South Carolina Mulls 2012: Romney? Palin? Huck?

Washington Examiner ^ | February 20, 2010 | Byron York

[Steelfish]

South Carolina Mulls 2012: Romney? Palin? Huck? By: BYRON YORK Chief Political Correspondent February 19, 2010

South Carolina is a lovely place, and its attractions bring thousands of tourists each year, but lately it's been getting a special class of visitor. Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator who harbors presidential ambitions, has been here in recent weeks. So has Sen. John Thune, the South Dakota Republican, whose name is sometimes whispered by the Great Mentioner. Mike Huckabee, former GOP presidential candidate and current talk show host, will be here soon. And so will Haley Barbour, the Mississippi governor who many would like to make a run for the White House.

They're not coming to play golf. Two years before South Carolina's first-in-the-South presidential primary -- a key test in any GOP race -- possible contenders are roaming around, forging relationships that will prove valuable if they decide to run. And they're going to test the question of whether South Carolina's Republicans will welcome a new breed of candidate.

[gov_bean_ counter]

The same state that gives up DeMint also give us Graham. I'd look for a benchmark state that wasn't so “conflicted”

[gov_bean_ counter]

oops, “gives us”

[highlander_UW]

If this is the sort of prognosis coming from the republican party then I highly doubt they have learned any lessons from the Tea Part movement.

[onyx]

Memo to Byron York and every other damn pundit.

WE’RE BUSY CONCENTRATING ON ELECTIONS *THIS* YEAR.

[byteback]

Didn’t know that DeMint is a Romney guy.

[thulldud]

The same state that gives up DeMint also give us Graham. I'd look for a benchmark state that wasn't so “conflicted”

I should point out that when Graham got into the Senate he was wrapped in the glory of having been one of the House impeachment managers. THAT is what we voted for, the first time.

So he changed. ( M. Stanton )Evans's law was at work again. We tried to vote him out, but the open primary was broken by crossover Dems who consider Lindsee to be their guy now, with good reason. So we ran a conservative with a Democrat label, and lost.

Gonna keep trying. Mainly, we need to "CLOSE THE PRIMARIES", and "BURN THE BIG TENT!"

[ari-freedom]

he was...he may very well decide to run for prez himself.

[Steelfish]

“Burn The Big Tent” is right! The old guards are still out there. We need a fresh and winnable candidate that is NOT from Congress. If Palin doesn’t run or doesn’t catch fire, who else might there be?

[gov_bean_ counter]

Thanks for fighting the good fight...

[Vigilanteman]

He was, as were a lot of intelligent people (Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and others) by the time Fred Thompson dropped out of the race. But that was because the pickings were rather slim by then (Mitt, McCain, Huck & Ron Paul). But not anymore. Mitt had his chance to disown the Massachusetts Health Care fuster cluck and didn’t. I don’t see “Our version of less socialized medicine will bankrupt the country more slowly than Obama’s version” as a particularly winning slogan. Do you?

[Vigilanteman]

Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator who harbors presidential ambitions, needs to pack it in. I like Rick. He was arguably the best U.S. Senator my state ever produced. But he lost by 18 points to a man who is probably the dumbest guy in the U.S. Senate now.

That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of Rick's chances.

[The_Reader_David]

Santorum would make a great President. Unfortunately, I fear he is unelectable absent a mass casualty attack by Muslim terrorists, which would make some of his speeches seem prophetic and would turn him into a Churchillian figure.

[byteback]

Mitt has said that the Mass plan won’t work as a Federal Plan. Mass wanted this plan and it’s a state plan only for them. It was going to pass the legislature no matter what so the only thing to do was to work it to be the best option. Opposing it just gets you run over by a worse plan.

I don’t want a national anything but the military, FBI, Treasury, etc yet can see the difference between federal and state programs. What works one place may not work in another. The whole Romneycare issue is only a concern by those who don’t see the difference between federal and state issues.

[iopscusa]

I agree with you on Lindsey, close the daxx primary to get rid of LG and to be sure we can stop another McCain wannabe. I’ve read Blacklisted by history, the bible on Tailgunner Joe and I’m curious about the Stanton Evans’s law...what is ir?

[thulldud]

I’m curious about the Stanton Evans’s law...what is it?

"After our guy is elected, he stops being our guy."

[Vigilanteman]

I’m decidedly NOT in the camp of those who think Mitt is worse than Obama, Osama and the devil combined. I see him as nothing more an nothing less than a common garden variety New England RINO or placeholder for the Bush family. I just think we can and should do better.

[PalmettoMason]

Ping.

Interesting comments concerning the open primaries situation. It seems we are not alone.

[Scotsman will be Free]

Yes, indeed.

[Huck]

I'm old enough now I should be used to it, I guess. You look at the list of potential candidates, you go through the names in your head a few times, and then you say to yourself(cue Peggy Lee music): Is that all there is?

Is that all there is,
Is that all there is,
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

Is That All There Is (Lieber/Stoller)

YouTube: Is That All There Is, Peggy Lee