Mitt Romney will be the GOP candidate.

[TomInTib]

Bobby Jack Perry's man always gets in.

I have known that bastard for 33 years.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x595501

[saltpoint]

1. Gotta say Mitt's farther along right now than I expected him to be.

And so far the money total is very impressive also. Ditto the poll numbers in New Hampshire, where he's just tied with McCain.

Pretty encouraging bump for Romney, pretty bad news for McCain. McCain landslided Dubya in New Hampshire in 2000; now he's no better than tied with Romney.

Talk about diminished expectations!

I think Romney is well-positioned at this point, but I still don't know how he's going to get over the Mormon faith matter with all those hyper-Protestant fundie GOP primary voters. I think that's the tough part from here in.

Brownback is still well back of the mix but he may be the classic darkhorse for the GOP in 08.

[WCGreen]

9. It's the Boston Market talking...

The spill over from when he was Gov....

Name recognition...

[saltpoint]

10. Ja. I just didn't expect him to tie McCain in New Hampshire 9 months

out, as he has.

Romney kind of gives me a bad case of the creeps. I mean a REALLY bad case.

[WCGreen]

11. He does me as well....

But McCain is just self imploding...

[saltpoint]

14. A good call there on McCain. What is going on with that guy, anyway?

He surely has more sense that what he's showing.

Is he doing it on purpose so he doesn't have to run? Is he in political shock over Jeb's sending of key staff to Romney? Are Far Right folks working behind the scenes to do him in?

I don't get it. Just because I don't like McCain doesn't mean he wasn't tough and smart, but he's showing mostly stubborn and stupid these days, and it doesn't match hs old self.

He whupped Dubya pretty good in New Hampshire in 2000. And now he's struggling just to keep pace with losers like Romney and Rudy.

[WCGreen]

24. He is cracking under pressure...

I think he felt that the nomination was his because of his fealty to Bush...

Now, Rudy and Mitt aren't buying that scenario and Daddy Mac is thrown off his game...

That's what I think is happening...

[rurallib]

2. Each of the GOPer candidates present unique comedic possibilities

I almost can't wait for a Mittens for President tour.

[spindrifter]

3. Well, that thought

ruins my evening!
Actually, you may be right, although I think it's going to be a real stretch for some of the more zealous Christian righters to accept a Mormon. If he picks Big Jeb as his running mate, I hope that will sheer off more voters than it brings Mr. Two-Face.

[hatrack]

4. Just so - if the Thumpers denounce Catholicism as a cult . . .

What does anyone on this board think they're going to think about LDS?

No frickin' way he wins even if (and it's a really big if) he gets the nomination.

[TomInTib]

5. I don't see the fundies as a large factor in '08.

They are sitting home licking their wounds right now.

And there is no candidate on the slate right now that is attractive to them.

[pnwmom]

13. If you don't see the fundies as a large factor in 2008,

do you think the Repubs are going down in a big defeat? Or are they going to somehow attract a lot of swing voters?
Or will they just steal the election again?

[TomInTib]

17. The swing voters will swing Dem.

The fundies will stay home.

By '08, I think that most States will be back to paper ballots.

So the Dem candidate will probably win.

And I am not too keen on that.

I say let's keep both Houses and give them the WH.

I would hate to see a Dem get stuck with mopping up the results of georgie's Big Adventure.

That would be the end of the 'pubs for several cycles.

[pnwmom]

23. I'm not thrilled with the idea of the Dem getting blamed

for the inevitable aftermath either.

But if a Republican gets elected, there goes the Supreme Court. And even more Federal judges, and a whole new set of Republican U.S. attorneys.

(And did you mean to say "that would be the end of the 'pubs for several cycles"? Isn't that the goal?)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. I agree with everything you've said here...

Except giving them the WH!

No fucking way...

We need to take it all, and pronto.

Time for some very serious and extensive house-cleaning...

White House cleaning...

[TomInTib]

27. If we have to take it, I am going with Richardson.

I am just going to stand around and watch.

[Jai4WKC08]

41. I wouldn't count on the fundies staying home

Oh, I suspect that if they don't like the Pub nominee much, a few of them might. But consider:

For one thing, the obligation to vote is part of their religion.

For the other, they can always convince themselves, or be convinced by their religious leaders, that they're voting against the Democrat, and holding their nose for the Publican, no matter who he is.

If that Democrat is Hillary Clinton, it'll be easy for them. They already despise and fear her. But no matter who it is, by the time the GOP is thru with their propaganda machine, the fundies will believe our candidate is the Devil himself.

[thereismore]

6. Yes. The only one with one wife. He's the one. nt

[aquart]

7. Can he carry Massachusetts?

[AlCzervik]

8. Romney?? oh hell no, not a chance.

[AX10]

16. No. He may do better than other GOP dingdongs...

that is he could break 40% but that's about it.

[ButterflyBlood]

29. I doubt he could even do that

His final approval ratings were TERRIBLE.

[ButterflyBlood]

28. no. just plain no.

I think his approval ratings when leaving office were a negative 20 point gap...

[rep the dems]

12. Right now, I lean towards him to win the GOP nomination.

I think he'll choose Jeb Bush as his running mate thinking it will secure him the election. It will go down in history as one of the worst decisions made by a Presidential candidate.

[jcrew2001]

33. Jeb Bush will be VP

because the fundies and establishment will want their favorite on the ticket, since the top 3 aren't true conservatives. But Jeb does have a latina wife, so I'm not sure how strong he is against immigration.

I've always saw Mitt as a strong force and was surprised at his low polling, but he's tenacious in building support and fundraising, his ambition and focus will pummel McCain and Rudy. He'll struggle in the general election, but he can't be mis-underestimated.

also, I don't quite understand this Fundy movement - it seems like social engineering for the religious zealots, something which I think the federal govt should stay out of.

[countmyvote4real]

15. If not, it'll be Fred Thompson.

McCain is nuts. Rudy is not America's mayor. Romney is so much a politico and Morman to boot.

Thompson is Raygun.

[TomInTib]

18. Can Thompson raise money on a National level?

I just do not know.

[benny05]

20. He already is, from what I've read in the rumor mills

Sorry, late here and no linky handy. But his Law and Order recognition will help Fred.

[benny05]

19. I think it will be Freddy myself

If the GOP really wants to win. Freddy reminds many of the party faithful who still live in the 1980's and the horrible Reagan years. Those are just my thoughts.

A friend said today that he thinks the GOP may be waning for a change and they may put up a sacrificial lamb, such as Mitt or Rudy.

It will be interesting. If Freddy runs, I think the only one who can compete successfully against him is another southerner, and I am not referring to Al Gore either.

But I also heard Bloomberg is considering a run too.

[ruggerson]

30. Agreed, the only one who can beat Freddy is John Edwards

n/t

[Jai4WKC08]

31. John Edwards couldn't beat Dick Cheney

Not even if Cheney died in the process.

[ruggerson]

36. Another Clarkie bashing Edwards

what a shock!

[AshevilleGuy]

37. It's an obsession.

Other than the media hating Nixon, I can't think of a similar example. And they never give clear reasons, just the ad hominim attacks.

Fortunately, it won't matter; if Edwards is going to get the nomination, he will regardless of this childishness. You would think they would spend this emotional energy trying to get their guy to run - doing this only deters others from supporting the General. I wouldn't vote for him now under any circumstances, and he is the only Dem I have ever said that about.

[ruggerson]

38. I didn't know much about Clark until I read about him at DU

and his lackeys here are the single reason I would not vote for him. They are the worst possible ambassadors for his cause.

[AshevilleGuy]

39. It must be sad

when their guy won't run (or say what he is going to do) and all they can do is TRY to tear down a man who has been working for more than a year to build up a solid base, who constanty issues clear policy statements with which MOST Dems agree, and who persists in this despite personal challenges that would defeat many people. I have been a political participant since the 1960s and have never seen anything quite like it.

But candidate polls like the one here yesterday show that the vast majority of DUers are not giving these silly attacks any credence - last time I checked it Edwards was way ahead.

[Jai4WKC08]

43. This "lackey" considers the source

Anyone who would decide his vote based on dislike of a handful of OTHER people is pretty shallow.

But you don't kid me, ruggerson. You've been one of the worst Clark-haters as long as I can remember. I really doubt any of us had anything to do with it.

[ruggerson]

45. You're very fucked up

I still know little about Clark. I have no feelings about him, one way or the other. Make up shit all you want, but it's dishonest acolytes like yourself who have pushed me (and many others here) away from your candidate.

[Jai4WKC08]

40. Since when is it bashing

To express the opinion that Edwards is unelectable?

It's no different than your assertion that Edwards is the only one who can beat Thompson. You are saying all the other candidates are unelectable. And you have a right to that opinion as well, even if I think you're full of shit.

Neither one of us offered any rationale or statistical data to back up our opinions... which was sort of my point.

But hey, go ahead and attack Clarkies and Clark. I know it makes you feel good.

[tkmorris]

42. You don't get it

Or perhaps you do, but just don't want to admit it.

The post you responded was, as you pointed out, merely an opinion. It was however a positive opinion.

Your post, in contrast, was a negative opinion, and negative towards a Democratic candidate. Furthermore, it is unsupported by any evidence, and in fact an objective view of all available data suggests that what you posted is about as far from true as it is possible to get. Cheney has approval ratings that make Bush look popular, while Edwards polls quite respectably nationally. Unless you have been living under a very large rock orbiting Neptune you surely know this.

Therefore your post appears to be a pointless bash of a Democratic candidate. If you have any positive purpose to your post I suggest you make it clear if you want to dispel that appearance. Otherwise the prevailing opinion will be that it was merely flamebait.

[Jai4WKC08]

44. Sorry, but you're wrong

If ruggerson had said, Edwards will kick Thompson's ass (or any variation), that would have been positive toward Edwards.

But he didn't. He said Edwards is the ONLY one who can beat Thompson. That's negative to every other Democrat. That's why I used such an obviously extreme example (did you notice Cheney was dead?), but I guess sarcasm is lost on some Edwards supporters... especially when it comes from a Clarkie.

As for the "prevailing opinion," so what? I'm not overly impressed with "prevailing opinion." Whether it's a half dozen people (like here) or a half billion, it can still be wrong.

[ruggerson]

46. No, tkmorris is correct

the first time I remember seeing one of your posts was in a pro Mark Warner thread, where a slew of "Clarkies" (for lack of a better term) swooped in and started relentlessly attacking Warner.

I've seen this pattern now since 2004 repeated endlessly with different candidates. The nemesis is now Edwards for many of you, because you cannot let go of the Shelton situation, which was quite a stretch to hang on Edwards to begin with. I'm sure General Clark bears no ill will towards JRE; he's a adult and adults understand politics.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

21. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Fartwell, Robertson and the

rest of those phony, hypocritcal, fundie preachers begin touting that even though Romney is a Mormon, doesn't take away from the fact that he is a "godly" and a "moral" man.

Same BS they preached about Chucklenuts in 2000 & 2004.

I don't have a problem with Romney's religion, to each his own, but I do have a problem with his "flip-flops".

And does anyone think Mittens is serious about picking Jeb as his VP candidate. If he is, he's definitely got shit for brains....

[skipos]

22. I hope so. He would be the easiest to beat. nt

[wanpete]

26. I hope your man is right. He seems to be self-destructing with his totally contradictory comments.

[TwilightGardener]

32. There's a reason why the money is behind Romney. Look at

McCain and his poor fundraising--rich GOPers HATE wasting their money on a lame horse. I'm not sure why Romney is the "chosen one", but I expect there will be a return on their investment, no matter what the polls say now. Thompson is being pushed and promoted by a handful of out-of-work Tennessee pols who would probably like to get back into power (Frist, Baker)--until I see the rest of the GOP powers-that-be following suit, it's hard to say what will happen. Rudy's not going to lose front-runner status without a fight, McCain wants the Presidency so bad he can taste it, and Gingrich has been floating around looking for a real job for years. Should be interesting.

[jcrew2001]

47. If Conservatives have to choose between Rudy and Romney

I think they will choose Romney. Some fiscal conservatives may favor Rudy - but the guy is a NYC liberal - southern conservatives aren't rushing to him. But the Wall Street money will still go to Rudy.

Romney can play the religion card, he's also a very smart businessman who knows how to sell himself and fundraise and network. He's an ambitious capitalist.

McCain might croak before the election, so I doubt fundraisers are running to him.

[TwilightGardener]

48. "McCain might croak"--he is lookin' pretty dang old, but old Bob Dole

is still kicking, so there's hope for Johnny. Romney is making mistakes now, but he will hammer those out and get better at watching his mouth, unlike Rudy, who has been very sheltered from making gaffes. Romney is pretty quick on his feet, too--I think his only big hurdles, besides Mormonism, is that he is not as well-liked or as well-respected as a "badass" or tough guy like Rudy and some of the other GOPers--and he's a flip-flopper, but when did that ever hurt GOPers?

[Forkboy]

34. I agree 100%

[Radical Activist]

35. He won't win a single Southern Primary.

No, he won't be the nominee. Too many evangelicals think he belongs to a non-Christian cult.