GOP Nominee

[PanzerJaeger]

When a politician holds views I vehemently disagree with, she loses my support. When she doesn't have the courage of her convictions to stand by her beliefs, she loses my respect. What a coward.

[Centurion1]

When a politician holds views I vehemently disagree with, she loses my support. When she doesn't have the courage of her convictions to stand by her beliefs, she loses my respect. What a coward.

I hate that woman. She is polluting the race and if she wins the nomination I don't even know if I want to vote.

[Ronin]

well...she just said gays were from Satan....she didn´t say she personally judged them....geezz :P

on another news, very funny and interesting piece on the daily show last night.
why exactly is the media pretending Ron Paul does not exist, even after the results of the Ames poll?Ron Paul becomes the 13th floor in a hotel

[Banquo's Ghost]

I'm not sure how credible Governor Perry can be as a presidential candidate when he delivers interviews like this.

One despairs. An intelligent, socially moderate but fiscal conservative would surely guarantee the White House to the GOP next year, but they are wasting time with these clowns?

[Lemur]

One despairs. An intelligent, socially moderate but fiscal conservative would surely guarantee the White House to the GOP next year, but they are wasting time with these clowns?

Both Romney and Huntsman fit that bill. Of the two, I prefer Huntsman, but he's polling like TPaw right now.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I'm not sure how credible Governor Perry can be as a presidential candidate when he delivers interviews like this.

One despairs. An intelligent, socially moderate but fiscal conservative would surely guarantee the White House to the GOP next year, but they are wasting time with these clowns?

The social moderates tend to underwhelm the GOP base. When they get nominations, they tend to fare poorly against most dems since the dems can point to a long track record of social progressivism. The moderate GOPer comes off looking as though they're the sidekick saying "me too, so am I." Ends up turning to Dem advantage every time.

Fiscal conservatism is in, but the Tea Party wing is ardent about more than just lip service to this. They want sweeping changes and hacked back budgets. This is fiscal conservatism bordering on reactionary. Most of those with a solid appeal to the Tea Party wing trend towards social reactionary status as well...which whips up the turnout numbers among the democrat left. Bit of a two--edged sword.

Really though, the nomination was decided a while back with an effective series of rubber chicken dinners. After Romney middles his way up the field and slowly bankrupts the opposition, he will end up with the nomination. He will then pick a conservative with stronger claims on the social issue right wingers but less loaded with negatives. Somebody like McDonal from Virginia or an Ohioan so as to "take back" a state that generally goes GOP but went for Obama last time around.

Romney will then move back to the center -- where his beliefs are on most issues -- and underwhelm the base, some of whom will stay home; fail to make real inroads among mugwumpers who won't see real difference between him and Obama; and lose a few of the "LDS folks are all satan worshipper" types (not much loss per se, but adds to base erosion). Obama will then knit together a narrow win in the popular vote with a solid victory in the College and repeat as President.

EDIT: One further factor among the mugwumpers. Quite a few of them, lacking a clear sense of one candidate being "better" than the other, will not be able to bring themselves to cast a vote against the first black President. Romney must WIN the "independents," as a tie leaves Obama with this psychological edge. Romney won't, so that's all she wrote.

[a completely inoffensive name]

This is fiscal conservatism bordering on reactionary.

Ehhhh, let's call it for what it is.

I would be willing to vote Republican if you had an intellectual conservative in there. But most of those that post in here seem surprised that yet again, the GOP base is made up of reactionaries and bible thumpers with no philosophical consistency.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Omg, omg, omg. Ron Paul's new ad!

[Lemur]

Omg, omg, omg. Ron Paul's new ad!

Pretty darn epic. Too bad he exists in a state of permanent media blackout.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Pretty darn epic. Too bad he exists in a state of permanent media blackout.

Yep, just like the past 4 elections he has participated in.

[Fiddling_nero]

This speaks for itself.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mo...xrs=share_copy

[Major Robert Dump]

Yep, just like the past 4 elections he has participated in.

BUT HE WAS IN THE BRUNO MOVIE!!!

[a completely inoffensive name]

BUT HE WAS IN THE BRUNO MOVIE!!!

This is true, but only because Bruno was mistaken in thinking that Ron Paul was actually Ru Paul.

[Major Robert Dump]

The left ignores Ron Paul because they see him as a threat.

The right ignores Ron Paul because he is not a war hawk, he is more than happy to admit that the US had made "mistakes" and angered other nations on the grounds of our own national best interests. Even if one agrees with pursuit of those interests, ignoring the effects on the ground of moral superiority is something Ron Paul does not do. Iran has every right to hate the US. Cuba has every right to hate the US.

And who was the effin moron who said Isreal is the closest and greatest ally the US has ever had? OMG

[a completely inoffensive name]

And who was the effin moron who said Isreal is the closest and greatest ally the US has ever had? OMG

That was Santorum.

[Major Robert Dump]

Yes, because Israel has been by our side and fought next to us in soooo many wars.

[Centurion1]

I would say that Tpaw and even Romney are intellectuals ACIN.

I hate Ron Paul because I see another Ross Perot who essentially screwed over HW.

It is ironic however that W may have only won because of Nader.

[Major Robert Dump]

I would say that Tpaw and even Romney are intellectuals ACIN.

I hate Ron Paul because I see another Ross Perot who essentially screwed over HW.

It is ironic however that W may have only won because of Nader.

Perot turned out to be right about a lot of things. Because he foiled a candidate who for all intents beat himself, you hate him? If a viable candidate can run, he should run, and give ****all about how it is going to affect the other candidates. This is exactly why the two-party system is retarded, and exactly why the two parties want to keep it a two party system.

Who cares i Ron Paul steals votes for the oh-so-infallible Republicans. Maybe if they would get their *** together this woudln't be happening.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Perot turned out to be right about a lot of things. Because he foiled a candidate who for all intents beat himself, you hate him? If a viable candidate can run, he should run, and give ****all about how it is going to affect the other candidates. This is exactly why the two-party system is retarded, and exactly why the two parties want to keep it a two party system.

Who cares i Ron Paul steals votes for the oh-so-infallible Republicans. Maybe if they would get their *** together this woudln't be happening.

This. Or to get in a cheap quip: grow up and do a many party system already where candidates can be elected based on *actual* politics and more than one idea can be voiced instead of trying to please everybody.

[drone]

Omg, omg, omg. Ron Paul's new ad!

It's a shame Don LaFontaine died a few years back, having him do the voiceover would have been pure win.

[Strike For The South]

As long as someone takes King Perry off our hands I'll be happy, stick him somewhere I don't care where

If Romney or Huntsman get nominated I could probably be swayed to vote GOP with a caveat, No Bachman, Cain, or Santourum within 300 feet

[Double A]

Perot turned out to be right about a lot of things. Because he foiled a candidate who for all intents beat himself, you hate him? If a viable candidate can run, he should run, and give ****all about how it is going to affect the other candidates. This is exactly why the two-party system is retarded, and exactly why the two parties want to keep it a two party system.

Who cares i Ron Paul steals votes for the oh-so-infallible Republicans. Maybe if they would get their *** together this woudln't be happening.

Good news, though. We actually aren't a two-party system. If only everyone would acknowledge that.

[Lemur]

We actually are a two-party system. If only everyone would acknowledge that.

Not sure I get where you're going with this. Could you expand on that idea a little? I will give you a bowl of ice cream if you will clarify.

[Double A]

Gah. It was a typo, I meant aren't.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

De jure, we are not a two party system; we have several dozen parties of one stripe or another registered.

De facto, we are.


"Third" parties either enjoy a brief prominence and then fade away (S. Douglas, T. Roosevelt, Wallace, Perot, Nader) after undercutting one of the two major parties,

OR

The third party rapidly "consumes" the major party and replaces it (GOP replaces Whigs)

OR

A brief period of One Party Only generates a "splinter" group that forms a second party (Democratic-Republ;icans split into Democrats and Whigs)

[Double A]

I like how the last two examples only happened once.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I like how the last two examples only happened once.

They are, indeed, rarer phenomena. Only the first case is really common. We cling to our two party approach pretty tenaciously.

[a completely inoffensive name]

I would say that Tpaw and even Romney are intellectuals ACIN.

Nope. Tpaw was the best candidate out there besides Ron Paul but he was not an intellectual. Romney is all about saying what people like, not what his own ideas are.

There are plenty of conservative professors and intellectual institutions. Farm from there, not from populist decided governor races.

[drone]

Ron Paul, or rather an avid supporter, has finally found a way to make headlines. The All-Texas Brawl!

An Austin Ron Paul supporter has taken out a full-page ad in the local alt weekly newspaper seeking any "stripper ... escort ... or 'young hottie'" who has slept with Rick Perry, part of his single-minded jihad against the presidential candidate.

Robert Morrow describes himself as a "self-employed investor and political activist" as well as a three-time delegate to the Texas state GOP convention.

"Have you ever had sex with Rick Perry?" blares the ad, placed by Morrow in this week's Austin Chronicle. "Are you a stripper, an escort, or just a 'young hottie' impressed by an arrogant, entitled governor of Texas? Contact CASH, and we will help you publicize your direct dealings with a Christian-buzzwords-spouting, 'family values' hypocrite and fraud."

CASH is the Committee Against Sexual Hypocrisy, of which Morrow is president. "Is it a real group? No. It's just me," he told Salon earlier this week. Here is the ad, which the paper confirmed is running today.

To be clear, there is absolutely no evidence that Perry has had extramarital affairs. But Morrow has written a screed, currently circulating online, that denounces Perry both for his policies (it labels him a "crony capitalist" and a "Neocon") as well as his alleged dalliances.

Morrow claims that he knows strippers in Austin who have stories about Perry, but none of them are willing to come forward to the press; hence, the need for an ad in the Chronicle. "I think it's only a matter of time until somebody credible comes forward," he told me.

At the bottom of the ad is a nod to the longtime (and equally unsubstantiated) rumors that Perry, who has pursued sundry anti-gay policies, is himself gay. "Note to gay people: If you know the truth about Rick, please QUIT covering for him," it reads.

I must get one of my Austin relatives to pick me up a copy.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Hey Strike, is your GPA above a 2.3? Because if so, you are a better uni student than Rick Parry!

EDIT: Removed hot linked picture of Governor Perry's grades. Please host pictures yourself. BG.