Free Republic

Making a list of new campaign slogans for the 2010 and 2012 elections

The expansive asphalt parking lot in Fair Lakes Shopping Center in Fairfax Virginia was full and there wasn't a single Prius in sight. This is SUV territory and the campaign sticker on the back window of one big Ford summed up the mood: a play on the Obama campaign mantra of hope, this one said simply - "Nope". There are not too many Obama fans in Fairfax but there are hundreds of people prepared to line up for hours in the snow for a chance to meet the one political figure they believe might still be able to rescue the...

Newt Gingrich at David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjfMjjce2Y

Candidates are already lining up donors and political action committees in hopes of securing the 2012 Republican nomination. At least six potential candidates already visited Iowa in the past six months. Next year, we will see many more GOP hopefuls putting the Hawkeye State on their travel itinerary. A victory in Iowa could boost the winner to the GOP nomination. So, as 2009 draws to a close, here is a look ahead at the top ten Republican hopefuls for 2012:

President Obama has scaled back the scope of the Afghan war, now about to enter its ninth year, to a limited military objective: Deny al Qaeda a safe haven. And since we are now told there are fewer than 100 al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan - the rest are in Pakistan's tribal areas - a three-way deal between the Karzai government, powerful warlords and Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar would seem to be the better part of valor. After Iraq, we cannot afford another trillion-dollar war.

SALT LAKE CITY - Over the course of two weeks, Utah Republicans had the chance to see the two most talked-about potential presidential candidates in their party. Mitt Romney attended an event for ADX security systems and Sarah Palin visited to sign her bestselling book. The Utahpolicy.com, Fox 13 Insider Poll finds that Mitt Romney is taken far more seriously as a potential presidential candidate. 53.5 percent of Republicans say they expect Romney to be the Republican party candidate to face Barack Obama. 31.3 percent of Democrats think Romney will be the candidate. Only 4.7 percent of Republicans and 6.3...

Democrats in general and liberals in particular make a terrible mistake in underestimating Sarah Palin. In a sense, I have a proprietary interest in her, because of my August 3, 2008 memo to Obama strategists warning that the Republicans might well choose a woman for Vice-President if we chose a man (my first choice for Veep on the Obama ticket, my admiration and respect for Joe Biden not withstanding, was Governor Kathleen Gilligan Sebelius of Kansas, originally suggested by one of the few brilliant bankers I know, Matthew Hickey, an Ohio native. Kathleen Sebelius’s father, Jack Gilligan was Governor of...

Dick Cheney is clearly enjoying private life, settling into his role as the foremost defender of the Bush administration and one of President Obama's fiercest sideline critics. But some people are asking: Is that all you got? As unlikely as it sounds -- and even though Cheney himself describes it as absurd -- a movement is afoot to "draft" Cheney into running for president in 2012. Some conservatives want the former vice president to do more than just beat Obama in the press. They want him to beat the president in the polls, too. Public discontent and anger toward Cheney...

Here is a list of 2012 candidates. Generally, I am dwelling on the negatives as this is what is going to limit them in their ability to win but will mention any unique positives. Please share your thoughts on these or any other potential candidates. Romney - Romneycare is an albatross. He is a Mormon which impacts appeal. Is popular in Michigan due to his father. Sometimes comes across like a used car salesman. Is probably more conservative than his record and gets a bad rap due to his need to make compromises to get elected in The People's Republic....

Jeb Bush is unique in that he is both unknown and known. He can certainly win a GOP primary, and can raise the money to compete with frontrunners Palin and Romney. I think Jeb will be getting more involved over the next several months, starting with the Florida senate primary. I also think Cheney is a Jeb proxy, and that his attacks are meant to undermine Obama while moving the country back into the Bush/Cheney policy direction, awaiting a new leader to take the torch from the former Vice President. Remember, Cheney earlier this year, unprompted, suggested he would support...

Yglesias opines: "I know some liberals who are excited about the prospect of a joke candidate like Sarah Palin or Dick Cheney getting the GOP nomination in 2012. Not me. The basic fact of the matter is that power tends to alternate between the two political parties. Ultimately, the nation’s interests require both parties to nominate the best people possible. So I hope the Republicans find someone who’s very smart and compelling and does an excellent job of identifying and explaining the flaws in Barack Obama’s approach. Cheney couldn’t possibly win a presidential election...unless somehow he could, in which case...

Mike Huckabee said today it's "less likely than more likely" that he'll run for president in 2012. Recent polling has shown him to be the most popular candidate among Iowa Republicans, but Huckabee told Chris Wallace on Fox New Sunday today that polling isn't the only factor. "There's a whole different deal of saying some folks take a poll and whether there's the financial support," he said. Huckabee said he's enjoying his current gig as a Fox News host, and wants to see what the political climate is like heading into 2012.

(CNN) -- Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical Christian leaders last week issued a bold political statement. They intended to target the Obama administration. Inadvertently, they may have also hit probable Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney ought to rank atop the Republican candidates for president in 2012. He finished second in votes cast in the primaries of 2008. He is a candidate with immense private-sector economic expertise in a time of urgent economic debate. But Romney has a political problem: his Mormon religious faith. A Gallup survey in December 2007 found that 18 percent of Republicans would not vote for...

Even before news broke that he had commuted the sentence of suspected cop-killer Maurice Clemmons, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" he's less than likely to run for president again...Huckabee won the straw poll at the 2009 Value Voters Summit in Washington and had a favorable rating of 70 percent in a recent poll of Iowa Republicans, the highest of all the potential GOP contenders. "The last time out, my biggest challenge was with the establishment Republicans who just never showed their support, and while I think a person can possibly win without them,...

Mike Huckabee, the former Republican governor from Arkansas who has his own Fox show told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" that a 2012 presidential bid is "less than likely" and depends on whether Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News, keeps liking his show. "The reason I wouldn’t is that this Fox gig I’ve got is really wonderful, " he said, talking about whether or not he would get in the race given that he is a GOP front runner according to most recent polls. "Jumping into the pool, you gottta make sure there is some water in it."...

A new poll shows that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney now has a less than 50 percent favorability rating among Republican voters. Public Policy Polling has released its monthly 2012 survey, which finds that while 65 percent of Republicans have a favorable opinion of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and 75 percent have a favorable opinion of former GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, only 48 percent view Mitt Romney favorably. Romney's popularity has fallen 19 points in the poll since May. Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling says the healthcare plan that Romney passed in Massachusetts when he was governor...

Palin in 2012? by Alan DowdNovember 23, 2009Sarah Palin’s media blitz—including a national book tour, an interview with Oprah, magazine cover stories and cable TV one-on-ones—serves as a reminder that whether you voted for her or against her, whether you love her or despise her, Sarah Palin is a political force to be reckoned with. This is the real reason she drew so much ire from the Left in 2008. And it’s the same reason she may give some Republicans pause in 2012.The 2012 election is an eternity away, but this much we know: Barack Obama will be on the...

November 23, 2009 Lou Dobbs Considers Possible Presidential Run Lou Dobbs, who resigned from CNN in November after nearly three decades with the network, suggested in a radio interview Monday that he's eyeing a future in politics. Former populist CNN anchor Lou Dobbs said Monday he isn't ruling out a presidential run. Dobbs, who resigned from CNN in November after nearly three decades with the network, suggested in a radio interview with WTOP in Washington, D.C., that he's eyeing a future in politics. "What's so crazy about that?" Dobbs quipped when asked about a possible presidential run. "It's one of...

When Liz Cheney said “Think Cheney 2012″ on the last FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace – the panel in the studio and lame stream media later assumed she was talking about her father – former VP Dick Cheney. Everybody took the bait – and got caught in… sexism. She did not say “Think Dick Cheney 2012”. It never occurred to the Good Ol’ Boys in the media that Liz Cheney was hinting about a possible run of a Cheney in 2012… like in “Liz Cheney 2012″. Why not? The lady is extremely smart and has a whooping resume that...

As the Republican Governors Association gathers in Austin this week, there is a real sense among conservatives that the Obama Bubble is about to burst. And all eyes are on the assembled governors to see who might do the bursting in 2012. Ever since his 2002 election, I've kept close tabs on Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. As governor, Pawlenty coined the phrase “Sam’s Club Republican,” which Ross Douthat and I later used to refer to a strain of Republicanism that aims to meet the needs of working and middle class voters. In an interview with the Ripon Society, a storied...

Link only, per FR copyright rules

WASHINGTON — Palin-Beck 2012? Sarah Palin has suggested Fox News firebrand Glenn Beck could be someone she'd consider as a running mate if she makes a bid for the White House in two years. "I can envision a couple of different combinations, if ever I were to be in a position to really even seriously consider running for anything in the future, and I'm not there yet," Palin told the conservative news agency Newsmax as she promoted her memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life." "But Glenn Beck I have great respect for. He's a hoot. He gets his message across...

10 Reasons That Sarah Palin Could Win the Republican Nomination by Nate Silver 1. Enthusiasm. People tend to see electorate through a one-dimensional lens, in which a fixed number of voters are trying to decide between two or more candidates. But that's not really how politics works, especially in primaries. Rather, the playing field is (at least) two-dimensional: people are not merely trying to decide whom to vote for, but also whether to vote at all. Because of the reach of her brand, Palin has the ability to engage the sorts of voters who might ordinarily stay at home. In...

1. South Dakota Senator John Thune Like Mitt Romney, the Junior Senator from South Dakota is straight out of central casting for the role of president. Intelligent, articulate, handsome, with a winning smile and an easy going disposition - it's hard to locate anything missing from the prototypical presidential check list. SNIP 2. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels With a resume that includes both political and policy posts at the local, state and national level, Mitch Daniels arguably boasts the strongest experience of any Republican in the country. Re-elected overwhelmingly to a second term in 2008 even as President Obama carried...

Undoubtedly at this very moment, two saffron-robed monks in a monastery north of Katmandu are earnestly discussing Sarah Palin's presidential prospects. In the favelas of Rio, the normally fierce arguments about the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics are surely taking a back seat to high-decibel debates over the pre-publication excerpts from Going Rogue. This is Palin time whether you believe that she is "The Divine Sarah" (as Sarah Bernhardt was once known) or the 21st century version of Barry Goldwater who will lead the Republican Party into the abyss. True believers stress her megawatt incandescence and her Facebook leadership...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Fewer than three in 10 Americans think Sarah Palin's qualified to be president, according to a new national poll - the least of any of the five potential candidates included in the survey. But another woman tops that list in the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday: two-thirds of the public thinks that Secretary of State HIllary Clinton's qualified for the Oval Office. That's more than Vice President Joe Biden, who's currently next in line for the presidency. According to the poll, 28 percent of Americans say Palin is qualified to run the White House, with seven...

Former Vice President Dick Cheney chose not to run for president in 2008 but his daughter suggested that he might be a good candidate in 2012. Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Liz Cheney dropped the former vice president's name as the panel was discussing President Barack Obama's decision to respect the Japanese Emperor by bowing during a formal greeting. Fox News felt compelled to cover Obama bow to Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko after conservative blogs attacked the president. "Sarah Palin would not have bowed to the Emperor of Japan. She wouldn't have even curtsied to him," said Bill...

* What can we all do, every day, to make sure we are ready to prevent fraud in the Iowa Caucus in 2012? PLEASE take this seriously. A massive effort was launched on Dr. Utopia’s behalf from Chicago to game the Iowa Caucus. A good portion of Chicago rolled across the Illinois border to vote in Dubuque, Waterloo, Des Moines,you name it to ensure Dr. Utopia won that Caucus in 2008. The caucus centers are chaos hatcheries. Dr. Utopia’s goons, most of whom certainly appeared to be ACORN or SEIU, marched in, took over, and told anyone who wouldn’t stand...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivered a scathing criticism of President Obama's Afghanistan strategy Friday night, accusing the president of delivering rhetoric and not action in the war-torn country. Quoting from a speech Obama delivered in March, Romney agreed with the president "that 'we are in Afghanistan to confront a common enemy that threatens the United States, our friends and allies."' Romney continued on seconding the president: "I believe 'that to succeed, we and our friends and allies must reverse the Taliban's gains, and promote a more capable and accountable Afghan government.'"

Pawlenty knocked (again) for pandering to GOP base Gov. Pawlenty’s recent efforts to pander to the conservative GOP base is “Romneyesque,� observes veteran Washington Post political reporter Dan Balz. He warns that Pawlenty is in danger of losing his political compass as he attempts to position himself for a 2012 presidential bid.In particular, Balz criticizes T-Paw for his awkward refusal to embrace Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe as a member in good standing of the GOP during a recent television appearance. He also dings Pawlenty for eagerly wading into the recent congressional contest in upstate New York and for criticizing President...

Some days the Republican Party seems to be going crazy. Its public image is often shaped by people who appear to have gone into government because they saw it as a steppingstone to talk radio. But deep in the bowels of the G.O.P., there are serious people having quiet conversations. The people holding these conversations created and admired Bob McDonnell’s perfectly executed Virginia gubernatorial campaign. And now as they look to the future of their party, and who might lead it in 2012, the name John Thune keeps popping up. As you may or may not know, Thune is the...

Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul built a nationwide army of fiercely loyal, enthusiastic, young supporters during his 2008 Presidential run. It appears Paul is hoping to expand upon that base and possibly gear up for another run in 2012. Paul visits Ames tonight for speech at Iowa State University....

Romenesko: Joe Conason believes Lou Dobbs has ambitions to run for president, and "could mount a formidable campaign drawing upon the same resentful remnant that Republicans hope to mobilize in 2012. Except that he probably won't be running as a Republican."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, will be in New Hampshire next month, raising speculation that he is preparing for a presidential run. Pawlenty will be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the Republican Senate Majority Committee, which will be held Dec. 16 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. . . . . . Mike Dennehy, a former adviser to McCain's 2008 campaign and a political consultant for Senate Republicans, is helping to organize the event, which will cost $50 a ticket."We set the price to attract as many people who would like to come," Dennehy said.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of likely voters say it is at least somewhat likely the next president of the United States will be a Republican, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. The number has been trending in this direction since Democrat Barack Obama took office in January and is up 14 points since then. Thirty-one percent (31%) of voters see it as Very Likely that the next president will be a Republican. The survey was taken on Tuesday and Wednesday nights of this past week, but the question did not specify whether the next president will be elected...

In 2008, a charismatic right-wing populist Republican governor won the heart of the party's base despite being forced to take a backseat to a more respectable "moderate" Republican. He was Mike Huckabee, and he is sad, and mad. Ben Smith followed Mike Huckabee around for a while as he sold his new Christmas book. Huckabee was the governor of Arkansas. He used to be fat, and then he got skinny, and now he is getting fat again. He's also basically as crazy Christian as they come, but he masks this with a genuinely likable sense of humor, which is why...

Pawlenty hit Obama on the porkulus bill, ever-rising unemployment, broken promises of bipartisanship, and the enormous federal deficit. "We've got a Democrat-controlled Congress messing around with a miserable healthcare bill. They should be focused like a laser on jobs, not acting like a manure spreader in a wind storm," Pawlenty said to laughter and applause.

DES MOINES – Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty used his Iowa debut as a potential presidential candidate Saturday to excoriate President Obama and congressional Democrats for not doing more to address the still-wheezing economy. “They should be focused like a laser on jobs, not acting like a manure-spreader in a wind storm,” Pawlenty told Iowa Republicans gathered in an exhibition hall at the state fairgrounds, criticizing Democrats for their efforts on healthcare and energy.

Minnesota Governor and 2012 Presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty needed to make an impressive showing in his first major speech in front of Iowa's most influential Republicans. He accomplished that goal. Pawlenty's speech at the Iowa GOP's fall fundraiser was peppered with humor, stiff jabs at Barack Obama, and well-placed, straight right wing points

Why won't we nominate one of the most conservative leaders with proven electability on the GOP ticket in 2012? Sure, it will only be an year and a half in the Governor's chair. But, who cares. Obama was only in the Senate an year and a half before he ran. Bob McDonnell gave Obama (and his puppet) a thumping in a key state. He is a social conservative as well and has shown the road to win key elections.

Before Sarah Palin became the embodiment of the conservative grassroots, another national candidate from a state beginning with "A" mastered 21st century Republican populism on his way to winning the 2008 Iowa caucuses. During the campaign, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the funniest Republican since the heyday of Bob Dole, would go off on little-guy riffs like this: "If you're a person for whom 'summer' is a verb, if you went to Harvard or Yale, you probably think the economy is doing just dandy." After John McCain won the nomination, Huckabee did not fade away. Instead, he morphed into a...

I normally don't post polls, but here it is. Right hand side, down a bit. No vote counts are listed that I could find. Knock yourselves out. Mike Huckabee Mitt Romney Sarah Palin Newt Gingrich

Whatever happens tomorrow in the NY-23 race will be anticlimactic. Now that Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate, has dropped out, there has already been a clear and historic victory for the Conservative Party. The Republican Party is now a third party in NY-23. The Conservative Party of New York was formed in 1962, but is the focus now of national interest. And it cannot be denied that Sarah Palin was the first major national political figure to cross the river to NY-23. The new energy heading to NY-23 is formed out of the Tea Party and Town Hall movements. We...

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (R) is setting up a new political group to potentially set up a run for the White House. The former two-term governor, known for his libertarian leanings, is setting up a new 527 group, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, over which he'll preside as an "honorary chairman." The move raises the specter that Johnson might wage a bid for the GOP -- or Libertarian Party -- nomination for president in 2012. Candidates often set up groups, more frequently Political Action Committees (PACs) to raise money for or support other candidates. Johnson said...

Palin says 'not now' to Iowa invite

The Iowa Family Policy Center makes official what Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton suggested to me earlier this week: that the former Alaska governor won't be appearing before the social conservative group later this month. Apparently, issuing a statement before she commits suggesting she may be coming and dangling $100,000 at her isn't the way to coax Palin into an appearance. "Iowa Family Policy Center ACTION received word this morning that Governor Sarah Palin is unable to accept our speaking invitation due to her book tour contractual commitments, which cannot be changed. We extended our invitation knowing she would be in...

Will Ron Paul give it another go in 2012? The Texas congressman and hero of limited government advocates will visit the key early primary state of South Carolina on Nov. 9 to deliver a speech "on the future of individual liberty and the importance of the U.S. Constitution" at the University of South Carolina, student groups said Tuesday. The announcement comes a week after Paul scheduled a visit to Iowa on Nov. 13 to speak to students at Iowa State University.

There is still time for potential 2012 candidates to stand with Republican voters and the conservative base against the Inside the Beltway Establishment keen on abandoning principles for ACORN supported candidates. Tim Pawlenty and Sarah Palin, both talked about as 2012 candidates, have stood with the base. The Hill reports: Other candidates, like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), have said they will not get involved on either candidate’s behalf. This is disappointing. At a time when the conservative brand is ascending and the Republican brand is still in the gutter, candidates like...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is once again making headlines by publicly pondering a 2012 presidential bid. Yesterday, as Politics Daily and Politico report, Gingrich talked about a possible bid on CSPAN's Washington Journal. In the interview, Gingrich said he would make the decision in February of 2011 and that probably would run if he and his wife, Callista, decided that they feel "a requirement as citizens that we run," which would be based on how they asses the other candidates running for the Republican nomination. "We are going to reach out to all of our friends around the country,"...

Gary Johnson is preparing to launch his Our America PAC shortly, as soon as he gets all of his legal ducks in a row. He will be hitting the trail hard soon, traveling the country to speak in support of issues and candidates, re-immersing himself in the public policy debate. This December, Governor Johnson will also be releasing a book entitled “Seven Principles Of Good Government,” published by The Heartland Institute (a conservative-libertarian think tank).