I don’t disagree with what you say, at least directionally, maybe with a bit more magnitude in favor of Pawlenty. I guess we were spoiled by Reagan. Who’s the Ronald Reagan in this lineup of candidates? Well, there ain’t one. OK, so who do we go for?
I find myself moving more and more toward Pawlenty, notwithstanding the propensity of some on this board to take gratuitous shots. Yeah, he’s not exciting, but...
Haven’t made up my mind yet, but absolutely not Mitt. Romneycare = Obamacare.
Yes, Romney is terrible. The only way he wins the nomination is if movement conservatives and Tea Party folks split their votes between multiple candidates in the primaries. If there are several candidates acceptable to the Tea Party, it is going to be pretty important to coalesce behind one fairly early - otherwise we may indeed get Mitt the way we ended up with McCain.
Again, it isn't that I don't like Pawlenty, but seriously? Is that really the best we can do? Aren't we all hungry for someone a bit more charismatic that conservatives can truly get excited about? Someone who actually directly takes on the unions, the social welfare state, etc. And it isn't enough to fight those battles, we need someone that can persuade the public and not just preach to the choir.
One problem I suppose is that some of the candidates I'd really like to see run probably won't till next cycle. I am thinking folks like Susana Martinez, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, etc.