2012 GOP, who's it going to be?

Two_Sheds · 2012-01-19T07:41:28.000Z

Beeves, Ed.

Woolen_Horde · 2012-01-19T09:22:46.000Z

Lorini:

Latimes.com is reporting that Rick Perry is quitting the race.

Dude was polling in third place in Texas. Time to hang 'em up.

Mark_Asher · 2012-01-19T09:29:50.000Z

Perry’s endorsing Gingrich and Gingrich has been “surging” according to reports. Man, there’s some Repubs who just really don’t like Romney.

Maybe Gingrich is bucking for the VP spot? That’s a do-nothing job that would allow him to make a lot of money and pontificate all he wants.

Scuzz · 2012-01-19T09:58:57.000Z

So, the “open marriage” comments by his ex-wife, think that will slow Gingrich down. :)

ShivaX · 2012-01-19T10:07:59.000Z

Scuzz:

So, the “open marriage” comments by his ex-wife, think that will slow Gingrich down. :)

I think he’d already hit a wall before this anyway. Hes not well liked in the GOP. Or outside of it. Or anywhere really. Hes a truly terrible human being and everyone knows it.

jeffd · 2012-01-19T14:27:13.000Z

I’m going to be interested to see how much the nasty dirt on Gingrich affects things. On one hand, the CW is that the fact that he’s a vile human being is already priced in. On the other hand, hearing the story fresh from the horse’s mouth might sway some folks.

Scuzz · 2012-01-19T14:33:28.000Z

jeffd:

I’m going to be interested to see how much the nasty dirt on Gingrich affects things. On one hand, the CW is that the fact that he’s a vile human being is already priced in. On the other hand, hearing the story fresh from the horse’s mouth might sway some folks.

I think the true “family values” republicans can’t ignore Gingrich’s past anymore than they could ignore Monica Lewinsky. Gingrich will never get the nomination, and if he did can you just imagine the ads against him.

Murbella · 2012-01-19T15:46:43.000Z

Scuzz:

I think the true “family values” republicans can’t ignore Gingrich’s past anymore than they could ignore Monica Lewinsky. Gingrich will never get the nomination, and if he did can you just imagine the ads against him.

Yes and I think unicorns are the fastest land based creature due to the use of their unicorn magic.

I think it is more that they are worried that his… colorful past is going to tank him with women. Romney and (to a lesser) Perry just torpedoed him with some pretty effective ad campaigns helped by his own past.

The current news story with his ex-wife saying in an interview that he told her he wanted an open relationship and that the women he was cheating on her with was ok with it is pretty damaging.

Scuzz · 2012-01-19T15:55:42.000Z

Dude, unicorns are extinct. I think Teddy Roosevelt shot the last one.

thrasymedes · 2012-01-19T19:34:44.000Z

ShivaX:

I think he’d already hit a wall before this anyway. Hes not well liked in the GOP. Or outside of it. Or anywhere really. Hes a truly terrible human being and everyone knows it.

For some Republicans, really really hating liberals is all the qualification you need to be an outstanding human being, and by that standard, Gingrich is a wonderful person.

HumanTon · 2012-01-19T19:56:38.000Z

I suppose I should know better by now, but I am amazed that everyone is obsessed with Newt’s serial adultery and no one at all seems to remember or care that he was chased out of the House and paid $300,000 to the House Ethics Committee for violating tax law and lying to the committee about it.

Murbella · 2012-01-19T20:20:21.000Z

HumanTon:

I suppose I should know better by now, but I am amazed that everyone is obsessed with Newt’s serial adultery and no one at all seems to remember or care that he was chased out of the House and paid $300,000 to the House Ethics Committee for violating tax law and lying to the committee about it.

Yes, you should know better. Maybe you have failed to realize the fact that Newt is NOT, I repeat, NOT a Black “Muslim”. He is also NOT a “Mormon.”

Papageno · 2012-01-19T20:22:14.000Z

Even if he had none of the previously mentioned foibles, the fact that Newt often comes off as a smug, condescending asshole surely would limit his popularity to well under half of the voters, I would think.

Valentine · 2012-01-19T20:58:49.000Z

Murbella:

Yes, you should know better. Maybe you have failed to realize the fact that Newt is NOT, I repeat, NOT a Black “Muslim”. He is also NOT a “Mormon.”

He is also NOT able to keep from jamming his foot in his mouth and alienating millions of people with one stupid statement.

Republicans were able to play the “We must protect our stuff from THEM!!” when things were good under Clinton and when things were scary under Bush Jr. but when things are terrible and your strategy is still to try to scare people who don’t have stuff into voting to protect their stuff…

Newt has a smug “I deserve to be president” attitude that won’t serve him well and his campaign strategy seems to be “tell the top ten percent you’ll protect them from the rest”.
In the end he still has powerful friends in the party so the other candidates are being tactful. That tact won’t exist in the real race.

JeffL · 2012-01-19T21:07:58.000Z

HumanTon:

I suppose I should know better by now, but I am amazed that everyone is obsessed with Newt’s serial adultery and no one at all seems to remember or care that he was chased out of the House and paid $300,000 to the House Ethics Committee for violating tax law and lying to the committee about it.

Well, that issue, as pushed in the ads up here in Iowa, was one of the top issues GOPers here stated as why they didn’t vote for him.

jeffd · 2012-01-19T21:08:55.000Z

Primary elections are fun. Actual persuadable voters!

Papageno · 2012-01-19T22:24:15.000Z

jeffd:

Primary elections are fun. Actual persuadable voters!

Well, that’s because, since Bill Clinton’s election in '92 (OMG has it already been 20 years), they’re all in agreement about one thing: Democrats are surely in league with Satan, and are probably agents of foreign powers to boot!

malchior · 2012-01-20T04:05:29.000Z

Mark Asher:

Perry’s endorsing Gingrich and Gingrich has been “surging” according to reports. Man, there’s some Repubs who just really don’t like Romney.

Maybe Gingrich is bucking for the VP spot? That’s a do-nothing job that would allow him to make a lot of money and pontificate all he wants.

The “real” Republicans don’t like Romney and Gingrich has gone for broke and is basically embracing the naked meanness underneath the tea party movement. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Lorini · 2012-01-20T07:19:17.000Z

Papageno:

Even if he had none of the previously mentioned foibles, the fact that Newt often comes off as a smug, condescending asshole surely would limit his popularity to well under half of the voters, I would think.

I can’t see the powers-that-be actually wanting him to be their candidate. I mean seriously, he’ll get eaten alive.

I was thinking about the GOP side of the election, and for them to be truly scary, they needed a moderate Hispanic to run. That guy (or woman) could have really had a serious shot at the Presidency. But no such luck.

Hugin · 2012-01-20T07:59:46.000Z

The remaining GOP candidates should have an American Idol-esque sing off to determine the nominee.