Who will the Republicans choose in '08?

[wasteofo2]

Just for the sake of taking shots in the dark, why not make some predictions for what'll happen in about 3 year's time?

Should he run, I think (hope) Hagel will win the primary season, but hell, who woulda thought that John Kerry would win the Democratic nomination...

And on the topic, would any of the Republicans here want Frist or Gingrich as the presidential nominee?

 

[mattmns]

I think they will probably pick McCain. Also, what about the governator? lol

 

[wasteofo2]

I think they will probably pick McCain. Also, what about the governator? lol

Well, I was thinking McCain might be too old to want to run or for people to want him in office, but hell, Republicans seemed fine with Reagan, and I've heard anecdotal evidence that he had Alzheimers in office.

"The Governator" wasn't born in America, and there's hardly a chance that all the crap that needs to be done for a constitutional ammendment to pass through would pass to allow foreign born people to run for president.

 

[check]

*sigh* They're all losers... Cept McCain... McCain kicks ass... Other might be cool too, but I'll need to read up on him a bit more :p

Oh what the heck, I'll pick Rudy. He probably has more star power than anyone on that list...Cept McCain... McCain kicks ass.

And this is what two nights without sleep does to you. Forgive me.

 

[enigma]

They sent _Jeb_ over to Indonesia after the Tsunami.

Fair warning: They're running him in '08

 

[Polly]

I read somewhere that Jeb would be a sensible choice, given his brother will need to have many sensitive dossiers kept in the dark.

 

[cronxeh]

Condi Rice? you kidding right. After such a fiasco of 9/11 I don't think she'll ever hold an office again


Edit: I don't see Colin Powell in there. He is a good candidate

 

[kcballer21]

How is it that the Bush family is so presidential?

 

[Polly]

A good, thought provoking question.

 

[selfAdjoint]

How is it that the Bush family is so presidential?

Same as the Kennedies. They will pull any dirty trick to get to the White House, and they help each other out. Jeb was essential to Dubya getting in, so the clan owes him. And they'll rally round in '08. The mafia would understand perfectly.

 

[wasteofo2]

Condi Rice? you kidding right. After such a fiasco of 9/11 I don't think she'll ever hold an office again

If you mean that you doubt she'll hold office because 9/11 happened while she was national security advisor, consider the fact that 9/11 happened while George Bush was president, and he got to hold office again. If you're talking about the crap that went on with her and the 9/11 investigation, I don't see that as really affecting her chances to run for President, again, considering that 9/11 happened on Bush's watch and he was re-elected.

Though, the fact that she's a cranky ***** might hurt her...

Edit: I don't see Colin Powell in there. He is a good candidate

He's gone from politics forever now, and he's said he will not run for President. There was considerable buzz around him possibly running in '96, but he declined then and has said he wants to just be a normal person now.

 

[member 5645]

McCain is old and a party traitor (to many, not myself). He's out for 2008.

 

[Gokul43201]

Hagel, McCain, Giuliani...are you guys kidding me ? There's no way conservatives will vote for a dissenter, a loudmouth or a liberal !

 

[Andromeda321]

Jeb might run but I do not see him as being able to win. People can accept two people running for president from the same family (precedent set with Adams, would've been followed by the Kennedys) but if it's three people in a short span of time it sounds way too much like a dynasty. Even if I find I agree with his policies I would not vote for him for this reason; irrational as it might sound. I don't like the precedent it would set.
I also think people are ignoring George Pataki possibly running in '08. The mere fact that he's the governor of New York is more then enough reason for Republicans to want him to run.

 

[russ_watters]

I voted John McCain, but that's mostly wishful thinking...

 

[wasteofo2]

McCain is old and a party traitor (to many, not myself). He's out for 2008.

From the perspective of someone who's not a hard-line Republican, not being totally loyal to your party can be a huge advantage. I'd vote for McCain if he ran in '08, and if I'd vote for him, imagine who else would...

 

[wasteofo2]

Jeb might run but I do not see him as being able to win. People can accept two people running for president from the same family (precedent set with Adams, would've been followed by the Kennedys) but if it's three people in a short span of time it sounds way too much like a dynasty. Even if I find I agree with his policies I would not vote for him for this reason; irrational as it might sound. I don't like the precedent it would set.
I also think people are ignoring George Pataki possibly running in '08. The mere fact that he's the governor of New York is more then enough reason for Republicans to want him to run.

I hope Jeb wouldn't be able to win if he gets the nomination, but you never know...

And about Pataki, he's not that impressive, our Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, was beating him 50-38 in a hypothetical Governor's race before he even officially announced he'd run for the governorship.

Hagel, McCain, Giuliani...are you guys kidding me ? There's no way conservatives will vote for a dissenter, a loudmouth or a liberal !

Keep in mind the primary schedule, Iowa, a moderate state goes first, followed by New Hampshire, a very free-thinking and independent state. Plus, Russ Waters wanted McCain, I don't think one would call Russ a liberal...

But hell, maybe I'm putting too much creedence into what voters want and not enough into what the political machine wants. Afterall, who would have thought Conservatives would vote for a former coke-head/alcoholic.

 

[BobG]

I'm hoping for Hagel. I wouldn't exactly categorize Hagel as a dissenter. I think Iraq is kind of a special case - dissent from people like Hagel or Lugar, based on intel, tend to lend credence to the fact that Iraq was a mistake rather than label Hagel or Lugar as dissenters.

McCain would be older than Reagan was, so you can't exactly use Reagan's age as a precedent.

Frist is the most likely alternative to Hagel and I definitely don't like him.

Guliani is still riding momentum from the way he handled 9/11, but I still think he's a long shot for nomination.

Jeb might not be presidential material, but how about his son as the first Hispanic president (Jeb's wife is Hispanic).

 

[loseyourname]

I honestly don't understand how anyone could vote against Giuliani after the absolute renassaince the city of New York went through under his reign. That said, I know he has no chance. The party base wants a preacher, not a leader. I still voted for him.

 

[wasteofo2]

I'm hoping for Hagel. I wouldn't exactly categorize Hagel as a dissenter. I think Iraq is kind of a special case - dissent from people like Hagel or Lugar, based on intel, tend to lend credence to the fact that Iraq was a mistake rather than label Hagel or Lugar as dissenters.

I don't know all too much about Hagel, but from what I've heard of him and from him, I think I would categorize him as a dissenter. Unless I misunderstood you, you seem to be using dissenter as a negative word, wheras I think freely voicing dissent is one of the best characteristics a politician can have. Would you rather vote for someone who went along with the party platform, smoothed over differences of opinion with party leadership, over-exagerated positives and denied/under-exagerated negatives, or someone who acknowledged when things were going wrong, said it regardless of who was listening, and helped fight to change them.

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."
-Thomas Jefferson

 

[wasteofo2]

I honestly don't understand how anyone could vote against Giuliani after the absolute renassaince the city of New York went through under his reign. That said, I know he has no chance. The party base wants a preacher, not a leader. I still voted for him.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, Republicans, I beg of you, PLEASE nominate someone like Hagel or Guliani or McCain. Please, try your darndest to get the men you really think would do well elected. I would be so ecstatic, probabally the whole country would be so ecstatic, if you guys nominated someone like that, as opposed to someone that 30% of the country would love and 30% would hate.

 

[Gokul43201]

If Giuliani runs, I can see a lot of moderates/liberals registering as Republicans.

 

[BobG]

If Giuliani runs, I can see a lot of moderates/liberals registering as Republicans.

That's an interesting prospect. I usually think of the more liberal dems when I think of the Democratic Party.

Moderate Democrats switching to the Republican Party would an interesting and unexpected response to Bush, and it would probably have a bigger impact than Dems putting up their prototype candidate.

For the last election, I'd considered swapping parties, but the chance the nomination would still be in doubt by time Colorado's primary came around wasn't worth the fact that the only important local candidate elections are the Republican primaries - Dems have no chance (the statewide election of Salazar for Senator being the exception).

I don't know all too much about Hagel, but from what I've heard of him and from him, I think I would categorize him as a dissenter.

Hagel's not afraid to speak his mind. I guess what I meant is that he is a pretty mainstream Republican, so the opportunity doesn't present itself that often - as opposed to someone like Specter, who might fit in better with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party (of course, then he'd probably be categorized as a Democratic dissenter because of the views he does share with Republicans).

 

[Moonbear]

Well, I don't know if the Republicans as a party will pick Giuliani, but I picked Giuliani. Why am I not sure they'll pick him? What has he been doing since being mayor of NYC? He's got this big gap in his record now, which I thought might be to keep him free for a cabinet appointment or a bid for Congress, but that hasn't happened. With the direction the party has gone under the Bush administration, I'm not sure they'd nominate someone as comparatively liberal as Giuliani either.

On the other hand, he'd really draw in the moderate democratic vote (any Republican that can win NYC definitely has strong democratic support), and depending on who the democrats toss out against him, he could possibly sweep the democratic vote.

The only thing I'd find funny about having Giuliani as a president is that I'd be laughing over the NY accent every time he gave a speech!

 

[Mattius_]

please let it be newt...

 

[Gokul43201]

Well, I don't know if the Republicans as a party will pick Giuliani, but I picked Giuliani.

Is everyone here voting for who they would like to have nominated ?

I thought the poll was about who the Republicans would nominate ? I really can't see how the republicans that voted in Bush will pick Giuliani or McCain. Bill Frist looks like just their kind of guy !

Frist still will not admit that HIV does not get transmitted through sweat. Or, if he did, it must have slipped past me.

 

[wasteofo2]

Frist still will not admit that HIV does not get transmitted through sweat. Or, if he did, it must have slipped past me.

So? Bush still thinks that Homosexuals marrying will somehow affect the sanctity of heterosexual marriages...

 

[kawikdx225]

I thought the poll was about who the Republicans would nominate ? I really can't see how the republicans that voted in Bush will pick Giuliani or McCain. Bill Frist looks like just their kind of guy !

Given the choice of Bush vs Kerry I voted Bush due to Kerry's Far left history. But given the choice of Bush vs Giuliani I would have chosen Giuliani.

He would most likely get my vote in 08 if he runs.

 

[Gokul43201]

Fair enough. But I was thinking more along the lines of the 2000 Republican Primary, where GW trounced McCain in every state except Arizona, and the some of the bluest states (like in California and the New England States - where it was much closer).

And I wouldn't, in general, consider a Republican member of a physics forum a good representation of the demographic.

 

[GENIERE]

...And I wouldn't, in general, consider a Republican member of a physics forum a good representation of the demographic.

Well the engineering guys are more likely to have voted for the President.

URL: http://www.eet.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=31600006

From the link: "[I'm a] typical engineer — conservative."