Presidential Choices 2008

[Arthur Durnan]

This far in advance - December 07 - care to offer an educated guess re presidential choices in 2008? Why not enter the poll? How about MITT ROMNEY for GOP, HILL & BILL CLINTONS for UltraLibDems? Pobody is nerfect!

GOD BLESS THE USA!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

[MorningGlory]

This far in advance - December 07 - care to offer an educated guess re presidential choices in 2008? Why not enter the poll? How about MITT ROMNEY for GOP, HILL & BILL CLINTONS for UltraLibDems? Pobody is nerfect!

GOD BLESS THE USA!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

What poll would that be, Arthur?? I don't see one but I'll tell you my prediction...........Huckabee for the GOP; Hillary Clinton for the Dems.

[Ovedya]

I think it's going to be down to Huckabee and Obama.

[Bubba4J]

I think it's going to be down to Huckabee and Obama.

[kat8585]

I'm not so sure I want Huckabee to win the nomination. I read in Numbers USA that he's not the strongest candidate on illegal immigration.

[Marnie]

No way Obama will get the nomination, I just don't see it. He's the media darling, but he's way too far to the left. Hilary is the most centrist candidate the Dems have. So, probably Hilary. On the GOP side, Rudy probably peaked too soon, but I think he'll get the nomination. All in all....I say we skip the 08 election cycle and wait for '12. Maybe by then both sides will have better, younger and sharper choices.

[rtwo]

As the pundits say, it's just too early to count anyone out. Edwards just doesn't have enough stamina -- or hair gel -- to keep up with Obama and Hillary. Of the two, Hillary is starting to crack up a bit (do a Yahoo news search on Hillary Clinton and Oil prices), so it may go to Obama by default (sanity always makes for a better candidate).

I sincerely hope Thompson gets the Republican nod. Giuliani's too liberal on social issues, and Huck's too liberal on everything else. If Romney is where he says he is on the issues, he might be alright(though I really don't like the health plan he implemented in Mass) I'm just still not sure I trust him.

[Marnie]

As the pundits say, it's just too early to count anyone out. Edwards just doesn't have enough stamina -- or hair gel -- to keep up with Obama and Hillary. Of the two, Hillary is starting to crack up a bit (do a Yahoo news search on Hillary Clinton and Oil prices), so it may go to Obama by default (sanity always makes for a better candidate).

I sincerely hope Thompson gets the Republican nod. Giuliani's too liberal on social issues, and Huck's too liberal on everything else. If Romney is where he says he is on the issues, he might be alright(though I really don't like the health plan he implemented in Mass) I'm just still not sure I trust him.

Actually, if you look at where they governed (MA and mayor of NYC, two liberal strongholds) and study what they accomplished while in their respective offices, you'd see that Rudy and Mitt are actually more conservative than Huckabee and Thompson. Thompson is dead in the water; a major disappointment.

I still maintain that Hilary will get in on the Dem's side and Rudy on the other side, although my hope would be for Mitt to get the nomination. I think, however, that is unlikely.

[rtwo]

As the pundits say, it's just too early to count anyone out. Edwards just doesn't have enough stamina -- or hair gel -- to keep up with Obama and Hillary. Of the two, Hillary is starting to crack up a bit (do a Yahoo news search on Hillary Clinton and Oil prices), so it may go to Obama by default (sanity always makes for a better candidate).

I sincerely hope Thompson gets the Republican nod. Giuliani's too liberal on social issues, and Huck's too liberal on everything else. If Romney is where he says he is on the issues, he might be alright(though I really don't like the health plan he implemented in Mass) I'm just still not sure I trust him.

Actually, if you look at where they governed (MA and mayor of NYC, two liberal strongholds) and study what they accomplished while in their respective offices, you'd see that Rudy and Mitt are actually more conservative than Huckabee and Thompson. Thompson is dead in the water; a major disappointment.

I still maintain that Hilary will get in on the Dem's side and Rudy on the other side, although my hope would be for Mitt to get the nomination. I think, however, that is unlikely.

I disagree on Thompson's campaign. We have some movement, and I think he'll surprise you.

I agree re: Mitt v. Huckabee. Knowing Huck's positions on a lot of things, and his record, I'm appalled he's doing as well as he is in the Republican arena. I actually like Mitt quite a bit, but I disagree with MassCare. That's really the biggest thing. If his change is true on abortion (and there's no real reason to believe it's not) he could be a good one.

Rudy did accomplish quite a bit, but policy-wise he's been very liberal. His recent conversion to the 2nd Amendment, I don't buy -- especially since he seems not to even know what it is. I just don't buy "he was as conservative as you can be for New York". He's pro-abortion, which, by itself, certainly removes him from my consideration in the primary.

Don't really see where you could reasonably say either one is "more conservative" than Thompson though. The record disagrees.

Hillary probably will get in on the Dem side... the Clinton machine is almost too large for her not to. Giuliani's slipping, by quite a bit. Conservatives don't like him. Reasonably so.

[Marnie]

I disagree on Thompson's campaign. We have some movement, and I think he'll surprise you.

I agree re: Mitt v. Huckabee. Knowing Huck's positions on a lot of things, and his record, I'm appalled he's doing as well as he is in the Republican arena. I actually like Mitt quite a bit, but I disagree with MassCare. That's really the biggest thing. If his change is true on abortion (and there's no real reason to believe it's not) he could be a good one.

Rudy did accomplish quite a bit, but policy-wise he's been very liberal. His recent conversion to the 2nd Amendment, I don't buy -- especially since he seems not to even know what it is. I just don't buy "he was as conservative as you can be for New York". He's pro-abortion, which, by itself, certainly removes him from my consideration in the primary.

Don't really see where you could reasonably say either one is "more conservative" than Thompson though. The record disagrees.

Hillary probably will get in on the Dem side... the Clinton machine is almost too large for her not to. Giuliani's slipping, by quite a bit. Conservatives don't like him. Reasonably so.

I'd like to believe that Fred still has some legs; he's been my choice for a long time. But so far he and his campaign have been major disappointments to not only me, but many of his former supporters. For me, it's always been a toss up between Mitt and Fred.

I agree with what you wrote about Rudy slipping. Given his rumored health problems, couple that with his age (almost mid 60's) and his sloppy positions on some social issues, it's understandable why the numbers aren't what they were a month ago. Plus he really isn't the most personable person in the world. I met him at a reception a fews years back and talk about a cold barracuda! His greatest redeeming quality is that he is a problem solver, which is exactly what we need. Also he has pledged to appoint conservative, constructionist judges to the bench. So, for those reasons alone I think he'll get the nomination. I understand how single-issue conservatives think, you nailed them on the head with the abortion issue. However, assuming we are right and Hilary gets in on the other side, and assuming the pundits are right and that Rudy is the only one who can beat her (I'm not sure they are right about that, though), then you single issue people need to step back and see the larger picture, or we'll have a situation like we had few cycles ago, where conservatives didn't support the GOP candidate and Clinton got elected twice. The abortion issue is basically lost, I fear. Thirty years of conservative strategy (administering the informal litmus test to potential candidates) hasn't done a thing to change it; it won't change this election cycle, either. Perhaps it's time for a strategy change.

If you look at what Rudy did with crime and the economy of NYC you'd have to say he played by the big "C" conservative playbook. You have to look at how truly liberal NYC is to appreciate it. I've spent a lot of time there and it's a whole 'nuther world. Same thing for Mitt in Massachusetts. Thompson had a walk-through in Tennessee; for a conservative, it's pretty much a dream state. There's more to look at than merely a voting record.