Why was George Allen considered a frontrunner for the GOP nomination?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I know this is old news but, Why was then Senator George Allen considered a frontrunner for the 2008 Republican Nomination?

Was it his experience in the United States Senate and the Virginian Governorship? Was it his conservative ideals?

What made George Allen a frontrunner for the 2008 Republican Nomination?

Discuss.

[Ebowed]

Because the GOP was scraping at the bottom of the barrel.  Hence the current candidates as well.

[All life is a blur of Republicans and meat.]

Because he was a middle aged white guy from a semi-competetive southern state.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Because the Republican party has such a vision for the next President that they looked for the candidate most like Bush. Governor, fake southerner, real racist, charasmatic asshole, only got anywhere because of his daddy with the same name, seems pretty dumb. Now they have to settle for Thompson as the most Bush-like.

[InsaneTrollLogic]

Because the Republican party has such a vision for the next President that they looked for the candidate most like Bush. Governor, fake southerner, real racist, charasmatic asshole, only got anywhere because of his daddy with the same name, seems pretty dumb. Now they have to settle for Thompson as the most Bush-like.

^  Yeah, down to being a silently pro-choice, but less silent ...and with a little more flipper.

...and it doesn't matter that Thompson looks like a bad clone of Ford or a mixture of lurch and the cript keeper.

I think that Thompson is basically the bad replacement for Allen, once I think about it.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Because the Republican party has such a vision for the next President that they looked for the candidate most like Bush. Governor, fake southerner, real racist, charasmatic asshole, only got anywhere because of his daddy with the same name, seems pretty dumb. Now they have to settle for Thompson as the most Bush-like.

^  Yeah, down to being a silently pro-choice, but less silent ...and with a little more flipper.

...and it doesn't matter that Thompson looks like a bad clone of Ford or a mixture of lurch and the cript keeper.

I think that Thompson is basically the bad replacement for Allen, once I think about it.

yeah i pretty much agree with you. interesting point. The main difference though is that allen was at least reasonably good-looking and thompson....as you said looks like a bad clone of ford.

[YRABNNRM]

He was liked by the establishment and had experience.

He would've been in the top tier if he won re-election.

[SPC]

He was liked by the establishment and had experience.

He would've been in the top tier if he won re-election.

To think that 8000 Virginia voters may have changed the course of history as we know it.

[YRABNNRM]

He was liked by the establishment and had experience.

He would've been in the top tier if he won re-election.

To think that 8000 Virginia voters may have changed the course of history as we know it.

Thankfully they didn't.

[Mr. Morden]

He was liked by the establishment and had experience.

He would've been in the top tier if he won re-election.

To think that 8000 Virginia voters may have changed the course of history as we know it.

Allen was already pretty much done as a top tier presidential contender by the time of the election.  Look at the Intrade price graph.  He was already dropping fast a few months before the election.  There was "macaca", and a series of other gaffes that did him in, plus the news coming out about the stuff deemed racially insensitive in his past, which wasn't widely known until last year.  That stuff would have done him in eventually, even if he had been reelected.

[YRABNNRM]

He was liked by the establishment and had experience.

He would've been in the top tier if he won re-election.

To think that 8000 Virginia voters may have changed the course of history as we know it.

Allen was already pretty much done as a top tier presidential contender by the time of the election.  Look at the Intrade price graph.  He was already dropping fast a few months before the election.  There was "macaca", and a series of other gaffes that did him in, plus the news coming out about the stuff deemed racially insensitive in his past, which wasn't widely known until last year.  That stuff would have done him in eventually, even if he had been reelected.

I don't know, man; just look at the jokes that are running now.

[StateBoiler]

He was liked by the establishment and had experience.

He would've been in the top tier if he won re-election.

To think that 8000 Virginia voters may have changed the course of history as we know it.

Allen was already pretty much done as a top tier presidential contender by the time of the election.  Look at the Intrade price graph.  He was already dropping fast a few months before the election.  There was "macaca", and a series of other gaffes that did him in, plus the news coming out about the stuff deemed racially insensitive in his past, which wasn't widely known until last year.  That stuff would have done him in eventually, even if he had been reelected.

I remember watching Hardball the week before the midterms last year, and they were talking about the Allen-Webb race and how Allen's star had fallen so fast. They showed a speech of his in the backgrounda and he was standing at a podium with a football in his right hand. The guy didn't even play! It was his dad that coached!

[So the Heroes Fall]

Allen could've taken the place of Fred Thompson.

Which just says how bad Thompson is.

[SPC]

Considering how Allen's political career is pretty much over, why didn't he just run for president anyway as a joke? Kinda like Gilmore?

[InsaneTrollLogic]

Considering how Allen's political career is pretty much over, why didn't he just run for president anyway as a joke? Kinda like Gilmore?

[GPORTER]

Note...he was considered a frontrunner prior to him loosing reelection last year. Now he is off of the polls.

[All life is a blur of Republicans and meat.]

Considering how Allen's political career is pretty much over, why didn't he just run for president anyway as a joke? Kinda like Gilmore?

ha good question.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Note...he was considered a frontrunner prior to him loosing reelection last year. Now he is off of the polls.

We know that gporter. That's why I'm asking the question, Why was George Allen considered a frontrunner for the GOP nomination? The key word being Was. Not Is.

Considering how Allen's political career is pretty much over, why didn't he just run for president anyway as a joke? Kinda like Gilmore?

ha good question.

Laugh Out Loud! But, I'd rather a candidate no one knows, than George Allen running. Had Allen have ran his campaign slogan would probably be No Macaca's in George Allen's White House!

[Gabu]

Considering how Allen's political career is pretty much over, why didn't he just run for president anyway as a joke? Kinda like Gilmore?

ha good question.

NO

HE WILL COME BACK AND DEFEAT MARK WARNER FOR SENATE

AND THEN HE WILL RUN FOR GOVERNOR AGAIN AND WIN BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES HIM

[All life is a blur of Republicans and meat.]

Considering how Allen's political career is pretty much over, why didn't he just run for president anyway as a joke? Kinda like Gilmore?

ha good question.

NO

HE WILL COME BACK AND DEFEAT MARK WARNER FOR SENATE

AND THEN HE WILL RUN FOR GOVERNOR AGAIN AND WIN BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES HIM

Is that supposed to be DWTL or Naso?

[Stranger in a strange land]

Considering how Allen's political career is pretty much over, why didn't he just run for president anyway as a joke? Kinda like Gilmore?

ha good question.

NO

HE WILL COME BACK AND DEFEAT MARK WARNER FOR SENATE

AND THEN HE WILL RUN FOR GOVERNOR AGAIN AND WIN BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES HIM

I wish allen would come back and provide us with fresh fodder to mock him

[Jaggerjack]

Thank god Mr. Macaca's never gonna get in the white house.

[jokerman]

He was liked by the establishment and had experience.

He would've been in the top tier if he won re-election.

To think that 8000 Virginia voters may have changed the course of history as we know it.

Not really, even if the guy would have squeezed out a victory it would have been phyrric.  His image was tarnished by the campaign itself.

[Sam Spade]

George Allen was not Presidential materia even before "macaca".  Amazing to me how many people thought otherwise.

[NHPolitico]

National Review tagged him as the Next Reagan back when he was a Governor.  He has always been seen as a future presidential candidate-- a Middle America name, from a Southern Republican state (but not too Republican or too Southern), and he voted in the Senate the way most conservatives nationwide wanted him to vote. It's sort of Fred Thompson's resume, too.