be grounds for automatic disqualification.

[Added] More here. If you've ever thought Pawlenty might be kind of a moderate -- because, hey, Minnesota-nice -- rid yourself of that misapprehension.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

Whenever you hear the name Tim Pawlenty from now on, never forget.

Going on the radio show run by that crazed, hate-filled loon Bryan Fischer, unless you're going on to tell him he's a crazed, hate-filled loon, ought to be grounds for automatic disqualification.

[Added] More here. If you've ever thought Pawlenty might be kind of a moderate -- because, hey, Minnesota-nice -- rid yourself of that misapprehension.

Pawlenty doubles down on his love for Bryan Fischer:

Last month, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) made waves when he suggested that he would reinstate the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy if elected President. This morning, Pawlenty went a step further, telling ThinkProgress that he would support rescinding the funds necessary for the Department of Defense to implement the repeal. Appearing at the Family Leader’s Presidential Lecture Series in Iowa, which ThinkProgress attended, Pawlenty reiterated his argument for why the policy should not have been repealed and then, when pushed, agreed with ThinkProgress that taking away the funding “would be a reasonable step”:

[...]

Interestingly, the idea to rescind funding has also been suggested by the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer, on whose radio show Pawlenty originally said he would like to bring back the DADT policy. Today, Fischer called for getting conservative politicians “on record about where they stand on the issue of the radical homosexual agenda,” demanding these politicians agree that “the homosexual lifestyle itself is extremely dangerous to human health,” just like “smoking.”

(h/t: Scott Lemieux | pic. source | pic. source)

[Added] Follow-up post from Lemieux: "An Instructive Comparison."

[chiwhisoxx]

Somehow the wildly condescending thread title makes me less inclined to respond >.>

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by chiwhisoxx

Somehow the wildly condescending thread title makes me less inclined to respond >.>

Success!

[chiwhisoxx]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

Success!

Congratulations

[operative]

In terms of who I'd like to be president,
Daniels
Huntsman
Jindal
Christie

In terms of who I think would make the strongest challenger to Obama:
Thune
Daniels
Huntsman
Jindal
Christie

Of course, if Jindal gets the nomination, it won't be long until BJ engages in anti-Indian bigoted remarks.

Oh and the five most likely nominees:
Romney
Huckabee
Thune
Pawlenty
Daniels

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by operative

Of course, if Jindal gets the nomination, it won't be long until BJ engages in anti-Indian bigoted remarks.

Originally Posted by operative

Are you just trying to bait me tonight?

.

[bjkeefe]

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey suggested on Wednesday — in an interview with The New York Times — that if Ms. Palin ever wanted to be president, she needed to open herself to potentially combative question-and-answer sessions.

Therefore, she will go onto Sean Hannity's show.

(h/t: @tbogg)

[bjkeefe]

Newell reports:

Silly Chris Christie. The New Jersey governor's latest rant about the state government going "bankrupt" yesterday rattled financial markets and forced the state to cut its new bond offering by half. Governor Sandwiches will be eating crow, now.

High fives all around!



(Or maybe someone said, "Governor, how many burgers do you want for lunch today?")

[chiwhisoxx]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

Newell reports:



High fives all around!



(Or maybe someone said, "Governor, how many burgers do you want for lunch today?")

What's the difference between a gay rodeo and a straight rodeo?
At a straight rodeo everyone yells, "Ride that sucker"

[bjkeefe]

Our man in Indiana: "You Asked For It!"

[Added] Still only $4 on CafePress!


He has a time machine! He will
go back and kill Obamacare
before it is born!

[operative]

Another thread for BJ to post stupid, worthless attacks on Republicans. Why don't you do us all a favor and limit your vitriol to one thread?

[kezboard]

I voted for Haley Barbour, as the nominee easiest to beat. (Yes, easier to beat even than Palin.) The most formidable candidates for Obama would be the Midwestern who-the-hell-are-they guys. But I would bet that the Republicans are going to do what the Democrats did in 2004 -- go for the competent, rich bore from Massachusetts.

[Wonderment]

I voted for Haley Barbour, as the nominee easiest to beat.

I vote for Barbour, Christie, Gingrich, Jindal and Palin on those grounds. Only Christie has the self-awareness to understand that he is unelectable 2012; the others are deluded enough to think they have a chance.

The problem for the Repubs. is nominating a centrist who will not alienate the Tea Party base. I agree they'll probably go with Romney, although we're still way too early in the process to bet the farm.

Deep down Repubs. may understand that they really have little chance of winning in 2012 and should probably run a patsy next year and start thinking about their younger star players for 2016. At the moment I think Obama is sitting pretty for re-election.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by Wonderment

[...]

Deep down Repubs. may understand that they really have little chance of winning in 2012 and should probably run a patsy next year and start thinking about their younger star players for 2016. At the moment I think Obama is sitting pretty for re-election.

Looks like there's some fairly new survey data to support your thinking:

Poll: Obama rebounding, would beat GOP rivals, crush Palin

By Steven Thomma | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has bounced back from his low point after November's elections and enjoys stronger support heading into the 2012 election cycle, particularly against Sarah Palin, according to a McClatchy-Marist poll released Thursday.

Obama's fortunes appear to be rising along with the country's. The poll found a jump in the number of people who think the country's heading in the right direction. Also, the president probably benefited from the productive post-election session of Congress.

"Obama's standing on far firmer footing," said Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College in New York, which conducted the national survey. "It puts a different hue on the 2012 elections."

The president's rating improved on several fronts, including job approval, how many like him personally and whether they think he'll do better in the next two years. His strengthening appeal was most noticeable in how he matches up against three potential Republican rivals.

Today Obama would beat Republican Mitt Romney by 51 to 38 percent, the poll showed. In a December McClatchy-Marist poll, he trailed the former Massachusetts governor by 46-44 percent.

Obama would defeat Republican Mike Huckabee by a similar margin, 50-38 percent. In December, the president led the former Arkansas governor by only 47-43 percent.

And he'd crush Palin by 56-30 percent. A month before, he led the former Alaska governor by 52-40 percent.

In each case, Obama owes his lead now to a unified base of support from Democrats and an edge among independents, who prefer the president by 10 points against Romney, 5 points against Huckabee and 28 points against Palin.

[...]

An uptick in confidence about the country and the economy is probably key to Obama's improved standing.

The poll found that 41 percent of Americans think the country's headed in the right direction and 47 percent think it's on the wrong track. That's a marked improvement from December, when just 34 percent thought the country was headed in the right direction and 58 percent thought it was on the wrong track.

At the same time, 48 percent of American voters approve of how the president is doing his job, up from 42 percent the month before. Forty-three percent disapprove, down from 50 percent.

Similarly, 53 percent of voters have favorable opinions of Obama, up from 47 percent, and 40 percent have unfavorable opinions, down from 49 percent.

Looking forward, 61 percent of voters think the president will do a better job in the second two years of his term, while just 21 percent think he'll do a worse job.

Whether they think he's learned or will be forced to the center by a Republican-led House of Representatives, the people who think he'll improve include Republicans, by 41-38 percent, conservatives, by 43-36 percent, and independents, by 55-23 percent.

Tea party supporters are split 41-41 over whether Obama will do better or worse.

(h/t: Brian Weatherson, comment #8 in a discussion thread on Crooked Timber about Palin's chances.)

[operative]

Originally Posted by Wonderment

I vote for Barbour, Christie, Gingrich, Jindal and Palin on those grounds. Only Christie has the self-awareness to understand that he is unelectable 2012; the others are deluded enough to think they have a chance.

The problem for the Repubs. is nominating a centrist who will not alienate the Tea Party base. I agree they'll probably go with Romney, although we're still way too early in the process to bet the farm.

Deep down Repubs. may understand that they really have little chance of winning in 2012 and should probably run a patsy next year and start thinking about their younger star players for 2016. At the moment I think Obama is sitting pretty for re-election.

I can't understand why you'd lump Jindal in with Barbour or Palin. Unless all you have to go off is his disappointing SOTU response. There may not be a governor in America with a more impressive intellectual resume.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by operative

I can't understand why you'd lump Jindal in with Barbour or Palin. Unless all you have to go off is his disappointing SOTU response. There may not be a governor in America with a more impressive intellectual resume.

I suppose that could be true, if, for example, you view an "intellectual resume" as one featuring accomplishments like lying on national TV, taking credit for programs you opposed, and signing laws approving the teaching of creationism in your state's science classes.

[operative]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

I suppose that could be true, if, for example, you view an "intellectual resume" as one featuring accomplishments like lying on national TV, taking credit for programs you opposed, and signing laws approving the teaching of creationism in your state's science classes.

Jindal was a Rhodes scholar with a Master's from Oxford. Where's your degree from, BJ? Your derangement has impeded your basic thought processes.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by operative

Jindal was a Rhodes scholar with a Master's from Oxford.

Funny. I don't remember the right counting that as a plus when a certain other governor was up for discussion as president. Matter of fact, I thought your heroes had pretty well convinced the vast majority of your allies that fancy elitist degrees were the problem, and that Commonsense Conservatism was what really mattered.

Where's your degree from, BJ?

Do I need a degree to offer links to specific points against your claim? Or do you hope that a little more elitism will distract your dumber friends from your inability to address them?

Your derangement has impeded your basic thought processes.

Really? Giving three straighforward examples amid a succinct response to your vapid assertion constitutes "derangement" to you? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[operative]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

Funny. I don't remember the right counting that as a plus when a certain other governor was up for discussion as president. Matter of fact, I thought your heroes had pretty well convinced the vast majority of your allies that fancy elitist degrees were the problem, and that Commonsense Conservatism was what really mattered.

Strawman to escape addressing my point. Jindal's intellectual accomplishments trump Obama's and those of every other major Democrat politician.

Do I need a degree to offer links to specific points against your claim?

You were indicting Jindal's intelligence. Jindal's academic record is quite impressive; if you don't have a decent intellectual resume, maybe you shouldn't assail his.

Really? Giving three straighforward examples amid a succinct response to your vapid assertion constitutes "derangement" to you? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Every. Response. You. Make.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by operative

You were indicting Jindal's intelligence.

You're a liar. Or you can't read. Try again.

[operative]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

You're a liar. Or you can't read. Try again.

I'm not going around in circles with you. You seem to be unable to admit that Jindal is a very intelligent person. That's your loss.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by operative

I'm not going around in circles with you.

How I wish you had said, "I'm not going to go."

Not that that statement would have had much more chance of being true, I grant.

[operative]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

How I wish you had said, "I'm not going to go."

Not that that statement would have had much more chance of being true, I grant.

Whenever you reduce yourself to pedantic grammar analyses, you reveal yourself to be bereft of any meaningful response. Which is to say, it is you raising a white flag.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by operative

Whenever you reduce yourself to pedantic grammar analyses, ...

Sorry you're unable to understand, but I wasn't being pedantic. I was saying that I wished you had been speaking of your plans for the future.

However, I see you are still locked into saying nothing of substance and declaring victory. Pretty sad.

[chiwhisoxx]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

How I wish you had said, "I'm not going to go."

Not that that statement would have had much more chance of being true, I grant.

Is using "that" twice in a row a new grammatical trend?

[AemJeff]

Originally Posted by chiwhisoxx

Is using "that" twice in a row a new grammatical trend?

I find myself doing it a lot. I don't think it's new, though - sometimes "that" is just an integral part of a noun phrase. e.g. I can refer to "that thing I need to do" - I can also refer to "what I'll do now that that thing has been completed."

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by chiwhisoxx

Is using "that" twice in a row a new grammatical trend?

No. I suspect even a semi-literate like you does it all the time, at least in speech.

[Wonderment]

No. I suspect even a semi-literate like you does it all the time, at least in speech.

I don't believe that that's possible.

[chiwhisoxx]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

No. I suspect even a semi-literate like you does it all the time, at least in speech.

C'mon, you can do better than semi-literate. I understand your need to lash out because of likely deep seated emotional problems, but at least come up with better insults.

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by chiwhisoxx

I understand your need to lash out because of likely deep seated emotional problems, but at least come up with better insults.

Physician, heal thyself.

[kezboard]

Is using "that" twice in a row a new grammatical trend?

No, it's perfectly normal English. The first "that" and the second "that" have different meanings. The first is a conjunction, the second is a pronoun. There are many words in English that can be different parts of speech -- "have", "do", "be", etc.

I had to spend almost an entire lesson once on the word "there", since in Czech, my students' native language, you express the idea "There's a tree there" essentially by saying "Is tree there" (Slavic languages don't have articles, unfortunately for my students as well as me, since they're very hard to learn to use correctly as well as very boring to teach), and although my students had learned the phrases "there is" and "there are", they tended to assume that the word "there", as in "there is", also contained the meaning "there", as in "it's over there".

[kezboard]

Gingrich is my number 2 pick. Both he and Barbour are 100% unelectable, but he's somehow more loathsome and also less funny, so he loses. Palin is probably just as unelectable as they are, but honestly, I'm tired of her and I don't want to see her around anymore. Santorum is equally unelectable, but also no fun. Christie is fun, but I doubt he runs.

Jindal is probably ahead of all of these guys by leaps and bounds, if the Republicans are right and his SOTU response isn't representative of his speech-giving abilities. That speech did suck though. A lot.

[bjkeefe]

GMA guy:

Former speaker of the House and potential 2012 presidential contender had some words of advice for Sarah Palin on “GMA” this morning.

“I think that she has got to slow down and be more careful and think through what she’s saying and how she’s saying it,” Newt Gingrich told me.

A new USAToday/ Gallup poll puts Palin’s favorable rating at 38 percent following her reaction to the shooting in Tucson, her lowest since she was announced as Sen. John McCain's running mate.

Will this blossom as healthily (?) as the one between Levi Johnson's sister and Levi Johnson's ex-gf?

(h/t, h/t)

[Wonderment]

“I think that she has got to slow down and be more careful and think through what she’s saying and how she’s saying it,” Newt Gingrich told me.

Yes, just like Newt did himself when he claimed that a "Kenyan, anti-colonial" mindset explains the Obama presidency, and claimed Obama was "authentically dishonest" and "factually insane."

[bjkeefe]

Originally Posted by Wonderment

Yes, just like Newt did himself when he claimed that a "Kenyan, anti-colonial" mindset explains the Obama presidency, and claimed Obama was "authentically dishonest" and "factually insane."

Heh. Glad you caught the absurdity without me having to type things about pots and kettles.

[bjkeefe]

Matt Taibbi, click-whore?

(In fairness, the interview was recorded a couple of months ago, and just posted now.)

[TwinSwords]

Originally Posted by bjkeefe

Matt Taibbi, click-whore?

Best 2.5 minutes of video I've watched all day.

Really, it is amazing to consider a political movement composed of people screaming about socialism while riding around on scooters given to them for free by Medicare.

It's the same mind-bending contradiction as Sarah Palin's observation that "it's wrong to politicize the murderous actions of that left-leaning maniac in Arizona." (Paraphrasing from her Hannity interview.)

[bjkeefe]

Rick Santorum successfully inserted himself into the news cycle today by saying something stupid and offensive about the president, race and abortion.

Just like Jesus would do. amirite?

Hey, Santorum, think of the children!



(pic. source)