SO in my last post I expressed some concern that Obama is behaving so much like W that he will not attract independents, and will not mobilize younger voters like he did in the last election. I stand by those thoughts, but I think the Republicans could be in as much trouble as Obama.
The problem the Republicans face is, simply put, the Tea Party. The TP, in any given state primary, is going to vote for the candidate that most closely reflects their rather extreme views. I think that means that Ron Paul is probably unacceptable to them, although they might accept a Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann or Herman Cain (ironically two women and an African American). If the Republicans do end up nominating someone who is deemed moderate enough to appeal to a large number of independents (i.e. more likely to beat Obama), then I suspect the Tea Party may well nominate their own candidate.
So the Republicans may face two rather unpleasant choices: either the Tea Party forcing them to nominate an extreme candidate who has little chance to win, or they may see large numbers of party conservatives desert the party to vote for a third party Tea Party candidate in the general. Either of these scenarios might be enough to save Obama in 2012. These possibilities might explain why both Mitch Daniels and Mike Huckabee decided not to run this time.
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Now Jack Kelly is writing responses to your posts. Turn-about is fair play. The Tea Party, as everyone knows, is an Astroturf organization created by the Koch brothers. It doesn’t exist except to make sure that in the 2012 election cycle President O’bomba (he’s Irish you know) has a 9% unemployment rate, a depressed economy, and a high dissatisfaction rating. It is to insure the man is un-re-electable. My republican dream team would be a combination of Sarah and “Little Ricky”. I would enjoy hanging my coat on Maria’s (2PJ’s) Women’s Reproductive Health. More seriously, I will bet the Koch brothers go with Tim Pawlenty. As Governor of Minnesota he was Mr. Clean, a Nice Guy, a true plastic politician that kept his promises, his nose clean and was plenty lucky. He has a trophy wife (MN Supreme Court justice) and kids. In 2008, MN had a budget deficit and Pawlenty told the DFL controlled legislature (that couldn’t make a deal) “Just send it to me and I will handle it by “un-allotment”. This was during the heady year of President O’bomba’s and the democrat’s popularity but by the next year their popularity was waning, and even though the Minnesota Supreme Court said what Pawlenty had done was unconstitutional, the Democratic controlled legislature gave him all his un-allotments PLUS another $235 million in spending cuts and no new taxes on top!!! They rolled over and kissed his ass. Last fall, Minnesota voters elected a majority of Republicans in both houses of the legislature (first time in 50 years) and Mark Dayton (DFL) won the Governor’s race with 43% of the popular vote by splitting the Republicans between a drunk and a crazy guy. (Either would have beat Dayton, the self admitted world’s worst senator, in a one on one race) Think about the campaign ads we will see next year… When President O’bomba was elected promising Hope and Change there were 135 million people working in the country, four years later we have 130 million working, Is that the change you voted for? Bush drove us into the ditch with $600 billion of irresponsible deficit spending on two Wars, Health Care for seniors, and tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, President O’bomba has increased it to $6 TRILLION of irresponsible deficit spending on THREE Wars, Universal Health care, subsidies to Federal and State public employee unions, payoffs to the auto workers, and extending Bush’s tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. Are you better off today than during the worst year of the Bush presidency (2006)? (That year was, Senator President O’bomba claimed, the worst since the Great Depression) What’s your house worth; oh you lost it to foreclosure, TS, if you don’t like $6 a gallon gas buy an energy efficient car and make sure you pump up the tires. Good Luck.
BC, your comment mystifies me. Yes, I would have to admit (maybe I already have) that Obama has done several things that I have disagreed with. But don't conservatives agree with tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires? Are you suggesting that a Republican President will find away to take away the Bush tax cuts in 2013?
Actually, you seem to be suggesting that the Republican candidate in 2012 will be Pawlenty, as chosen by (and answerable to) the Koch brothers. So the choice is Obama (whom you apparently hate) or the country run by the Koch brothers. Do you think that is an acceptable situation? If not, can propose (and then work for) alternatives?
Your use of "O'bomba" pretty will indicates how (un)serious you really are in your comment (like Obama, I'm part Irish, you know). You are clearly smart enough to know that a big part of our deficit is due to Bush presidency; we could have a reasonable debate about how much, and you are clearly smart enough to know that since January 2007, Republicans have broke records in performing what are currently called filibusters (although there is no standing and talking for hours). We could have a reasonable discussion about whether Democrats would have gotten more done if Republicans weren't being so obstructionist, and whether what the Democrats would have done would have helped or hut the country.
By the way, it is pleasant to think Kelly is responding to my posts, but I am well aware of how many hits I get. I won't even mention my thoughts about what I suspect people think of me, suffice to say it stretches the bounds of credibility to think Jack Kelly cares aobut what I write. But it is pleasant to think so. (heh)
oops. "away" should be "a way".
etc.
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