Palin and Cheney are a joke, who's the REAL threat????

[DaveinJapan]

Okay, so Palin and Cheney have been bandied about by the extremist right wingers as potential "candidates" for President, but it's not going to happen.

They are both partisan caricatures loathed by the majority of Americans, with approval ratings in the toilet.

I will say this much, if either of them ever became Presdent, that'd be the day I march down to city hall and start the process of becoming a citizen of Japan (and if they won't have me, I'll find some other country somehow), and beyond that I wouldn't even set foot in America. I can meet up with friends and family for get togethers in Canada, that'd do just fine.

BUT, that's not the purpose of this little diatribe, because I'm confident that won't happen. What DOES concern me is, which right wing wingnut MIGHT become a media darling and a real threat to take over the White House in the near future?

Who has the charisma and the guts to turn around the Bush cesspool and gain power in 12, 16 or 20?

I want to start keeping an eye on such folks, and doing all I can to make sure we don't go down that path yet again (I regret I didn't work harder than I did to stop it in 00 and 04, as I'm sure many DUers feel, but in any case I don't want to make the same error twice!).

Thoughts?

[cali]

1. huckabee

though I want to say that joke or not, Palin could, under certain circumstances, make it to the WH.

[rubberducky]

3. I agree with you. The repubbies like stupid, they proved that with W.

[SpiralHawk]

7. "D'oh. They like chickenhawks, too. Smirk." - George aWol Bush (R)

[saltpoint]

2. I'd enjoy watching about a dozen ego-maniac Republicans rip each

other to bits for the nomination so fiercely that the nomination won't be worth having no matter who emerges.

My fear is that Huckabee trains his charm and folksiness onto the FOX News voter.

Sarah Palin and Michael Bloomberg could become very interesting variables in the 2012 race.

[Hubert Flottz]

4. Pat Boone

Pick almost any republican that you or I could ever name and you'd have the same old lying POS!

GOP = No Good!

Edit Maybe Arnold(the Groppen Fuhrer of KolleyFourKneeya)He's a multilingual liar.

[RadicalGeek]

5. Why are we leaving out

Michelle Bachman.
Of course the real threats from the GOP we need to look at are Beck, Limbaugh, etc

[Ineeda]

6. Ahnold is ineligible...

Born in Austria.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. The Birthers have been laying the groundwork to making that

case.

[Toucano]

9. It seems like Huckabee is being groomed.

He has to be "moderat-ized", but he's got the "folksy" quality they like so much.

[fl_dem]

10. I've heard Joe Scarborough's name thrown around for 2012.

I think all potential GOP candidates must have to pass the purity test first. If they insist on talking the talk like all good christian rightwingers do, then they should be held accountable to walk the walk.

[dmallind]

11. Pawlenty

Smarmily charming enough to fool a liberal state twice, and hides his batshit crazy Xian fundy side better than Huckabee while still sending out the right signals to the true believers in the American Taliban.

[hermetic]

12. Tim Pawlenty

(POS) Gov of Minnesota , has his hat in the ring.

[DaveinJapan]

13. I agree, Pawlenty makes me very nervous.

Huckabee is WAY too crazy on the religious front, imho.

Pawlenty though, yeah. He's a big concern of mine.

Still though, I don't see that much charisma from the guy. Kinda reminds me of John Kerry to be honest (well, he has more charisma than Kerry, but not much more).

[Zoeisright]

17. I don't think asshat Timmy has any charisma at all.

Plus he looks like a charlatan, with his beady little crossed eyes. And he's a wimp.

[704wipes]

32. Isn't Mark Dayton running for gov against Pawlenty?

Is that next year, 2010?

So Pawlenty would be available for 2 years of campaigning, if he lost that race,
but wouldn't he be damaged goods having just lost the governorship?

[Bjorn Against]

Pawlenty is not seeking reelection because he knows he would be vulnerable if he did

[MannyGoldstein]

14. The Predator

Mitt "Now the entire US will have the crazy-assed health care plan I designed, suckers!!!" Romney.

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. No way @ Huckabee. Too rightwing & radical. I think Romney. But Palin is a huge possibility. Plan4it

This country is mostly conservative but centrist for the most part.
Huckabee is way on the right. He's also has radical fantasies of doing away with the IRS. That's an immediate deal-breaker for the centrist conservatives and swing voters who would seem to be very against anything that messes with the status quo.

I would not cast aside Palin. Just think about what people would have said about Obama's chances in 2005, and he's an educated very smart man who reads.

I would however cast aside Cheney. There's not a chance in hell and if there was there'd be a mass exodus like you see in a Hollywood movie when an asteroid is about to hit Los Angeles.

I think the real contender is not in the spot light yet. Probably a woman, because the republicans will try to score some votes that way even though they feel a woman's place is in the Kitchen.
OF those that are in the spotlight, I'd say it's Romney. He appeals to the fiscal conservatives and he got elected governor in blue territory. That's a proven track record already.

[cali]

16. nope. disagree. romney has very little support among the base

huckabee has a lot of appeal and articulates very well.

[Shagbark Hickory]

20. That's my point. The base isn't the decider. It's the middle of the road swingers.

That rules out the ultra right wingers just the same as it rules out the Kucinichs and Gravels.
His going on record saying he would end the IRS is soviet fascism that will not, no matter how many fairtax bumper stickers you see, will not survive the attack ads.

[no_hypocrisy]

18. Palin's already trying out her slogan of "common sense conservatism".

Reminds me of the BS "compassionate conservatism" that * tried and "thousand points of light" his father rolled out.

I feel like we're being treated like consumers with Madison Avenue trying out new products.

[Shagbark Hickory]

21. We need to be very very concerned with the Possibility of Palin/Obama in 2012. That simple. Rockstar

[Old Codger]

33. Bingo n/t

[TicketyBoo]

19. I think they'd better get their act together

because I can't see any of the above as President. They're going to have to pull a hat-trick to find anybody worth running, at least in my opinion.

[BeFree]

22. Two names to remember

Diebold and ES&S.

They are in position to make or break any run at the president.

In fact, they got Bush selected in 2004.

If you are really interested in the future you will get to know those names and their background as well as you can, and see how they operate in your state.

[OnyxCollie]

23. Only one name to remember.

ES&S bought Diebold recently.

[BeFree]

24. Heh

Glad to see someone else paying attention!! Actually, it was Premier that ES&S is buying.

Did you know that in Allentown Pa they still use machines with NO paper!
And some folks there never had a clue? Sad, init?

[OnyxCollie]

27. Yes, Premier Election Solutions.

(The new name of the former elections division of Diebold.)

The most trusted name in vote rigging!

[slackmaster]

25. Danny Bonaduce

:nuke:

[texanshatingbush]

26. What about a Blue Dog crossover to the Pukes?

It would have to be someone, I'm guessing, with good "visuals", apparent sincerity, ability to evoke down-home likability, apparent "I'm for what's right, not what's political", a lot of financial backing, and loved by the handful of Neocons who are the real power behind the Puke throne (currently a commode). Probably also someone of Palin's generation.

Who fits that bill?

Don't know enuf about him to be able to judge--but what about Evan Bayh?

[lonestarnot]

29. Ackety, you may be correct.

:puke:

[704wipes]

35. I was afraid someone might say his name

He has a 13 mill$ war chest right now. I do know he has backers in NH too, but those were dems, not sure if Blue Dogs or not. He has a primary challenger for the senate seat this next year. A female restaurant owner in Bloomington as I understand it.

[Hubert Flottz]

28. Well...

Cut my legs off and call me shorty!

Who would have guessed that Joe was a total Zellout?(probably about 99.9% of everyone who knows anything at all about Joey the smoooooch. Munching GOPer Butt is what Joey lives for now that Karl is his soul owner.

[cowcommander]

30. Texas Gov. Rick Perry

I've seen his name mentioned many times already, and with Texas doing fairly well financially right now, he can ride on that popular sentiment if the economy gets worse.

[JohnnyLib2]

31. Mitch McConnell--and I'm not kidding.

Watch the positioning as he deals with everything the administration attempts to do. No charisma, but a lot of clout among Repubs.

[FarLeftFist]

34. They should default on the 2012 election

And take more time to regroup.

[leeroysphitz]

42. It's early days yet but that looks like a real possibility at this point. Like in '96...

[glitch]

47. That's what I was thinking, which is why Palin gets the press: disposable. nt

[WilliamPitt]

36. Romney, if he can survive the primaries

Palin is a joke, Cheney has no chance, and Huckabee will do what he did in 2008 - play the fundie-spoiler for any so-called "serious" GOP candidates who are not beloved by the GOP base. Huckabee killed Giuliani and Romney in '08 by sucking up the base votes and preventing them from getting over the top. He'll do it again, and likely deliver another weakened candidate like McCain.

But a lot of Republicans I talk to are pinning all their hopes on Romney. I think it's a reach; the GOP base thinks Mormonism is a cult, and won't support him because of that. But Romney's financial resources are huge, and he will get gobs of dough from Republicans who don't want the crazy base to pick the candidate. He's the GOPs best shot next time, in my humble O.

[FarLeftFist]

40. That's because....

Mormonism is a cult. But your right, a christian evangelical party will most likely NOT want a mormon as their christian evangelical front-man.

[WilliamPitt]

41. Money makes a lot of difference

If he can outspend his opponents, he has a chance, but the primaries will be a hell-march for him in the south and west.

[Old Codger]

37. The repug

Candidate choice is going to rely heavily on 2010 midterms and Obama's ratings after that... if he has good ratings they will run a loser like they did with Dole as a gift to allow someone to say they ran, if he is down a lot they will pick a stronger candidate who has an actual chance to win. None of them wants to run and have a loss in their column ruining a re-try later.

[newtothegame]

38. If Palin's a joke, you wouldn't know it from the obsession with her on here. n/t

[Catshrink]

39. It's the train wreck -- we don't want to look but then can't stop.

Same thing with Orly Taitz.

[UTUSN]

43. I won't discount Jeb Crow Shrub until the B.F.E.E. has a stake through its bones!1

I realize that the consensus is that Shrub "damaged the brand" so badly that JebCrow is out, but the Rethugs will always hope that THIS one has always been the best of the lot (for them), smarter, speaks Spanish well, has a better record (from their POV) than Shrub ever did, etc., etc.

And I tremble.

[glitch]

48. 2016. nt

[katanalori]

44. Jeb Bush n/t

[dgibby]

45. I think Jim DeMInt (SC) is positioning himself for a run.

If he gets it, prepare to get the hell out of Dodge.

[starroute]

46. They need a Reagan -- but I don't think there is one

Reagan had several advantages as of 1978.

He was older -- born in 1911 -- and still had some of that Greatest Generation air of integrity about him. But there's no benefit right now to being a 67 year old Republican.

He had a significant power base in California, involving the wealthy conservatives who later became his Kitchen Cabinet. I don't know of any equivalent base currently, either in terms of money or in terms of ideology, except on the extreme religious right.

He spent the years after his failed bid for the nomination in 1976 raising money for other Republican candidates and thus had a lot of favors to call in come 1980. I don't see anyone like that currently -- Palin, for example, seems to be entirely out for herself.

He had a folksy charm that made people overlook the hard-core ideology at the central of his policies. Huckabee may have the folksiness but it's a lot thinner than Reagan's was.

People have fretted a lot over how hard it has been over the last 40 years for Democrats to win the presidency -- but it hasn't been all that easy for Republicans, either. Nixon won because the upheavals of 1968 freaked a lot of people out and because the Democrats were self-destructing. Reagan won by running against Carter's preachings of malaise and pushing unfounded optimism. But during that same period, two Republican incumbents -- Ford and Bush I -- lost their bids for reelection.

So basically, the GOP seems to have only two pathways to possible success in 2012. One would be if Obama fucks up so totally that people are eager for any alternative. They're doing that best to make that happen but at this point I can't quite see them bringing it off.

The other would be to find an equivalent of Bush II -- someone who can pass as moderate but sends out the right signals to the base -- and do the necessary stealing, manipulating, calling on unlimited floods of corporate money (especially if the Supreme Court allows that in the Citizens United case), and demonizing of ACORN to eke out a razor-thin majority.

The second scenario seems a lot more likely at this point. Especially if the country is even more bitterly divided by then, the GOP might score points by bringing in a "uniter" candidate who can paint Obama as hopelessly partisan and himself or herself as above the fray while the operatives do the dirty work behind the scenes.

Of the names mentioned in the course of this thread, Pawlenty might be closest to fitting that model. Probably the best strategy for the Democrats at this point is to be alert for any significant movement of established GOP operatives and/or money people towards Pawlenty or any other "moderate" and counter it by deploying wedge issues to force those people to either go against the rabid right base or fall too closely into its embrace.