Posted on 10/15/2005 6:03:01 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
A TOBACCO chewing, horse-riding, cowboy boot wearing politician called George could be the Republican party’s choice for president in 2008. With George W Bush in political freefall, speculation is intensifying about his successor. The rising star among conservatives is George Allen, senator for Virginia and former governor of the state.
The son of a famous American football coach, Allen is a minor figure compared with prominent rivals such as Senator John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, but he is more politically mainstream and potentially acceptable to Republican stalwarts.
Bruce Allen, general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pro-football team, has no doubt that his elder brother can go all the way to the White House. “He has always been a leader,” he said. “I would never underestimate what he is able to do. He’s very real and that’s what makes him special.”
Those close to Allen’s unofficial campaign place his chances of winning his party’s nomination at 60-40. Although no senator has won the presidency since John F Kennedy, Allen has hands-on experience as a governor and a folksy, populist touch.
No matter how smart his suit and tie, he is never separated from his “lucky” cowboy boots. Nor will he ever give up his chewing tobacco and spittoon, according to an insider, although he is said to be a Virginia gentleman rather than a Texas swaggerer like Bush.
Sean Hannity, an influential right-wing radio and television host, has been boosting Allen’s prospects by comparing him with Ronald Reagan, a friend of Allen’s father, and declaring him capable of winning every state in the South against Hillary Clinton, the Democrat favourite.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
ROFLOL!!
Though I am not sure that I would put him in the category of Reagan just yet
Well you should know that Allen HAS gotten face time and is polling very low in ALL early primary states(he is still the frontrunner).I have no doubt that Pence can and will create face time whenever he wants,however,he will not force it and will do it when the time is right.It is my opinion that you get Pence into a debate with the other contenders and he will blow them all away.
If you don't believe me, ask someone you know who is not very interested in politics (and yet still votes) and doesn't get their news from the internet or Fox News what "Able Danger" is, chances are they will have absolutely no idea.
I did not! I asked how Allen is to the RIGHT of Bush?
Women and blacks will have very clear information regardless of what the idiots in the MSM say.
I think President Bush and Senator Allen are about EQUALLY conservative. I do not think anyone could make the case that Allen is even nominally to the right of Bush.I think their conservative philosophy is very similar.
If anything, Rice should be Allen's VP running mate. Rice is very impressive, we all know that, but she's never put herself out there for elected office, and with the exception of Second Amendment issues, she's probably liberal on social issues. She supported racial preferences in the University of Michigan case (though to be fair, so did Bush when he sided with his buddy Alberto Gonzales over Ted Olson, and the party leadership is probably about to surrender on this as they have on immigration). And her comments on abortion haven't exactly been reassuring.
In a general election, it is easy to see Rice holding most of the red states IF her opponent is Hillary, but I don't think she'd necessarily be in a better position than Allen to hold Florida, or Ohio, or Nevada, or Iowa, or Colorado, or Arizona, or New Mexico.
The only way Rice (or McCain/Giuliani) would have a good chance at getting the nomination is if they promised to appoint Scalia/Thomas type judges to the Supreme Court. Of course, who knows how much stock will be put into such promises in the wake of Bush opting not to fulfill that very same promise with his first two SCOTUS picks (yeah I know, Roberts may be great, but he did not have as impressive a record as other candidates in terms of an identifiable originalist/strict constructionist track record).
If Rice were to run as a VP candidate with a conservative at the top of the ticket, and if that ticket won, then she'd obviously be in position to run at the top 8 years later. She is young enough to wait.
It is a bit disappointing to see Allen going along with some unnecessary hate crimes bill, but that's probably another lost cause. Its just near-impossible to use reason and logic in the face of something labeled a bill against 'hate'. Emotion will trump reason almost everytime. Otherwise, Allen seems as good or better than most of the other credible GOP candidates for 08.
Lets just hope that in 08 Iraq isn't a mess, and that the economy isn't weak, and that gas prices have come back down to a level that most Americans find comfortable; otherwise we could face the horror of President Hillary.
I wouldn't either. I found that to be a big stretch. At this point, I'd support Allen if Condi decides not to run. But, if she does decide, then I gotta go with Condi in '08.
I don't see the GOP base supporting Rice in the primaries, what she has said is far more pro-abortion than anything we have ever heard about Harriet Miers and look what has happened to her.
LOL! A winner for sure, but don't get too smug about it. Ten thousand other Freepers with slower fingers and server service than your's were typing the same thing.
He has my early support of the known contenders for 08. He seems to be the most conservative. We will need the base in 08 to fight off the Hillary/Richardson ticket
Hurricanes are “easy to prepare for”, Allen said bluntly, recalling that as governor of Virginia he found it helpful to “get your boots in the mud”.
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I hope he was talking about Lousiana, not criticizing Bush...
Not if God is gracious....
She would set the conservative support back by about 10 years.
I've noticed that he probably doesn't want it...that does nothing to deter me from believing that he might be the one who should have it. I'd give much consideration to who he endorses if he decides not to run. I've seen his principles in action for a long time...when many of these others were ducking in the weeds.
Tancredo speaks out like normal people would if they had that position.
Well said and I agree with most of what you say. The only thing I hold concerning Condi is that she would smash Hillary into a grease spot on the pavement - in fact, the clintons would be reduced to absolute zeros since their leash on power would be completely nutralized.
Any news on the FEC and the Club for Growth?
I dare say if Mrs. Schlafly has her way Mike Pence will be the next President of the United States.
Hillery may be AC/DC, but the existence of Chelsea indicates that she isn't a pure lesbian
Condi, on the other hand: who has any info on Condi being in any sort of relationship with anyone? Is she asexual, or just extraordinarily discrete?
Against the beast and with a promise to faithfully support the platform, she would carry the day.
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