Best Republican ticket for '12?

[anvi]

One guy that I don't think has been mentioned, but has been getting a lot of good publicity lately is John Hoeven, governor of North Dakota.  In 2012 he will have completed 3 4-year terms as governor and ND is one of the few states that hasn't been affected by the recession.

Yes, Hoeven has proven himself to be a good governor of North Dakota, reflected by his stratospherice approval ratings in the state, which are always between 70-80%.  He has handled a huge state budget surplus very well and targeted reinvestiment in education and infrastructure spending smartly.   Both his economic and policy positions mediate between conservative and moderate.  His ideas on health care are not that good, and he has no national security experience or military background.  I don't see him producing a lot of energy on a national ticket, either at the top or bottom.  He declined to challenge Democratic Senator Kent Conrad in 2006, perhaps out of some trepidation that he might not have won.  Well, I'm the native North Dakotan on this list, so while seeing the name of a Bismarck native on a national ticket would impress, I don't think I'd be tempted enough to vote for him.  Good governor though; I can hardly dispute that.

[Psychic Octopus]

Sanford-Hoeven

[Reaganfan]

We need to expand the Republican vote across areas of the Midwest, West, and Great Lakes regions more. Someone like Thune, Rounds, Pawlenty, Ryan...all would make those areas more competitive.

[Psychic Octopus]

We need to expand the Republican vote across areas of the Midwest, West, and Great Lakes regions more. Someone like Thune, Rounds, Pawlenty, Ryan...all would make those areas more competitive.

Why not Hoeven? It seems to me he could make that area more Competitive

[anvi]

We need to expand the Republican vote across areas of the Midwest, West, and Great Lakes regions more. Someone like Thune, Rounds, Pawlenty, Ryan...all would make those areas more competitive.

Why not Hoeven? It seems to me he could make that area more Competitive

It seems to me that the parts of the midwest that Republicans need to compete better in are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan, which together offer at the moment 44 electoral votes.  A Republican from either of the Dakotas doesn't get you there, not Hoeven or Thune.  Not high profile enough, and they govern states with comparatively much smaller urban areas, and they are too conservative socially to get traction in neigbor states to the east that have far larger and more diverse populations with deeper Democratic roots than the Dakotas.  If the Republicans want to gain some ground in the Great Lakes region of the midwest, I think Pawlenty is perfect for that; he is very politically polished and a very smart guy who will attract moderates all across the region.  Any Republican looking for a partner at the bottom of the ticket ticket who wants to appeal in the midwest need look no further than Pawlenty.  If Republicans win and they like Hoeven, they could give him a cabinet post either at Agriculture or Commerce (he has a finance background and was president of the Bank of North Dakota for a long time).

[Psychic Octopus]

I actually see Thune emerging as the leader of the Republicans and the voice of Obama opposition in the Senate.

[Josh/Devilman88]

Gov. Mike Rounds(R-SD)/Rep. Paul Ryan(R-WI)

or

Frm. Lt. Gov. Michael Steele(R-MD)/Rep. Paul Ryan(R-WI)

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Hoeven/Hagel.

[Psychic Octopus]

Hoeven/Hagel.

No.  Hagel/Hoeven!

[Holmes]

I actually see Thune emerging as the leader of the Republicans and the voice of Obama opposition in the Senate.

To be the voice of Obama opposition would require solid Republican opposition. So far, with people like Snowe, Collins, Gregg, Voinovich, and to a lesser extent, Bond and Lugar all leading an anti-opposition, you have little room for such voices.

[BurningOrchids]

If Obama does badly, Ron Paul would be an extremely viable candidate if the republican party would be smart enough to nominate him. I won't hold my breath. The republicans haven't shown themselves to be the party of smarts lately.

I have to chuckle when these dolts over at Fox News talk of Sarah Palin as being electable. Yes WALKING PUNCHLINE Sarah Palin. haha.....

[Associate Justice PiT]

If Obama does badly, Ron Paul would be an extremely viable candidate if the republican party would be smart enough to nominate him. I won't hold my breath. The republicans haven't shown themselves to be the party of smarts lately.

I have to chuckle when these dolts over at Fox News talk of Sarah Palin as being electable. Yes WALKING PUNCHLINE Sarah Palin. haha.....

     Welcome. It's always nice to have another Libertarian around here.

[BurningOrchids]

Former democrat. I was always turned off by the modern republican party's christian/imperialist approach so my first choice were the dems. Then I started working and noticed half of the money I was owed was mysteriously missing...haha.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Huh. I used to be a populist Republican. Once I reached, oh, junior year of high school I started reading Nietzsche & realized that social conservatism made little sense. That's how I ended up where I am.

[BurningOrchids]

That's an interesting aspect of libertarianism. A lot of people evolve into it.

My social beliefs were always more important to me than my economic ones so I could never bring myself to support the republicans. I've been agnostic for a long time so I hate the bible-based moral agenda they push. Growing up, the republicans always seemed to be the ones trying to legislate morality which I think our founders would be revolted by.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I generally consider economic issues to be more important actually, though I will never support the more theocratic Republicans.

     Anyway, I'd like to see Gary Johnson on a ticket for President.

[Nixon in '80]

Ron Paul was the furthest candidate from viable out of anyone standing at a podium in either party's debates with the only possible exceptions being Kucinich and Tancredo.

Add Duncan Hunter to that list, and it's about right.

[Psychic Octopus]

Libertarianism is my idealogy. Anyway, if any of you would like an electable candidate look at Sanford. he is the best chance we have to winning. By the way, I like Ron Paul.

[pbrower2a]

I may be way off here, but I wonder if Mel Martinez retirement might be the prelude to a 2012 White Hourse run.  If you look at the '08 electoral map, the first thing Republicans have to do is take away Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada from the blue column, and Martinez seems the most obvious choice for that purpose, not Romney and certainly not Huckabee or Palin.  So, if Republicans take away those four states, and if we give North Carolina and Indiana back to Republicans by default (they were won by microscopic margins by Obama this  year). then winning Ohio and Virginia or even only Ohio and New Hampshire would be all that is required.  So, I think Martinez is the most sensible Republican choice to head the '12 ticket for Republicans, and anyone can be put in the number 2 slot of he is there.

Unless the United States should annex Cuba before 2012, then Mel Martinez, born in Cuba, would not be eligible to be President of the United States. It's the "natural-born US citizen" clause in the Constitution.

See also Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Bono]

Stanford/Romney.

Stanford really is a libertarian, I don't think he actually cares that much about social issues, but since he is from the South all (Republican) Southerners will vote for him, even the religious right.

Romney is a wink to the moderates and traditionally blue states. 

[jamesd1967]

I think that the Republican ticket will look something like this:  Romney/Huckabee

Sarah Palin will not be on it because she just lost with McCain!!!!  I wouldn't pick her as a running mate, why?  She just lost. 

[jamesd1967]

Jeb Bush

[paul718]

Stanford/Romney.

Stanford really is a libertarian, I don't think he actually cares that much about social issues, but since he is from the South all (Republican) Southerners will vote for him, even the religious right.

Romney is a wink to the moderates and traditionally blue states. 

Romney/Sanford

[Reaganfan]

It's gonna be Romney/something...I'm willing to bet. I mean...he should announce next year *2010 following the midterms* and I don't see the economy dropping #1 from the list, barring some incident involving terror.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Stanford/Romney.

Stanford really is a libertarian, I don't think he actually cares that much about social issues, but since he is from the South all (Republican) Southerners will vote for him, even the religious right.

Romney is a wink to the moderates and traditionally blue states. 

It's too bad Romney tried to sell his soul to the religious right in the 2008 elections. If he had ran as the same guy who ran in Massachusetts in 2002, then he may have done better and I would've liked him more.

That said, Mr. Sanford will not run for President. I'd love to see it, but he loves SC too much to leave it and he's said many times he just wants to retire to Sullivan's Island. You're right, though, he is pretty hands off on social issues and said the other night that he wouldn't prosecute Phelps for smoking pot if it was up to him.