News Is Mitt Romney the Right Choice for the GOP in 2024?

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The discussion centers on Mitt Romney's viability as the GOP candidate for 2024, with mixed opinions on his candidacy. Some participants express skepticism about his character and ability to appeal to voters, particularly due to his past decisions, such as implementing universal health coverage in Massachusetts. Concerns are raised about the lack of strong alternatives within the GOP, with some suggesting that candidates like Jon Huntsman are overlooked. The conversation also touches on the need for a candidate who can effectively challenge the current administration while presenting a coherent policy plan. Overall, there is a sense of disappointment in the current GOP options and a desire for a candidate who embodies true fiscal conservatism and moderate social views.
  • #691
I think it is way too early to speculate about VP picks, especially since none of the candidates who ran could help Romney. When is it ever who the media speculates it to be?
 
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  • #692
phoenix:\\ said:
most find the Ryan budget plan revolting, ...
Do you really mean "most", or "some"?
 
  • #694
The 58% with the "don't like" opinion 58% is a bit short of 'revolting'.
 
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  • #695
A bit short of not being on the list. The outrage from the Catholic church and democrats is why I labeled it "revolting" as I was concerning their position.
 
  • #696
phoenix:\\ said:
As for how he wins it? How about no attack ads, and focusing primarily on policies he plans to enact? I believe ignoring the probable attack ads from Obama's camp and restructuring the campaign around prosperity in the form of non-vague terminology like "hope", "change", etc..., and just "this is what I will do 'insert policy', and this is the effect it will have..." show more positives about your plans and speak more frequently about them. In my opinion that will usurp any attack ads Obama's superpac puts out as they will be focusing on the negatives of Romney's past.

In the debates Obama will go after Romney's lack of plan and that will be his major downfall in my opinion, if he doesn't start pushing his agenda more often. That is why I believe negative attack ads are backwards in that they speak little of the candidate and more of the other camp. It does nothing but prolongs an inevitable soap opera that I, or anyone else, should begin to care less for if at all.

You miss three points:

1. There will be an equal number of super-pacs focusing on the presidents record and negatives from his past. Most voters will not distinguish between ads by the candidates and super-pac ads.

2. Nobody likes negative ads but they work. Without negative ads Newt would be the GOP nominee.

3. Character doesn't count in presidential elections. If it did, McCain would be running for re-election. If not for the 22nd amendment, Bill Clinton might be running for his 5th term!

Skippy
 
  • #697
skippy1729 said:
Nobody likes negative ads but they work.
I should run for office. Between my positive ads for myself and my opponent's negative ads against me, no one will even know my opponent's name.
 
  • #698
Jimmy Snyder said:
I should run for office. Between my positive ads for myself and my opponent's negative ads against me, no one will even know my opponent's name.
I'd vote for you. You might destroy the country, but you'd have everyone laughing about it. :biggrin:
 
  • #699
Evo said:
I'd vote for you. You might destroy the country, but you'd have everyone laughing about it. :biggrin:

"Vote For Me; Jimmy's A Nice Name!"
 
  • #700
Wouldn't selecting Rubio help Romney narrow the gap between him and Obama with Latino voters? (Obama leads Romney among Latinos 69% to 22%)

Or would selecting a VP of Cuban ancestry just point out the fact that undocumented Cuban immigrants receive different treatment than other undocumented immigrants? Measures to curb illegal immigration are aimed primarily towards Mexican immigrants, while there's little to no effort made to curb illegal immigration among other groups.

At least Rubio would help Romney among Cuban-Americans in Florida. On the other hand, Cuban-Americans in Florida have voted heavily Republican ever since Kennedy's Bay of Pigs.

How Arizona reacts to a win in the US Supreme Court could be more important than Romney's VP choice. If the criteria for having to prove one's legal status depends solely on whether a person looks Mexican or has a Mexican name, and results in the harrassment of too many American citizens of Mexican descent, being associated with that bill will doom Romney's chances among Latinos, especially in Arizona, but Colorado is also a toss-up state with a large population of American citizens with Mexican ancestry.

Disclaimer: My son-in-law is of Mexican descent on his father's side, and I would not be very fond of any policy that resulted in my grandkids being harrassed by police simply because of the name on their drivers license.
 
  • #701
BobG, I think many recent immigrants from Mexico aren't strongly aware of the US political climate or which side favors or opposes what, except for the immigration issue. Mexican newspapers play up this issue.

You must also understand that Mexican history classes teach that a large portion of the US southwest used to belong to Mexico and that the US stole that land from them. I believe the truth is closer to the US forced Mexico to sign over the land under duress. I checked my own history books from middle school and they simply say the US acquired the land from Mexico. This is really a sore point with Mexicans and in their minds gives them the right to cross the border illegally.

Given the many negative news stories they see about how Texas and Arizona treat illegals, I doubt that a Cuban vice presidential candidate would sway many Mexican immigrant voters.

Disclaimer: My wife and daughter were both born in Mexico and are naturalized US citizens. I have lived on the US-Mexico border and worked in Mexico for 5 years. I travel to Mexico regularly and read the newspapers which gives me a feel for how Mexicans view the US.
 
  • #702
BobG said:
Wouldn't selecting Rubio help Romney narrow the gap between him and Obama with Latino voters? (Obama leads Romney among Latinos 69% to 22%)

Or would selecting a VP of Cuban ancestry just point out the fact that undocumented Cuban immigrants receive different treatment than other undocumented immigrants? Measures to curb illegal immigration are aimed primarily towards Mexican immigrants, while there's little to no effort made to curb illegal immigration among other groups

At least Rubio would help Romney among Cuban-Americans in Florida. On the other hand, Cuban-Americans in Florida have voted heavily Republican ever since Kennedy's Bay of Pigs.

...
I hope the coming campaign sees a minimum of this kind of Sen Rubio-is-different-from-other-Hispanics, he's-Cuban, ethnic division message, aka the Tio Tomas message.

As to this
BobG said:
...Measures to curb illegal immigration are aimed primarily towards Mexican immigrants, while there's little to no effort made to curb illegal immigration among other groups.
Yes the US southern border is the largest illegal entry point and gathers most of the prevention resources, but the "Mexican" (versus Latin American) and "little or no" characterizations go too far:

FAS said:
...The number of Cubans intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard or the U.S. Border Patrol reached a post-Mariel high of almost 40,000 in 1994...
...
Although the vast majority of foreign nationals apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol agents are Mexican nationals, apprehensions of unauthorized migrants from other countries have more than quadrupled in recent years.
 
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  • #703
mheslep said:
I hope the coming campaign sees a minimum of this kind of Sen Rubio-is-different-from-other-Hispanics, he's-Cuban

I too would like to see more of a focus on the issues rather than on ethnicity, however I also strongly dislike the use of Hispanic as a race, as in black, white or Hispanic. Lumping all people who speak Spanish into one cultural group makes about as much sense as lumping all French speakers together, combining French, Congolese Canadians and Haitians, among others, into one cultural group.
 
  • #704
Jimmy Snyder said:
I should run for office. Between my positive ads for myself and my opponent's negative ads against me, no one will even know my opponent's name.

Let's be real here.

If negative advertising didn't work, why would it be used so commonly?

Many people don't vote for the best candidate. They often vote for the candidate that isn't the candidate they don't like.
 
  • #705
jduster said:
Let's be real here.

If negative advertising didn't work, why would it be used so commonly?

Many people don't vote for the best candidate. They often vote for the candidate that isn't the candidate they don't like.
Quick, what is the name of my opponent?
 
  • #706
Sorry, too slow. Quick, what's my name?
 
  • #707
Wouldn't selecting Rubio help Romney narrow the gap between him and Obama with Latino voters? (Obama leads Romney among Latinos 69% to 22%)

No, that gap is too large to close up between this time and the election. Obama would literally have to insult all of Hispanics heavily in order for Romney to see the gap close. Selecting Rubio (who, mind you, is of Cuban descent) wouldn't help Romney's campaign either.

I am seriously doubting Romney now that he has assigned to his campaign of foreign policy advisers Bush's old crew. To me that is a huge misstep and doesn't look good. I am doubting my decision because of these idiotic actions he is taking.
 
  • #708
Romney is looking weak and rudderless, IMO. He has tacked hard to the right during the primaries, but he doesn't have the credentials to back that up. He'll have to shift hard-left for the general election, and that will prompt Republicans to stay home in November, absent compelling local races. This could be a year in which the coat-tails are turned so that down-ticket races might help his party, but he could hurt Republicans in local races.

I could be entirely wrong about this, but the 2012 election season looks to be messy.
 
  • #709
phoenix:\\ said:
... Hispanics heavily in order for Romney to see the gap close. Selecting Rubio (who, mind you, is of Cuban descent) wouldn't help Romney's campaign either.
Why not? He's very popular.
 
  • #710
mheslep said:
Why not? He's very popular.

There's a big difference between the treatment Cubans get, and the treatment other Hispanics get, wrt immigration.

When it comes to immigrating to the United States, Cubans get preferred status. Thanks to the Cuban Adjustment Act, which was enacted in 1966 -- or four years after Rubio's grandfather came to the United States -- Cuban refugees who flee the Island and reach the U.S. shoreline have a clear path to legal residency and eventual citizenship.

Mexican immigrants aren't so fortunate. So when Cuban-Americans do what Rubio has done since arriving in the Senate 16 months ago and take a hardline against illegal immigration, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans have been known to cringe. After all, that's easy for them to say.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/26/opinion/navarrette-rubio-vp/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7
 
  • #711
turbo said:
Romney is looking weak and rudderless, IMO. He has tacked hard to the right during the primaries, but he doesn't have the credentials to back that up. He'll have to shift hard-left for the general election, and that will prompt Republicans to stay home in November, absent compelling local races. This could be a year in which the coat-tails are turned so that down-ticket races might help his party, but he could hurt Republicans in local races.

I could be entirely wrong about this, but the 2012 election season looks to be messy.

Why would Romney have to shift hard-left? He'll have to shift to the center I would think.
 
  • #712
lisab said:
There's a big difference between the treatment Cubans get, and the treatment other Hispanics get, wrt immigration.



http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/26/opinion/navarrette-rubio-vp/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7


CNN said:
...After all, that's easy for them [Cubans] to say.
Easy? I think that's a bit silly. After living under a dictatorship and crossing 90 miles of shark infested ocean, where if they don't drown then more likely than not the US coast guard will pick them up and turn them back, then sure, they get some breaks, as do other immigrants to the US from other oppressive countries.

gal_revolucioncubana_boat.jpg


Also: apparently legal visa immigration from Mexico and El Salvador total ~75K per year, Cuba 3K.
 
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  • #713
turbo said:
Romney is looking weak and rudderless, IMO.
I have to agree. Compared to, say, Obama, Romney seems to me to be a relative lightweight.

What we can count on wrt a Romney presidency, imo, is the maximization of the power and influence of the financial sector. The very thing that has almost crippled the American, and world, economy.

Imho, Romney is a dangerous man. I sincerely believe that his election would contribute to the apparent downward trend of the US.

Though, I do agree with his statements regarding the limiting of immigrants -- which, interestingly, seem to be at odds with those of one who's touted as being a prime candidate for his vice president ... Rubio.
 
  • #714
Oltz said:
Just to refresh everyone on the Romney plan. Ohh and to mention that he actually has a fairly detailed plan something that we still have never seen from the current administration unless we "pass it so we can read it".

I have just re read the PDF detailing each of these points and must honestly say I can not out right shoot down any of them which I was suprised by. Can someone like Evo or another more "liberal" person please actually read the 59 points and maybe even the entire PDF and give a real "dem" review ?

I still am not sure what I think of Romney, but these seem like sane and reasonable points. The simple existence of a coherent plan makes me feel better about him and his team.

http://mittromney.com/sites/default/files/shared/BelieveInAmerica-PlanForJobsAndEconomicGrowth-Full.pdf

59 Policy Proposals That Will Get America Back To Work
1. Maintain current tax rates on personal income
2. Maintain current tax rates on interest, dividends, and capital gains
3. Eliminate taxes for taxpayers with AGI below $200,000 on interest, dividends, and capital gains
4. Eliminate the death tax
5. Pursue a conservative overhaul of the tax system over the long term that includes lower,
flatter rates on a broader base
6. Reduce corporate income tax rate to 25 percent
7. Pursue transition from “worldwide” to “territorial” system for corporate taxation
8. Repeal Obamacare
9. Repeal Dodd-Frank and replace with streamlined, modern regulatory framework
10. Amend Sarbanes-Oxley to relieve mid-size companies from onerous requirements
11. Ensure that environmental laws properly account for cost in regulatory process
12 Provide multi-year lead times before companies must come into compliance with
onerous new environmental regulations
13. Initiate review and elimination of all Obama-era regulations that unduly burden the economy
14. Impose a regulatory cap of zero dollars on all federal agencies
15. Require congressional approval of all new “major” regulations
16. Reform legal liability system to prevent spurious litigation
17. Implement agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea
18. Reinstate the president’s Trade Promotion Authority
19. Complete negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership
20. Pursue new trade agreements with nations committed to free enterprise and open markets
21. Create the Reagan Economic Zone
22. Increase CBP resources to prevent the illegal entry of goods into our market
23. Increase USTR resources to pursue and support litigation against unfair trade practices
24. Use unilateral and multilateral punitive measures to deter unfair Chinese practices
25. Designate China a currency manipulator and impose countervailing duties
26. Discontinue U.S. government procurement from China until China commits to GPA
27. Establish fixed timetables for all resource development approvals
28. Create one-stop shop to streamline permitting process for approval of common activities
29. Implement fast-track procedures for companies with established safety records to conduct
pre-approved activities in pre-approved areas
30. Amend Clean Air Act to exclude carbon dioxide from its purview
31. Expand NRC capabilities for approval of additional nuclear reactor designs
32. Streamline NRC processes to ensure that licensing decisions for reactors on or adjacent to
approved sites, using approved designs, are complete within two years
33. Conduct comprehensive survey of America’s energy reserves
34. Open America’s energy reserves for development
35. Expand opportunities for U.S. resource developers to forge partnerships with neighboring countries
36 Support construction of pipelines to bring Canadian oil to the United States
37. Prevent overregulation of shale gas development and extraction
38 Concentrate alternative energy funding on basic research
39. Utilize long-term, apolitical funding mechanisms like ARPA-E for basic research
40. Appoint to the NLRB experienced individuals with respect for the rule of law
41. Amend NLRA to explicitly protect the right of business owners to allocate their capital as they see fit
42. Amend NLRA to guarantee the secret ballot in every union certification election
43. Amend NLRA to guarantee that all pre-election campaigns last at least one month
44. Support states in pursuing Right-to-Work laws
45. Prohibit the use for political purposes of funds automatically deducted from worker paychecks
46. Reverse executive orders issued by President Obama that tilt the playing field toward organized labor
47. Eliminate redundancy in federal retraining programs by consolidating programs and funding streams,
centering as much activity as possible in a single agency
48. Give states authority to manage retraining programs by block granting federal funds
49. Facilitate the creation of Personal Reemployment Accounts
50. Encourage greater private sector involvement in retraining programs
51. Raise visa caps for highly skilled workers
52. Grant permanent residency to eligible graduates with advanced degrees in math, science,
and engineering
53. Immediately cut non-security discretionary spending by 5 percent
54. Reform and restructure Medicaid as block grant to states
55. Align wages and benefits of government workers with market rates
56. Reduce federal workforce by 10 percent via attrition
57. Cap federal spending at 20 percent of GDP
58. Undertake fundamental restructuring of government programs and services
59. Pursue a Balanced Budget Amendment
Which is not possible?
 
  • #715
Rajput9572 said:
Which is not possible?
What's your point?
 
  • #716
How often has a primary for the Presidency had all but one candidate drop out this far ahead of the convention? Romney is the only (viable) person running and the convention isn't until August. He has no one to campaign against (in the primaries), that should save him tons of money.
 
  • #717
Evo said:
How often has a primary for the Presidency had all but one candidate drop out this far ahead of the convention? Romney is the only (viable) person running and the convention isn't until August. He has no one to campaign against (in the primaries), that should save him tons of money.

We can look as recently as 2008 for the Republicans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republ...,_2008#Withdrew_or_suspended_during_primaries

Everybody who took at least 3rd place in one state was out of the race by the middle of March, except for Ron Paul
 
  • #719
Did you know Mitt is short for Mittens? Mittens Romney, what silly parents he has!
 
  • #720
http://www.alice965.com/Pics/Stupid%20News/mitt-romney-mittens-the-cat-for-president.jpg

Btw, is that list of policy proposals serious?

I mean, I see two or three non-insane ideas, like easing regulations on nuclear power plants... but the rest? That's like a Reagan-era middle finger to everyone earning less than half a mil a year, isn't it?
 
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