God...Sailaway...I love JC Watts...wish he would pop up as a VP candidate or something. Now THAT would be a fun campaign...How about Fred Thompson and JC against any combination the Dems can come up with? Now that would be a one-two punch of charisma and substance!!
Free, is the heart, that lives not, in fear.
Full, is the spirit, that thinks not, of falling.
True, is the soul, that hesitates not, to give.
Alive, is the one, that believes, in love. JCP
tdw,
Bill Richardson is about as reasonable as a Democrat gets these days, with the possible exception of Joe Lieberman. That alone makes him unpalatable to the powers, as they currently be, in the Democratic Party. He could probably finesse his ties to the Clinton administration, and he is desirable because he is Hispanic, but he is not nearly left wing enough to survive (read, raise money) the Democratic primary. The money in Democratic party politics is in a race to the left, an area that a less known canidate like Richardson cannot go with out punting the general election. Right now, Obama is their show horse and Hillary has enough money to continue to appear middle of the road and still win the nomination. About all he can hope for is that Hillary and Obama end up in a conflagration, and he is left unscathed and looking like the most reasonable alternative. The one major hole card he has is that he is a Governor. The American people have a leariness of electing Senators to the presidency, and seem to have a marked preference for canidates with executive office experience, ie..governorships. the last Senator elected to the presidency was JFK! When I am wagering, I follow a little rule of never betting on the end of a streak. 44 years is a heck of a streak. A record of futility only eclipsed by the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Cubs. And, speaking of Chicago, it is widely acknowledged that JFK wouldn't have won without Cook County counting their votes in an "interesting" fashion. Who was the last Senator to win the White House before JFK? That's a head-scratcher, eh?
__________________
“Scientists are people who build the Brooklyn Bridge and then buy it.” Wm. F. Buckley, Jr.
It has occurred to me, that in discussing the differences between donkeys and elephants, one must determine if it is about their philosophical underpinnings, or their actual acts of governance. Especially in light that outside of tax cuts and foreign policy, the GOP has essentially governed in a manner that would seem to be that of trying to out Dem the Democrats.
__________________
John
Ontario 32 - Aria
Free, is the heart, that lives not, in fear.
Full, is the spirit, that thinks not, of falling.
True, is the soul, that hesitates not, to give.
Alive, is the one, that believes, in love. JCP
sailaway - don't forget that LBJ was able to "deliver" Texas in conjuction with the "vote early, vote often" policy of Daley.
__________________
John
Ontario 32 - Aria
Free, is the heart, that lives not, in fear.
Full, is the spirit, that thinks not, of falling.
True, is the soul, that hesitates not, to give.
Alive, is the one, that believes, in love. JCP
Beezer,
Sort of in the way that George H.W. Bush squandered the Reagan legacy he inherited? The Republicans had 'em on the run on taxes, and a host of other issues, and Bush raised taxes-enough to give himself a minor recession and a plane ticket to Kennebunkport.
__________________
“Scientists are people who build the Brooklyn Bridge and then buy it.” Wm. F. Buckley, Jr.
Would Warren J Harding be the last Senator elected President before Kennedy? If so, one could say it's the turn of a Republican senator.
Bush the junior was even worse in that respect, since he had a majority in both houses and failed to push forward any of the conservative touchstones except for the tax cuts. Add in the exploding earmarks spending, new entitlements and it's no wonder they lost both houses.
Speaking of earmarks, the Congressional earmark watchdog has closed up shop, citing reform legislation and GAO oversight of earmarks as reasons, and of course denying any pressure from the Congressional majority to do so.
__________________
John
Ontario 32 - Aria
Free, is the heart, that lives not, in fear.
Full, is the spirit, that thinks not, of falling.
True, is the soul, that hesitates not, to give.
Alive, is the one, that believes, in love. JCP
Personally, I think there is a lot of room for a "hawkish" Republican canidate with conservative credentials. He would have to explain the war on terror, and why Iraq is now central to that battle, a whole lot better than GW Bush has done, and he would have to publically chastise the incompetence of the Republican party in the last congresses. Thompson, if he moves to the right, would be in good position to do so. Gingrich might have been in the perfect position, but, I suspect, the American people have had enough of men who can't keep it in their pants whilst married to another. Been there/done that.
I am not a big fan of McCain, but would probably vote for him in a general election as a single issue voter, that being the war on terror. Foreign policy is my first qualification/disqualification for presidential office.
__________________
“Scientists are people who build the Brooklyn Bridge and then buy it.” Wm. F. Buckley, Jr.
Harding was a Senator, prior to election. whether he was the last before JFK, I'm not sure, but think so.
__________________
John
Ontario 32 - Aria
Free, is the heart, that lives not, in fear.
Full, is the spirit, that thinks not, of falling.
True, is the soul, that hesitates not, to give.
Alive, is the one, that believes, in love. JCP
