well we will just have to wait and see won't we? in the meantime, those of us who figure we don't need to support a RINO in the primary are optimistic that we won't have to go to the general election with a barf bag in hand to vote for Rudy, someone unlikely to prevail against the dem candidate. i think the rudyfans have a distorted view of those of us who oppose Rudy, and why we oppose him. i know you'd like to think that we are melting down and hysterical, but it simply is not the case. we see rudy as a flawed candidate with liberal positions and excessive baggage, unlikely to prevail. rudyfans don't see him the same way. it is a difference of opinion. we are just as sane as you are, only we are right and you are wrong : )
I'm not on the Rudy bandwagon, although I do think it's likely he'll win.
Perhaps if Fred Thompson enters, it will be a horserace, but Romney isn't gaining any steam despite being well-funded and organized. McCain is McCain, and Newt, despite being the most intellectual conservative of the bunch, has high negatives even among Republicans. Among Democrats, it's off the charts.
The 1 percenters like Paul and Hunter will not even get 1% of the delegates needed to win the nomination. Rudy has some strong points and he has weak points, so I think we could do worse, and I wish that we'd do better.
I'm more inclined to support Newt, although it's not even clear he'll run. I don't have to decide who's my second choice for quite a long time.
The bill to move the Texas primary to February 5 is moving pretty swiftly through the state legislature, by the way.
There is one difference between the Rudyfolk and you and I. We base our rejection of Rudy based on historical FACTS.