Mitt Romney
Pros: Intelligent, popular, business-savvy former governor of Massachusetts.
Cons: Hate "Obamacare"? Than you'll hate "Romney Care". Additionally, the guy's a Mormon. Say goodbye to the evangelical vote.
Chances of Winning Primary: He's the front runner-for now. His reputation as a flip-flopper and a social liberal hurts him, though, in key primary states like Iowa and South Carolina.
Mike Huckabee
Pros: Charismatic former governor of a conservative state. Reaches a vast audience on Fox News. Also, Chuck Norris endorsed him.
Cons: His recent gaffes prove that he's not immune to misspeaking. Stuff about his pardoning of Maurice Clemmons is still circulating, indicating he might not be the most competent commander-in-chief.
Chances of Winning Primary: He's loved in evangelical states like Iowa. However, is influence starts to fade in a more progressive state like New Hampshire.
Sarah Palin:
Pros: Former governor of Alaska. I couldn't think of anything else to put here.
Cons: Palin is an incredibly polarizing figure, even within her own party. Besides that, she's an incompetent nincompoop with as much political experience as my own pinky finger.
Chances of Winning Primary: Some people love Sarah... most don't. 47% of Tea Party supporters believe she would not make an effective president- if she can't get the favor of her own group, than she probably can't win on 2012.
Former Minnasota Governor Tim Pawlenty:
Pros: He's the former Republican governor of a traditionally Democratic state. He appeals to a wide variety of voters, and does not make gaffes on the scale of Huckabee or Palin.
Cons: Tim Pawlenty who?
Chances of Winning Primary: Minimal. However, in a divided Republican primary like this, it would not be strange to see a dark horse gain ground. In the end, I just think he'd make a better VP candidate.
The Others:
Rick Perry: He's on the rise, and popular with Tea Party members. However, he faces a country weary of Texans after an experience with a certain former president (I won't say who).
Donald Trump: No. Way. In. Hell.
Hayley Barbour: Well-known Republican Governor. However, Americans haven't elected a President from the Deep South since Jimmy Carter.
Ron Paul: Libertarians love him- but everyone else doesn't understand his appeal or his seemingly crazy views.
Rand Paul: The tea party folks sure love him- however, centrists and independents will flee the party if he is the candidate.
Newt Gingrich: He still has the trust and adoration of his conservative stalwarts. However, his personal life is, well, complicated.
Mitch Daniels: Most people outside of the Midwest have never heard of Daniels, who is the governor of Indiana and a rising star nationally. If he does run, he would be a capable dark horse candidate.
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| Romney, Palin. and Huckabee |
I feel that your analysis of the candidates, while interesting to read, is thoroughly biased. You have nothing good to say about the candidates that you don't like. For example, Sarah Palin has many pros- she connects with ordinary people, she's folksy, and she's very personable, just to name a few. And you're totally wrong about Sarah Palin being inexperienced- she was the mayor of Wasilla, and she also ran the Alaska Oil & Gas Commission for five years, in which she successfully negotiated against the Alaska senate to implement additional oil and gas pipelines across the state. In addition, did you see how badly Romney lost to Huckabee in the 2008 primary? Huckabee is much more likely to appeal to the Republican base- Romney appears to be much more of a used car salesman.
ReplyDelete-Ishaan
Yes, Palin is personable. I've watched her reality series, and it was hard for me to stay mad at the hilarious, folksy grizzly mamma I saw with her loving family. However, you need to keep in mind the fact I displayed in my story: 47% of tea party members don't think she'd be an effective president- in the end, far-right wingers and evangelicals will just vote for Huckabee and Rand Paul. You bring up Huckabee beating Romney in the 2008 primaries- what are you smoking? Romney took 22.1% of the popular vote and Huckabee 20.8%. Romney won 11 states and Huckabee won 8. While Huckabee does great in crucial states like Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada, he gets his ass kicked in states like New Hampshire by Romney. Huckabee does well with gun-toting evangelicals, but loses big time in states that lack a large tea party presence. Also- Sarah Palin is experienced? She ran the crystal meth capitol of Alaska, took on some oil executives, and led the most obscure state in the union. Beyond that, she's a hockey mom beauty queen who used to be a sports announcer. Real experience.
ReplyDeleteFinally- I am biased, and you can see it in my writing. But I tried to say good things about these people who I mainly consider dark blotches on the beautiful tapestry of American democracy.
That is all. Please post an angry response, Ishaan.
-Nathan Weiser