Newt Gingrich’s Closing Argument: RedState Has It First

andystone

in the coming week: “My economic plan is to give everyone the same tax rate as Mitt Romney’s, 15%”.

Spartan4Life

Perry was very good.

Gingrich was brilliant.

altexas

All the candidates did excellent. Culling the herd has also honed their skills. My Governor made me proud. I wish he had been able to be that good from the beginning. Newt however knocked it out of the park.

I will of course vote for any of these good men, even Dr. Paul if nominated and do so proudly.

bzip

Look, If you want Newt to win the only way is to get Santorum to drop out! If everyone believes the polls then Santorum is the one actually preventing Newt from winning NOT Perry!

Personally I don’t care about Newt because one Perry so gone we are left with big gov’t candidates that all have major flaws.

chuckludd

Perry would be a hero within the GOP if he stood down in the next 24 hours and endorsed Newt in last stand before Romney becomes inevitable. There are a long list of problems with Newt, but SC is the last chance to have a movement conservative as the nominee.

snowshooze

Yeah… long as we are dreaming.

aj_0000

And there are many like me. Whatever his flaws, it is vital not only to the survival of conservatism and the Republican Party, but to the survival of the Republic, that Newt win SC. Perry needs to do for Gingrich what Huntsman did for Romney (and make no mistake about it, he fell on his sword to boost Mitt). It’s harder to sell that to Santorum after he won Iowa, and because he’s polling better, but if they both did it, there would be no doubt. Newt would win SC, and then FL.

jfree

I don’t intend to vote for Newt unless and until he is the only choice left standing against R or O. I just can’t trust which Newt we will get the next time he is mad about something.

aj_0000

Whether you’re a Romney supporter or an Obama supporter. But Perry should follow Hunstman’s lead and do what he can to push somebody on his side of the conservative/establishment divide over the top.

aj_0000

They are already the last two standing. If Romney wins SC, it’s over.

flgal208

and according to Newt in his own words, he’s not a very leader because he sees so many positions. The facts are, the smartest guy in the room, tends to be the worst leader, but besides that, here are my problems with Newt (wiggy choices aside)
1) Against BO he looks, old, tired, out of shape and pasty
2) We don’t need another egghead
3) Samsonite
4) THE BIG one–he hasn’t done anything this century, in this economy, with these regulations and against Soros
5) sick of talk talk talk talk

IMHO Newt is standing in the way of PERRY. If Newt got behind Perry, Perry could win the Nom and Beat BO. If Perry dropped out tomorrow, Newt would not win the Nomination because against Romney his old record looks dusty and he doesn’t excite—granted, he had two good lines of the night and because of them, won the debate, but it wasn’t because of “him”…by that I mean, contrast Perry from Huck’s Forum to anything Newt has done. Perry engages, Newt pontificates. IF FNC hadn’t shut out Perry (cut him off twice!!), who knows if his magic would have worked again and gotten him first instead of second…

flgal208

see above

avagreen

I think he took a drubbing and came up gasping. Don’t care how Faux carries his water…….
How do they think they will fare if Obama wins the next election because of Romney’s weaknesses? They may turn, true, even more lefty than now to stay on the air. What a frightful idea.

Stan(ley) Pruss

This is what he should have been running all along.

http://www.writeinryan.com ragnarthepirate

Since I’ve been paying attention, here are the various stances Erick has had on the primaries:

Perry
maybe a brokered convention
Gingrich before Romney, but he doesn’t want to support Gingrich
Huntsman
Santorum can’t win
Santorum shouldn’t win
Perry second look
Perry third look with a campaign shakeup
Perry or Gingrich
Gingrich
Gingrich, and Perry should drop out of the race

Go back to idea #2
Write in Paul Ryan for President

surgeusaorg

Keep it simple. Bold contrast. Romney talks about hoping to gradually get down from 35% to closer to 25%, maybe, if he can get others to agree someday, despite having no track record at really cutting taxes or standing up for controversial positions in the face of criticism from the liberals. Newt speaks plainly, not evasively.

Romney should go back into the private equity business, buy out a struggling waffle house franchise, and rename it after himself.

snowshooze

Ok… my favorite question this week is:
What are the outstanding things about Romney?

And then stack those beside Gingrich and Perry..

Go ahead. Sell Romney. No one has met this challenge.

http://www.planettron.com NickDeringer

His serial adultery and ethics problems and his record of lobbying and access pedaling along with promoting health care mandates and Man Made global warming are weighty baggage. Add to this his irrational attacks on free markets and smaller government as with Paul Ryan and his “language of the Left” attacks on Bain Capital. All that baggage was something his soring debate prowess couldn’t over come. Like the proverbial 50 pound pigeon he just couldn’t get off the ground.

Pol-Sci majors will be studying the structural collapse of Newt Gingrich for years to come.

Newt’s number one enemy is and has always been Newt Gingrich. I’m sure he’ll be able to get his old job back at Fox News.

bzip

Low and behold we have the arrogant Newt suggesting what else:

Gingrich: ?I Would Be Delighted? With a Santorum Endorsement
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/01/17/gingrich-i-would-be-delighted-if-santorum-dropped-out/?mod=WSJBlog&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fwashwire%2Ffeed+%28WSJ.com%3A+Washington+Wire%29

I don’t care how wonderful Newt sounds in debates, the evidence is clear – Newt is big gov’t and once Obama throws his billion dollar ads out there Newt is history with all his baggage.

gekster

Erick just might be calling the playing field as he sees it, and is giving his opinion,
or do you see marching orders.

Which is it.

jakeofalltrades

You’ve disavowed them all, so I have to wonder about your motives.

surgeusaorg

Perry did not even file slates of delegates for the IL primary (Mar 20), so he knows his race is over. Why not drop out now? Newt has full slates in all 18 districts of IL. Santorum had no campaign in IL until some former Cain supporters rallied at Christmas and tried to get him on the ballot. They only filed in 14 of 18 districts, but 10 of those had too few signatures (by far), and were challenged by the Romney delegates. Romney is afraid to let Illinois conservative voters have that choice, especially downstate where he is less popular than in Chicago suburbs, so Santorum is likely to wind up with delegates on the ballot in only 4 districts.

It is time for Perry to bow out gracefully. Frankly, both he and Santorum should swallow their pride and get with Newt for the sake of the conservative wing of the party to have a real primary fight. Whether Newt is your ideal conservative candidate or not, you could sell pay-per-view tickets for a debate between him and Obama.

bzip

I have been wondering for months why everyone keeps claiming that Romney is the frontrunner the and will be the nominee.

I don’t see in Romney’s record why he should be in fact he has a lousy record. I watched every debate, I don’t see where Romney is that great at debating. Then just what is it that everyone seems to think he will be the nominee?

My conclusion and it should be clear to everyone is: The media, the media is driving the narrative and playing over and over till everyone starts believing it and it becomes a self fulling prophecy. There is no good reason for Romney to be look upon this way.

Well the media and the pundits are doing it again. The media is doing it again, they are playing the narrative that Perry has no chance and should drop out. Don’t let the media pick the candidates and don’t let them drive the narrative.

snowshooze

There is a lot of long term investment in him.
It is serious money, and they want to make it to payday.
Best answer I have.

jakeofalltrades

He is facing a ballot challenge, and we’ll see how that turns out.

Scope

according to Ballot Access News, the only one to have cleared the primary ballot is Buddy Romer. Even Obama has not been qualified yet.

I agree with the above posters, Newt and Santorum should both get out and endorse Perry. Perry has the money and organization to compete into Fla., where the other two don’t.

surgeusaorg

OK, so some former Newt campaign folks blew it with their messaging about Bain. It was perfectly legitimate to challenge Mitt’s track record there, which has been a carefully crafted myth about his business and job creation prowess to distract from his record as governor of MA and losing prior elections. It is not an assault on apple pie, motherhood, and the American way of free market capitalism to question his track record. Obama sure will.

So, the Bain messaging was poorly crafted and easily misportrayed in the media. Keep in mind, however, that there is a reason why these people are FORMER campaign folks, and that the law does not allow collaboration with the campaign. The point is that Newt has been far more effective than this not so Super PAC at making the case that Romney’s entire record should face scrutiny, just like any other candidate. We shouldn’t make the same mistake with Romney that voters did with Obama, and believe all his hype.

Scope

on other forums, and if I’m not mistaken, he has spoken positively about Ron Paul.

jakeofalltrades

and still stay on Redstate. Clever.

trickamsterdam

nobody cares

I knew the next phase after conservatives refused to rally around a realistic candidate (Newt and Perry were the only two, but if it was only one of them it had to be Newt) would be to spend six months drama-queening around the internet, pretending you’re special and begging others to beg you to vote.

But I hate to break it to you, here’s the last part of the phase, and remember I said it, when it happens:

He’s picks someone you admire as VP (e.g., Ryan, Rubio, DeMint) because his expensive polling (not you on websites) tells him he’s in trouble w/ the base, but independents base their votes on the top of the ticket, so even a DeMint would be OK.

You then embarrassingly go on the internet and admit you’re voting for the ticket (“but really for the VP, not Romney”), but that you sent the campaign money.

At that point, as the kidz on the internet also say:

owned

andystone

N/T

tyman

I’ve been thinking the same thing that so many just want someone to blow Obama off the debate stage.

After that, what then? I don’t someone to dismantle Obama on the debate state as much I want someone to absolutely DISMANTLE his Marxist policies.

I firmly believe Perry is that person.

I know Romney says he will repeal Obamacare, but think about this for a second. He hasn’t come anywhere near close to saying that Romneycare is a failure in MA, even though it is, based on what it has cost the Federal government.

So, what makes people think that when it comes down to it, he’ll repeal Obamacare? Why would he? If Romney has flip flopped on so many other issues, what’s to prevent him from flipping on this issue as well?

I have no doubt that Perry is already familiar with Obama’s EPA regulations than any other candidate on the stage, and that he’s ready to overturn them.

I’m sick of talk, too. I’m ready for someone to just get the job done!

supergirl2911

and it is not over.

supergirl2911

I agree.
If you are so inclined, pray for Governor Perry at 9:15 am with the Greenville Strike Force.
Here is the message:
Greetings Strike Force ? Greenville:

I was asked to pass along a message to you?

?Hey everybody! My name is Alicia Marks and I want to invite you to start your day working for Governor Perry off with prayer time in the morning. We will be meeting at 9:15am at the campaign office. Remember that of all of the things that we will do each day, praying is the most important. I am excited to see you in the morning. Have a great day!?

supergirl2911

would rather see him angry.
If you are inclined, pray for Governor Perry at 9:15am with the Greenville Strike Force. Here is the message:
Greetings Strike Force ? Greenville:

I was asked to pass along a message to you?

?Hey everybody! My name is Alicia Marks and I want to invite you to start your day working for Governor Perry off with prayer time in the morning. We will be meeting at 9:15am at the campaign office. Remember that of all of the things that we will do each day, praying is the most important. I am excited to see you in the morning. Have a great day!?

supergirl2911

If you are inclined, pray for Perry at 9:15 am. with the Greenville Strike Force.
Here is the message:
Greetings Strike Force ? Greenville:

I was asked to pass along a message to you?

?Hey everybody! My name is Alicia Marks and I want to invite you to start your day working for Governor Perry off with prayer time in the morning. We will be meeting at 9:15am at the campaign office. Remember that of all of the things that we will do each day, praying is the most important. I am excited to see you in the morning. Have a great day!?

supergirl2911

If you are inclined, pray for Governor Perry at 9:15 am with the Greenville Strike Force.
Here is message:
Greetings Strike Force ? Greenville:

I was asked to pass along a message to you?

?Hey everybody! My name is ********and I want to invite you to start your day working for Governor Perry off with prayer time in the morning. We will be meeting at 9:15am at the campaign office. Remember that of all of the things that we will do each day, praying is the most important. I am excited to see you in the morning. Have a great day!?

romansdaughter

My whole family has been praying for a while now but persistence in prayer is what God likes…Lu. 18 I will uphold Gov. Perry.

flagg

He made a really stupid comment about Turkey last night, saying the country is run by “Islamic terrorists”.

Stupid and kinda dangerous. It just highlights Perry once again as a guy who doesn’t prepare and is willing to “wing it” at the debates, someone who is not serious about running for this job. If Perry were a factor *at all* this would be major news and would just reinforce the “Perry is stupid” stereotype that he’s helped to cultivate.

On top of “Oops” and sending troops back to Iraq, Perry as gaffe machine would be demolished by the media. Perry hasn’t even been vetted–they never got to crony capitalism because he kept shooting himself in the foot.

Perry’s been a great governor but it’s passed time to end this bumbling disaster of a campaign and salvage what postive support he has left by throwing it Newt’s way.

pttx333

but true. Even Bush 41 appears to be attempting it, much to my dismay. I would never have thought that of him, but I guarantee you that Jeb will be the next “presumptive nominee.” They are RINO squishes, as I’ve sadly had to learn.

As for Romney, he has all those sons! Lordamercy, they could go on forever with their $$$ and power. Then there’s Ron and Rand Paul – that is one potential dynasty that needs to be stopped dead in its tracks. A dangerous one that would be!

With me, only I, myself, drives the one I support. Never in my life have I listened to the talking heads, media or anyone else – I make my decisions on what I see, hear and remain true to my beliefs. For me, the only choice I could possibly have ever made is Rick Perry, and I remain his staunch supporter through thick and thin.

Finrod

I agree with the above posters, Newt and Santorum should both get out and endorse Perry. Perry has the money and organization to compete into Fla., where the other two don?t.

When in the history of presidential campaigning has even one candidate in the middle of the pack dropped out and endorsed the guy bringing up the rear, let alone two?

Face it, the Perry campaign is on life support in a hospice in South Carolina, and the funeral arrangements are already being planned. This time next week, even though I like the guy, Rick Perry will have left the campaign trail and returned to his day job as Governor of Texas.

acat

Do a little reading up on the current leadership in Turkey.

Ignorance on your part is no excuse.

Mew

http://www.writeinryan.com ragnarthepirate

As such, it is instructive to see the history of his positions to avoid similar mistakes in future cycles. I see his posts as primarily advocacy, but not necessarily marching orders.

jakeofalltrades

I have one to offer flagg, however:

Or more than one…

gekster

Opinions are not positions.

flagg

No, you go first. Show your work that Turkey is led by Islamic terrorists.

Good luck with that.

They may be Islamists, certainly not progressive (hah!) toward women, and they may not be our best friends in the world. But terrorists?

acat

Perry was also right about a certain proposed no-fly zone.
Perry was also right about a certain ponzi scheme.
Perry was also right about vulture capitalism.

Any pennies dropping over there yet?

Mew

Scope

As we both said Jake, the 4th circuit denied the appeal backing up Glabney’s decision that the suit was filed to late.

From a link at Ballot Access News, which I’ve linked here before, there are literally hundreds of cases across the country wher courts have intervened, and put people or parties on the ballots, even with much less time until the primary. Perry began his efforts 70 days before the primary. Now the state has been putting heavy emphasis on the fact that the ballots are already at the printers, and it would be very costly to have to reprint them. All after the court itself never worked with any expediency.

acat

and, once again, do some research on the background of the current leadership in Turkey, and how they came into power.

Mew

jakeofalltrades

Oh well.

aj_0000

And presumably blinded by an obsession with Rick Perry like others here. If Romney wins SC, he will win FL. And it will be over. Perry has been out of contention for months. He’s not making a comeback. People like you are going to nominate Romney, nothing more, nothing less.

lightspeed

Like it or not, it’s Newt or Romney. Santorum has already faded and has little money and organization. Perry has been toast for quite some time and his numbers are not moving in the right direction. He now polls behind Romney and Gingrich in Texas. He will do nothing but help Romney in S.C. Santorum should go too, but he won’t. The evangelicals endorsement assured that he would stay in at least through S.C. Had they endorsed Gingrich, Santorum would be in single digits and Gingrich might have a shot. As it stands now, Romney will win, Gindgrich splitting the not-Romney vote with Santorum and Perry. Only Romney, Gingrich, and Paul will really be left standing going into Florida, with Gingrich badly wounded and Paul…well, Paul being Paul. Don’t know if Gingrich can hang on ’til Super Tuesday or if it will even matter.

lizzie

: Rick Perry on Turkey was 100% accuratePerry on Turkey being in NATO – why that is important
lizzie Tuesday, January 17th at 1:11PM EST (link)
Turkey, the country, is really going after Rick Perry for his suggestion that Turkey?s membership in NATO needs to be questioned, altho weasel-FM Davotoglu is mostly slamming Perry for saying Turkey is now ruled by ?Islamic terrorists?.

Turkey was allowed in NATO because of geography and the Cold War, atthe time NATO was created.

I have been wanting since 2010 a serious dialog about whether Turkey should still be in NATO.

Turkey tried to invoke the UN?s Responsibility to Protect doctrine (used in Libya) to get NATO to join in Turkey?s repeated violation of Iraqi Kurdistan?s sovereignty ? a failure, but Obama is still Turkey-coddling.

Turkey is a very complex issue, but Perry was SPOT ON.

If for no other reason than the US Navy can NO LONGER have port visits in Turkey. Last one was a debacle, overwhelmed by prostesters, disrespected by PM Erdogan. Not widely reported, and I apologize for not providing the URLs of the reports at the time.

Turkey is threatening war against Cyprus and Israel for offshore natural gas fields (being developed by Texas? Noble Energy)

Perry is prescient and extremely well informed on this.

The reason he said Turkey was ruled by ?Islamic terrorists? is because Erdogan supported the IHH boat on the 2010 Gaza Flotilla, where the IDF was ambushed by known Islamic terrorists. Not to mention Erdogan?s war against Turkey?s journalists and military, and war crimes against Iraqi Kurdistan.

I do not know why Romney agreed with Perry four times last night ? except to try to borrow some of Perry?s authenticity.

But, I do know Rick Perry is going to wind up a very powerful voice for America.

aj_0000

I will not, under any circumstances, vote for Mitt Romney in November. You can take that to the bank.

lizzie

which Erdogan embraces.

somehow, my comment above posted itself before I finished.

but Flagg?

do not even try to challenge me on the details – I have been studying Political Islam, and the details of every Islamist political party since 2003.

and Turkey since 2010. Which is why you must be reading Today’s Zaman – 100% propaganda.

Just ask any Alevi in Anatolia, or journalist in Erdogan’s prisons…

goodgovernance

Can you really be asking this, this late in the process? This is like asking why everyone thinks the NY Yankees have a strong shot at being World Series champs again, year after year.

Romney’s got name recognition, because he ran in 2008. Romney’s got money, serious loads and loads of money. He’s got organization he’s built up across the country, and chips to call in due to outreach efforts he made immediately after the 2008 cycle (this is why he’s getting key endorsements from people like Governor Haley). His campaign people have made sure that he has the resources and manpower to outfight, outspend, and out campaign everyone else in a long primary war, the way Hillary was unprepared to do during the 2008 cycle.

In other words, he planned for just about every contingency he could, and had the money to put that plan into action. On top of all that, with his two wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, he now has MOMENTUM. Which is a real and serious phenomenon that causes people to jump on his bandwagon.

This is why I slap my forehead when Perry supporters (or supporters of anybody else) seem to think it’ll be easy to topple Mitt down the line – if not Florida, well maybe Super Tuesday, or even later. Sorry, folks. For any non-Romney candidate, toppling Romney gets harder and harder the more time passes. Donors stop donating to your candidate and put all their money on Romney. Rank and file voters just stop paying attention to any candidate not named Romney, because they think it’s over already. It’s not just the media who doesn’t care about how much you adore your candidate – it’s everyone else.

This is why I was urging the conservative candidates to band together against Romney before Iowa, before New Hampshire. Now… most people are thinking Romney’s going to win, and they’re probably right. All hope’s not lost, but to be honest, even if Gingrich pulls off a spectacular upset on Saturday, it’s still an uphill battle to defeat Romney. Willard is sitting in the catbird seat.

If you don’t like the way Perry’s being treated, tell me what’s his big strategy to break out from what’s happening, from all the forces allied with Romney? Gingrich at least can hope to gain traction through his debate performances. Santorum has the evangelical leaders behind him, let’s see if they can make something happen on his behalf.

Perry… doesn’t have a plan, and without a plan he doesn’t have a hope. Because the race is rapidly moving out of the “anything can happen” phase to the “it’s all over but the crying” phase.

sunshinek67

I pray for Governor Perry all of the time. Our church is doing a corporate fast for 21 days, he is on my list of folks & issues that I am fervently in prayer for. And I stand in agreement with so many folks. God bless you for posting your faith~

Scope

He got pretty beat up last night, and stumbled over his words, and seemed very agitated at times. So now he says he may not participate in the Fla. debates, where he risks getting beat on the head again.

When Perry considered not participating in some debates, he was ridiculed, demeaned and smashed for it. Imagine if Perry didn’t participate in the first few debates, long before he was ready, and hadn’t gotten his legs beneath him. In the first debate he had just come off some of the worst Texas wildfires, and we all know that he had had fairly recent back surgery. What’s Romney’s excuse?

lizzie

I might add that John Hawkins is not just speaking for RedState Conservatives, or even Republican conservatives.

yah think the rest of America wants a soul-less, spineless, …?
never mind the rest, but this is a fine read:

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2012/01/17/five_ways_conservatives_will_have_to_sell_their_souls_if_romney_wins/page/full/

Romney will lose. even if he manages to win, which would probably require an asteroid the size of Texas hitting Obama, and even then, Joe Biden would still win against Romney.

I know there are those who think Gingrich has too much baggage, but he can win, and so can Rick Perry.

Santorum will deliver Pelosi her gavel on a silver platter.

lizzie

Took Winston Churchill 20+ years to even get close to being back in the cabinet. He even switched parties.

and he was drunk most of the time.
but, yes, faithful always to his dear wife.

sometimes, a VOICE is what any country needs.

I just read a thread where Rick Perry is STILL being accused of “soft on immigration”

for Pete’s Sake!

what is wrong with Americans?

altexas

You would elect Obama again over Romney.

pttx333

comments on this issue. Boy, I learn something from you every time you post. Thank you so much!

These folks are crawling out the woodwork in droves these days. Desperation time for them, I suppose.

Hope you are doing well, my friend!!

goodgovernance

When you’re way out in front, it’s smart strategy not to give your opponents a chance to score points off you. Candidates who are behind always want more debates, candidates who are ahead want less. Watch for this in the general.

My concern is that seeing how Romney has such a thin skin, Obama’s going to be able to use that to great effect in the general, if Romney’s the nominee. Interrupt Mitt a few times, cut into his answers a little, and it sets Mitt back in a big way. Mitt hates spontaneity. He’s even stiffer and more aloof than Obama!

gracie

And If you didn’t you would have seen Perry as a man ready to Lead! Given his fair share of time he was Masterful! according to Huck.

Like I said last night; what would Perry have said if he had had his fair share of questions?? Yes I know he was not perfect last night but if you had watched you would have seen part of the reason there is still support here for him.

And if you watched Huckabee, you would have seen a guy named Santorum who was totally tone-deaf to folks in SC who have been “retired” before they were ready and he did not even acknowledge their plight but thought it more inportant to pander to the beauty of SC. Santorum is just the flavor of the week extended by the evangelicals to two weeks. He is harly a conservative except on Life.

Erick no one resents you need for time off. We realize you work three jobs. I just hope you saw Huckabee before you suggenst that Rick Perry is the one to drop out.

acat

And glad to see you’ve returned.

Mew

Common_Cents

I’m gonna knock you out!

Gingrich was asked today about fire in the belly and that someone needs to bloody obama’s nose. Gingrich said he’s gonna knock him out! Gotta love that. Obama will do horrible when confronted, he is very thin skinned and will make many mistakes.

It’s time for conservatives to use their brains instead of their hearts. Gingrich is the only one who can mount a challenge vs romney and obama. The rest are low double or single digits in SC and single digits in FL.

It’s time to wake up to reality and put down the dream folks.

Ask yourself and think forward a few weeks ahead in primary when romney locks it up, or months deep into the general campaign where romney may be struggling.

Are you going to regret holding on to the dream too long tossing a hail mary bomb into the end zone?

Let’s look at it even another way. The best chance for Santorum or Perry is if Romney loses big in SC. That means giving at least temporary support to Gingrich to win SC decisively. Then Perry and santorum could compete in FL, but we’d probably run into the same situation eventually in FL, but at least Romney would have been weakened.

If Romney wins SC, the dream is over for everyone. That is reality.

altexas

and I hope he recovers momentum. He had experimental back surgery some months ago. That limited him in the early debates. I have been there myself. Just looking at the way he stands and his uncharacteristic moments of hesitation, it seems to me there is still some residual healing to be done.

On principles, I am closer to Gov. Perry but this is politics and appearance means a lot. Nixon lost to Kennedy in large part on appearance.

I know I will not vote for Obama. I believe most Americans will not reelect Obama. We are left with 5 choices at this time. All are superior to Obama in policies. Even Dr. Paul.

We are not selecting the Republican candidate. This process is selecting the next President of the United States.

pttx333

then would that not make you a Romney supporter “obsessed” with Romney? What is the difference here? Supporting a candidate does not an obsession make, FYI.

http://www.writeinryan.com ragnarthepirate

Most of them say things like, “well I like Gingrich but his personal history bothers me.” So he’s never made an official endorsement, which would be marching orders as you call it, but he’s clearly advocating a position. I’m just pointing out that it’s not a consistent one.

He said that Perry was the best on paper, that the campaign was having trouble, and he was hopeful Perry would get a second look. Then he was hopeful Perry would fire certain people on his staff and reboot.

Look at his posts on Santorum: he thinks Santorum is a pro-life statist. Is than an opinion or a position? I’d say both, but you can play whatever semantic game you want.

The larger point is that he and other conservatives have wasted a lot of time since the Perry gaffe with wishful thinking. The result is we went from one consistent conservative voting block and split it into three parts.

Erick’s shifts, whether you want to call them opinions or positions, illustrate the silliness of this primary process. The most qualified candidates must make great sacrifices to run in a primary. So every cycle we get people with nothing to lose peddling books and speaking fees.

Governor Perry was a serious, consistently conservative candidate. He imploded. Then Erick and many other conservatives stuck their head in the sand wishing it weren’t true. This happened last cycle with Fred Thompson. It’s worth pointing out so that maybe it won’t happen again.

The better option, after Perry’s implosion, would have been to push seriously the idea of a brokered convention, where we can deliberate and choose someone outside the existing field.

reggie182

Agree 100%

romansdaughter

Nope, I think a lot of Americans are going to be like my Dad was when I mentioned that it looks like Mitt Romney is going to try and get out of some debates in FL. My Dad said, “See what I mean, the guy is a coward…what do you think he is going to do up against Obama?”

pttx333

Also, Perry does not have A plan – he has many good ones, each and every one tried and true!

tjms

believe that others wanted to change Washington as much as I do. I have an obsession alright and it is to save this country for my childrens sake. And I believe it is actually people like you who going to elect Romney. If we run the same ol washington politicians from yesterday we are going to be stuck with Obama for another 4 years. I will be proud to say that I did what I could to make that change. I have fallen in line to vote the previous 2 elections and I for one refuse to do it again.

jakeofalltrades

Because you fit the profile. Don’t worry – in 2003, it was considered a good thing.

trevorb

going to be a major weakness, especially since we all know the kind of campaign that Obama is going to run. He’s got nothing else, but the 2008 campaign will be trivial compared to what the republican nominee will endure this time around.

If he’s having trouble now… it may prepare him for if he faces Obama and while I don’t like him or support him, I think he’s going to be the nominee.

http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

Why would you prefer him over Romney, I am serious, Gingrich is just as likely in the past to take very anti-conservative positions as Romney, or anyone else.

In fact, he has been all over the place, no consistency in his thoughts, even quite recently.

Furthermore, his personal, financial, and intellectual baggage is alarmingly huge.

Whereas when the democrats go after any other Republican they usually twist and exaggerate things but with Newt, they really don’t have to.

And finally, does it not bother you that literally dozens of his fellow party members whom he worked with in congress have come out vehemently against him?

tjms

democratic PPP poll.

Raven

Perry or Gingrich needs to get out of the race next week and throw his support behind the other. I would personally prefer to see Gingrich go because of his history as a poor leader; a history he, himself, acknowledges. But either is better than Romney.

Paul, meanwhile, should be disinvited from participation or membership in the GOP.

aj_0000

I am not a Romney supporter. I’m extremely opposed to Romney. A vote for Perry in SC is a vote for Romney. Newt winning SC is the only way Romney can be stopped.

jakeofalltrades

If your goal is for one of the not-Romney’s to drop out, all that is required of you is to wait.

Scope

That includes Newt Gingrich. Did you forget he spent many years in Washington, including a stint as Speaker?

Gov. Perry is the only real Washington outsider, and from your perspective, that we need someone who hasn’t imprinted their butt cheeks on a too long occupied chair in Congress, then Perry is your only choice.

Don’t forget, even after Gingrich left the Congress, he never left Washington.

aj_0000

The policy difference between the two of them is essentially zero. If you think otherwise, you’re not smart enough to know when you’re being lied to by Romney. Better to let the Democrats take the blame for Obama’s policies than for conservatives to take the blame for Romney’s.

tjms

replying to AJ’s comment above regarding being obsessed with Gov. Perry

pttx333

then whoever you support would make you “obsessed” with your choice, per your comment re same.

trevorb

I happen to think that the one that drops out next will be Rick Santorum. He’s losing support and his near-win in Iowa is close to forgotten; 2 weeks is forever in politics.

lightspeed

The fact that Perry is in 3rd in ANY poll in his home state speaks for itself. He should have double-digit leads over everybody. He doesn’t because a verdict has been rendered on his candidacy. It is dead and has been for some time even if he doesn’t know it yet. The sad fact is he does know it, had the right instinct after Iowa and for some silly reason decided to stay in. He can’t win, won’t win and will only help Romney secure the nomination at this point.

tjms

that you would expect him to do well in a democrat poll. He will/would win TX and you can take that to the bank. Just as he won reelection just 3 months ago.

texasref

Only you word things even better than I do.

EXACTLY CORRECT….but Perry’s staying in until Florida is done, unfortunately.

lightspeed

who have run the party into the ground? The fact that Newt is disliked by many of the establishment Republicans is a plus in my book.

As for his baggage, his cheating will not be and should not be much of an issue. Reagan cheated on Jane Wyman. George H.W. Bush supposedly had a mistress. McCain cheated on his first wife. Get over it, they are all human.

The ethics stuff in the 90′s is way overblown. I remember that stuff pretty well. Newt had just led the charge to oust Democrat Jim Wright as Speaker of the House. Jim Wright was one of the most corrupt Speakers in modern history. Anyway, when the GOP retook the House and elected Newt Speaker, they were out for revenge. They filed many, many frivoulous charges and only one kind of stuck, related to a monetary advance for a book deal. Anyone remember Senator Hillary Clinton’s advance for her book deal while in office? Compared to Barack Obama’s shady deals and associations, Newt is a Saint.

Romney is the Ken doll of candidates. Dress him up however you like, in the end he is just cheap hollow plastic.

texasref

***

altexas

accuse your opposition of being stupid,….or something.

I know what a liar we have.

If our next Republican President is also a liar, they too will go down in history. Way down. Let it be so.

texasref

and a moby at worst

bk

And on top of that, if Obama wins, we’ll see Ginsburg and Breyer replaced by people who are just as liberal but 25-30 years younger. (Of course that could happen this summer if Obama sinks in the polls.) And you’d have to pray that Scalia and Kennedy live past 80.

pttx333

would come about – he will be tanking further. There is just no there there to support. You got it, friend, we can sit back and watch. Things change daily in politics, as you’ve seen, and the ups and downs are fascinating, yet maddening, to watch. It will come to pass – yes, it will.

trevorb

once the field narrows that Romney will lose the nomination. I’m hoping it’s Perry that gets it and I still support him. we have 48 states left, many of which have a proportional system. this race is far from over.

However, I’d still support Gingrich over Romney. Paul’s a nut, so I discount him entirely.

WillWong

Quote: That includes Newt Gingrich. Did you forget he spent many years in Washington, including a stint as Speaker? Unquote

Just happened to be one of the most effective speaker in our generation

WillWong

4 balanced budgets and reformed entitlement! It sure helped!

gracie

Yes it’s true. He said Perry is finished and should take this chance to improve his image and drop out NOW and let Newt take it.

Thank you Rick Santorum! Never has someone so unqualified ruined the chances of someone so qualified.

There are no words to express y disappointment.

flagg

I shall not “dare to even try to challenge” you on your cherry-picked details, even though none of them even begin to assert that Turkey is a terrorist state. Turkey not being the most reliable of allies, or not worthy of NATO membership? Those are positions reasonable people can debate.

But calling Turkey an Islamist terrorist state is the kind of kneejerk, needlessly provactive, wrongheaded statements that prospective heads of state shouldn’t make. It’s the same kind of flimsy justification people in the Middle East use to call us a terrorist state.

Desparation time? Hah–maybe in a week, when Perry is out of the race (and probably everyone else too besides Romney and Paul), Rickstate will return to reason.

flagg

Truth is, Perry’s not doing well in any polls–why would TX be any different?

lightspeed

but they are not simply making things up. They surveyed 559 likely Repbulican primary voters. Their last poll had Perry at 49%, now he is at 18%. Perry is a sinking ship and you know it.

neum432

Santorum didn’t ruin Perry…Perry ruined himself. First is was Cain’s fault, then Newt’s, then Fox News, now it is Santorum’s fault? When will the Perry people admit that it he(Perry) was just not ready for prime time?

snowshooze

I know many spouting claims he is the only one that could pull the job and we should support him alone.
Well.. That is their entire plank. It’s all they got.
I have yet to see anywhere that Romney can compete with the merit of either Gingrich or Perry.
I can’t see where Perry stepping down could translate into an anti Romney outcome. Chances are it would fuel the Libertarians and Independants more than it would seal Romney’s position.
And that is the problem.
It ain’t Romney Vs. Obama.
It’s Romney Vs. Johnson Vs. John Doe Independent Vs. Obama, where Obama’s support is consolidated and Romney’s support is cut to bits.
Romneys great accomplishments compared to Gingrich and Perry would stack up to two towers against Romney’s hole in the ground.
Understand too, Gingrich is capable of shooting himself in the foot. He is a bit of a loose canon at times.
What if Perry dropped out and Newt blew it?
Ok I am biased. I am a Perry supporter..
I am in no rush though, I prefer to let this play out in it’s full glory…

WillWong

Perry would be the nominee! No question about that. Perry supporters here outnumber everyone else and most are diehards as well.

A few convertees to Newt…..

A few Romney folks

Very few Ron paul guys!

Very few Santorum supporters.

So unless Perry, Newt, and Santorum supporters take a good look at the situation and throw their weight on just one candidate….it will be Romney. Interesting enough, after such an outstanding performance by Newt last night….I can only detect some grudging acknowledgement from those Perry first….Newt second folks but hardly the conversion type. This is to be admired….loyalty to the candidate. As such, those of us who still believe that God is the final arbiter in human affairs should pray that God will move the hearts of Newt, Perry, and Santorum (together….not in isolation) for the collective good of the country. I am sure Romney supporters will disagree but that is okay with me.

pttx333

Romney will be tanking. He’s only begun to be vetted, and he’s not handling it very well – he will implode/explode at some point. Plus, folks will figure out who/what he is – which is “nothing much.” And, yes, Gingrich over Romney any day – except Perry’s gonna win!

annie54

“Today’s Perry Almanac” telling them that my prayer time is between 6am – 7am CST every morning and that if they feel a bump at that time, they should acknowledge it as the Lord. And that they should recognize Him. He likes that.

Will all of you join me, also? It doesn’t mean you pray for a hour, it just means that you pray at some point during that time for the Perry Team, the Campaign and that Rick Perry will receive wisdom and strength.

Go Forth and Conquer.

pttx333

your comment to Lizzie, I very strongly suggest that you take your bilge elsewhere. FURTHERMORE, DO NOT INSULT LIZZIE AGAIN. In fact, you should apologize for your comments/insults right away. UNDERSTOOD?

http://www.timothy-bladel.com/ center77

I think Newt would be one of the worst candidates in the last 20 years, and I love the way he debates. The simple fact is, Newt is so full of hubris, and he cannot be Obama. I cannot find a way I think he can win, his baggage is just so loaded, and he does himself no favors saying others should drop out when he has yet to win a state himself. Newt did not get as close to winning one as Santorum so why in the world should Rick step out. Romney would be a better nominee that Newt, they both have supported things like the mandate, but Newt has too much baggage. The quickest way for this party to hand Obama an easy win would be to nominate either Newt or Paul, and I hope Perry stays in, because there are a lot of states left.

trevorb

us mindless Perry-bots have to keep hope alive.

I think people already know what Romney is. he’s the only candidate in modern times to win 2 primaries and still have nobody like him.

After Santorum drops out, it’s going to get even tougher for him.

jakeofalltrades

And I’ve seen a lot of people agree. We want a good-looking governor against Obama.

Hoping we’ll have the first known-adulterer as well as the first representative without executive or senate experience since Lincoln to win the presidency is a pipe dream, not a real hope.

Obama will be able to blast Newt’s lack of governing experience. It will be the most humiliating defeat this party has ever suffered.

So if Perry drops out, I’m on the Romney train. We have to beat Obama, one way or the other.

And Romney will probably lose too because of the lack of a clear choice, but he’s infinitely better than Newt for getting elected.

shinglejim

We all have to ask ourselves at some point in time, do I vote my principles or do I compromise them? I believe the more we compromise our principles, the more unlikely it is that we’ll accomplish what we’re trying to do as conservatives,

I’ve compromised enough in past elections. I’m not willing to do it now. I want my chance to vote.

avagreen

You musta missed it.
Forget the Nay-sayers: Perry IS popular in S.C.
by liberty17 (Diary)
http://www.redstate.com/liberty17/2012/01/14/forget-the-nay-sayers-perry-is-popular-in-s-c/

runner12

Newt is a policy wonk and at times has taken some very anti-conservative positions. More troubling is his arrogance and we already have enough of that in the White House right now. Newt would make a good VP, but not at the top of the ticket. All the Dems would need to do is paint Obama as a loving family man and Gingrich as a philandering cheater and he is toast. And yes, the DNC will have no problem stooping that low.

As much as I detest Mittens, at least we may be able to light a fire under his rear end and force him to move further right. My honest hope is either Perry stays in for the long haul or we get a brokered convention.

flagg

I haven’t been posting here long, but have said on multiple occasions that I’m Newt first, Perry second. Yes, I believe the GOP field is that sorry that even with my disdain for Candidate Perry (and fondness for Governor Perry), he’s my second choice out of this bunch. (I’ll admit to never really giving Huntsman a fair shake, although I think he deserves some of the blame for that.)

But I never insulted “Lizzie” whatsoever and was merely a teeny bit snide after being told “not to even try” to challenge her/him/it.

Common_Cents

Sarah did not officially endorse Newt but she did just say this.

At the very very minimum if not dropping out, Perry and Santorum (to save their own campaign chances) should announce they support Newt Gingrich in SC only, possibly FL. Gingrich could then beat romney and Perry and Santorum could live to compete another day now Romney won’t clinch the nomination.

Unconventional for unconventional times.

jakeofalltrades

The class is strong with this one.

avagreen

As much as I detest Mittens, at least we may be able to light a fire under his rear end and force him to move further right. My honest hope is either Perry stays in for the long haul or we get a brokered convention.

That being said: I’m still for Perry 100%!!! Until He says He’s quitting. I’m not listening to a glamor queen or a news writer for my opinions. I’ve lived too long under Perry’s governorship to not want this for the nation.

Romney? (threw up in my mouth). He’d be wiped on the floor in a real debate with real questions thrown at him.

gracie

Actually I have been to Tennessee….Love Nashville and Memphis! Except for your pulled pork BBQ. Honey, it sucks beside Texas BBQ.

The Nashville Antiques and Garden show is the best show I have ever been to in the US!

BTW, cannot believe the evangelicals met in my backyard…11 miles so of Brenham. If I’d have known, I’d have…WELL, I’D HAVE…. told those idiots what for.

greyeagle

Obviously you have not been following the actions of Turkey’s President with Hamas and other terrorist groups. Perry nailed it and you are wrong.

jakeofalltrades

But in Tennessee, there was only one good place for it: Buddy’s BBQ. Don’t know if it’s still around – I haven’t lived there since I was a little boy.

I call those evangelicals “The Junta”. I didn’t hear of any important ones among them… where were John Piper, Reverend Graham, John MacArthur?

Common_Cents

Not an official endorsement so that is weak. She wants to wait and let the primary go on? How the heck does Palin think that 3 non romney candidates can build large enough organizations to compete? She should know better.

greyeagle

They interview more Democrats than Republicans that’s why.

greyeagle

Is never credible for conservatives period. Just look at past polls.

yea37ey

Yes Newt had a great debate preformance last night. But does this automatically give him a pass on bashing capitalism for almost two weeks ? To some on this board , the answer will be yes.I find this amazing.What happened to principles ? If Newt can be forgiven for bashing capitalism , sitting next to Pelosi talking about climate change and calling Paul Ryan’s plan right wing social engineering , why can’t Romney be given the same considerstion ? Is Newt’s behavior and words the acts of a Reagan Conservative ? As I recall from the last election , McCain was raked over the coals for less . My main problem with Newt is that when he’s good he’s very good , but when he’s bad he’s very bad . Can any of us say for sure that Newt can maintain control of his emotions and ego when the Democrats hit him with both barrels if he wins the nomination ? Can Newt stop his biggest opponent in ths race ? Not Romney or Obama , but himself .

Scope

Colbert and Gary Johnson. When a polling outfit includes a non-candidate candidate, they have no credibility at all. Colbert?

greyeagle

He has been excellent the last 9 debates. However, he is trashed on almost every media outlet and the worst offender is FOX News. The radio network that Glen Beck, Hannity, Dick Morris, Karl Rove and others use is owned by Bain. Conflict of interest I believe. Cain trashed Perry several times on national TV, and Perry had not done anything. If you haven’t seen all of this action on media outlets, then you haven’t been looking. Perry was my Governor for a lot of years and is extremely capable and has an excellent record. It is far superior to Newt, Santorum and Romney. Vote for who you like, but please stop trashing my candidate.

pttx333

have been through Tennessee, even spent the night north of Nashville on the way to upstate NY from Houston. Haven’t had TN bbq, but would like to try some.

As for the evangelicals, the only one I ever believed in, because I knew he was the honest, decent, Godly man he appeared to be was, and still is, The Reverend Billy Graham. What a good and wonderful man – he has absolutely lived the life he preached about living. God bless him! For the rest, all I seem to see when I hear them is $$$$. Sorry ’bout that!

aj_0000

Period, end of story.

gekster

You ain’t had bbq until you had it in Texas.
And no matter if it’s beef, pork, chicken, it’s all good.
One of the things I miss the most about Texas.

jakeofalltrades

lol

jakeofalltrades

and the ones I have at work are crap…

lapert

Actually, they polled Colbert in the group after polling the actual candidates – it made for some interesting cross-tabs.

Do you have any actual critique of their methodology? Do you even know what their methodology is?

For the record, both their NH and Iowa polls were within the margin of error and as good as can be expected from polling and hit Perry’s numbers exactly.

gekster

with the potato salad and cold, cold beer on a 90 degree day.

(ok, I’m done)

pttx333

seeded sliced jalapenos in place of the pickles! WOW! gek may want to leave the seeds, but for most folks it would be too hot! LOL

For something to drink, I’ll take a small coke in a glass bottle, pop in the freezer long enough for ice crystal to form and then enjoy!

Yep, Texas bbq is great, but it wouldn’t be fair of me to compare it with TN since I’ve not had theirs!

jakeofalltrades

here in Charlotte.

John MacArthur is a theological genius who knows his Ancient Greek I believe (which is the bare minimum I accept in a Pastor – I can read English just fine; bonus points for ancient Hebrew). Piper is highly recommended as well.

Tennessee is beautiful, but you know what they say about the pretty ones… I love her and her little-big-sister Texas. But culturally – I’m Californian – that’s where I lived the last ten years, and my friends from there were always telling me growing up that that’s where I belong. They were right. If the economy ever improves there, I’m gonna move back if I can.

The mission field out there is rich – all you have to do is make friends, and before long they’re going to church with you.

pttx333

c

jakeofalltrades

I didn’t care for Tennessee BBQ too much.

http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

Newt’s pecidillo’s are not minor, they are pretty bad, and there are a lot of them.

And to dismiss all his critics in the Republican party is pretty short sighted as well. They reason they are against him is that he is an insufferable ass who can’t get along with anyone. Now what kind of leader would that make him?

There is also the fact that he got rolled every time he went up against Bill Clinton, So he isn’t even an effective leader or negotiator.

You also attack Romney for not being genuine, but again, Newt Gingrich is not a genuine much of anything either. He has taken policy positions all over the place.

pttx333

is like my maternal grandfather and his son (my uncle) were. Though not ministers (uncle was a Deacon), they lived their lives like the Rev. Graham. My other maternal uncle WAS a Baptist minister and was a Godly man, but he sort of ignored his parents (my grandparents) when they were old and feeble – i.e.; he lived about 75 mi. from them, and there were times that he would drive right past their home to go visit one of his congregation in the hospital. I never quite got over that – still haven’t. Wouldn’t have taken him but a few minutes to light up their precious eyes. I’m not impressed with all evangelicals.

I would be thrilled to visit anything connected with Rev. Graham – to me, he is the epitome of a true man of God.

I love the Chattanooga area … what an incredible drive through there when returning from upstate NY to Houston! Beautiful, beautiful country all the way.

porkandcheese

Explain that and EXACTLY how Romney created 100k jobs v. the 10k he created six years ago. Since you’re calling us all socialists.

porkandcheese

NT

porkandcheese

Yes, they are. There is a soft coup at present.

jakeofalltrades

And the Smokey “Mountains” (we call those puny things hills out West) are awesome to behold in the fall.

Did you know that before Tennessee Valley Authority came in and built all those dams, Chattanooga used to randomly flood up to 40 feet deep? It’s too bad they didn’t engineer that well for Nashville.

It is a beautiful state; especially in the state and national parks by the dams. East Tennessee is really just a lush, dense forest criss-crossed by rivers, creeks, and more than a few waterfalls with a few towns hidden within and massive, scenic limestone caves beneath. It’s like Middle Earth from the Lord of the Rings.

It’s even got a few orcs.

porkandcheese

It’s a long slog and an up and down primary unless you steadily poll 23% and good luck with that against Obama.

JSobieski

and I totally agree with you that the differences between Good Newt and Bad Newt are impressively vast.

Newt is my #2 choice, but I have defended him here because I think he is at least a viable Romney alternative.

I do not however disagree with your analysis that Newt is his worst enemy, and he could turn out to be Nixon 3.0

I mad a bad joke several months ago that I would only vote for Newt if the VP was excellent shot . . . with a gun.

annie54

n/t

acat

(yes, I was banned by LGF)

Mew

jakeofalltrades

Tee hee.

flagg

who calls Turkey a “Islamist terrorist” state.

Anyone who thinks peace in the region is attainable knows that Turkey will play a major role, especially in the current climate. They are going to have to have some credibility with all sides.

Is Turkey an ally like Britain? Of course not. But calling them a terrorist state isn’t rational. What acts of terror has Turkey perpetrated on the world? You go looking for allies with totally clean hands and you’re not going to have any. (Just consider some of the “friends” our country has kept over the years.)

gracie

seems to me it tasted all vinegary. No yummy BBQ sauce.

geks I didn’t know you had lived it Texas. Musta missed that. Thought it was/is Michigan.

T Lady, I know what you mean about the evangelicals…Joel Olsteen was saying on TV he did not go to a minute of seminary. Humm…he might be one of the ones you were talking about.

Jake, you’re California surfer dude?? tan and long blonde curly hair?
We probably have crazy wrong mental pictures of each other. Like T Lady you love food so much I figured you were fluffy. And you say you are all skinny. Go figure.

jakeofalltrades

but then Obi Won Konobi interrupted and said:

That’s no sand!

gekster

Your ignorance on the subject does you no good.

acat

Case in point, everything you’ve said about Turkey was true … until Erdogan began his rise to power.

The future for Turkey looks a lot like the future of Egypt .. the latter being further along.

The lesson here is that “Modern Turkey”, the dream of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, cannot be sustained without a *secular* government… something Erdogan must and is pushing aside to gain and retain power.

Is Turkey currently a terrorist state? It’s debatable, Turkey is acting much more like one now than in recent history .. although it may still be retrievable. The question, though, is poorly phrased.

Turkey, it appears, is sliding toward being a terrorist state, hostile to the West on religious and cultural grounds, just as Saudi Arabia and Iran are hostile toward us.

This doesn’t mean we can’t deal with them .. but it does mean that we need to keep our eyes open, not reflexively assume that the rules in 1980 or 1990 still apply. They don’t in Egypt, they don’t Yugoslavia, why should they hold in Turkey?

Mew

duramater

and your endearing words for my home warm my heart. Hoping to return someday soon.

acat

He seems to be here just to bash Perry.

We saw the same thing after “no fly zone”, “ponzi scheme”, “vulture capitalism”, etc.

Hmmm. “The candidate who kicked the hornet’s nest” ???

Mew

(no, I haven’t read it; yes, I’ve seen the first film)

Dave_A

Go both ways…

The Iraqi Kurds tend to see themselves more as Kurds than Iraqis (which was useful for us during the war, as they were the most enthusiastic of opponents to both Al Queda in Iraq *and* the Mahadi Army) and that is a bit problematic for Turkey, as the Kurds tend to try and help their counterparts in Turkey with the ongoing secessionist movement….

The Turks see them the same way we see Queda, and with some justification. It was a difficult situation during the Iraq War, since as noted above the Kurds were quite strong allies – but the Turks are NATO treaty allies (even if they were less than supportive of our operations in Iraq – for political reasons and out of concern for the present situation with the Kurds)….

I wouldn’t call them Islamic Terrorists, but they are definately moving in the Islamist direction – which in Turkey means there’s a military coup coming sometime soon (hence why the AKP has such a beef with the military – In modern Turkish history, when Islamisim starts to take off, a military coup & dictatorship soon follows)…

It’s a complicated situation, but expelling them from NATO is NOT the solution…. This conflict is not ‘Muslims vs Christians’, nor can we afford for it to appear that way.

gracie

I am terrified of Romney! That guy gets rattled by our own! He starts stuttering, loses his place in his brain, and then he gets just plain mad and petulant! and starts bossing the moderators.

Obama could rattle him easily! Now Perry would get all tough because he is sick of the bullseye O has put on Texas. I think he would forget his hatred of debates in a New York minute and say bring it on!

Add that to taking Obamacare, 2nd Amend off the table and Romney is the one to fear.

Sorry jake, not with you on this one. Brokered would be best.

acat

Texas sauces depend too much on cayenne and brown sugar.

The Carolinas lean too much on vinegar, Georgia on mustard.

Memphis dry-rubbed ribs, done right, are amazing … but I’ve found very few places that do ‘em right.

Alabama, though, takes the best of everything above and turns it into something in a class all its’ own.

Smoky sauces, bite of vinegar, sweetness of brown sugar, Memphis spices, hot but not just for the sake of being hot, and done right, so good ya don’t want to spill a drop… drizzled over pork that’s been slow cooking for hours, or over beef brisket that’s been in the smoker since sometime yesterday.

Dang. Now I’m hungry, and even if I started now, I couldn’t have a halfway decent pulled pork sandwich before breakfast.

Mew

pttx333

you could find a little log cabin on a hillside by a crick a’runnin’ through the property, sit on the big ol’ wrap-around porch in your rocker and just let the world go on by. Wow, t’would be nice.

No, jake, didn’t know that was one of the things the TVA did – Chattanooga would flood up to 40′? Then they had to rebuild everything ever so often and start anew. And I remember the Nashville flooding where I didn’t see one soul on the rooftops yelling “HELP ME.” Everything I heard about was they did the clean-up and rebuilding themselves. Unlike Nawlins.

Dang, now my feet are itchin’ … love those descriptions. And duramater, dear, I hope you get to go home soonest!

jakeofalltrades

My clan is in Greeneville – both sides. My dad’s side was landed farmers – huge tracts, but they rented it out, and not too many people rented. So, I basically had endless grass-covered fields to play in as a child, with stone creek bridges built by my grandfather’s own hands.

Amazing natural beauty and a sense of history and connection with the land is the birthright of every Tennessean.

You’re probably part Cherokee, too. A lot of people there are. I’ve got a black and white photo from the late 1800′s of this little Pocahantas-looking Cherokee, straight off the reservation, who is my great-great grandmother.

jakeofalltrades

You know that – she’s the big-little sister of Texas! And they look out for each other.

jakeofalltrades

Come out to the Billy Graham Library. They have your maternal great-grandmother’s house there in perfect condition.

jakeofalltrades

nt

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

Have you tried Dreamland? “Ain’t nothing like ‘em nowhere!” The original is in Tuscaloosa.

And then there’s Archibald’s – also in Tuscaloosa. Hardly big enough to turn around in.

Sauces at both are a little tangy with a vinegar & mustard base. Not too thick, and the sauce isn’t cooked on the ribs, either. Just slathered on after they’re smoked and served with a slice of Wonder Bread.

You can order some Dreamland sauce if you care to. Check
here

Let me know if you head down south anytime soon. I’ll be happy to take you or at least give you directions!

So as not to threadjack, the consensus among my friends is that Newt won the debate, but many liked Perry’s performance as well. One commented that if this Rick Perry had been showing up in the early debates, he’d be the frontrunner by a huge margin. I don’t disagree.

bs61

but I hate a communist in the WH even more! This is just the beginning of a long fight to get rid of the estalishment – but we need Chairman Obama out!

flagg

Your 11:28 post was reasonable, respectful, and appreciated. Others not so much.

Regardless, Perry and his RS supporters seem to have one definition of what makes a terrorist state. I and the rest of the world have a different one apparently. And that’s fine–one man’s warmonger is another man’s Nobel Peace Prize winner.

As your 11:28 post points out, it’s one thing to be more wary of Turkey, but it’s quite another for a prospective Leader of the Free World to unilaterally declare an ally a terrorist state that should be kicked out of NATO and deprived of foreign aid. (Even though the AP reports that Turkey doesn’t receive US foreign aid.) I’m kinda flabbegasted that anyone thinks putting Turkey in the Axis of Evil is sound strategy (either from a campaign or a diplomatic POV) but I suppose it got Perry a little press.

So there’s that.

gekster

why wouldn’t our NATO ‘ally’ let us come into Iraq from the north during the invasion.
It would have given us a greater strategic advantage to have done so, but our ‘ally’ told us no.

JSobieski

Frankly, the AKP issue is a distraction . . . AKP vs. Turkey is like Predators vs. Aliens.

The broader issue is the Islamist ruling party. There is not going to be a coup coming because Turkey has been arresting high level military officers for the past two years.

The trend line of virtually every government in the Muslim world is towards becoming more Islamist, and Turkey is no exception . . .. but Turkey is in NATO.Turkey is also the one Islamic ME nation that had an honest home grown democracy. The fact that Turkey is participating in the general trend is a bad sign—-and it will get worse.

Turkey is palling around with Iran for gosh sakes. We don’t need to kick Turkey out of NATO to move directionally away from Turkey…or at least their government.

acat

For the record, as was pointed out to you above, the U.S. Navy have a different definition than you do. As gekster points out, this isn’t a new development on their part.

Based on what you’ve said so far, flagg, I don’t see any recognition that, just perhaps, Perry’s right.

Do you know the trouble with maple trees, flagg? Can’t tell if they’re rotten at the heart until a good storm blows ‘em over.

Turkey’s a maple, Edrogan sure looks like rot .. but it’ll take a storm to prove it.

Mew

pttx333

was talking about. I think he might be good as a motivational speaker, but not a man of the cloth, no. Personally – gasp, gasp – I think he and his wife are a couple of spoiled brats! Blasphemy on my part – that is how others would see me, but look at my face – do I look like I’m lying? Now, his dad was another matter. I do believe he was a true man of the cloth, and he built his ministry up from a little ramshackle place to a huge one because of HIM. His dad came from a hard-scrabble life, hard living’ type of guy who found the Lord and the calling. He’s the one who starved to minister to those who would listen. Joel’s just riding his daddy’s hard work and sacrifices. Hard nosed is what I am, but that is what I see.

I see jake as a dark-haired guy, 5’10-11″, muscular build, cute as a bug, ornery as all get-out, and loads of fun and good will. gracie, I see you as a beautiful lady with light brown hair, green or blue eyes, slender build, cute as a button, kind and gentle. Now you two tell me how off-the-mark this old wild-eyed loon is!

acat

I’ll have to get over to Tuscaloosa one of these years.

Newt nailed the debate by verbally skewering the moderator.

You’re exactly right, by the way. Had this Rick Perry shown up for the earlier dog shows, we wouldn’t be having this conversation…

Mew

pttx333

yes, I’ve always felt a closeness to Rev. Graham, but never was blessed enough to see him or meet him. Just admired him from afar. My Mom and her Mom always had him on radio or TV when I was growing up, so I was always exposed to him.

That would be a dream come true, jake, to go visit the library and that precious home that is there. Wow, maybe one day …

gekster

Grand Blanc to be exact.
But from 80 to 86 I lived in Pasadena, just east of Houston.
Spent one year in Elgin, up by Austin before comeing back to Michigan.

pttx333

was a wealthy widow from Tennessee (of course I never knew her), but when my great-grandmother, her daughter, ran away to marry my great-grandfather who was a country preacher with a little grocery store in Oklahoma – he had gone to preach in TN and that is how they met. Well, great-great didn’t like that one bit and disowned her daughter cuz she didn’t marry “to her station.” Great-great also had a son, a ne’er-do-well who loved wine, women and song, so great-great left everything to him in her Will. But when my great began having children, great-great did soften up with doing things for them (my grandmother went to a young ladies’ boarding school, I’ll have you know LOL), but she never softened up to change her Will. Pathetic, isn’t it. Of course, ne’er-do-well blew everything and died at a fairly young age.

The moral to this story is: My great-grandmother and great-grandfather had a happy life, a happy home and joyful lives together – just hard-working folks who were Godly and always doing for others. Apparently, great-great did not. There’s a lesson here, huh.

gekster

My wife likes to watch him on tv, and I told her he was just out for the money.
She said that he is a man of God, and I disagreed with her.
I noticed he was to speak in Detroit, so I want online to get tickets for her
because I just wanted to take her for her birthday.
To my suprise, the tickets for general admision was $250 dollers apiece.
That is more than your average high end rock concert by a long shot.
To me it’s not saving souls with him, it’s making a buck.
jmho.

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

The Dreamland in Tuscaloosa is not quite as commercialized as the other locations. It’s the original – no doubt the smoke of ribs past is thick and continues to flavor what’s cooked today. They serve no sides except for chips at the counter. It’s ribs and bread. You can get a slab or a rib sandwich, both of which are ribs and bread. All with the sauce, of course. Then you can go down the road and try Archibald’s. Ribs and bread with sauce.

jakeofalltrades

I like that story.

lineholder

which is well-known for Carolina style bar-b-q, but I don’t like the vinegar taste to it either.

There’s a gentleman in Stoneville, NC, that makes a wonderful sauce…Papa Lonnie’s, it’s called. If you ever get a chance, try that out sometime. It doesn’t go as heavy on the vinegar (and I think he has a touch of horseradish in his)

gracie

Way too commercia! .Ridiculous prices for tickets! and I bet it was in a coliseum too. Why the need for all that money? Reminds me of Oral Roberts.

Their church here is in the old Compact Center…a coliseum for sure. Saw him interviewed on Hannity; takes no positions on ethical issues. Just seems to be all about smilse and happy but scripture? not so much!

Ah Michigan, land of lakes?? I hear it is so dang beautiful. Did you miss it and have to go home? Family? gekster, are you a computer geek? I know you have children and grands! a blessing I have not yet received.

LOL pttxx333, I wish I was like you described. Yes, blue eyes but short, 5′, dark hair that turned gray at 30 and athletic. Love to run and garden; since leaving State employ we are antiques dealers…that is until the Great Recession. That is why we moved here as it is close to our Round Top show.

Between the recession and my dh (dear husband) diagnosed last few months with PD we will not be traveling, antiquing as much before long and can no longer do shows.

Here we are, people from all over the US, Alaska and beyond, here for conservatism, hoping for the return of family values. Hoping our country can be saved. We just want a Prez with our values! Is that too much to ask? It’s stressful, worrying about what is going to happen; what might have been. These late night talks, well, they help.

pttx333

lonely old nut after all! Yep, I said exactly how I feel about Joel Osteen. The one all over tv all the time, all duded up, and his plastic, phony wife who one time had a fit at a stewardess on a plane over nothing – really caused a ruckus! There was quite a to-do over it (think she was arrested or something), but nothing ever happened. After no time, it was all a “mistake” and never heard another peep. Isn’t that just amazing? No, I don’t think they are what they portray themselves to do. All I see is another Jim Baker and his Tammy Faye. Remember those two? And there are others just like them.

Joel’s poor, sweet dad is spinning in his grave. God bless him. He was a good man who worked so hard for others. Haven’t ever heard anything like that about Joel or his wife – everything is show with them.

$250, gek? Lordy, I would not pay 1 penny to go see them. Hopefully, your wife will see the light one day. Yep, they are just rock stars, and that is about it. It IS truly about the money. Well, they can have their lives, I don’t want any part in such. I’ll just live my little dinky life but I’ll have not a worry about scamming folks like they do and can look myself in the mirror without screaming (other than “Oh, no! another wrinkle” )

Later, son …. Mom

pttx333

Joel and the circus, huh? Wow! Like I said to gek below, glad to know I’m not alone. I’ll bet other folks see it also. You can read my post to gek to get the full scoop.

Hon, what is PD? It must be something serious to keep him confined so much. I will put you both in my prayers.

Well, gracie, I got the eyes right, and I’ll bet the build also. You cannot be huge with being so athletic. Five feet tall, no – I envisioned taller. You’re a little squirt! But I know that I got the rest of my description right, regardless of what you say.

You better know these late-night talks are great! Cathartic, actually. You can vent all you wish, and that is always nice. Another thing I learned long ago is that by writing down how you feel is actually therapeutic – you are getting those feelings out so there is some relief of the tension inside. I’ve used it bunches and bunches! LOL

I LOVE talking to others from everywhere. Where else could we do this? Make friends all over the place and learn about where they live, their families, their state and towns. Just love it here. And, yes, our guy Perry will be standing tall at the end – mark my words!

trickamsterdam

They went and did it anyway…

Trick: We’re alone in this world, Trick.

Trick: Very true, Trick.

Trick: You are amazing.

Trick: So are you, believe me.

***

To Everyone – I don’t accuse people of being trolls. It’s boring and often ridiculous. But this is either an extreme narcissist or a troll.

Remember in its initial post it said “the conservative movement, the R party, and even [deep breath] THE REPUBLIC ITSELF” was at stake if IT “and others” didn’t get what they wanted….and in my hypothetical it still said that it would vote for Obama/Biden/Hillary over Romney/DeMint/Rubio/Ryan, even w/ all those dire consequences [end of the world basically].

More of these…”its”…are going to come here in the next six months.

These people are either trolls or out-of-control narcissists. Ignore the otherkin and they will go away. Or they’ll push it too far and be banned.

Whatever…that’s all I’ll say about it for this thread and for now. I just can’t believe people stroked its ego so. Ugh…Trick, comfort me!

Trick: I’m here.

(LOL)

WillWong

Looking at the high percentage of undecideds and the number of debates todate, i sure couldn’t tell!

Obama would crush Newt in a debate? Yet you guys are thinking of sending Wooden Willard to debate Obama? A Wooden Willard whose closest ever standing ovation in a debate was when standing next to Newt on MLK’s Day in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!

Slick Willie in all his glory was only able to fight a younger and less experienced Newt to a draw…and only with the help of a friendly MSM!

So i do fancy Newt’s chances in a debate against Obama!

WillWong

How so?

He can’t run against Obamacare (our strongest weapon) since Obamacare was modelled after Romneycare.

He can’t run on Job creation at Bain Capital since itvwas more about creative destruction!

He is the perfect foil for Obama’s 99% attack!

He can’t run on the prolife platform…..see Mitt vs Mitt 1994

Infact, you can make the case that Mitt is the candidate Obama would love most to face in Nov!

Hooah_Mac

“Slick Willie in all his glory was only able to fight a younger and less experienced Newt to a draw?and only with the help of a friendly MSM!”

Actually, Newt managed to get slick willie right where he wanted him and then unconditionally surrender. Put another way, the electorate dealt 90′s Newt a winning hand and he waited until he had all his money in the pot and then folded.

Newt is a great ideas guy, but as a political strategist, he is a lot more Custer than Patton.

pttx333

m

trevorb

most of the people I listen to are predicting that Perry’s going to be out after South Carolina. Have my doubts about that, honestly. I think the next person to exit the race will be Santorum.

pttx333

on, the more stuff will come out about him. BobGuzzardi posted tonight about his involvement (heavily, talking $$$) with unions in PA and voting with Arlen Specter and the dems on those issues. Yeah, old Snarlin’ Arlen as he’s called. Patooey! Same goes for you know who I’m talking about.

Nope, our Rick will not be out after SC. All these naysayers are wanting to hurry to gather around this one or that one or tell Perry to drop out – are they out of their minds? Yeah, they are. I do not for a second that Perry will drop out – he not a quitter, and there is still a long, long way to go. We’re just now really getting to vetting some who have never been vetted, and it is not looking good for them at all! Just as I’ve said before, trev – they will implode, leaving guess who.

trevorb

is fading fast; he was the last non-romney candidate to surge. After he’s out and like i said, I believe he’s next, it’s down to four. the question is whether his support goes to Gingrich or Perry.

jbritterjr

Newt, at this point, does it better than anyone with articulation and authority. He puts Obama and Libs off kilter. Their comebacks are tired and condescending. I want this election to be about ideas and issues. When Newt’s at his worst, he’s attacking opponents. When he’s articulating Conservative solutions with the wit and clarity he’s shown in debates, he inspires people. Conservatism is in the heart of the electorate and it’s rallied to fight and knock Obama out, not just bloody his freakin’ nose.

gracie

recently; would you mind to remind which thread it is on? My dh would love top try it on brisket. I Knew it…that brisket should smoke for many hours…how many do you do it? He has trouble getting it tender. the BBQ king in our neighborhooe makes the best chiken in history and his secret is smoking it all day.

These recipe interventions have more than one good purpose, wh?

acat

We’re not friendly enough to talk about what seasonings they use….

I believe this is the recipe you wanted.

Mew

gracie

So thank you kindly! The rub sounds delicious.

Fascinated about the 18 hour cooking time though. Had a feeling the six hours he was doing was the real problem. He gets so impatient. He will be bringing home a brisket tomorrow. Or maybe ribs

Sometime tell if you let your cats have people food. A dilemma at our house.

Dave_A

Turkey wouldn’t let 4th ID land, because they are a parliamentary democracy & their electorate was solidly against it…

Given the polling in their media & such,(And the issue of knowing our invasion would inflame the Kurdish issue) it was pretty clear why they wouldn’t let us use their border with Iraq as an invasion route.

They did, IIRC, allow us to use the airfields we maintain there…

Dave_A

When you look at their records…

Now, Gingrich may like to throw a few barbs here & there, like capitalizing on value-voter anger over Roe v Wade by advocating gutting the power of the Supreme Court…..

But in the end, he’s on the same ‘Side’ as Mitt…

As evidenced by how things worked when he ran the House…

http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

vast differences on non-establishment factors that greatly distinguish them in terms of who would be the better nominee now, given all factors. For me, its Romney…more later in my third of 3 in a series of Post-NH/Pre-Sc primary columns. The 3rd installment show how poisonous I consider bigoted class-based attacks to the conservative cause.

romansdaughter

was Romney himself. I am really beginning to really dislike Romney, especially cause he likes to dish it out but can’t take it when others do it to him. Scope, did you see that LouPat and Texasroots have left us at RS? Bow that Perry is out, I am not even voting in the primaries just in the general…I don’t care which candidate, other than Ron Paul (we won’t go there) none of them inspire me at all.

RS

EDITOR OF REDSTATE

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