since he couldn’t even answer a simple question of how much in revenue his plan would bring in or cost.

Hey, one can’t (or actually, shouldn’t) criticize one guy, Romney, for not taking a position when you cheer the guy, Perry, who never even had a position (and so just recently went out and “got one”), and who then, then after finally “getting” a position, then goes on to state he isn’t quite ready to talk about it, and who then, after finally announcing it, can’t (or won’t) talk about basic questions it raises.

Duhhhhhh.

My worry: I live around libs who will forever remain libs, but I also live around reasonable Dems who are very upset with Obama. Several of them have said, after watching Rick Perry in the debates and in interviews, “No way.”

Either you understand that this time around a moderate is the only way you unseat Obama (and save the USA) or you cling to your pride and give him 4 more years.

I “prove it”? I am simply telling you what I know to be the truth since I live among Dems (both the liberal and conservative kind) and Indies and travel among them. They won’t vote for Perry. Unfortunately, if he’s the nominee, they’ll find every reason to stick with Obama, even though they won’t want to.

I may sound like a lib because I used to be one many years ago. That’s why I understand them. Then, I grew up a bit and became just a Democrat. That’s why I understand them.

People want someone who is a capable manager, a person not bound by strict ideology this time around, if only to get them through rocky fiscal times. They aren’t looking for ideologues because they sense that the country is so split in two that if someone as far right as Obama is far left is elected, the country will descend into a bifurcation from which it can never recover.

There are horses for courses. as they say, and I do believe that looking at the past, the present, and what may be our future, it is in the best interest of this nation, if we are to remain one in any sense of the word, that someone who isn’t perceived as far left or far right, take over the ship of state and steer a steady course until the time comes that the nation is ready for a seminal shift.

avagreen: ” anyone who qualifies their answer based upon the state someone is from, or the fact that they wear cowboy boots, their religion, or the way they talk can?t really be trusted for an in-depth rationale for anything worth trusting.”

Fact: I will vote for anyone the GOP puts up against Obama, except Ron Paul. I love Paul’s get rid of DOE, DOC, DOE (this from a retired educator), but hate his isolationism and most (but not all) of his foreign policy proclamations. I also believe his going back to the gold standard to be a pipe dream. I can’t and won’t vote for him.

Fact: I do not base my vote of “the state someone is from, or the fact that they wear cowboy boots, their religion, or the way they talk….” . However, I am enough a student of politics and psychology to know that most people do base their vote on such things. (Consider, if you will, that many conservative Christians will not vote for Romney because of his religion which they have deemed a “cult”. Many of these are offspring of those who wouldn’t vote for JFK because they feared the Pope would take over America. Idiocy is on all sides of the political spectrum and that is what I take into account.)

There are many more registered Dems than Repubs. We all know we need a hefty % of Dem and indy votes to get back the WH, a consideration almost uppermost in my mind.

discussing his ?dilatory plan? and was so capable in discussing it, he gained some kudos from O?Reilly.

O’Reilly was interested in stirring up crap between Perry and Romney, and why not? O’Reilly is after ratings. However, he pointed out to Charles K. that Perry couldn’t answer specifics about his plan. So, yes, he received “some kudos” and some criticism. Just as people can criticize Romney for flipping, people can criticize Perry for vagueness and “I”ll get back to you with that.” (Cain seems to have both problems, unfortunately.)

Paladin1 : My analyses is based on who I believe has a chance of winning. You seem to have taken things personally. That’s unfortunate and unnecessary.

There are aspects of Perry I like, aspects of Cain I like, aspects of Romney I like and oh, do I wish that Newt …. (well, we won’t go there) and there are aspects of all I dislike, but I feel I know the electorate and that you are engaging in wishful thinking. No need to get personal. After all, you seem to feel you know the electorate and you disagree with my analysis. I think you are engaged in wishful thinking. Obviously, you disagree.

Heraklios: I don’t understand the direction of your comments. I was asked by one person what I meant by a “fundie” and I briefly responded. Darwin is not my “God, but I can tell you that in my spare time I read a lot of evolutionary biology and population genetics. (hobbies, you could call them). I detest the proclivity of some to fear curious minds, and that includes people of all political stripes. It also includes many in the scientific community who protect their own nests and who profess curiosity, yet never inspect their own biases.

Someone else asked what were my conservative beliefs and I briefly responded.

To summarize: one person’s opinion-mine-

1.) Rick Perry will not beat Barack Obama. Perry’s record, good as it may be (immigration position excluded), will not be given strong consideration by the Democrats and the indies that are needed to elect a Republican. (People have already bought into the notion that the jobs he “created” are low-wage). The thugs from Chicago will be very happy if he is their opponent.

2.) Four more years of Obama would be a travesty for all kinds of reasons, chief among them, new SCOTUS appointments.

You have done just what Aristotle said you would do to the messenger bearing bad news: taken aim as if he or she is the enemy.

Did you ever read “A Separate Peace”? If so, you recall the narrator’s words about how each of us often constructs a Maginot Line, that silly, useless fortification the French thought would protect them in WWI: “All of them, except Phineas, constructed at infinite cost to themselves, these Maginot Lines against this enemy they thought they saw across the frontier, this enemy who never attacked that way–if he ever attacked at all; if he was indeed the enemy.”

While I may be a conservative, I do not believe Mitt Romney to be a conservative but rather, a moderate Republican. (I might add that Perry is no true-blue conservative himself, considering his positions on the HPV vaccine and parents and his position on in-state tuition and illegals). However, I concede he is more a conservative than Romney while also pointing out that Romney understands the economy and business more than Perry might ever hope to.

All that being said, I AM a realist and a pragmatist, and that is why I will support Romney over Perry. Should Perry win the GOP nomination, I’ll do what I can to elect him but I I won’t enjoy the futility of it all.

if you’re interested is that by Steve Sailer, called iStevesailer.

Check it out, and do go through his archives. Steve’s a great writer and a great thinker. On the right of his page, you’ll see a helpful list of links to other good sites, sites on the right, sites on the left, and HBD related blogs.

URL of Steve Sailer’s blog:

http://isteve.blogspot.com/

a Methodist, but I have respect for anyone who believes in treating others as they would be treated, who has a work ethic, and who devotes himself or herself to raising children who will be good people.

I don’t give a damn about whether a Mormon is a Christian or not. Their beliefs are odd to me, but I understand that my beliefs seem odd to them. My neighbors next door for 20 years were Mormons, and while I raised an eyebrow at their barrels of stored water, I couldn’t have asked for friendlier, more generous and helpful neighbors.

Throughout over 30 years of teaching, I had Mormon students each year. Ask anyone who teaches in CA, where it’s common to have kids who don’t know the meaning of manners and hard work, who are the hardest-working kids in their classes. the best school citizens? Mormon kids.

What do I care what their religious doctrines are as long as they value hard work, family, being a good citizen? I’m not interviewing ministers, priests, or laypeople for the Presidency. Are you?

The person who most seems to understand how crucial is the link between the strength of the nation, the family, and public policy is Rick Santorum, but let’s face it–one reason he can say what he does is because he has nothing to lose (“freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose”) and RS comes off as an angry, bitter, frustrated man, and that won’t get anyone elected.

the Iranian hostage crisis as a contributing factor in that election.

You might want to consider a guy named FDR.

You might want to consider at the personal favorability ratings of the present occupant of the White House–this, in spite of an abysmal performance in three years as President.

You might want to consider that a high % of Dems who voted for Bush 2 the first time said they did so because they liked his personality better than they like his opponent’s.

It’s a scary thing.