Decision 2008
I realize that even six months from now the political atmosphere could be drastically changed, but it's worth taking a look at matters as they stand now.
I'd like to open this up to Democrats and Republicans...
Who is your current choice for your party's nominee for President of the United States in 2008, and why.
I am currently agnostic on the matter.
Please post your comments below.
41 Comments:
McCain. Right on the war on terror. Moderate enough for swing state support.
Right now noone on the Right makes me want to jump up and pledge my sword to anyone I can tell you this that idiot McCain is a nonstarter for me I have a thing about free speech. If I had to pick someone it would be Condie Rice who I doubt will run then George Allen.
mccain/guiliani ticket, but they have to switch roles depending on the issues.
Like you, I really don't have any preferences, but my sentimental preference would be Dick Cheney.
I want a republican tough on crime and illegal immigration. I want one that believes in smaller government (and will actually do something about it). I want a republican that will continue to fight the war on terror. I want a republican that will do something about our social security mess, one that will restructure our tax code, and one that will address our failing schools. To be honest, I don't see a hell of a lot of difference in the 2 parties any more. They all want to spend money and are all generally only concerned with doing things that will get them re-elected.
Condi is my first choice, even with her questionable stance on abortion. Guiliani is also interesting, but I think that the deeper we look into him, the more liberal on some issues he will be, but he is worth looking at.
I would vote for Newt Gingrich in a heartbeat, but I don't see him with much of a chance against the liberal leaning Republicans.
McCain, never would I consider voting for him in a primary, even in the general election I wouldn't want to do it. I am sick of people that are afraid to run from the right.
Sensenbrenner, Condi, Guiliani - In that order.
I have been suggesting a Sensenbrenner run for a couple of weeks now.
see here, here, and here
Newt probably? Obviously my opinion is very loose at this point, but I'd have to say Newt. He seems conservative enough for me.
McCain seems to love the power of gov't to make things better. (and will be Feingold's running mate)
Gulliani hates guns.
Condi won't run.
Longshot what if scenario? McCain/Feingold or Feingold/McCain. They win heralding in massive splits in both parties resulting in two new political parties.
Oh, if push came to shove, Allen probably. But the whole Washington Redskins thing...
Do you think Romney is thrilled with the success of Big Love?
McCain by all accounts (though I suspect Rove sees to it this story gets a lot of attention) is prone to fly off the handle. That's not a good thing for a guy with his finer on the button.
Guiliani would kick ass in the general, but never get through a primary.
Ms. Clinton would get a solid %40 if they ran her against a halibut and so would Gore.
The lack of credible or interesting candidates from either side is pitiful.
Tom Tancredo is up there for me, but realistically, I don't think there's any way he could win a primary. So, I'd go with either Gingrich or Allen next, and probably in that order.
Actually, I'd really like to see MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty run, but nobody's even speculated about that yet. Hey, there are still a few years....
Gingrich isn't as conservative as you think he is...read his book. I have, and it solidified my opinion that he would not be a good, strong president, esp. when it comes to illegal aliens.
Right now, nobody who has a realistic chance is conservative enough for me. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to vote for the least mediocre candidate.
Rice (not enough election exp. and female), Guiliani (too moderate), McCain (free speech issues), and Romney (health care problems) are all definite no votes...maybe, maybe Allen.
You heard it here first...Gov. Mark Sanford from South Carolina.
My Dream ticket would be JC Watts & Condi. Frankly I care not which has the big chair.
Sadly, neither will likely run.
My prediction... Hillary vs. McCain.
I'm immigrating to Mexico.
George Allen for President! I'm also realistic enough to know that he will need a moderate like Romney or Guiliani as his VP choice.
I love the fact that Repubs would even consider Giuliani. He is more liberal than many many Dems.
I suppose it completes the war on substance and principle, though. "Elect anyone who can win and is willing to call themselves a Republican - regardless of what they believe in."
What's good position when it comes to Illegal Aliens? People are pretty well split on the issue I think.
Definitely not Senator McCain. Wrong, wrong, wrong on free speech. What good is winning the war on terror if President McCain has jettisoned the First Amendment in the mean time?
Possibly Senator Allen, although I don't see where he's really taken a leadership position on anything.
Governors Pawlenty and Sanford intrigue me. I definitely want to see more of them. Governor Romney I'll keep an open mind on.
Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner: Strong fiscal management. Bipartisanship. Deep knowledge and concern about policy.
Newt, hands down he is the one who has the intellectual capability. He has already taken the hard falls that Nixon and Churchill did before they acquired power so he has grown up. Look at the record of the Contract with America and what was turned out of congress during the Clinton years.
Does anyone remember surpluses?
Bob Dohnal, Publisher
Wisconsin Consrvative Digest
widigest.com
well, if bob dohnal thinks newt gingrich would be a good president it must be so. :)
regardless of his qualifications/ability, does anyone honestly believe a guy can be elected nation-wide with the name "Newt"???
Funny, when I saw Dohnal say Newt, I immediately decided that would never work for me.
Condi/Guiliani
Another that I would like to see, but probably won't happen in Dan Quale.
As for some of the Senators that have been mentioned... Who is the last person that has run as a Senator and won the presidency? A lot have tried, but I can't think of any that won.
Oops, Kennedy won from the Senate, I was thinking he was in the House at the time... Still, it's a rare thing to win from Congress.
I find it hilarious that Patrick misspelled the name of Dan Quayle!!
I would consider Newt for President. He's conservative, he's beginning to sound more and more like Reagan, and he knows how to run a campaign. Also, he's a historian, not a lawyer. That's gotta be a plus.
As far as the name thing goes, we had a president with the name of "Ike", so why not "Newt"?
Newt / Romney? Newt / Pawlenty? Personally, I'd like Newt / Sanford, but that's probably too much Southern on one ticket.
I hope Newt runs just because he'd be great for all the other candidates...he'd force them to have good ideas and would challenge them...
there is a big difference between a guy whose nickname was "ike" (and was a General) and a guy whose real name is Newt...which is the name of a tiny lizard/salamander type thing. Is name everything? No...but it is something.
McCain. He has a sense of duty, honor and humor. He was tortured by professionals. A more conservative running mate from a southern state to balance the ticket and apeal to voters who have qualms about McCain, such as Sanford or Jeb Bush.
Allen! Executive experience, right on taxes, spending, entitlement reform.
I find it amusing the candidates which everyone is throwing out there. Either Guiliani or McCain are too liberal or they're perfect. Same for Newt. And seriously, George Allen? Come on. The truth is you have no one to stand behind right now.
Democrats do: Russ Feingold. I know for a fact he'll lose in the primary, but he'll be the vp candidate. Hopefully with Mark Warner. If it's Hillary then they have no shot. I hate her so, so much.
Too bad Cheney won't run. Just think of the humor potential in a Cheney-Quayle ticket.
I'd love to see Gingrich run. His "tax cuts for the rich" enabled me to move up into the middle class.
Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian candidate. At least the Libertarians have some principles
Russ Feingold.
I have not made up my mind yet although I will say this. I would prefer a Slade Gorton to a John McCain.
I'm pretty well neutral on the Republican side--no one really excites me and the ones who do (e.g., Rice) don't show an inclination to run.
Two Dems I see who could get elected are Edwards (populist message--if he's top of the ticket in '04, he wins) and Warner.
I haven't seen too much of a personality on any candidate (a la Reagan or Clinton).
Romney is definitely worth a look. Successful businessman, cleaned up Olympics corruption and brought it out out of its $300 million debt and ran a surplus, conservative the figured out how to win over independents in a blue state, strong on pro-life and pro-traditional marriage (questionable mormon jokes aside). He's great on TV, not afraid to talk about the dangers of islamo-facism (how many other republicans will even use that word), and clearly is a man of ideas and substance. Even his health care proposal, while criticized by some, receive praise from National Review and the Heritage Foundation. All in all, Romney has a lot going for him.
Condi Rice. The Dems would have no idea what to do with that.
I like the idea of Mark Sanford. I like it a lot. Not sure he could win any northern states, but still, seems like a really good guy. I also like Jeb Bush. I actually has an approval rating worth talking about, and I think he's smarter than his brother and more articulate.
Too bad the country probably won't ready for another Bush. But, there are still a few years...
And no way to McCain or Giuliani. You want to lose the base, vote for one of them.
Gingrich is a joke. He was all for revolution until he took power, then it became simply about keeping power at the expense of the Contract with America. Whatever happened to term limits? Only a good idea until you get into office? Whatever happened to "restoring the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives?" Gingrich is an adulterous fraud and I cannot believe any conservative with a conscience would consider voting for him. So much for the morality issues that seemed to matter so much when it was Bill Clinton cheating on his wife.
Mark Sanford was part of that vaunted Republican class of 94, a political novice who actually lived up to his word and served only three terms in the House, and now is a popular southern governor with a proven conservative track record and executive experience. He will win every state in the south and southwest, and do well in the midwest. Now we just have to get him to run...
For VP, Sen. Tom Coburn from Oklahoma.
Allen is a moron and he comes off that way. A vote for Allen is a vote for Forrest Gump.
Sanford is a solid fiscal conservative, but even Republicans in South Carolina don't like him.
Give me Mike Huckabee!
Rumsfield and he can win it all....
I'll second Tom Coburn for VP. The guy is just awesome. I got to meet his chief of staff a month ago. He's really, really smart and very solidly conservative.
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