Republican Candidates

[Walsingham]

Anyone care to give us a "Previously, on Battlestar Galactica" montages for the race?

[Calax]

Anyone care to give us a "Previously, on Battlestar Galactica" montages for the race?

Previously on Battlestar USA... a bunch of old guys, a woman, and a black man fought to see who could loose to the incumbent president. Another woman decided to be a tease but never committed and everyone else laughed.

 

I suspect that Romney might try to gambit a woman running mate, but one with more... ability and life than Palin.

[Wrath of Dagon]

It'll be either Marco Rubio or Chris Christy. I guess there's also an outside chance of Bob McDonnell.

[Hurlshort]

I doubt Chris Christy would bother with the VP spot, he seems to be thinking bigger than that in 2016.

[Gorgon]

The fat guy who sucked as much attention out of not running as Palin ?.

[Monte Carlo]

I know I'm coming a bit late to this, but was that Santorum creature real? Or was he a Manchurian-candidate style Democratic party sleeper agent?

[HoonDing]

I can't believe I only noticed now that Santorum is a Jerry Seinfeld lookalike.

[Hurlshort]

I can't believe I only noticed now that Santorum is a Jerry Seinfeld lookalike.

 

What's the deal?

 

[Wrath of Dagon]

I doubt Chris Christy would bother with the VP spot, he seems to be thinking bigger than that in 2016.

If Romney wins, he can't run in 2016 anyway. In either case, running as a VP is the perfect set up to run for President next time.

[Calax]

There is a libertarian candidate bopping around who's trying to get into the white house. He's just been "Ron Paul" d out of the media.

[ShadySands]

I doubt Chris Christy would bother with the VP spot, he seems to be thinking bigger than that in 2016.

If Romney wins, he can't run in 2016 anyway. In either case, running as a VP is the perfect set up to run for President next time.

 

That's just it, I don't think he believes that Romney will win

[Wrath of Dagon]

I said "in either case"

[Monte Carlo]

I think Obama will win, narrowly. I also (looks into crystal ball) predict some Clinton-esque military adventurism in the second term for all the usual reasons (albeit strictly of a non-boots on the ground type, more like Predator Nintendo).

 

So who's going to be the next GOP pick?

[Calax]

I think Obama will win, narrowly. I also (looks into crystal ball) predict some Clinton-esque military adventurism in the second term for all the usual reasons (albeit strictly of a non-boots on the ground type, more like Predator Nintendo).

I think it's more likely that Obama is going to take a much harder stance on his values because he doesn't have to worry about a second election.

[Monte Carlo]

Perhaps but the second term is all about Legacy.

 

Take one look at Obama and tell me that you don't see a soaring vessel of self-regard and utter confidence, a being carved from a raw ego? I know I do. His healthcare reforms will become mired in Somme-like political warfare in Sentate and Congress. The economy will continue to falter. Emerging economies will nibble at the edges of the already tatty American hegemony. His much-vaunted Pacific focus will be dragged back to the Old World by forces that cannot be ignored.

 

He will surprise us all, especially with regards to Iran. When he shaves in the morning I'm pretty sure he sees the Dove who can play Hawk in the mirror.

[Hurlshort]

About 6 months ago I would have said the GOP had a very good chance of beating Obama. But now that they spent a ton of time killing each other, it has really strengthened Obama's re-election bid. Plus the economy is improving, albeit slowly, and that does wonders for approval ratings.

[Gorgon]

Funny how that goes, few presidents can ever claim to have done much of anything to affect the economy in a big way, it's mostly factors outside their control, and it's the big decider when it comes to re election.

[Morgoth]

[Gorgon]

And the answer of course is that there is no real Mitt Romney, only what his handlers have created at great expense.

[Walsingham]

I don't see anyone with the simple charisma to beat Obama. But I believe this is his ruination beyond the election.

 

Charisma condemns him. I think the ultimate condemnation of the man isn't what he set out to do, but that he's either failed to do it or it's been an utter balls up. And it's because of his charisma.

 

Foreign policy wise, which was his big plank, what has he done? Made kissy face at the Russians, Chinese, Iranians, and Koreans. All of whom are taking the complete piss. It's been an unmitigated disaster. Not just for these big players, but the fact that in spite of being a big 'hippy' icon he's been lofting drones all over the place, scrambling to cope with unepxected events in Yemen, North Africa, West Africa. You name it.

 

Domestically, I'm still sold on the notion that the US spends too much GDP on health care which is insufficiently productive, and reducing that is good sense. I still believe (although Hurlshot convinced me to severely question it) that government intervention is the way to do that. But I don't believe that Obama can deliver it. He simply isn't aggressive enough to hit the entrenched niterests hard enough. He thinks he can win by being charming , which is just as much nonsense domestically as it is internationally.

 

If anyone here IS an Obama fan the best thing you can do is to convince him he isn't nearly as charming as he thinks he is. I don't know how. Maybe send him some exfoliation cream, or big sunglasses.

Edited April 15, 2012 by Walsingham

[Morgoth]

Charming or not, the only guy right now who argues with content and not cheap rethoric and conveys his point in an intelligible manner is Ron Paul. Heck, if I were an US citizen I'd vote for him.

 

Be he won't win, because he has integrity and the balls to rattle the cage up. So it's Obama again.

[Humodour]

Neither Obama nor Romney nor Ron Paul are sane enough for the rest of the world. America needs to become less irrational. Either way, Obama is the least extreme candidate that's for sure.

[Morgoth]

What makes you think Paul is "extreme"?

[Monte Carlo]

Krezack is a central-casting leftist. If you don't want to give half your money away to the nearest unemployed person and live in a yurt then you are a running dog of the Capitalist overlords. Or something.

[Tigranes]

I don't see anyone with the simple charisma to beat Obama. But I believe this is his ruination beyond the election.

 

Charisma condemns him. I think the ultimate condemnation of the man isn't what he set out to do, but that he's either failed to do it or it's been an utter balls up. And it's because of his charisma.

 

Foreign policy wise, which was his big plank, what has he done? Made kissy face at the Russians, Chinese, Iranians, and Koreans. All of whom are taking the complete piss. It's been an unmitigated disaster. Not just for these big players, but the fact that in spite of being a big 'hippy' icon he's been lofting drones all over the place, scrambling to cope with unepxected events in Yemen, North Africa, West Africa. You name it.

 

Domestically, I'm still sold on the notion that the US spends too much GDP on health care which is insufficiently productive, and reducing that is good sense. I still believe (although Hurlshot convinced me to severely question it) that government intervention is the way to do that. But I don't believe that Obama can deliver it. He simply isn't aggressive enough to hit the entrenched niterests hard enough. He thinks he can win by being charming , which is just as much nonsense domestically as it is internationally.

 

If anyone here IS an Obama fan the best thing you can do is to convince him he isn't nearly as charming as he thinks he is. I don't know how. Maybe send him some exfoliation cream, or big sunglasses.

 

This isn't intended as a comprehensive critique, but: as you put it, charisma isn't a "positive quality" here that turns out to screw Obama over; it's a quality that has its own pluses and minuses. Specifically, Obama doesn't have 'charisma', he has a particular type of charisma, and the irony is that, to an extent, even if Obama was actually ruthless and aggressive behind the scenes in a particular political tug-of-war, we wouldn't know about it or see it that way because of this charismatic identity. To what extent is it Obama's own belief in his charisma that stops him from actually acting in ways that get stuff done, and to what extent is it other politicians and the public's perception of Obama's charisma that stops Obama's actions from getting stuff done?

 

I'm sure there's a way to put this clearer, but I can't do it. Instead, let me ask a question that's sort of similar but a bit different: do we really think Hilary Clinton would have not just said, but done things significantly differently in pushing through healthcare and the like? That's what the Obama supporters around me think, and I do too, but it's interesting where that thought comes from. I also do believe that in his second term he will do better in this, one way or the other.