Well neither one of those two are decent candidates so the conclusions wouldn't lead to a positive outcome for conservatives. What the party needs is a good candidate with a resonating message. But truth be told, if the economy sucks, Republicans will win with only an average candidate. And Dems will win if the economy is in decent shape. Personally, I would like to see an inspiring fiscally conservative president that can drive his agenda through Congress.
I've been saying since the election that the GOP may give way to a make over of the Libertarian Party or a new third party could emerge. A lot of factions within it are at war. Ron Paul could emerge as a viable candidate but it won't be with Ms. Palin. Mr. Paul doesn't suffer fools any better than McCain. It's just McCain gave the finger to the party establishment when he couldn't have Lieberman or Ridge. That's why he agreed to Palin. Paul won't make that mistake. Paul/Huckabee would be more attractive.
Ron Paul would be great, but I'm not so sure the GOP "blue bloods" would get behind him. I agree about the possibility of a 3rd party, but probably not until 2016. I'm think President Obama will win a 2nd term.
It is such a sad commentary that Sarah Palin is still mentioned as a national figure in the Republican party. Forgive me if I never come back to the party if Palin is considered a leader.
Ron Paul, possibly viable, depending on the state of the country in 4 years. But he would never put up with a ninny like Palin on the ticket. Do any true Ron Paul supporters think Palin is even a serious candidate?
I love to joke around on this board, but I'm completely serious when I say that as a Democrat, I hope to hell that Sarah Palin is considered a GOP leader for the forseeable future. I also wish Mike Sherman a long, comfortable career at aggy (going 6-5 every year)
I agree with Napoleon's take although I wouldn't say Palin is a total joke: She just isn't presidential material. As for McCain, his problem is a lack of charisma that might be fine for the 65+ crowd but won't win over much of the rest of the country. Plus, while McCain is not socially conservative (which is fine by me), he also is not fiscally conservative. What may bug me the most about him though is that he doesn't seem to have core values and instead makes decisions based on political expediency. What the party needs is someone with a message, that is a good speaker, and has a clean image. Mitt Romney had a pretty good story to tell but he isn't the best person to tell the story. Newt Gingrich has a similar story but with too much baggage and too adversarial.
The Republicans chased away the moderate Republicans- the socially liberal, fiscally conservative folks from the West and Northeast- for the sake of the South. They narrowed the party down so far for one segment that they whittled away the support.
Palin can't go a week without her personal life being on the front page. Yet somehow, she's the face of the party? An earlier poster is correct. The GOP will never contend again unless they can break out of their regional base. They need to figure out how to reach Northeasterners again.
Palin is the face of the Republican Party right now, and she stands for what they believe. They should run her for president in 2012 to see how many voters agree with those stands.
Whoever dares to challenge Obama will of course receive a relentless barage of (personal) attacks from 90% of the American media. I think that Sarah Palin has been hit too much to survive another round. Bobby Jindal could survive it I think but he would have to want it really badly and I'm not so sure that he does. Huckabee would just get crushed because he was a Christian minister. Ron Paul would be attacked as a racist if he ever got any serious political momentum. I think the best hope for the R's will be a successful Governor who has already survived a strong round of media attacks just so he or she knows and has shored up their vulnerability. Palin would have to come up through a national post such as Interior or Energy Secretary to have any serious national traction in the future. Please not the yell leader.
Sarah Palin will not be on the GOP ticket in 2012. She blew her 15 mins and has done nothing to change the conclusions many people have made about her. IMO....if you can get "owned" by Katie Couric you don't deserve to run anything.....but that's for the peeps of Alaska to decide. I'm sort of thinking Pataki-Santorum.
I don't really buy into the media keeping the GOP down. The GOP is keeping itself down by refusing to accept that the times are changing and they have no new ideas to offer.
There are 2 Republican governors that nobody has mentioned. Minnesota and Louisiana, they have exhibited the Goldwater/Reagan conservative beliefs that built the Modern Repbulican Party and they will be the flag bearers in 2012. For all of you afraid of Palin, Conservatives were saying the same things about Hillary and President Obama two-three years ago. I still do not understand the ground swell for Hillary, I couldn't stomach her as First Lady, Senator or SoS, as President, thank god Obama beat her..... Remember this, McCain garnerd the 3rd most amount of votes in Presdiential history. PBO-1st, W-2nd in 2004 and McCain 3rd. It is not that the conservatives/Republicans did not come out and vote, it was the force of President Obama having over whelming support in unchartered territories. Just my honest and trying to be as unbiased as I can opinion. It was not young voters that was the surprise, that trend remained the same, Democrat. The truly surprising Demographic was the Middle Class making over $100,000/ year educated whites that came out in historic form for President Obama. Not to mention the record number of African American voters that turned out as well. The trend started in 2006, here is a forshadowing article about what was to happen in 2008.
Have to give Obama credit for packaging "spending our great grandchildren's money" in such a way that it is seen as Hope and Change and a "New Idea". ------------------------------------------------------------ What's the GOP idea?
