« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

MEMBER DIARY

Acceptable Republican Presidential candidates

By: traversecityconservative (Diary)  |  November 5th, 2010 at 08:40 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Now that the election is over, we need to have serious conversations about the 2012 presidential candidates. We need to vet them within our own Conservative networks and get on the same page so that another Rino doesn’t slip in like last time.

Here is my top six list of acceptable Republican candidates (in order of preference) based on how I feel they would best represent our Conservative interests:

1. Herman Cain (happy to see he’s not on the Democrat or media’s radar yet)
2. Marco Rubio
3. Sarah Palin
4. Fred Thompson
5. Jim DeMint
6. Mike Pence

My maybe’s include: Tim Pawlenty, John Thune and Rick Perry.

My definite no’s include: Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul

Please post your picks. I am curious where everyone’s head is at regarding this subject.

Tags: , ,

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • http://barbershopvalues.com daconia

    What about Eric Cantor or Tom Coburn?

    • traversecityconservative

      With all due respect, it’s not to early to start talking about this. What you all are really saying is that you don’t want to put yourself out there to stand behind anyone so you take can everyone’s temperature first. AND you don’t want to give the other side a target to go after for two years. I think you are afraid of naming someone only to have some “scandal” break on that person. The candidates are out there running already, with or without your knowledge or support.

      By the time you guys decide to “get in the game” things will be decided for you already. I think we’re smart enough to be able to multi-task. Speaking for myself, I can actually be a precinct delegate, deal with my county and state Republican convention, help and support the new Conservative congress AND decide who is acceptable and unacceptable for a presidential candidate and have conversations about it. I hope those of you who are too “chicken” to put your names to any candidates are at least compiling your lists in your head and vetting them silently so that when the 5-18 month moratorium on discussing presidential candidates is over, you’re ready to talk about it.

      • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

        which I’m on-board with, and talking about people who haven’t expressed any particular interest in running. And, until Congress gets moving we don’t even know what the issues will be.

        If you want to get a handle on just how stupid an exercise this is, just look at the “candidate” lists. Sheesh.

        And, we are not smart enough to multi-task.

  • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908
  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    If this becomes the major discussion around here I’ll be back in about 18 months.

  • http://www.joshuasplace.net echopulse

    My first choice would be Mike Pence, but he’s running for Governor. My other choices include:

    Herman Cain
    Mike Huckabee
    Bob McDonnell

  • dforston

    It’s not too early. Ignore the thread if you don’t want to read about it.

    These are my viable candidates…

    1. Sarah Palin
    2. Paul Ryan
    3. Chris Christie
    4. Marco Rubio

    Candidates I won’t support…

    Mitt Romney
    Mike Huckabee
    Newt Gingrich
    Jeb Bush
    Tim Pawlenty
    Rick Santorum

    Pence is going to be my governor in ’12, thank god.

  • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

    Like I said earlier…

    • We have a Congress to organize.
    • We have a Republican Leadership to reorganize.
    • We have a war plan to devise to stop the Obama agenda both in the Congress and in the regulatory bodies.

    These are the only priorities we have for at least the next six to nine months.

    We don’t have a clue what the issues will even look like in ’12 at this point.

    • Will the Congress be able to defund ObamaCare?
    • Will the Bush Tax Cuts be extended and if they are, will it be across the board?
    • What will the economy look like in 2011?
    • What will the unemployment numbers be?
    • What will Iran be up to?
    • Hey, there’s all those Marines and Soldiers in Afghanistan, what about them?
    • Can you say “terrorist attack”?
    • Hey, how about those hearings Darryl Issa is going to hold?

    I could go on, I left out/missed a whole bunch of stuff. The bottom line is simple: THIS is the stuff that matters right now. Whether Sarah Palin is the second coming of Joan de Arc or an air head flake or something in between is of absolutely no consequence until the issues start to sort out.

    Frankly, the idea that you would have Marco Rubio on your list speaks volumes about just how unserious and out of touch you are. In ’12 he would be the carbon copy of Barack Obama in terms of his qualifications. He will have one sort of year in the Senate before he would have to turn his attention to a POTUS campaign. I think he may well be President one day, unlike virtually everybody else on your little poorly thought out list, but it certainly won’t be 2012.

    I’m now calling Franz Rule on this foolishness.

  • powertothepeople

    although I agree with MBecker that it is, but lets look at your list.

    1) Sarah Palin

    I know there are a ton in here and in the republican base who tout her campaign, but it is ludicrous. She would not win even if Obama and his popularity go even further south. Not too mention, how is she experienced enough to run a county such as ours? Not going to get into her term as gov, but it does not take too much research to see her serous inabilities to run her own state. much less this country. She is liked by many, and not liked or even hated by just as many on our side. She is an amazing talent at getting people elected and raising funds, but that does not mean she is qualified to be president or able to win. A better job for her would be head of the RNC.

    2) Paul Ryan

    Like him so far but he is not well known enough to compete for the presidential office. Being a great person or a great conservative is not enough to win the presidential election. He needs more time in office and maybe needs to move up to the Senate, get his name out there more, and then look to throw his name into the pot at a later date.

    3) Chris Christie

    Was what New Jersey needed and has shown to be strong. But lets not fool ourselves into thinking he is a conservative. Now too mention, not one of the favorites on a national stage. He is perfect in the job he is doing now, but I doubt we would like his agenda at a national level.

    4) Marco Rubio

    Again, just elected and needs to do that job, not run off and run for president. He needs to establish himself as a man who will stand against all the is leftism for more years than just two in the senate. And you have to look at the fact of whether or not he could garner enough votes on a national stage to end Obama’s reign. He is an upcoming star, but we need more time to make sure he is what he says he is, so does the country. He is one to look at in the years to come, but not now.

    It is too early at the moment and the ones of you who keep calling for Palin to run are on a dangerous course. If she was to win the nomination, she will lose the race. There are just too many on our side who do not like her and way way too many on the left who would be motivated to keep her out of office. We need to sit back and worry only about keeping the new guys in office in line. If they mess up, we will not have to worry about who will win in 2012 as we will lose it. We also need to see what is happening in the country closer to the 2012 election so we can know what platforms to stand on and who will stand on them the best. But most importantly, we need to make sure our side puts up a person who has little to no baggage and has a proven track record so we can whip Obama, not give him another 4 years. And it is too early to know who that person is. but it is early enough to know Palin is not that person and will not be that person anytime in the near future. And that is coming from a person who does not hate her at all, but sees reality for what it is.

  • conservativecurmudgeon

    After all, this is only a discussion (although your point vis-a-vis Marco Rubio is very well taken). But, I will point out what seems to me to be a rather salient point:

    Traditional, constitutional Conservatism doesn’t bend and morph to the whims of what the issues may or may not be in 2012. Reagan would respond just as well in January of 2013 as did in the winter of 1981. When he started running against Ford in 1975, he had no clue that the hinge-critical issue by the fall of 1979 would be Jimmuh Catah’s Debacle in Tehran. But, he responded to it in the manner that was consistent with his world-view. That rock-solid consistency is what most conservatives are weighing, even at this early date. Discussing it seems appropriate.

    Also, because of how warped and misshapened the presidential electoral landscape has become in reference to raising money, collecting ground staff and chits, the candidates are already lining up, without regard to how early it may (or may not) be.

    And, this is just an aside. I am growing a bit weary of the POTUS, SCOTUS, FLOTUS, short-hand jargon. Conservatives, it seems to me, need to eschew trendy, air-headed inside-baseball politicalese, if we are to persuade and educate. As I say, just an aside…

  • JSobieski

    nt

  • calgacus

    is too late. We need to be thinking about this in a few months. Like by April.

  • calgacus

    I like these guys who were mentioned but there is no way they are electable and / or going to run seriously.

    Herman Cain, Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell (my gov.), or Marco Rubio.

    Of people who I think it is PLAUSIBLE will run-

    Very likely to support:

    Jim DeMint, Mike Pence, John Thune, John Shadegg

    Moderately likely to support:

    Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels, John Bolton

    Reluctant to support:

    Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich

    However we will have to wait and see the field. If Bolton runs it will be interesting to see what his platform would be; I think he could get some legitimate support. Gingrich in my opinion is (a) un-electable (b) a jerk (c) a fraud. I won’t vote for him in the primary or the general election.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    Some of us are going to continue to try to make a difference right at home.

  • calgacus

    But we can not afford to put up a terrible candidate (a la Bob Dole) in 2012. If we do, then all efforts in congress will be for naught – ObamaCare will never be repealed.

  • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

    Unqualified, unqualified, a closet socialist and somebody nobody’s ever heard of.

    This is why this crap is too early. It brings out the fools.

  • http://www.redstate.com/tnjim TNJim

    I want to see what kind of conservative Senator he’ll be first. I have high hopes, but give him a chance to prove himself on the national stage as Senator, which I have no doubt he will. Same for Christie who another commentor suggested. Give him a chance to fix NJ before you talk about recruiting him for ’12.

    But basically I agree with mbecker in his above comments, especially the one to dforston. It’s way too early for this, especially when you try to include Rubio before he gets a chance to do the job Florida conservatives elected him for.