A mention in The Weekly Standard I think, of a generally mildly anti-Huntsman article, was from an anonymous Democratic pollster (this was the only good thing said about Huntsman) who said that all of the current GOP candidates, Huntsman was the only one he was afraid of, because Huntsman would be a threat to win over swing voters like ‘suburban women’ and the like. The rest the dems weren’t afraid of (in terms of winning the election).
Is that true or just B.S.? Is Huntsman that potentially nonthreatening to the swing voters compared to the other candidates? If not, which other candidates are also potential winners of this nature?
When I say potential winners, I recognize that a strongly conservative candidate could still win, but probably with more difficulty and a much smaller majority. I’m asking more for which candidates, if any, in terms of the election results, scare the dems and could really abscond with the great middle-of-the-roaders’ vote and pile drive what’s left of the 2008 ‘Hope’ coalition that elected Obama.
I think Romney is the only serious candidate out there… but he suffers from the John McCain problem.
John McCain was a serious candidate, but Republican rank-and-file just were not enthusiastic about him. I think Romney can win over some moderates, but I just can’t see that conservatives are going to be jazzed up about supporting this particular candidate.
So, I’m not sure any of this crop of candidates are truly frightening, because those that appeal to conservatives will have no moderate support, and those that appeal to moderates may end up having little conservative support. I’m not sure Romney can bridge the two groups.
Huntsman would have the greatest chance of winning the general election, but his chances in the primary are so low as to not even be worth bothering with. Of the candidates who might plausibly win the primary this cycle, Romney is the one who would present the greatest challenge to Obama.
If Huntsman could gain some momentum, he could be a formidable candidate. He’s very slick and smooth, and from his diplomatic days is an expert in parrying verbal attacks. He’s also handsome (in an oily sort of way), which appeals to voters. But he has some baggage to get rid of, not the least of which was not signing the no-tax pledge that the other morons signed. He plays the “I’m my own man” card pretty well, while still mouthing party line slogans.
The 06 08 and 10 elections were loopsided wins for the party with the most enthusiasm going into the elections, the republicans currently have nobody who is electable and can raise that kind of enthusiasm. Romney is the only “electable” one of the bunch, Obama vs Romney would be about an even matchup, with severe lack of enthusiasm on both sides. Anyone else would be an Obama landslide.
Romney is the only one that has a prayer of appealing to moderate voters. As for the right wingers not being enthusiastic about Romney, he needn’t worry. The far right hates Obama much more than it loves America. They’d gladly walk barefoot on broken glass and hot coals to vote for a Republican ticket of Fonda and Manson if the alternative was voting for the Democratic ticket of Obama and Christ.
Strange, isn’t? Politically, he’s not really an inch to the left of Bill Clinton. And yet all that Vince-Fostergate and similar slanderous bullshit seems in hindsight like the GOP’s way of venerating St. William of Hope.
The problem in your statement is that while the right wingers would vote R before D at any point while in the voting booth, if the nominee is Romney they won’t be in the booth.
If the choice is Romney or Obama, right wingers will see Romney as Obama equivalent or possibly worse. Yes, worse, they don’t want a wishy washy RINO. Only the one true savior can lead the Party back to the promiseland. Thus, they won’t get off the couch for Romney. In which case, the election is Obama’s to lose. Does he capitalize on his real accomplishments - run a campaign of healthcare, gay rights, ending Iraqi war, OBL death, stock market recovery (look at where the DOW was Jan. 2009 and where it is now.), point to R obstruction of job growth. “Think of what we can do in the next 4 years, even with R’s fighting us at every step.”
Or the R’s can nominate a right wing fire breather. In which case, moderate voters are going to hear about and see attempts by R’s to make homosexuality illegal, to ban birth control, decrease taxes on the wealthy in the name of job creation that is not happening, and so forth. Obama runs the campaign as outlined above, and appears the grown-up reasoned voice. Moderates, run, not walk, to vote for Obama.
The worry for democratic strategists is democrats. The R nominee must distance him or herself from the fringe, and in the process lose those votes. The democrats need only come out swinging. Yet, people seem to forget Obama uses the rope-a-dope strategy masterfully. They forget that he is far and away the best campaigner we have seen since 1996.
And yet Obama still won handily. Right wingers might hate Obama, but it takes no effort to hate. It takes some effort to get of your ass and vote and a lot of people only bother when they really really like their candidate.
Not really considering the anti-Bush rhetoric one sees here/
Nonsense, most talk radio hosts who dislike Romney have said they would support him against Obama. Most Republicans are going to hold their nose and vote for him.
Why use "scare’? The dems are pretty sure Romney will win the nomination. He is super pro business. He will face criticism because he downsized and offshored. He also is a spoiled rich kid. The last one of those did not work out very well. He has changed positions over and over. He was pro health care for all, and now he has to disown it. He is Kerrylike .
No Repub has shown the ability to unite the party. Bachman disappeared. Perry can not hide his stupidity. Romney has lots of stances that will piss off the tea baggers. Cain is a joke.
As difficult as it is for the party, they6 will have to settle on Romney.
Wonder if he will pick Palin for VP?
No, I agree with howye when he says that republicans won’t get off the couch. They’d probably vote for Romney over Obama if they happened to find themselves in the voting booth, but voter turnouts in this country are just awful. Winning isn’t about getting voters to come to your side, it’s about getting apathetic voters who are already on your side to get up and go to the polls. Bush did it in 2002, and Obama did it in 2008. 2012 is going to be another 2006 if Romney gets the nom.
