Who is most likely to beat Obama?

[pbrower2a]

Himself.

At this point re-election is his to lose.

If you want a sports analogy, it is the fourth quarter of a football game and as the quarterback of a team up by two touchdowns  and a field goal and the ball on the opponents' 30-yard line as the two-minute warning approaches he must avoid throwing an interception or handing the ball to a runner who has a tendency to fumble.

In that situation, the QB will take a knee to run out the clock! Don't you know anything about football?!

Of course I know the usual strategy -- you try to use the clock so that the other side has no chance at getting 17 points. But there might be people on this Forum who know nothing about American football. I could talk about the nickel defense that allows the other team to score a touchdown, but in a time that the team behind can't get away with. 

In essence, the election of 2012 is for President Obama to lose, and not for someone else to win. Vanity and folly can appear in unlikely places, and we all know what can defeat President Obama.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

Daniels. 

[milhouse24]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

[Bo]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

So if Crist runs for President in 2012, which party should he run with? Many Republicans dislike him for being a RINO and many Democrats consider him a political opportunist who has no genuine political positions. Thus I don't see either party nominating him in 2012. Independents never win Presidential races so running as an Independent would not be a possibility for Crist unless he just wants to run for President and lose.

[milhouse24]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

So if Crist runs for President in 2012, which party should he run with? Many Republicans dislike him for being a RINO and many Democrats consider him a political opportunist who has no genuine political positions. Thus I don't see either party nominating him in 2012. Independents never win Presidential races so running as an Independent would not be a possibility for Crist unless he just wants to run for President and lose.

He only left the Republicans because they told him to run for Senate when he did not want to.  He still has strong supporters and friends in the GOP.  He needs to abandon the Senate race, unless he thinks he can win it.  He needs to focus on winning Iowa and SC.  He certainly a better candidate than Romney and possibly Barbour.  He's also a strong VP candidate but if he becomes Senator, he is a slam-dunk to be VP someday.

[Bo]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

So if Crist runs for President in 2012, which party should he run with? Many Republicans dislike him for being a RINO and many Democrats consider him a political opportunist who has no genuine political positions. Thus I don't see either party nominating him in 2012. Independents never win Presidential races so running as an Independent would not be a possibility for Crist unless he just wants to run for President and lose.

He only left the Republicans because they told him to run for Senate when he did not want to.  He still has strong supporters and friends in the GOP.  He needs to abandon the Senate race, unless he thinks he can win it.  He needs to focus on winning Iowa and SC.  He certainly a better candidate than Romney and possibly Barbour.  He's also a strong VP candidate but if he becomes Senator, he is a slam-dunk to be VP someday.

He wanted to be Senator. If he didn't want the job, he wouldn't have ran no matter what the GOP told him to do. And if he was so popular within the GOP, polls wouldn't have shown him losing the GOP primary to Rubio. The GOP has become dominated by the Teabaggers and they don't like Crist very much. I really don't see Crist winning a lot of support within the GOP after leaving the party and flip-flopping on some issues (abortion, etc.).

[milhouse24]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

So if Crist runs for President in 2012, which party should he run with? Many Republicans dislike him for being a RINO and many Democrats consider him a political opportunist who has no genuine political positions. Thus I don't see either party nominating him in 2012. Independents never win Presidential races so running as an Independent would not be a possibility for Crist unless he just wants to run for President and lose.

He only left the Republicans because they told him to run for Senate when he did not want to.  He still has strong supporters and friends in the GOP.  He needs to abandon the Senate race, unless he thinks he can win it.  He needs to focus on winning Iowa and SC.  He certainly a better candidate than Romney and possibly Barbour.  He's also a strong VP candidate but if he becomes Senator, he is a slam-dunk to be VP someday.

He wanted to be Senator. If he didn't want the job, he wouldn't have ran no matter what the GOP told him to do. And if he was so popular within the GOP, polls wouldn't have shown him losing the GOP primary to Rubio. The GOP has become dominated by the Teabaggers and they don't like Crist very much. I really don't see Crist winning a lot of support within the GOP after leaving the party and flip-flopping on some issues (abortion, etc.).

Well, he could have ran for the 2nd term as Governor.  He surely would have coasted to a 2nd term.  They told him it was a slam dunk and he would not be term-limited in the Senate.  Rubio will win the GOP a lot of Hispanic voters, especially when he runs for president in the future.  If Crist stayed as governor he would be a shoe-in for the 2016 primaries, but Jeb is going to run then, so Crist opted to go to the Senate and not compete with Jeb for the presidency.

[Bo]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

So if Crist runs for President in 2012, which party should he run with? Many Republicans dislike him for being a RINO and many Democrats consider him a political opportunist who has no genuine political positions. Thus I don't see either party nominating him in 2012. Independents never win Presidential races so running as an Independent would not be a possibility for Crist unless he just wants to run for President and lose.

He only left the Republicans because they told him to run for Senate when he did not want to.  He still has strong supporters and friends in the GOP.  He needs to abandon the Senate race, unless he thinks he can win it.  He needs to focus on winning Iowa and SC.  He certainly a better candidate than Romney and possibly Barbour.  He's also a strong VP candidate but if he becomes Senator, he is a slam-dunk to be VP someday.

He wanted to be Senator. If he didn't want the job, he wouldn't have ran no matter what the GOP told him to do. And if he was so popular within the GOP, polls wouldn't have shown him losing the GOP primary to Rubio. The GOP has become dominated by the Teabaggers and they don't like Crist very much. I really don't see Crist winning a lot of support within the GOP after leaving the party and flip-flopping on some issues (abortion, etc.).

Well, he could have ran for the 2nd term as Governor.  He surely would have coasted to a 2nd term.  They told him it was a slam dunk and he would not be term-limited in the Senate.  Rubio will win the GOP a lot of Hispanic voters, especially when he runs for president in the future.  If Crist stayed as governor he would be a shoe-in for the 2016 primaries, but Jeb is going to run then, so Crist opted to go to the Senate and not compete with Jeb for the presidency.

Even if Crist would have been reelected, his popularity might have declined a lot in the next four years due to the poor economy and the resulting budget problems that Florida would face as a result. In a recession (especially as severe as this one), Governors often have to make unpopular decisions to help their state. Thus, Crist feared that when his second term ended in 2015, he would be pretty unpopular and his Presidential aspirations would be ruined. Thus Crist decided to run for the Senate instead, except Rubio also got in and ruined Crist's chances. I think Crist realized that he was more likely to keep his popularity as Senator than as Governor. But yeah, if Crist loses this year, his Presidential dreams are probably gone forever. As a side note, I don't think Jeb will run in 2016. Many people would still remember his inept brother and would want someone more focused on the future than on the past. Besides, Jeb possibly has better things to do with his time.

[milhouse24]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

So if Crist runs for President in 2012, which party should he run with? Many Republicans dislike him for being a RINO and many Democrats consider him a political opportunist who has no genuine political positions. Thus I don't see either party nominating him in 2012. Independents never win Presidential races so running as an Independent would not be a possibility for Crist unless he just wants to run for President and lose.

He only left the Republicans because they told him to run for Senate when he did not want to.  He still has strong supporters and friends in the GOP.  He needs to abandon the Senate race, unless he thinks he can win it.  He needs to focus on winning Iowa and SC.  He certainly a better candidate than Romney and possibly Barbour.  He's also a strong VP candidate but if he becomes Senator, he is a slam-dunk to be VP someday.

He wanted to be Senator. If he didn't want the job, he wouldn't have ran no matter what the GOP told him to do. And if he was so popular within the GOP, polls wouldn't have shown him losing the GOP primary to Rubio. The GOP has become dominated by the Teabaggers and they don't like Crist very much. I really don't see Crist winning a lot of support within the GOP after leaving the party and flip-flopping on some issues (abortion, etc.).

Well, he could have ran for the 2nd term as Governor.  He surely would have coasted to a 2nd term.  They told him it was a slam dunk and he would not be term-limited in the Senate.  Rubio will win the GOP a lot of Hispanic voters, especially when he runs for president in the future.  If Crist stayed as governor he would be a shoe-in for the 2016 primaries, but Jeb is going to run then, so Crist opted to go to the Senate and not compete with Jeb for the presidency.

Even if Crist would have been reelected, his popularity might have declined a lot in the next four years due to the poor economy and the resulting budget problems that Florida would face as a result. In a recession (especially as severe as this one), Governors often have to make unpopular decisions to help their state. Thus, Crist feared that when his second term ended in 2015, he would be pretty unpopular and his Presidential aspirations would be ruined. Thus Crist decided to run for the Senate instead, except Rubio also got in and ruined Crist's chances. I think Crist realized that he was more likely to keep his popularity as Senator than as Governor. But yeah, if Crist loses this year, his Presidential dreams are probably gone forever. As a side note, I don't think Jeb will run in 2016. Many people would still remember his inept brother and would want someone more focused on the future than on the past. Besides, Jeb possibly has better things to do with his time.

I think Crist should actually run as an independent for the Governorship, he actually might win it, forget the Senate.  He could challenge Nelson later.  Jeb really is in no way connected to his brother.  Most people are smart enough to realize that Jeb is a different person and probably a lot smarter than Dubya.  But Dubya got 51% of the vote, so some people like him.  I really think being a Bush is a positive for Jeb rather than a negative in terms of winning 51% of the vote.  The other 49% will never vote for a Republican so it doesn't really matter, if he was Jeb Clinton.  However, Hillary was very much tied to Bill's presidency so she is not the bearer of change or the future, if we are talking about being part of "past administrations."  Hillary has more political baggage than Jeb has.

[Bo]

I think Crist should run for President.  He'd get the evangelical, hispanic, and gay vote.

Plus he's not the anti-Crist

Hello, Einstein. Crist is no longer even a Republican and I doubt he could become acceatable again in 2012 to have any shot at the nomination if rejoins.

Oh, and he need to win Senate race first.

I'm saying he should skip the Senate race and just run for president.  No one cares about stupid senators, they are just dinosaurs taking decades to craft a bill that no one likes.  He's a leader, and executive as governor.  He can run in the presidential primary and be more likeable than barbour, thune or daniels.  People in florida like him, hispanics like him.  Gays like him.  Evangelicals like him.  He's the perfect man for the job. He's married to a jewish woman. He is America.

So if Crist runs for President in 2012, which party should he run with? Many Republicans dislike him for being a RINO and many Democrats consider him a political opportunist who has no genuine political positions. Thus I don't see either party nominating him in 2012. Independents never win Presidential races so running as an Independent would not be a possibility for Crist unless he just wants to run for President and lose.

He only left the Republicans because they told him to run for Senate when he did not want to.  He still has strong supporters and friends in the GOP.  He needs to abandon the Senate race, unless he thinks he can win it.  He needs to focus on winning Iowa and SC.  He certainly a better candidate than Romney and possibly Barbour.  He's also a strong VP candidate but if he becomes Senator, he is a slam-dunk to be VP someday.

He wanted to be Senator. If he didn't want the job, he wouldn't have ran no matter what the GOP told him to do. And if he was so popular within the GOP, polls wouldn't have shown him losing the GOP primary to Rubio. The GOP has become dominated by the Teabaggers and they don't like Crist very much. I really don't see Crist winning a lot of support within the GOP after leaving the party and flip-flopping on some issues (abortion, etc.).

Well, he could have ran for the 2nd term as Governor.  He surely would have coasted to a 2nd term.  They told him it was a slam dunk and he would not be term-limited in the Senate.  Rubio will win the GOP a lot of Hispanic voters, especially when he runs for president in the future.  If Crist stayed as governor he would be a shoe-in for the 2016 primaries, but Jeb is going to run then, so Crist opted to go to the Senate and not compete with Jeb for the presidency.

Even if Crist would have been reelected, his popularity might have declined a lot in the next four years due to the poor economy and the resulting budget problems that Florida would face as a result. In a recession (especially as severe as this one), Governors often have to make unpopular decisions to help their state. Thus, Crist feared that when his second term ended in 2015, he would be pretty unpopular and his Presidential aspirations would be ruined. Thus Crist decided to run for the Senate instead, except Rubio also got in and ruined Crist's chances. I think Crist realized that he was more likely to keep his popularity as Senator than as Governor. But yeah, if Crist loses this year, his Presidential dreams are probably gone forever. As a side note, I don't think Jeb will run in 2016. Many people would still remember his inept brother and would want someone more focused on the future than on the past. Besides, Jeb possibly has better things to do with his time.

I think Crist should actually run as an independent for the Governorship, he actually might win it, forget the Senate.  He could challenge Nelson later.  Jeb really is in no way connected to his brother.  Most people are smart enough to realize that Jeb is a different person and probably a lot smarter than Dubya.  But Dubya got 51% of the vote, so some people like him.  I really think being a Bush is a positive for Jeb rather than a negative in terms of winning 51% of the vote.  The other 49% will never vote for a Republican so it doesn't really matter, if he was Jeb Clinton.  However, Hillary was very much tied to Bill's presidency so she is not the bearer of change or the future, if we are talking about being part of "past administrations."  Hillary has more political baggage than Jeb has.

Crist will not win the FL Governorship as an Independent since Alex Sink is a much stronger candidate than Kendrick Meek. Crist would only split the GOP vote in such a scenario. Besides, it's too late to switch races right now. If Crist wants to have a large political future, he'll need to win his Senate race. Many people associate politicians from the same family together, and thus Bush's stained legacy would hurt Jeb if he ran for President. Don't underestimate the stupidity of many American voters. And Bush got 51% of the vote in 2004 when he was still relatively popular. When he left office he had approvals in the high 20s-low 30s. Bush is more unpopular now than he was in 2004 and that will hurt Jeb. Even some Republicans who like Bush might not necessarily vote for Jeb since they'd want to focus more on the future. As for Hillary, Bill was/is much more popular than Bush, and even with Bill's popularity, she still (narrowly) lost. I really don't see what large baggage Hillary has, and since Bush is still much more unpopular than Bill Clinton, I really don't see Jeb doing any better than Hillary did. Besides, I'm not even sure Jeb wants to be President now. He might just want to focus on retirement. Jeb's best chance to win the Oval Office was way back in 2000.

[milhouse24]

Crist will not win the FL Governorship as an Independent since Alex Sink is a much stronger candidate than Kendrick Meek. Crist would only split the GOP vote in such a scenario. Besides, it's too late to switch races right now. If Crist wants to have a large political future, he'll need to win his Senate race.

Many people associate politicians from the same family together, and thus Bush's stained legacy would hurt Jeb if he ran for President. Don't underestimate the stupidity of many American voters. And Bush got 51% of the vote in 2004 when he was still relatively popular.

When he left office he had approvals in the high 20s-low 30s. Bush is more unpopular now than he was in 2004 and that will hurt Jeb. Even some Republicans who like Bush might not necessarily vote for Jeb since they'd want to focus more on the future. As for Hillary, Bill was/is much more popular than Bush, and even with Bill's popularity, she still (narrowly) lost.

I really don't see what large baggage Hillary has, and since Bush is still much more unpopular than Bill Clinton, I really don't see Jeb doing any better than Hillary did. Besides, I'm not even sure Jeb wants to be President now. He might just want to focus on retirement. Jeb's best chance to win the Oval Office was way back in 2000.

If the country's future is at stake, I see Jeb running for president.  It really is silly that he won't run because of his last name.  Simply put, he has the resume and the leadership to lead this country.  Being a "Bush" is a red herring and an excuse for cowardly men.  Jeb has no connection with Dubya's administration.  Unlike Hillary who has the baggage of Bill's administration and moral dilemmas, and her Iraq War vote, she has lived a lifetime of embarrassing moments.  If we are talking about the future, Jeb will be a leader for the future rather than HIllary who has a troubling political past.  If all Hillary has is the Last Name "Clinton" then she is going to lose again and again, because she doesn't have anything else to offer besides her last name "Clinton"

[SPC]

Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell, or Marco Rubio seem like the best choices (besides Ron Paul ) The Four Horsemen (Palin, Romney, Gingrich, and Huckabee) all have major flaws that would prevent them from winning a general election on their own merit (meaning that Obama would have to be really unpopular to lose against any of them). Christie, McDonnell, and Rubio at least seem to have somewhat of a record of reducing the size of government, which would allow them to distinguish themselves from Obama.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell, or Marco Rubio seem like the best choices (besides Ron Paul ) The Four Horsemen (Palin, Romney, Gingrich, and Huckabee) all have major flaws that would prevent them from winning a general election on their own merit (meaning that Obama would have to be really unpopular to lose against any of them). Christie, McDonnell, and Rubio at least seem to have somewhat of a record of reducing the size of government, which would allow them to distinguish themselves from Obama.

I don''t think Rubio would run.  By the time he was elected to the Senate, other Republicans will already be making their announcements to run.  I think Christie would be out too, he' just not known a whole lot by the public.

[Dgov]

Your just highlighted the Republicans' biggest problem with 2012--all their A-list candidates are relatively new to the job.  McDonnell or Christie would each be excellent Presidential candidates if we could fastforward 4 years to where they would have more than a year in office before running again.

[Yelnoc]

Your just highlighted the Republicans' biggest problem with 2012--all their A-list candidates are relatively new to the job.  McDonnell or Christie would each be excellent Presidential candidates if we could fastforward 4 years to where they would have more than a year in office before running again.

Neither Mitch Daniels nor John Thune have this problem.  They are also not one of the "Four Horsemen" that SPC pointed out each have major flaws that would prevent them from winning the election.

[pbrower2a]

Your just highlighted the Republicans' biggest problem with 2012--all their A-list candidates are relatively new to the job.  McDonnell or Christie would each be excellent Presidential candidates if we could fastforward 4 years to where they would have more than a year in office before running again.

Both are likely candidates for 2016 and could win should the Democratic nominee be weak. One thing is sure: that candidate will not be President Obama. In the meantime, the GOP must undo its extreme image. Should the GOP win one or both Houses of Congress in 2010 and act as they do in winning (they will in no way moderate before January) they will have even more damage to undo.

[WillK]

Gingrich. Only way the GOP can beat him is to destroy him in the debates

Seriously?  I dont see Gingrich as that good in debate. 
I'm going to be suprised if his candidacy goes anywhere. 

[DS0816]

Gingrich. Only way the GOP can beat him is to destroy him in the debates

Seriously?  I dont see Gingrich as that good in debate. 
I'm going to be suprised if his candidacy goes anywhere. 

Newt Gingrich is completely unelectable.

[milhouse24]

Gingrich. Only way the GOP can beat him is to destroy him in the debates

Seriously?  I dont see Gingrich as that good in debate. 
I'm going to be suprised if his candidacy goes anywhere. 

Newt Gingrich is completely unelectable.

You know everyone loves Mr Grinch!

[auburntiger]

Bob McDonnell. He can't run for reelection in Virginia, so why not make a run for it? He acts and looks presidential, and got 60% in a now-major battleground state