From Stark
The GOP presidential primary contest is boiling down to two questions: 1. Is Rick Santorum electable? 2. Is Mitt Romney nominatable? (If there isn’t such a word, there should be.)
Santorum’s Tuesday, March 14 primary victories in Alabama and Mississippi are keeping Republicans wondering about the answer to question 2. It seems that Santorum’s prospects would only improve if a weakened Newt Gingerich decides to bow out now. But as of today, Gingrich is vowing to press on – video clip via Washington Post. (Of course, candidates always vow to press on right up until the moment they drop out. But his supporters in Illinois are busily preparing for his scheduled appearances there.)
The Washington Post notes that next Tuesday, primary voters go to the polls in Illinois. Romney desperately needs a win there, building on his narrow primary victories in Michigan and Ohio, to regain his lost luster as the electable guy.
In an interesting campaign sidelight, Santorum accused Fox News of favoring Romney in its campaign coverage, and the network’s Greta Van Susteren debated the issue with Santorum later. Huffington Post reports.
If I were a GOP party operative, my nightmare scenario would be a Romney nomination, with an acceptance speech interrupted by bouts of booing from hard-liners on the convention floor, followed by a hardline third-party candidacy that enables Barack Obama to scoop up electoral votes in states he would have no chance of carrying in a two-way race.
“Is it too late for a new candidate to enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination? Absolutely not. Is it probable? No. But it is much more likely than many Washington insiders let on….
In theory, if a new candidate entered the race, say Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., any Iowa delegate could campaign for election to the national convention by promising to vote for him.
In other words, Iowa’s delegates are still completely up for grabs. And there are at least six other states with similar, if not identical, systems, including Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington and Wyoming….
“If the Republican primary voters continue to split up their votes in such a way that nobody is close to having a majority then there is a chance that somebody else might get in.”
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/three-ways-somebody-new-could-grab-gop-nod/393046
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
…didnt seem like much of a confrontation. Usual Huff n Puff exaggeration…
You keep floating this scenario in apparent hope that it happens, AFY. Who’s your preferred candidate in this scenario?
If I were a GOP operative,
my nightmare scenario would be full reproductive rights,
open voting for all,
a booming economy and unemployment in the 4% range.
The EPA would clean the water and the air,
the FDA would clamp down on re-patented drugs profiteering
and taxes would resemble the taxpayer’s ability to pay.
Gay people would be driving the wedding industry,
Iran would face the same MAD strategy that has cornered the thousand of nukes on the planet so far,
and commodity markets would be closed to the speculative dollar.
The least of my fears would be which president gets to assume ‘control’ over the mess my policies propose.
Because plainly I couldn’t care less.
Well John(I’s been waiting for you to flush me out on this BTW), it’s like this, IMHO our country is in big trouble and I just don’t think Obama is up to fixing it, and if anything he has been making it worst over the last three years also IMHO.
So far this R primary has produce four (or what is left at least) candidates to replace him, all of who IMHO would do a better job than Obama has but as of this writing I personally am not convinced that they are the best that the R’s can offer.
Our country’s situation is so dire IMHO; we will need the best that can be offered to get the job done right, therefore I don’t want this decision made during the primary season but rather afterwards because no one has reached the required number of delegates and all options would be still open.
Kinda like how this country got started where our first president was not a man who ran for the office but was offered the mantle because of his demonstrated leadership and not because of how much a super pac spends for him in ads and that man or woman takes the bull by the horns mainly because it was his/her calling.
Methinks no one can(or maybe should) really argue that we sure could use another George Washington to put US back on track.
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
But AFY: Our state’s namesake president is not coming back. Since he’s not available, who is this reluctant Republican savior who can be drafted at the convention?
AFY’s being coy with you, John.
Knowing AFY as I do, it’s really hard to speculate on which of these candidates he’d support.
That said, I’d guess he likes what Ron Paul has to say but since he’s not viable AFY would go for Romney.
But…in the long run it would all boil down to what Mrs. AFY says.
Camille got me number for sure, da boss is da boss for sure! I am always trying to avoid a backhand!
John, I do like leadership; something Paul Ryan has shown, what about a Ryan/Paul(Rand VP) ticket?
Two Pauls for the price of one it would be!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Paul Ryan?
Leadership means having the guts to put a plan out there!
http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
……Ryan is the antithesis of Obama: uncharismatic but compelling; smart instead of credentialed; serious instead of sneering; youthful but not immature. Unlike the poetasting senator from Illinois with the undistinguished past, Ryan has distinguished himself as a congressman; he knows how the legislative process works and what it can — and can’t — accomplish. He knows that the Framers intended real political power to reside with the people, not in an executive who rules by regulation and fiat. And Ryan also understands that “jobs” may make a great slogan (hey, it’s worked since FDR) but doesn’t begin to address the fatal budget crisis that’s slouching its rude beastly way to Washington.
Third, Ryan is unafraid of Obama and doesn’t flinch when confronting him. The last thing a dispirited conservative base needs is another candidate who will tip-toe around the president’s weaknesses while playing to his strengths….
Why isn’t Paul Ryan running for president? With a spiteful Gingrich threatening chaos at the convention, the opportunity to step in might seem to be at hand. If this really is the most important election of our lifetime — an existential duel — it might behoove the Republicans to start acting like it.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/293729/well-why-isnt-he-running-president-michael-walsh
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!