The three major candidates are Governor Romneycare, the man who provided the model for Obamacare, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum.
Rick Santorum’s nephew tells us:
When Republicans were spending so much money under President Bush, my uncle was right there along with them
Rick Santorum’s claim to fiscal conservatism is that he supported Clinton on welfare reform. Unfortunately he also supported Bush on pissing away mortgage money on deadbeat borrowers. Paul is the only one in the race who opposed the financial crisis before it happened.
Paul is the only Not Romney that survived under fire. We shall see how Rick Santorum does when he comes under fire. He is already being monstered as Bush the third. If Rick Santorum goes down under fire, then Ron Paul will be the only Not Romney remaining.
I was under the impression that neither Paul nor Santorum were frontrunners outside of Iowa
In this early stage of the primary selection process, there usually is a large bandwagon effect. Since the leftmost candidate has done poorly, we are now seeing the mass media argue that there is not a bandwagon effect, and there should not be a bandwagon effect, that Iowans are a bunch of redneck racists.
Paul and Santorum will not win. Gingrich and Perry are not out of this. Don’t forget the McCain lesson of ’08.
I thought that the McCain lesson was that a conservative split leads to a leftist being nominated for Republican presidential candidate, and a left Republican cannot win, because the base stays home. What lesson did you have in mind?
The lesson I was referring to is running a campaign that looks like its dead, and come from behind to win the nomination. My suggestion is that Gingrich and Perry may still come through. Perry has (some) money and Gingrich won’t go until he has to.
McCain, like Romney, was always the official establishment candidate, therefore his campaign never looked dead, or even in any great danger of losing, even though it was obvious that most republicans disliked him as much as they dislike Romney.
Perry and Gingrich had a shot at being the official establishment candidate, if they were able to fool enough of those horrid right wing republicans. They were not, so the official establishment is sticking with Romney, and is going to shove him down the party’s throat one way or another way no matter how those horrid right wing Republicans vote.
The interesting issue is how far they are going to have to stretch the rules to get the predetermined result.
I thought the lesson that may be proposed given the content of this blog was much simpler.
The left singularity that moves forever leftward and then collapses.
Paul will not get elected, thus the singularity continues.
Yes, given endless movement left, a guaranteed win for either Governor Romneycare, or “caring conservative” Santorum
What I find interesting but far from surprising is that the usual conservative talk radio outlets simply do not acknowledge Ron Paul. Hannity is a good example. Anybody is better than Obama, except Paul, he says.
Just yesterday that nut was talking about Gingrich and Romney. Paul could have been dead for all they cared. He was “nuts”.
Conservatives (that is to say leftists) don’t like him. Where is his base?
Santorum on the other hand, if you watch his debates, says next to nothing. With each passing word he says less and less. Not only that, he’s full of shit. Looks full of shit. Is full of shit.
How this goof “won” the latest poll really says something about the ordinary “right-leaning” person in America today.
But maybe not.
Romney is not better than Obama, since he is almost as far left as Obama, and a far left Republican president moves the Overton Window, whereas a far left Democrat does not. The election of a president Romneycare will make all of Obama’s changes permanent and irreversible.
Fortunately Romney’s “corporate raider” past makes him unelectable, so if Mitt Romneycare gets nominated, we wind up with a Republican House and Senate, but a continuing Obama presidency.
So at this stage of the game, the choice is between Paul, who would massively move the Overton Window back towards 1776, and Obama Romneycare, who would move the Overton window closer to socialism and economic collapse.
The most ardent of Ron Paul’s followers think the US government is too big when it has more people than the secret number Ron Paul has written on his magic anti-alien hemp underpants.