# Who would you pick as the Republican Nominee in '08? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 2, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407 "2005-10-02T01:46:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Casual\_Male](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Casual\_Male](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casual_Male)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/1 "2005-10-02T01:46:52Z")
Who would you pick? If I could magically make the choice, it would be a close tie between John McCain and Rudy Guilliani. I like the moderate tone of McCain and feel that he can bring the country closer together. However, I believe Guilliani would be very effective as a charismatic leader. This quality can prove beneficial on the international, as well as domestic, scene. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/2 "2005-10-02T03:10:10Z")
I’d like to see Condoleezza Rice. Just so we can see who the Democrats pick to go against her, with two of their major demographic groups represented by the opposition. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/3 "2005-10-02T03:23:31Z")
If _I_ get to pick? Michael Bloomberg. Or Olympia Snowe. Or Lincoln Chaffee. Or Christine Todd Whitman… Waitaminute, can I pick the Republican nominee and then not vote for the person I nominate? Fine. The Reverend Al Sharpton. He switches affiliation and he runs as Republican nominee for Prez in '08. Well, you _said_ I got to pick!! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/4 "2005-10-02T03:25:42Z")
I think they should nominate Satan. You know, cut out the middleman. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/5 "2005-10-02T03:26:33Z")
Condi, for sure. That would be the tipping point for millions of black voters dropping the Democratic Party. And the evil, hate filled part of the left would die of coronaries due to frustration that there’s no countermove. IMHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/6 "2005-10-02T03:40:07Z")
I pity whoever is chosen to run in the next election. What’s a person to do that follows someone like Bush? Criticize him? Praise him? Ask for his endorsement? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/7 "2005-10-02T03:51:13Z")
I think Condi would be an okay candidate, although she’s never been elected to anything. > [@bare](#): > > What’s a person to do that follows someone like Bush? Criticize him? Praise him? Ask for his endorsement? The next couple of years will determine that. If Bush is in really bad shape, I doubt Condi would have a chance. Lincoln Chaffee? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/8 "2005-10-02T04:04:04Z")
Condoleezza Rice sounds okay to me too. But a sad thought occured to me earlier in the week - I don’t think we’ll see a female president unless _both_ noms are women, so the odds of it are 100% rather than 50-50. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/9 "2005-10-02T04:26:23Z")
> [@Plan B](#): > > That would be the tipping point for millions of black voters dropping the Democratic Party. Millions of black voters are considering dropping the Democratic Party? There was no significant increase in Bush’s vote percentage among African-American voters between 2000 and 2004 (online sources vary by a point or two but the concensus seems to be he got 10% in 2000 and 11% in 2004) and he dropped a point from Dole’s 12% in 1996. If Rice is nominated in 2008, I don’t see her drawing off all that many African-American voters. She’d probably draw off more white women, but that might be offset by a loss of white men. And she’s vulnerable on Iraq and Katrina (a couple of well-placed “she bought shoes while New Orleans sank” ads and she loses the Gulf Coast states). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/10 "2005-10-02T04:33:16Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Condoleezza Rice sounds okay to me too. But a sad thought occured to me earlier in the week - I don’t think we’ll see a female president unless _both_ noms are women, so the odds of it are 100% rather than 50-50. I think there’s a very good chance we’ll see a female nominee in '08. I’m not sure how sad that makes your thought. If the primary voters choose a woman, that’s who gets the nomination, and I don’t think voters are going to spend that much time thinking about things like “what happens if the other party nominates a man and we nominate a woman?” ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/11 "2005-10-02T13:55:07Z")
> [@Plan B](#): > > Condi, for sure. That would be the tipping point for millions of black voters dropping the Democratic Party. And the evil, hate filled part of the left would die of coronaries due to frustration that there’s no countermove. > > IMHO, of course. Why? Everyone knows that Condi is packing a big white dong of hatred under her clothes. The rest is just an illusion. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/12 "2005-10-02T13:59:27Z")
> [@Poonther](#): > > Why? Everyone knows that Condi is packing a big white dong of hatred under her clothes. The rest is just an illusion. :eek: I don’t ever want to know what’s under her clothes. Now where’s that Google ad for brain bleach? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/13 "2005-10-02T15:49:25Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > :eek: > > I don’t ever want to know what’s under her clothes. Now where’s that Google ad for brain bleach? Giuliani would be a disaster. Until 9/11 his popularity was in the toilet. I nominate Colin Powell. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/14 "2005-10-02T16:29:16Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I nominate Colin Powell. Nah. He effectively destroyed his credibility and reputation with that UN speech about the certainty of WMDs in Iraq and the need to go to war. He put his honor on the shelf and did what the boss told him to do, although he knew it was wrong. IMHO. McCain is a moderate only compared to the rest of the party. When compared to McCain, Bob Dole’s a liberal. Frankly, I can’t think of a Republican that I’d like to see as president. Not many Democrats I want to see as president, either. I like Ike, though. Too bad he’s still dead. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/15 "2005-10-02T17:02:10Z")
Well, if a dead man can get elected in preference to John Ashcroft, why can’t a dead man beat the pack and get elected as President? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/16 "2005-10-02T17:58:48Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And she’s vulnerable on Iraq and Katrina Iraq, yes. Katrina, no. If Katrina happened in 2008, maybe in August, she would be affected. 3 years from now, you won’t hear much about it in the election. Americans only remember, good or bad, events that are relatively recent. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/17 "2005-10-02T18:11:27Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Americans only remember, good or bad, events that are relatively recent. You mean like Vietnam? If Kerry can get barbequed over his Vietnam service while facing an opponent with Bush’s military, um, service, then I can certainly see the image of Condi’s shoe shopping damaging her. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/18 "2005-10-02T18:45:18Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > You mean like Vietnam? If Kerry can get barbequed over his Vietnam service while facing an opponent with Bush’s military, um, service, then I can certainly see the image of Condi’s shoe shopping damaging her. Macy’s Veterans for Truth? In a serious response to the original question, I would select Giuliani. Hell, I might even vote for him in November. He ranks high on the common sense meter, can handle emergencies excellently, and would cause massive coronaries among the Falwell-Coulter crowd. What’s not to like? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/19 "2005-10-02T18:47:31Z")
> [@ITR champion](#): > > He ranks high on the common sense meter, can handle emergencies excellently, and would cause massive coronaries among the Falwell-Coulter crowd. What’s not to like? That’d be enjoyable (I’d never vote for him), but I think that last point will keep him from getting nominated. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407/20 "2005-10-02T18:49:07Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I think they should nominate Satan. You know, cut out the middleman. … or Cthulhu [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-republican-nominee-in-08/324407.md?page=2)