Surveying The Republican Field

In the beginning, to view the GOP candidates at their first debate podiums...Tommy Thompson, Brownback, Gilmore, Hunter...was to believe you had stumbled across some deleted country club ballroom scene from Caddyshack. You half expected to see Ted Knight standing there in a crested blazer sipping a vodkatini and muttering about green speeds.

Then, one night in Iowa for no apparent reason, Alan Keyes was on the stage. Yammering and gesturing like Sammy Davis Jr.'s evil twin about the perils of rational thought.

And for a brief period Fred Thompson bestrode the land like a colossus...then he entered the race. Yet now, without ever once tooling the back roads in his pickup to rally the multitudes to his call for...uh...something, he has lain down his burden.

Yes, your party may be in trouble when its most principled candidate is Ron Paul...and he believes Abraham Lincoln was a rotten president.

Which leaves............

MITT ROMNEY

All you have to do to know that Romney is a prick is look at him. It requires a certain kind of transcendent scumbagness to take genuine offense when your own words are quoted back to you.

Yet it's not nearly as troubling to hear The Gelled Hedge Funder babble on about the great good greatness of our shining hills and seas as it is to think of the collective IQ of those for whom this constitutes a reason to support him.

Though it was quite a "Paris is worth a mass" moment to see the candidate who believes the Garden of Eden was in Missouri attempt to reassure those who believe there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark that he shares their values.

MIKE HUCKABEE

The swingin' preacher, always ready to lay down a funky base line or a self-deprecating quip, has voiced some genuinely un-Republican views about the plight of the poor. Unfortunately, he has also voiced some genuinely unconstitutional views about the meaning of the Establishment Clause and some genuinely unhinged views about the age of the earth.

RUDY GIULIANI

The original first responder, who parlayed authoritatively walking through rubble into a sleazy personal fortune.

Apparently, if he wins Florida Rudy will grab a bible and rush to the West Front of the Capitol to swear himself in. Yet while the media is intent on focusing on the pros or cons of his strategy, shouldn't someone take a moment to ponder his maniacally brutal vindictiveness.
Tested..Ready..Now...hopefully refers to the involuntary commitment papers.

JOHN McCAIN

The candidate Democrats must fear to face...so goes the conventional wisdom. And like all conventional wisdom it fails to answer the only question that matters...why?

In 2000 when he was at his best, McCain's "rogue state rollback" was an idea even Augustus would have found unworkable. Since then he has done nothing but abandon principles and kiss George Bush's ass.

So...a candidate whose idea of leadership is standing up to Donald Rumsfeld, who wants to stay in Iraq for a hundred years, who sees an endorsement by Joe Lieberman as a plus...this is someone to be feared?

Maybe...if the Democrats were stupid enough to nominate someone tied to the past, devoid of scruple and unfamiliar with truth, whose only absolute devotion was to maintaining power...but they'd never do that.

Comments

[ezrider]

Any democrat would look forward to running against this old relic.
The only change you will get with McCain is his underwear (if he does that even)

[davrobi]

Abe Lincoln and George W. Bush.
The only two presidents to start a war.
As terrible as it is as least George's war was not on his own country.

[MrJoyboy]

The only candidate I've seen who makes any sense and is a straight shooter is Mike Gravel. Go Mike!

[larry278]

As an Obama supporter, I dislike saying that all of the Repooplicans who are still in the race for POTUS could easily be beaten by her Hillaryship despite all of her many faults. Chris Matthews also drives voters to Sen Clinton with his sexist rap.

[Zaro]

All three GOP candidates - Walnut, Mittens and the Huckster - are a joke.

If Walnuts is their nominee, he's gonna have to make up his mind whether he is a "Maverick" or a "lifelong Republican".

[LeonBNJ]

None of the Republicans are acceptable to real America. All are pro-corporate, cut taxes to the rich, destroy personal liberties, enslsve the working persons, destroy American industry and jobs and pro-war (but for Ron Paul). Their main tacticts vs. democrats is to demonize their few good points, saying they are supporting al-Queda, pick on their personal issues, when they are the real demons, have caused al-Queda to grow and have verious serious personal issues as well.

[hoopesaz]

I can't believe that you so blatantly disparage Romney's religion. Shocking...and that nobody else seems to even notice.

Talk about a party without an identity. The progressives have slimed each other on race and ethnicity, and soon we'll get to watch them spew religious bigotry toward the republican candidates. What a disapointing mess.

I honestly thought the Dems couldn't lose this Presidency, but once again they are doing everything they possibly can to throw this one away. It is astonishing to me. And they will have noone to blame but themselves for all of the hate mongoring wrapped in the disguise of tolerance.

[midwestvoter]

What we know about Republicans is they do not vote "FOR" issues or leaders, they won't "AGAINST" whatever they are told to fear at the moment. With this insight, Dems need to vote strategically. All of the Republican candidates have major flaws, including and especially McCain. None of them appeal to all the factions of the conservative voter. McCain has problems with the neocons who want the US to be Jack Bauer in 24 and torture, he has problems with the bigots- amnesty for illegal immigrants, anyone? And Wall Street? He is against Bush's tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

So, in order for him (or any Republican) to win, the Dems need to have a candidate they can promote as something to fear far worse than the differences they have with the Republican nominee.

Unfortunately Hillary and Obama can deliver the red meat they need to instill enough fear into republicans to drive them to the polls. Whether it be Clinton hating, fear of women in control, fear of a black man in control, fear of a (wink wink) possible muslim in control, Bill Clinton's penis, etc, etc.

John Edwards is the only candidate that will not only adhere to the Dem principles, but most importantly, the Republicans are not going to be fearful enough of a white southern man (albiet with great hair and a big house) to vote for a Republican they can't fully get behind.

Hillary and Obama will still be in the Senate and still have fabulous futures ahead in the party (if their bickering doesn't completely destroy them and us). Vote strategically. Edwards is our only hope and the GOP's worst nightmare. It's about time we stop shooting ourselves in the foot and feeding the monster.

Go Edwards Go!

[Samson1]

Or there is the other Democrat (not to be named) who thinks of Joe Lieberman as a mentor and Ronald Reagan as a model and will have success with non-partisan government (I'm guessing this will be by some form of laying on of hands to somehow change the GOP to the helpful, cooperative GOP. Or maybe it is because he says nothing about specifics but has terrific speeches. Oh, Yeah, he gets very put upon if he is criticized.

[Purple Girl]

There are as many Dems disgusted as there are Repubs.
I've decided that if they won't get out of my party I'll just get out of theirs.
I suggest the same for the conscious on the other side.
I actually would like to hear more FROM Ron Paul, not filtered through the 'happy ending' media message.I'm sick of the media acting as though we trust them to vet out anything or any one anymore.Useless corporate whores.
Love to see an Independent - Feingold??
Hell I'd go for Kucinich /Paul in a heart beat.The only ones in it because they want to really help the country- not just them selves.All the rest are Focus group generated '08 models- some with new exteriors but the same crapy performance and gas guzzeling as the last 40 yrs of makes.It appears our top two Dem product lines will merge and corner the market- just strengthing the Corporate Monopoly.
A half ass Dem ain't good enough, and I suppose a half ass Republican is about as desired.OUR CHOICES SUCK!!!

[Kungfublood]

So what if he doesn't like Lincoln? You probably think George Washington is some kind of a saintly hero yet he did shoot that French officer in the face at point blank range while meeting him under a flag of truce, so don't be so dismissive of people that don't share what might possibly be a distorted view of your other hero's, without at least inquiring why.

[midwestvoter]

What we know about Republicans is they do not vote "FOR" issues or leaders, they won't "AGAINST" whatever they are told to fear at the moment. With this insight, Dems need to vote strategically. All of the Republican candidates have major flaws, including and especially McCain. None of them appeal to all the factions of the conservative voter. McCain has problems with the neocons who want the US to be Jack Bauer in 24 and torture, he has problems with the bigots- amnesty for illegal immigrants, anyone? And Wall Street? He is against Bush's tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

So, in order for him (or any Republican) to win, the Dems need to have a candidate they can promote as something to fear far worse than the differences they have with the Republican nominee.

Unfortunately Hillary and Obama can deliver the red meat they need to instill enough fear into republicans to drive them to the polls. Whether it be Clinton hating, fear of women in control, fear of a black man in control, fear of a (wink wink) possible muslim in control, Bill Clinton's penis, etc, etc.

John Edwards is the only candidate that will not only adhere to the Dem principles, but most importantly, the Republicans are not going to be fearful enough of a white southern man (albiet with great hair and a big house) to vote for a Republican they can't fully get behind.

Hillary and Obama will still be in the Senate and still have fabulous futures ahead in the party (if their bickering doesn't completely destroy them and us). Vote strategically. Edwards is our only hope and the GOP's worst nightmare. It's about time we stop shooting ourselves in the foot and feeding the monster.

Go Edwards Go!

[randyw]

I've said all along that this current crop of GOP candidates are the worst bunch of flakes and kooks I can ever remember! So just which kook or flake does a Republican voter vote for? The problem is that the Republican voters themself are not of much intellect which is obvious by the fact that they rushed out and voted Boosh back into office after all the damage he did from 2001 tom 2004!These voters only care about their sacred Republican Party and not about the good of the nation! Only a complete moron would believe that the Boosh years have been better than the previous 8 years of peace and prosperity!This country was FAR better off before Boosh ever took office and if you don't agree then I suppose you ENJOY PAYING 3.00 a gallon for gasoline! Boosh has managed to get control of the Iraqi oilfields so that his oil company CEO buddies can get rich off you and me , and thats what it has really been all about ! Mission accomplished !

[NeoAmerican]

You have some good points, but unfortunately it looks like the Democrats will field their most repulsive candidate ever. Not only is she hard to consider voting for, even holding your nose, but she is saddled with her husband's philandering and his loud, prevaricating mouth which has risen like a phantom from the grave to stalk the earth.

If Hillary Clinton is the Democratic candidate, be prepared to begin using the term President McCain in your posts.

[realitybase]

But... neocon Republicans will lie, steal and cheat. And they will fool the idiots in the classes voting against their own interests that supported them over the past three decades. Beware! corporations still run the voting machines anything could happen.

Public financing of elections and IRV will change the established field.