Quoth Sam Stone:
Implicit in that is the assumption, which might be so ingrained that you don’t even realize it is an assumption, that spending is itself the mess. On the contrary, many economists argue that spending was the best thing to do to get out of the mess.
That’s not actually the problem with the economy. The idea that the current budget deficit is some kind of epoch-ending condition is an idea put about to distract people from the actual problems.
While Mitch Daniels certainly appears to be too centrist to appeal to the most vocal in the Republican party, it’s worth noting that the Republican voters in 2008 nominated McCain, who was probably the most centrist of the serious candidates. For all the Tea Party hyperbole, the party base may not be as far out as the Tea Partiers want it to be.
The tea party wasn’t an organized force in 2008, it didn’t start until spring of 2009. Plus from what I’ve seen people get more organized and polarized when they are in the minority, the 2008 election came after 8 years of GOP leadership in the white house (and essentially 12 in the congress, up until 2006) and I think there was some exhaustion with Bush’s mistakes that demoralized the GOP base. Now the GOP base is full of energy.
The 2012 primary election on the GOP side will be different than 2008 IMO, and the most polarized members will have most of the power in determining elections, just like they did in 2010. Also, even though McCain was elected he disappointed the base which is why Palin was picked as VP, to appeal to them.
Er, not so much…
Looks like Cheri Daniels vetoed a possible run. Mitch’s wife is seriously terrified of the crowds and campaigning, so Mitch solidified his non-running stance late last night.
Daniels just made himself unelectable anyway by signing the Planned Parenthood bill and the “No Mexicans need apply” bill. He probably knows that, so he’s using the wife as an excuse. It’s not going to be possible to win the General Election while pandering to teabaggers. I’m sure that, as usual, there will be some early excitemnt caused by one or more of the crazies in Iowa and New Hampshire, then whatever adults are left in the GOP will self-correct, as they always do, to something with some minimal amout of credibility and electability, and that’s Romney. Then Romney will choose a crazy as a running mate to pacify the base. It wouldn’t surprise me if he tries to find a conservative minority (maybe that dipshit, Cain). Someone like T-Paw is a possibility too. He’s mean enough and right wing enough, but the conventional wisdom is that you need somebody from the South which leaves…Huckabee?
No matter who he chooses, he will lose handily to Obama. This election is a foregone conclusion. The Republican who has the most to potentially gain from what will be a fairly cursory exercise is the Veep candidate, who can then set himself/herself up as the frontrunner in 2016.
So, a Romney/Bachmann ticket?
Actually, I doubt it. She will be too afraid of tarnishing her crazy badge by being the understudy on the ticket with him.
What about the opposite? She’s the nominee, and they put him up as VP to pretent he will act as a moderate brake on her?
I don’t think Romney would play second banana to that nutcase.
Agreed, but I also have a hard time imagining that the nutcases will nominate Romney.
This is bad news. I now have no one I am willing to support (unless some unknown comes out of hiding). I’ll vote Libertarian, most likely - or for the Pub as a vote against the Dems.
This sucks. The rest of the field at this point is made up of either crazy or smarmy…
At the end of the day, it’s about who gets the most money. The people with the money aren’t driven by social issues, and aren’t going to waste their money supporting a nutcase. The money will go to Romney. It will dry up for the dipshits, and the nomination will be over. That’s what happened with McCain and with Dole.