Justy don't do it everytime someone mentions Herman Cain's Tax Plan... you'll end up in the ICU...

 

No way the tax plan is mentioned more than Saint Reagan.

I heard she had some enlightening remarks on what happens if you flip the "999" plan around. :lol:

 

If you read the fine print in his tax plan, you'll find that an implanted chip will be required in the hand or forehead in order to buy and sell.:sssh:

I think a lot of primary voters are gritting their teeth and holding their nose at the thought of a Romney nomination, but there simply hasn't been another viable option. When Rick Perry entered the race he immediately jumped to the front in polls and the enthusiasm was palpable. I think many thought they had the one they were looking for. But his flame died quickly after his debate performances. His support fled to Cain, again in the continuing quest to nominate anyone but Romney. But, now that Cain is a frontrunner the scrutiny will be amplified and his 9-9-9 plan will be heavily parsed and attacked. I'm not sold that Cain can withstand that level of scrutiny, particularly with his penchant for controversial statements. Which leaves Romney again. There is still a bit of time left and if any other candidate could effectively articulate that they are viable and effectively hammer Romney (which no one has been able to do yet, despite the prevalence of issues to beat over his head) they could wind up with the nomination.

Mitt Romney is obviously the favorite and I expect him to be the last one standing. It will make an interesting race. I don't think he has the support of the loudest part of the base so the enthusiasm might be tempered but he will also have an appeal to the election-determining middle portion of the voters.

 

A R buddy of mine made the bolded point to me Monday night over some of Ky's finest liquid products. When I pointed out to him how absolutely lathered up the loudest part of the base is against President Obama and such will cause them to turn out to vote for almost any R candidate (even me), he shuddered and said I was right. LN for President I say!

I think a lot of primary voters are gritting their teeth and holding their nose at the thought of a Romney nomination, but there simply hasn't been another viable option. When Rick Perry entered the race he immediately jumped to the front in polls and the enthusiasm was palpable. I think many thought they had the one they were looking for. But his flame died quickly after his debate performances. His support fled to Cain, again in the continuing quest to nominate anyone but Romney. But, now that Cain is a frontrunner the scrutiny will be amplified and his 9-9-9 plan will be heavily parsed and attacked. I'm not sold that Cain can withstand that level of scrutiny, particularly with his penchant for controversial statements. Which leaves Romney again. There is still a bit of time left and if any other candidate could effectively articulate that they are viable and effectively hammer Romney (which no one has been able to do yet, despite the prevalence of issues to beat over his head) they could wind up with the nomination.

I completely agree with this assessment. It's a testament to how weak the R field is that Romney has remained the frontrunner this entire time. I do not believe he is a guy the base of the GOP wants to nominate.

I think a lot of primary voters are gritting their teeth and holding their nose at the thought of a Romney nomination, but there simply hasn't been another viable option. When Rick Perry entered the race he immediately jumped to the front in polls and the enthusiasm was palpable. I think many thought they had the one they were looking for. But his flame died quickly after his debate performances. His support fled to Cain, again in the continuing quest to nominate anyone but Romney. But, now that Cain is a frontrunner the scrutiny will be amplified and his 9-9-9 plan will be heavily parsed and attacked. I'm not sold that Cain can withstand that level of scrutiny, particularly with his penchant for controversial statements. Which leaves Romney again. There is still a bit of time left and if any other candidate could effectively articulate that they are viable and effectively hammer Romney (which no one has been able to do yet, despite the prevalence of issues to beat over his head) they could wind up with the nomination.

 

That's a very thorough, and I believe spot-on, analysis. The conservative wing of the GOP (I would be included in this group) has sought a nominee other than Romney. One person I think you didn't include was Bachmann, who was doing very well early on. Perry's entrance to the race caused her supporters to go to him. Then, as you stated, Perry performed poorly in debates while Cain did well, and now it seems that he is the guy. For me personally, I've favored Cain over the rest for a while now and never really supported neither Bachmann nor Perry. I still have reservations about Cain (namely foreign policy), but if the primary were today, he'd likely get my vote.

 

It'll be interesting to see how Cain handles being at the front of the pack instead of the rear. But the drastic shifting in poll numbers (going both up and down) for three candidates (Perry, Bachmann, Cain) reveals that one sect of the party doesn't really want Romney & they're looking for a viable alternative. If Cain does come back down to earth (and I believe he will) & Romney lands the nomination, it'll be interesting to see how much support he gets as we head into the general election. Will conservative voters such as myself put aside their strong reservations about Romney for sake of removing Obama, or will they stand their ground & perhaps ensure Obama's re-election?

 

I know a lot is said about the Independent voter being what swings the election, but if Romney is the GOP nominee I'm thinking you'll have to add the conservative vote in with the Independents. That's part of why I think Obama wins...I'm thinking that even though Romney will definitely sway some Independents, he won't have the conservative base to pull off a victory.

That's a very thorough, and I believe spot-on, analysis. The conservative wing of the GOP (I would be included in this group) has sought a nominee other than Romney. One person I think you didn't include was Bachmann, who was doing very well early on. Perry's entrance to the race caused her supporters to go to him. Then, as you stated, Perry performed poorly in debates while Cain did well, and now it seems that he is the guy. For me personally, I've favored Cain over the rest for a while now and never really supported neither Bachmann nor Perry. I still have reservations about Cain (namely foreign policy), but if the primary were today, he'd likely get my vote.

 

It'll be interesting to see how Cain handles being at the front of the pack instead of the rear. But the drastic shifting in poll numbers (going both up and down) for three candidates (Perry, Bachmann, Cain) reveals that one sect of the party doesn't really want Romney & they're looking for a viable alternative. If Cain does come back down to earth (and I believe he will) & Romney lands the nomination, it'll be interesting to see how much support he gets as we head into the general election. Will conservative voters such as myself put aside their strong reservations about Romney for sake of removing Obama, or will they stand their ground & perhaps ensure Obama's re-election?

 

I know a lot is said about the Independent voter being what swings the election, but if Romney is the GOP nominee I'm thinking you'll have to add the conservative vote in with the Independents. That's part of why I think Obama wins...I'm thinking that even though Romney will definitely sway some Independents, he won't have the conservative base to pull off a victory.

 

I think any candidate opposing Obama can count on conservative turnout. I just can't imagine a scenario where they sit at home with Obama on the ballot.

 

That's where I think the McCain campaign went horribly wrong. That was a terrible electoral environment for Republicans, but Obama wasn't invincible, as some seem to suggest, and McCain was the GOP's most electable candidate, mainly because he had the stigma of being a pragmatic moderate with a history of being unafraid of breaking ranks with Republicans (at the risk of being redundant, those were assets during the 2008 cycle). Yet, McCain spent most of the campaign toiling to prove he was far more conservative than he or his record showed. The campaign's thinking was that he was too moderate and conservative's wouldn't turn out for him. Sarah Palin, again in contrast to popular thinking, was not the singular cause of his demise, but was evidence of his strategy, one that had begun many months before her selection. At the end of the day, conservatives were fired up and Obama cleaned house. So, if Romney were to win the nomination, he needs to convince those folks who voted for Obama last cycle and are utterly dissatisfied now - of which there are many and I do not mean liberals who think Obama has been too conservative - that he's the guy they can trust to right the ship. If he spends the election catering to conservative or Tea Party issues, those voters might find Obama to be the lesser of two evils. And to be clear, the rampant dissatisfaction is the result of the US economy riding in the gutter (which I think has fueled both the Tea Party and OWS movements) not because most believe Obama is satan incarnate. I think many pundits have that backwards.

A R buddy of mine made the bolded point to me Monday night over some of Ky's finest liquid products. When I pointed out to him how absolutely lathered up the loudest part of the base is against President Obama and such will cause them to turn out to vote for almost any R candidate (even me), he shuddered and said I was right. LN for President I say!

 

That's my point. He might get the support of the loudest part of the party but in the end he may be what the Rs need to take over the WH.

I think any candidate opposing Obama can count on conservative turnout. I just can't imagine a scenario where they sit at home with Obama on the ballot.

 

:thumb:

 

That is why Romney is the guy that can beat Obama. He's the one that might be able to get enough of the independents to swing it in his favor. The dislike of Obama will be enough to drive the conservative vote for any GOP nominee.

 

I don't think a single other person in the GOP race can win the general election against him.

 

The GOP didn't love McCain either. You can say they liked him better than Romney, but that's not really the point. The point is they'll turn out for him in the general election, just like they did for McCain. If necessary, Romney can pick a VP candidate to stir up and appease the base, like McCain did with Palin. Although hopefully Romney puts a little more thought into his selection.

:thumb:

 

That is why Romney is the guy that can beat Obama. He's the one that might be able to get enough of the independents to swing it in his favor. The dislike of Obama will be enough to drive the conservative vote for any GOP nominee.

 

I don't think a single other person in the GOP race can win the general election against him.

 

The GOP didn't love McCain either. You can say they liked him better than Romney, but that's not really the point. The point is they'll turn out for him in the general election, just like they did for McCain. If necessary, Romney can pick a VP candidate to stir up and appease the base, like McCain did with Palin. Although hopefully Romney puts a little more thought into his selection.

 

Oh dear Lord, please don't let Romney if he wins the primary pick someone like Palin. I originally liked the choice of Palin. Then she opened her mouth. Boy was I wrong about her. I'll admit it. I was way wrong. McCain may have gotten the far right vote by naming Palin, but he substantially lost the moderate/independent vote.

 

I don't think Romney if he wins the primary will need a VP that can stir up and appease the base (if by base you mean the far right wing). I believe President Obama has done that already. Some of that from the far right is very unfair to President Obama in my opinion. But they are stirred up nonetheless and they are going to vote for Romney if he wins the primary unless he chooses Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid as his VP. If I was Romney, I'd select a moderate to slightly conservative VP. Nothing to alienate the moderate Rs and Ds or the independents who I think will support Romney.

^How about Herman Cain as his VP nom?

^How about Herman Cain as his VP nom?

 

Virtually no purpose. The only thing he has going for him is his business resume. Something that Romney beats him on. It may get him the right wing vote but he can get that with Rubio or someone else that is popular with the right wing but also has legislative experience to help out in Washington.

I think any candidate opposing Obama can count on conservative turnout. I just can't imagine a scenario where they sit at home with Obama on the ballot.

 

The dislike of Obama will be enough to drive the conservative vote for any GOP nominee.

 

You guys may be right. I'm just not so certain conservatives will support Romney enough to win what I believe will be a tight general election. I don't trust Romney & have long stated I will not vote for him. I know I'm not alone in that sentiment. I just don't know how many others there are like me.

 

Virtually no purpose. The only thing he has going for him is his business resume. Something that Romney beats him on. It may get him the right wing vote but he can get that with Rubio or someone else that is popular with the right wing but also has legislative experience to help out in Washington.

 

I think Rubio is the first choice for Veep, whomever wins the GOP nomination.

Edit. Double post.

I think Rubio is the first choice for Veep, whomever wins the GOP nomination.

 

In a recent interview, Rubio says he will not accept the nomination of VP. Makes sense. Most people that want to be President won't take a VP spot. What makes me believe him is the fact that he is young. But who knows, a lot could happen.