Can a "moderate" conservative win in 2012?

[Jim Rosenthal]

We liberals loved Sarah Palin. We like Michele Bachmann just as much. If we're afraid of anyone, it's Romney. He's kind of like John Kerry but with a trunk instead of a tail, if you get my drift.

Incidentally, lemmings do NOT jump off cliffs, as is commonly thought. It ain't true, although it doesn't matter at this point. The idea is so ingrained in legend that it serves a useful purpose just as it is. But they really don't do it.

It would help this discussion a lot on both sides if folks were to acknowledge that neither the Democratic Party nor the GOP are monolithic. The reason that the GOP looks fractious at this point is that they don't have an incumbent to nominate. If the Democrats were not the incumbent party they'd look just as scattered. This kind of early-field quarreling IS more typical of Dems than it is of the GOP, but that is explained by the fact that there are no really strong GOP contenders. Basically what we have out there for the GOP is a bunch of has-beens, long shots, and second-raters. (OK, third-raters in the case of Herman Cain, thankfully gone from the field and not missed) If the GOP had had even one stronger candidate- Daniels or Christie, for example- things would be somewhat less fractured.

For most of my life, I've seen the GOP get behind their chosen candidate early and decisively. This year seems an exception. It's entertaining to seem them act like Democrats- I'm sure that would make them cringe, but it's really the case.

 

[Jeff Young]

You know, it's almost like 48 was for the Democrats. The Republican mainstream KNOWS that there is really just one candidate that is electable -- Romney -- and that the rest make the independents who decide elections turn up their noses and run.

On the other hand, the strongest single bloc within the Republican Party -- southern and rural evangelicals (ironically, the cultural and political descendants of the same bloc -- the southern racist vote -- that fractured off from the Democractic Party in 48) -- despite Romney and see him as completely unacceptable.

I wonder if Gingrich or Santorum or Perry have the balls to run an independent campaign, like Thurmond did in 48? It would all but assure Obama's reelection.

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

I agree, Jeff. What's interesting to me is that the GOP is so fractured- the evangelicals don't agree with the TPers, the GOP moderates are despised by everyone, etc etc. The only one who will run an independent campaign, if you ask me, is Ron Paul. And I have a feeling that the Christian evangelical voters don't like him much, because it's starting to come out that he's really a bigot- that or he can't control the bigots in his organization.

From the Democratic perspective, the best thing the GOP could do would be to nominate Santorum or Perry or Gingrich. That isn't going to happen. The GOP will more than likely end up nominating Romney, who is such an idiot that he will take it as a mandate and general approval of his policies and ideas (not that anyone really knows what those actually are, since they seem to change daily) But of all the GOP possibles, Romney is the only one who might get independents to vote for him.

The entertaining thing about Romney is that everyone hates him except his few actual supporters, who aren't exactly numerous. The GOP mostly hate him, the Democrats hate him because he's the only credible threat to Obama, and the religious right really hate him because he's a Mormon, which most of them think is a cult. (it isn't) So the GOP best hope is a guy who no one likes and who no one trusts. And no one can figure out what he stands for, because he doesn't know either. He's an empty suit- he'll say whatever he needs to say to get elected.

Someone once said that politics is show business for ugly people. Well, it's certainly show business, isn't it?

 

[Charlie Farley]

What you Americans need is a good old fashioned Dictator.
No bullshit, no discussion, just take out and shoot half the population.
After all, isn't that the type of people the western world has been fostering and financing for the best part of a century?
Oh shit, i got that wrong, i meant Britain...

 

[Doug S.]

OMG! NBC national news just showed an interview with Newt Gingrich, in which he criticized an oponent for his actions, saying "...just because you can legally do something, it doesn't mean it is the right thing to do".

This coming from a man who was censured by his congressional peers and was assessed a huge fine (which, BTW, he did not pay out of pocket, as his fat-cat cronies held a series of fund raising events to pay Gingrich's fines).

I'm amazed, well, at least sometimes, at the treachery and short memories our politicians seem to display.

Charley, you might be right. I despised Nixon during the time he was POTUS, but in some demented way I admired his "I'm the POTUS and I can do anything I damn well please" attitude. He WAS a crook, despite his protestations to the contrary.

We better really watch out or we could end up with another Nixon in office....or, in the case of Gingrich, a Nixon-like nutjob with a bad memory for his own transgressions.

I swear, some people's children......!!!!

Doug

 

[Doug S.]

Well, the answer is now evident.

My sincere hope is that this event will diminish the political rift, take the air out of the TEA Party's sails, and make us as a nation more moderate in our approach.

I must admit that I was a bit surprised at the magnitude of the win for Obama. I thought Romney started out far right and then as the race wore on he moved more to the center, to the point where I would describe him as a "moderate conservative". Perhaps his changing positions and vacillation was the reason that the voters rejected him, but the bigger issue is that IMHO the voters rejected the conservative agenda.

Government should help ALL citizens, not victimize those who are unfortunate enough to be poor...IMHO Romney could never overcome that hurdle, that he was not connected to the common man when the saying "It's the economy, stupid!" was the topic.

America has spoken...now, let's see if we can pressure our representatives and senators to make it work!

Doug