When put up against Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, and Sarah Palin, it’s former Gov. Mike Huckabee who comes out on top with 19 percent of support from Republicans and Republican-leaning independents when asked who they’d select as president. That’s slightly more than the 16 percent of Republicans who said they have no opinion yet. Newt Gingrich came in fourth, with 10 percent, ahead of Pawlenty with 3 percent.
christopher di spirito
I disagree.
At this point and it’s still early, I think the GOP frontrunner is the Mormon, Mitt Romney. He’s the GOP’s best hope to take back the White House.
Soupy
How will the GOP rationalize that Romney’s healthcare plan for his state was the model for Obama’s healthcare plan?
justiceontherocks
@Soupy: They won’t even try to. The tea party types will beat him up with it in the primaries. He’ll go on TV and spend an hour why you shouldn’t worry because he’s a member of a fringe cult. He’ll spend a bazillion dollars and come in third or fourth in Iowa and it’s back to the venture capital firm for Mitt.
If one of the Republicans’ younger socially moderate fiscally conservative governors doesn’t rise up and win the nomination, the party has no chance. Obama would destroy any of the announced or “thinking about it” Republicans.
Soupy
Can they find one who isn’t funded by the Koch brothers?
Jeffree
No way will the fundies go for Romney, based on his not being “a real Christian.” I question Huckabee’s ability to capture the non-Teabaggy Republican base, because he’s not talking about the flippin’ economy so much as social issues.
Being chunky doesn’t help him look presidential, either. (My apologies to former Pres. Taft).
As @Justiceontheropes: pointed out, the Repub’s only chance is a social moderate with a fiscally conservative record. Who that would be, I got no clue !
Ideas?
MoMan
@Jeffree: Three words: Christie, Christie, Christie. He won’t be running in 2012, but be prepared for him to take the Presidential oath of office in January 2017, probably with Marco Rubio as his veep. It’s at that time we’ll begin to reverse all the damage done by Obama’s laughably incompetent administration. Can’t. Fucking. Wait.
Soupy
Can Christie lose about 100lbs before 2017?
In 1998 Christie registered as a lobbyist for the firm of Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci, alongside fellow partner and later, gubernatorial campaign fundraiser Bill Palatucci. Between 1999 and 2001, Christie and Palatucci lobbied on behalf of, among others, GPU Energy for deregulation of New Jersey’s electric and gas industry; the Securities Industry Association to block the inclusion of securities fraud under the state’s Consumer Fraud Act; Hackensack University Medical Center for state grants, and the University of Phoenix for a New Jersey higher education license.
In June 2009, Christie was called before the House Judiciary Committee as part of its consideration of new regulations on deferred prosecution agreements. In his testimony, he defended his decisions to award no-bid, high-paying federal monitoring contracts to law firms that his critics say constitute a conflict of interest. Christie left the meeting after two and a half hours of questioning, against the requests of the Committee’s chairman, stating that he had to attend to pressing business in New Jersey.
I still think that Scott Brown is the favoured pet of the Koch Brothers and money will talk.
james_from_cambridge
As long as I live I will never understand why there are so many self-loathing Teabagging homos on Queerty.
justiceontherocks
@Soupy: And Scott Brown may very well have a go at it. His reelection prospects do not look good. If it looks like he’d lose the Senate seat anyway he may as well run for the White House.
David Ehrenstein
With Republican candidates like these, Obama will be re-elected in a walk.
Mike_AFX
Gay republicans are seriously the world’s dumbest group of people.
Jeffree
@Soupy: Interesting info on Christie, thanks. Do you think KoBros* will really go for Brown? Not disagreeing with you, just curious as to Brown’s electibility?
*Like the chastity-ringed JoBros, except fewer tween fans!
MoMan
@Soupy: Why would Christie have to lose 100 lbs? Being heavy means he can’t govern? What are you, a fattist?
@james_from_cambridge: Teabagging, you say? Isn’t that a sexual slur against gays? Doesn’t that make you homophobic?
Ah, the compassion of snarky gay men always makes me feel warm inside (and keeps me in the closet, so that I’m not associated with people like you, James).
justiceontherocks
@MoMan: People who look like they might have a stroke any moment tend not to be elected to national office. He’s also a pompous blowhard (a style I really kind of like) but that doesn’t play well outside the NY/NJ area. And he’s from New Jersey. Look at the track record of politicos from Jersey.
That would be three strikes. Next.
BenFrankly
I regret that I am unaware of any Republicans who may be running who are gay friendly.
Ron Paul comes the closest to being a gay friendly conservative. I love his ideas on Fiscal reform and would vote for him if he got the nomination but evangelicals hate him and they know deep down that no matter what he says he supports abortion rights and some sort of gay marriage but wouldn’t call it marriage.
As much as I want to I can’t vote on the basis of my gay agenda. I have to vote on the basis of saving the country from the strange socialistic type redistribution of wealth,union thuggery, Saul Alinsky radicalism and clueless foreign policy manifest by Barakka Obama.
However when my pro gay vote would not jeopardize that goal I will vote against religious nutters who are anti gay period and unwilling to compromise on gay civil unions. Gays must be welcome into society as a whole in the same way we welcome other peoples who don’t have the biblical view expressed in Leviticus and in Paul. In a secular society exclusion on the basis of sexual orientation is wrong and a self defeating position.
Huckabee can’t win for that reason.
BenFrankly
@BenFrankly:
I never did that.
Soupy
Yes Jeffree, I do. Brown appears to be “more moderate”. He’s not dumb, like Bush. He’s handsome, “sensitive”, and appeals to women. He does not promote any particular social agenda. And most importantly, he is malleable. The Cock bros are smart enough to realize that the future of republicans does not lie in fundamentalists with fringe appeal. All that is important to them is that he will be pro-business, anti-union, and stay out of their way. That’s what they pay him for.
greenmanTN
Any gay person who would vote for a Republican, especially after seeing how the recent crop of Repub Governors got elected using “I’m just an average guy like you, concerned about jobs” TV ads then went into ideologue overdrive as soon as their ass hit the chair, isn’t just an idiot they’re FUCKING idiots!
Want to see what a Republican President and Republican legislative majority looks like? Look at Wisconsin, Florida, and other states.
That includes Brown or any other so-called “social moderate” because they aren’t going break with their party to do a goddamn thing for your gay ass. Just on ideological grounds they’ll get rid of protections not just for gays but anything that limits corporations to do whatever the fuck they want, from child-labor laws to basic environmental protections. And half those fuckers would make “The Handmaid’s Tale” a documentary given half a chance.
BenFrankly
I have an idea. Gays should start a world religion. Have a Gay head of its church and have its own gay bible. Once this church is established and every gay joins it then discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation can legally disappear. We would be a protected class and strict scrutiny would apply.
BenFrankly
@greenmanTN: You have to sacrifice your gay agenda to save the country from Barak Obama.
John
Based upon what I’ve heard him say in a recent video, IMO Mike Huckabee would make an EX-cellent choice for the GOP’s presidential candidate–second only to Fred Phelps. 😀
greenmanTN
@BenFrankly: And you need to pull your head out of your ass before your few remaining brain cells die. You’re either a troll or a moron. Which one is up to you.
Like the Koch Bros/Republican agenda is gonna HELP?! Were you asleep from 2000-2008? The Republican laissez faire attitude toward corporations and the financial industry is what got us into this mess in the first place! And “MY gay agenda?!” Fuck you. If you want to live in China, move there. Because that, with heaping helping of old time religion, is basically what the Republican agenda really is, a uneducated peasant underclass that works for what they’re given to benefit a VERY small group of government and business leaders.
Is Obama my dream of heaven? Hell no. He wasn’t my pick from the beginning and I wasn’t shy about saying so. But I’ll take him over any the religion-addled fuckwits the Republican party can squeeze out of Satan’s asshole.
justiceontherocks
@BenFrankly: Is that birth certificate thing bugging you?
I’m not a huge fan of the incumbent President. But he is light years ahead of any republican who has announced or is known to be considering a run. Most of them lack the savvy or the brains to do the job. The rest of them can never get their own party’s nomination.
TheRealAdam
The fact that he could possibly gain any footing at all in *any* contemporary presidential race proves how backwards this fair land the U.S.A. really is. It apparently doesn’t matter that he’s a homophobic, Christofascist, sexist nutcase.
It amazes me how quickly Americans are willing to throw gays and lesbians under the bus, turn that bitch on, and drive off.
greenmanTN
The real danger about Huckabee is that in interviews he comes across as genial, “a nice guy,” and that’s completely at odds with his actual religious/political agenda. But his being “on top” poll-wise in March of 2011 doesn’t really mean anything. Chances are he doesn’t have a chance.
Neither does Palin, Bachmann, Barbour, Trump, or some of the other names floated so far. They’re just side-show distractions and not even likely to show up as VP on the final ticket. The real danger is the media will be having so much fun pointing out how clueless and gaff-prone they are they’ll fail to examine much more serious candidates as fully as they should until it’s too late.
It’s Pawlenty, Romney, Brown, and others like them who don’t initially come across as ideologues that you have to watch out for.
Jeffree
@GreenManTN: Plus one on Pawlenty, Brown being contenders, but I think Romney’s LDS affiliation will keep him away from the nom: The fundies won’t have someone run who supplements the Bible with an extree book and whose theology is so at odds with the Bible belt.
@Justiceontherocks: I actually hope the Repubs find viable, moderate-ish candidate: the Democrats need some real competition to pull out their A-game. If a social conservative gets the GOP nom, there will be NO reason for the Dems to focus on the social issues because there will be no need to work any harder on LGBT than they are now,,,,
McMike
@MoMan: Wow, you might be gay but you’re just as dumb as all the other Tea Baggers. The reason why they’re called Tea Baggers is because one of them referred to themselves as that without having a clue to what it meant. Since then it’s caught on and, again, it was the TEA PARTY that gave themselves that nickname.
It’s unreal you support a political party that would like nothing more than send you to a death camp.
McMike
@TheRealAdam: I guess you’re not from America but as an American I have to agree with you 100%. America is the most back-ass bigoted western civilized country. We are on the brink of collapsing and if the GOP regains power we, IMO, deserve to go down the drain. Somehow, someway, certain people are forgetting what happened to our country when the GOP was in power yet we’re still in the midst of battling the fallout from allowing the greed of money to rule our country. People want to bitch about Obama but not only has our country’s economy improved since he’s taken office but he’s done more for human rights in America than any Republican president I can recall. No wonder the empire of America is about to collapse since her residents tend to be the biggest morons.
justiceontherocks
@Jeffree: I want the GOP to nominate a strong and tolerable person for a lot of reasons. 1) The person might win and I want the nation governed well and without all this Bible-thumping. 2) If the Dems believe significant numbers of gays might vote Republican, we’re likely to get more out of them. 3) In the areas of foreign policy and the economy, Obama seems to be doing more reacting than following a policy and program. A strong challenge would force him to be more coherent in those areas.
Right now the betting line is Obama at 4:5 to win. Bettors make Madam Airhead the Republican favorite, but she’s getting 10:1 odds.That suggests the GOP has to come up with a new face, and that the social conservative message truly is not resonating.
greenmanTN
@Jeffree: I agree with you about Romney not being a real possibility. The fundies can’t stand Mormons and for that I’m thankful. Romney may still run though and with LDS money and support behind him he can stay in long enough, and with decent enough numbers, to have an impact on the tenor of the primaries and campaign. That’s what I’m a little worried about. For adherents of what is basically the 19th century version of Scientology, founded by a convicted con-man, Mormons are surprisingly good about at least sounding rational.
With either party, if polling shows part of one candidate’s platform resonates with voters suddenly they ALL have it, playing a game of oneupmanship over who has it most. I won’t be surprised if the Republican primaries turn in a game of homophobic “chicken,” with candidates competing to top each other’s promises to roll back advances in gay rights. “He says he’s reinstate DADT? Well *I’LL* do it faster AND fight to put DOMA in the Constituton!”
Zach
@BenFrankly:
“I have to vote on the basis of saving the country from the strange socialistic type redistribution of wealth,union thuggery, Saul Alinsky radicalism and clueless foreign policy manifest by Barakka Obama.”
The fact that you think anything other than the foreign policy issue – which is a matter of opinion – is occurring demonstrates that you shouldn’t be allowed to vote. You’re dangerously detached from reality, as much so as anyone who believes that a sky wizard created the world 6,000 years ago. I’m against socialism on principle myself because I wouldn’t anyone as criminally stupid as yourself to have anything more than nominative equality with someone with a brain. Fortunately, Obama’s administration is so detached from any thread of socialism that it’s unlikely to occur.
Jeffree
@Justiceontherocks:, @GreenManTN: Per Politico, Huckabee may not even run because he is lousy at raising ca$h. His focus on social issues is popular with the more conservative Rep.s but the middle/independents are still not hearing about what counts most for them—the economy.
Great points, both of you on why the Repub nom matters to dems, reps and the elusive independents, In the forum of ideas, it’s better to have clearly articulated alternatives. The idea that Huckabee, Palin are still considered viable candidates still boggles the mind.
And I don’t hear anything at all about any Dem, including Hillary, angling to consider challenging Barack for 2012. Any word?
justiceontherocks
@Jeffree: I think Huckabee will run to keep in the public eye. It’ll help him keep his job at Fox, where he’s making what for him anyway is a lot of money. Remember he’s only had three jobs: preacher, hack politician and media celebrity.
The same logic might apply to a run by the airhead former governor of Alaska. In her case we know she doesn’t want to be president because she might have to work. She’ll run because she wants to sell another book.
Linda
@christopher di spirito:
Governor Huckabee is, in fact, the ONLY GOP candidate who is climbing numbers in the polls. Romney and Palin are dropping and Gingrich is hanging in there but not climbing. The cream usually rises to the top and Governor Huckabee is miles ahead of these other candidates in executive experience, character, integrity and fresh ideas. This time around the media will not define him. He will define himself and the American people like what they see.
justiceontherocks
@Linda: can I get whatever drugs you’re taking. They are really good. Running against Obama, Huckabee might carry 10 small states.
Soupy
I don’t think he will have time for the economy. He’s devoted himself to the fight against gay marriage, the reinstatement of DADT, and the rest of his time to praying away the gay. Trust me, the puppy hanging son will come up if he runs.
Jeffree
@Soupy: Well, you sneaky Canadian getting all knowledged up in US politics….of all the nerve. Just kidding, I don’t even know who the new King of Canada is…
You’re right about Huckabee squandering his energy focusing on “the gaze” instead of schtoopid schtuff like jobs…& the economy. And he’ll be running FROM the dang dog story.
@Justiceontherocks: You need to share Linda’s stash of hopium with me, man…
Based on what you said, I wonder if Huckabee and Palin’s media careers may be the best they got going for them. Politics on the other hand is hard work and involves compromise…neither plays well to or with the middle; both want a theocracy. Scary.
Soupy
Oh Jeffree, you so silly. You know very well that the Bieber is the king of Canada.
Indigo
@Mike_AFX: Amen~