Right now, it’s anybody but Romney. My first preference is Duncan Hunter, but I don’t have much confidence that he will be a “player”. After him, I like Thompson, but if he doesn’t make the “cut”, I will have to take a closer look at who is still “standing”. Just hope it’s not Romney.
I like Hunter too but at this point I think a vote would be wasted on him. If one of the more liberal Republicans gets the nomination, I’d hoped Hunter would be a balancing factor on the ticket. I just haven’t seen much from Thompson beyond “quips” and think the liberal media would successfully portray him as a befuddled old crank despite the conservative media’s attempt to portray him as Reagan’s second coming. I really do think the electorate in general has moved more to the left and we aren’t going to win a thing if we don’t acknowledge that. Some of that is because we are victims of our own success... except for very minor cases the economy has been excellent for many generations, nobody much worries about terrorism because there hasn’t been any repeat attacks, etc. In general people have had an easy time of it, therefore they look for the candidate who promises the most “goodies”. Hillary’s Christmas ad was obscene but that’s what I fear most people are looking for - who will give me the most for my vote. I fear a candidate who “just says no” to candy won’t get very far. Young folk need to learn some hard lessons and I think this time around they are going to take some risky chances. Sometimes learning the hard way is the best way.