Open Topic Sunday ... 2008
Seeing as how our "fearless leader" started this day off with talk of 2008, I figured I'd follow suit. And I'll bring into the mix the thoughts of one Mary Katherine Ham, guest blogger on Hugh Hewitt's site who is doing an outstanding job of covering for the "Caesar of the Blogosphere" while he is on vacation. Ms. Ham brings an interesting twist to the McCain defeat yesterday at the SRLC (Southern Republican Leadership Conference):
With 1,427 ballots cast, the Senate majority leader from Nashville received 526 votes, or 36.9 percent -- and all but 97 of them were cast by Tennessee delegates. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney made a surprising second-place finish with 205 votes, or 14.4 percent.
That is the lead paragraph to the story she linked to from CNN. She also highlighted the same thing that I did, and provides this as analysis:
I caught a bit of Chris Matthews' Hardball on Friday night, and heard the buzz about Romney's speech. The Massachusetts Governor is great with a crowd, but I figured Senator Allen would grab the second slot with Virginia so close by. Dick Wadhams, Allen's Senate Chief of Staff and political guru, will be having some serious talks with the field staff tonight. Where were the busloads of Allen loyalists? If a blue-state governor can get his people to Memphis, why not the red state senator/governor who knows the interstates?
I conduct my own straw poll before every partisan and some non-partisan but conservative audiences I address.
Allen is always first. Guiliani and Romney in second and third, and everyone else a distant fourth and following, including the Majority Leader.
Romney has the 2008 caucus/primary calendar in his favor --Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan are strongholds, with only South Carolina as dangerous ground-- and before another few months the chattering class will be sick of the "Can a Mormon be President?" meme.
Yes, it is 2006, and attention should be paid to the mid-terms coming up. However, we just can't seem to tear ourselves away from looking at 2008. In my opinion, the GOP has a much larger field than the Democrats do. She does a good job of pointing to the front-runners right now in Frist, Romney, Giuliani, Allen, and yes, even McCain. But McCain is damaged goods, due mostly to his selfish nature and demeanor lately. Everything is about him, and he has shown it more often than not. Voters are not fooled by the Hillary-esque moderation and appeal to the base for support. He abandoned the base long ago, and the base isn't likely to forget that.
Giuliani, while an excellent mayor, especially during 9-11--not an easy feat for any local official to handle--has his own problems. Aside from being pro-abortion and pro-gun control, people aren't likely to forget his extramarital shenanigans. It's the same problem with Gingrich, who was also predicted to be a possible contender for the GOP nomination. Frist, despite his first place finish, might have some problems identifying with his base for the sheer fact that he has appeared spineless in some situations; this more apparent over the president's judicial nominees more than anything. Also, he squared off against the president regarding the Dubai Ports World deal (a fiasco in PR on the White House's part that is likely to haunt us in the future--near or far). And, to put the icing on the cake, he is beginning to see things the way Senators Collins and DeWine do in regard to the president's authority to monitor foreign operatives in this nation communicating with their brethren abroad. Yes, that woiuld be the NSA program, and the RINOs damned interference in it by demnading that the president bow to their authority, or lack thereof.
So, we move to Governor Mitt Romney's second place finish; a veritable feat in the South, especially in Frist's home state. Frist will be formidable in the South--his native region--but Romney has that spark. And it's a spark that may propel him to the nomination in 2008. With a solid running mate in Senator George Allen, the GOP could be virtually unbeatable in 2008 no matter who the Democrats put up. Of course, she does touch on the one pice of controversy that will follow Romney around throughout the entire campaign. One that, no doubt, the media will try to make much ado about. That being his faith. Now, I am not LDS (Mormon). I am Catholic. But I don't look at a candidate's faith to govern my choice. If I did, I would have voted for Kerry in 2004 simply because he, too, was Catholic. I didn't because I knew he wasn't the right man for the job.
Likewise, my choice will be similar in 2008. Faith matters to me personally, but not in the realm of politics. I could care less whether Romney was Mormon or not. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters is the vision he presents to America of what he will do if elected. If that follows the platform that Hugh Hewitt laid out, and Thomas has reinforced ...
Win The War
Cut The Taxes
Control The Spending
Confirm The Judges
... the Romney should have no problem winning the nomination. Now, Romney isn't my first choice for president. Allen is. I like George Allen, and he served as governor of Virginia before making the jump to the US Senate. Either way the ticket reads--Allen/Romney or Romney/Allen--it will be one that seems nearly insurmountable for the Democrats in 2008.
Mistress Pundit
Seeing as how our "fearless leader" started this day off with talk of 2008, I figured I'd follow suit. And I'll bring into the mix the thoughts of one Mary Katherine Ham, guest blogger on Hugh Hewitt's site who is doing an outstanding job of covering for the "Caesar of the Blogosphere" while he is on vacation. Ms. Ham brings an interesting twist to the McCain defeat yesterday at the SRLC (Southern Republican Leadership Conference):
With 1,427 ballots cast, the Senate majority leader from Nashville received 526 votes, or 36.9 percent -- and all but 97 of them were cast by Tennessee delegates. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney made a surprising second-place finish with 205 votes, or 14.4 percent.
That is the lead paragraph to the story she linked to from CNN. She also highlighted the same thing that I did, and provides this as analysis:
I caught a bit of Chris Matthews' Hardball on Friday night, and heard the buzz about Romney's speech. The Massachusetts Governor is great with a crowd, but I figured Senator Allen would grab the second slot with Virginia so close by. Dick Wadhams, Allen's Senate Chief of Staff and political guru, will be having some serious talks with the field staff tonight. Where were the busloads of Allen loyalists? If a blue-state governor can get his people to Memphis, why not the red state senator/governor who knows the interstates?
I conduct my own straw poll before every partisan and some non-partisan but conservative audiences I address.
Allen is always first. Guiliani and Romney in second and third, and everyone else a distant fourth and following, including the Majority Leader.
Romney has the 2008 caucus/primary calendar in his favor --Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan are strongholds, with only South Carolina as dangerous ground-- and before another few months the chattering class will be sick of the "Can a Mormon be President?" meme.
Yes, it is 2006, and attention should be paid to the mid-terms coming up. However, we just can't seem to tear ourselves away from looking at 2008. In my opinion, the GOP has a much larger field than the Democrats do. She does a good job of pointing to the front-runners right now in Frist, Romney, Giuliani, Allen, and yes, even McCain. But McCain is damaged goods, due mostly to his selfish nature and demeanor lately. Everything is about him, and he has shown it more often than not. Voters are not fooled by the Hillary-esque moderation and appeal to the base for support. He abandoned the base long ago, and the base isn't likely to forget that.
Giuliani, while an excellent mayor, especially during 9-11--not an easy feat for any local official to handle--has his own problems. Aside from being pro-abortion and pro-gun control, people aren't likely to forget his extramarital shenanigans. It's the same problem with Gingrich, who was also predicted to be a possible contender for the GOP nomination. Frist, despite his first place finish, might have some problems identifying with his base for the sheer fact that he has appeared spineless in some situations; this more apparent over the president's judicial nominees more than anything. Also, he squared off against the president regarding the Dubai Ports World deal (a fiasco in PR on the White House's part that is likely to haunt us in the future--near or far). And, to put the icing on the cake, he is beginning to see things the way Senators Collins and DeWine do in regard to the president's authority to monitor foreign operatives in this nation communicating with their brethren abroad. Yes, that woiuld be the NSA program, and the RINOs damned interference in it by demnading that the president bow to their authority, or lack thereof.
So, we move to Governor Mitt Romney's second place finish; a veritable feat in the South, especially in Frist's home state. Frist will be formidable in the South--his native region--but Romney has that spark. And it's a spark that may propel him to the nomination in 2008. With a solid running mate in Senator George Allen, the GOP could be virtually unbeatable in 2008 no matter who the Democrats put up. Of course, she does touch on the one pice of controversy that will follow Romney around throughout the entire campaign. One that, no doubt, the media will try to make much ado about. That being his faith. Now, I am not LDS (Mormon). I am Catholic. But I don't look at a candidate's faith to govern my choice. If I did, I would have voted for Kerry in 2004 simply because he, too, was Catholic. I didn't because I knew he wasn't the right man for the job.
Likewise, my choice will be similar in 2008. Faith matters to me personally, but not in the realm of politics. I could care less whether Romney was Mormon or not. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters is the vision he presents to America of what he will do if elected. If that follows the platform that Hugh Hewitt laid out, and Thomas has reinforced ...
Win The War
Cut The Taxes
Control The Spending
Confirm The Judges
... the Romney should have no problem winning the nomination. Now, Romney isn't my first choice for president. Allen is. I like George Allen, and he served as governor of Virginia before making the jump to the US Senate. Either way the ticket reads--Allen/Romney or Romney/Allen--it will be one that seems nearly insurmountable for the Democrats in 2008.
Mistress Pundit
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 12:54 AM
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