# Which Candidates Do You Support
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [January 8, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792 "2012-01-08T03:19:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/41 "2012-01-09T01:13:23Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#):
>
> Anybody other than Ron Paul would have approved killing Bin Laden.
Ron Paul voted to go after Bin Laden and kill him. What he criticized is the way we carried out the mission without even notifying Pakistan. Encouraging good relations with nations that hold nuclear arms is one of his more unorthodox views.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/42 "2012-01-09T03:44:15Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> Barack Obama.
>
> The rotted corpse of binLaden would be preferable to the clowns running for the GOP.
Or, for that matter, ever again putting a Republican into the WH.
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### Author:  [@Batfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batfish)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/43 "2012-01-09T12:14:08Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#):
>
> Anybody other than Ron Paul would have approved killing Bin Laden.
>
> He seems to think focusing on social issues will win him the election. Other than typical GOP platitudes, he hasn’t said really any word on economic policy. From what I have seen he will be the left’s caricature of George W Bush (which Bush really wasn’t)-divisive social reactionary, Islamophobic and ultraaggressive foreign policy, and no real reform of the economy.
Which one is offering economic reforms in their campaign? Really, the differences on policy between these candidates is merely campaign rhetoric. If I were a Republican choosing a nominee my standards would be simple.
1. Who can do the job; that is who can actually carry out the policies they’re promoting. That eliminates Cain, Bachmann and Perry.
2. Who can be elected. You’re suddenly down to a choice of one, Romney.
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### Author:  [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)
#### Post date: [January 10, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/44 "2012-01-10T17:21:16Z")
The problem many republicans face is choosing someone who can actually defeat Obama during debates. Being a good governor, leader, economic expert, doesnt matter much if Obama can out-debate the nominee just out of sheer “used car salesmanship” skills. That’s what happened last election.
Substance is largely out the window unfortunately. Smooth goes a long way with Americans who know the names of the Kardashian friends and family members but haven’t a clue who our founding fathers are.
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### Author:  [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/45 "2012-01-11T02:47:14Z")
> [@IntelliQ](#):
>
> The problem many republicans face is choosing someone who can actually defeat Obama during debates. Being a good governor, leader, economic expert, doesnt matter much if Obama can out-debate the nominee just out of sheer “used car salesmanship” skills. That’s what happened last election.
Romney isn’t an economic expert: he’s a leveraged buyout guy and former hedge fund salesman. Not that there’s anything wrong with the latter, though there is. But it’s a living and I don’t doubt Romney’s analytic skills or managerial ability. Some legislative background would help, but you can’t have everything.
> [@](#):
>
> Substance is largely out the window unfortunately. Smooth goes a long way with Americans who know the names of the Kardashian friends and family members but haven’t a clue who our founding fathers are.
I think most Americans can name George Washington and Thomas Jefferson but I don’t believe that this is a sign of either great intelligence or mastery of contemporary public policy. And you didn’t mention Obama’s expertise in Constitutional Law, nor his managerial ability reflected in his campaign’s victory over the Democratic frontrunner. Surely those are relevant for the Presidency. So perhaps you should hesitate before casting aspersions on our fellow Americans.
My list:
Obama
Buddy Roemer
Gingrich, because he can take down Romney and he’s an unelectable walking time bomb.
Santorum, because he’s an unelectable opponent of contraception.
Perry, because he’s a drooling unelectable moron.
Ron Paul, because he’s an unelectable crank of the purest variety and a peddler of bigotry besides.
None of the Republican candidates show any signs of backing textbook economics. All would be beholden to the Republicans in Congress and a constituency whose idea of subtle policy analysis runs towards death panels, long form birth certificates, moral panic, black helicopters and pious ignorant nonsense about the founding fathers. [Cite on George Washinton](http://atheism.about.com/library/quotes/bl_q_GWashington.htm).
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### Author:  [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/46 "2012-01-11T13:48:07Z")
[Here](http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/candidate-match-game?loc=interstitialskip) is something that might help out. Amazingly enough, it match my selections I posted earlier.
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### Author:  [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/47 "2012-01-11T14:05:48Z")
I’m not going to support or vote for any of them, but if forced at gunpoint, I would choose Huntsman \> Romney \> getting shot \> anyone else on the list.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/48 "2012-01-11T17:42:02Z")
[ol][li]Romney [_]Gingrich [_]Huntsman Obama[/ol][/li]
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidates-do-you-support/608792/49 "2012-01-12T03:19:05Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Or, for that matter, ever again putting a Republican into the WH.
:rolleyes:
> [@WillFarnaby](#):
>
> Ron Paul voted to go after Bin Laden and kill him. What he criticized is the way we carried out the mission without even notifying Pakistan. Encouraging good relations with nations that hold nuclear arms is one of his more unorthodox views.
Pakistan’s government is infested with Islamists, any sort of notification would undoubtedly have been leaked to Bin Laden and he would have fled and a trap would have been sprung for our soldiers.
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