Jimmy Carter wants Mitt Romney to be the Republican nominee

[neoconn]

Source: Yahoo News

Former President Jimmy Carter wants to see Mitt Romney win the Republican nomination and run against President Obama next November.

"I hope he wins," Carter said of the former Massachusetts governor in a Thursday night interview with MSNBC. "I'm not taking a position, but I would be very pleased to see him win the Republican nomination."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/jimmy-carter-wants-mitt-romney-republican-nominee-141827488.html

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Good ole Jimmy..

[joeybee12]

1. He wants Romney to be the nominee because he believes Obama will beat him...nt

[SpiralHawk]

3. Also - like all decent Americans - Jimmah don't want to have to listen to RepubliBagger Demagoguery

up the wazoo. It deranges & perverts the national soul.

Mittens is heap plenty whacko enuf as he advocates for Republicon Socialism to Coddle the FatCats and screw the American people. Ptoooey.

But the rest of the RepubliBagger Clown Car is totally, heinously, vomitously pernicious to Americans and America.

Consequently, I have unanimously approved my new Campaign Motto for the RepubliBagger Electoral WankOFF:
"Select Skankier than Mittens and America Shittens."

[Ishoutandscream2]

9. +1. I think you have it nailed

[Capitalocracy]

16. Fully agree... I think I'd still rather have the sanest candidate possible

for the sake of the long-term health of public discourse in the U.S. An extremist candidate in the general election may be more likely to lose, but will also shift the conversation further to the right, if that's possible.

[bitchkitty]

2. Context, it's a beautiful thing!

Carter, a Democrat, added that he thinks Romney would lose in a match up against Obama, and that he supports the president's re-election.

Lay off Jimmy.

[FreeBillClinton]

4. I doubt Carter's support will help Romney with Republican primary voters.

Something tells me Perry and Bachmann will be using this against Romney.

[Inuca]

5. That's an idiotic quote

not yours, the one in the article. What he said when asked by Rachel about Romney's mormonism and whether it will be in issue, was that he hopes he wins the nomination as proof that people are beyond this kind of discrimantion. Also added that of course he will vote for Obama and that he thinks Obama will win. Absolutely nothing to criticize here.

[arbusto_baboso]

13. Jimmy was always a gentleman and remains so.

[Blasphemer]

6. Sensible position

He's not the least crazy (I suppose Hustman is) but he is the least crazy with a chance to win. No one wants to see people like Bachmann or Perry on the top of a major party ticket. As Obama is likely to beat any of them, the entire affair will be less like a circus with Romney as the nominee.

[Pirate Smile]

7. Heh. More Democrats that Republicans hate should come out for Mittens.

[izquierdista]

10. Line up them endorsements!

Maybe Al Sharpton can have the Mittster on his show and say nice things about him. Or Hillary could have him along on a trip to Havana. Maybe there's a nice letter sitting in Ted Kennedy's papers that needs to be published.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. It would force Obama far left

Since Romney's (recent!) positions are roughly the same as Obama's. Romney's to Obama's right on some things (legal abortion) and to his left on others (endless war), but on other things - slashing Social Security rather than ending it, ObamaRomneyCare, etc, they are pretty close (IIRC).

Obama would be forced to move left to differentiate himself. Sadly, I don't think it will actually help us because Re-ElectedObama will ignore CandidateObama's positions.

[Hawkowl]

18. People know candidate vs. president now

I agree Obama would take positions left of Romney to differentiate himself. However, I don't think the left would believe Obama, but the right would. So Obama doesn't get the left vote but Romney gets the anti-leftist vote.

Bottom line is Romney wipes the floor with Obama. I also see Romney defeating Perry fairly quickly for the nomination. Perry is just too inconsistent for the hyper partisan Republicans.

[MannyGoldstein]

30. I tend to agree on Obama vs. Romney

As to Romney vs. Perry - to weird for me to get a bearing on. Perry is insane, Romney is hated for being a Mormon and a flaming fibber.

[alp227]

29. Do you know much about the 1976 election where Carter beat Ford?

Because Ford was a moderate Republican, and I've heard that Carter was moderate too. If so Carter probably knows what it's like to have an election with two candidates whose only really visible differences were party.

[undeterred]

11. I normally don't visit wax museums, but I'd make an exception to see Mitt.

I don't think he would look all that different.

[stockholmer]

12. I still say that unless Jeb Bush jumps in late, the Republicans are half-throwing this election

Jeb, with say Rob Portman, Mike Pence, Bob McDonnell, or dark-horse David Patreus as VP would be the strongest possible GOP ticket in 2012. (Actually the strongest of all would be Jeb and Marco Rubio, but both are from the same state).

Several points:

1. This coming 4 years (January 2013 to January 2017) is going to be hellish, no matter who is the president. You will not recognize the global monetary system that will be in place by then from the one that is place now. The US economy will be in tatters on a multi-variate number of matrices. Inflation, followed by deflation will cause massive civil unrest.

2. Let's say Rick Perry is the nominee. He will force Obama even further to the right, and really box Obama into his role he is playing quite well now as a corporatist puppet. Perry is by far the most extreme of all the front-runners, so it is kind of like tossing down a huge bet early on in the game. If you win, you go for the kill right then, if not, he just bide your time, as you know more chips are on the way. If Romney is the nominee, perhaps Jeb could be talked in VP (he will never be a VP with Perry), but I am thinking that once again, the Republicans will go for a hard core right winger like Bachmann or Jim DeMint, Rubio, Pence, etc, to balance off Romney's perceived centrist tendencies.

3. The Republican elite (and the Democratic elite centrists) are quite happy with Obama's continuity of agenda so far. He has expanded the war machine, laid off any meaningful prosecution of the banks, turned over (via mandate) a huge chunk of the nation's GDP (health care) to the private, for-profit overlords, and continues to erode civil liberties.

4. The Republican power brokers know that by the 2016 election, after 8 years of Obama (if he is re-elected in 2012) Jeb and Bush Co can waltz in and deliver the coup d' grace to the nation with an iron glove. With Perry, if he does win in 2012, then the iron glove comes sooner.

5. A Romney win will mean a flipped-image version of Obama's 4 years, with Romney playing the full corporatist stooge role, attacked by many in the TeaBaggery Nation. A Romney win is also the best shot for a Democratic win in 2016, as Romney will be a hated incumbent. I see the systemic controllers as more than happy to let Obama keep the role he's currently playing.

[Sherman A1]

15. +1, Agreed & Well Said!

I believe you are absolutely correct.

[davidwparker]

14. We have open primaries in VA. I was leaning to GoodHair

since that would be an easy defeat and mess up the Crime Family's dream about Jebby in 2016.

I will have to watch the interview.

[Mark D.]

17. Same For Me

I've always felt Mitt was the best of the bunch. The most pro-science / evolution of the true front runners (Huntsman doesn't count, he can't possibly win). I honestly don't think at his core he is a 'reformed moderate pro-choice republican'. I think he still is and flip/flopped like he always does to be 'pro-life' to get comfy with the general party. But Carter's intent may be deeper.

Deeper than not wanting a GOP lunatic against Obama. If the GOP had stronger candidates, or Obama had worse odds to win, he'd probably want the nut-cases since they're so easy to prove crazy and they'd help bring the GOP image down. Carter is playing the multi-level chess we've hoped that we would see Obama actually playing (that too often turned out to be far too much 'compromise').

Romney won't be barking about abortion or guns. He's never focused on those, even recently. He won't be bashing 'Obamacare' too heavily, since a wall of media will be waiting to pounce on it as hypocrisy. Let me tell you as someone who's been on the Mass plan, I'm damned glad Mitt passed it. Plus, I think he actually has a few 'morals', unlike hypocrites & liars in the remaining group.

Ultimately, Obama can play 'centrist' with a lunatic right winger and win. Carter isn't worried about Obama not winning. He's worried he'll beat a lunatic, use that to say 'glad it's me and not them' and continue to push center-right. A not so far right candidate unable to bash universal HC, will force Obama to be left of that, left of the centrist Mitt can easily play. Smart move Jimmy!

[War Horse]

22. So a Romney nom would push Obama to the left?

As opposed to if one of the raving lunatics get the nom?

Maybe I'm slow on the uptake, but I hadn't thought of that. Good point.

[bluestateguy]

19. I remember the day back in 2005 when DU turned on Jimmy Carter

It was in response to an interview and a book he wrote in which he said that he personally opposed abortion, even as he continued to support its legality and Roe v. Wade. And he made this distinction clear too.

My goodness, you'd have thought he killed a puppy on live television. Anti-Carter threads popped up like wildfire.

Point is, on political message boards even beloved persons can be thrown under the bus in a flash.

[Raine]

20. I do too. Romney would be the easiest to beat an

if he did win he's not as bat-shit crazy as the rest. Yes "good ole Jimmy Carter" indeed, he's smart. :thumbsup:

[JI7]

21. whatever Carter's reasons are, it certainly doesn't help Romney in the Primary

[Safetykitten]

23. Jimmy Carter wants to stay relevant. Thanks for the tip Jimmy!

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MH1]

25. Of the people I think have a chance, I'd pick Romney too.

I don't think Ron Paul has a chance, and if he did, I'd have to actually think about it. Between Perry, Bachmann, and Romney, no thought is necessary. If I had to guess, I'd guess that would be Carter's thinking also. (I presume he was prompted to make a choice rather than just randomly volunteering it.)

[harun]

28. Ron Paul, he would end the wars at least.

[unkachuck]

26. "I hope he wins,"

"Carter, a Democrat, added that he thinks Romney would lose in a match up against Obama, and that he supports the president's re-election..."

....but if he won, I could see how romney could be considered the least threatening as our next president, by how much, who knows?....of course, there is that question about Mountain Meadows....

[Ineeda]

27. As a 'genuine' Christian

he probably abhors all the un-christian garbage he's been hearing from the others. Carter's a man who walks the walk.

[MADem]

31. Romney is a very unlikeable guy. He really is ... sleazy. In a creepy, too much grease in his

Just-For-Menned hair, kind of way. One of those walking, talking examples that "Money Can't Buy Class."

Jimmy's right. Obama would beat the guy like a rented mule.

[Kalidurga]

32. There are no current qualified Republicans running, but...

Romney is the sanest I think. Yeah he looks like the love child of Guy Smiley. Sure he looks like a used car salesman and not a particularly successful one at that. And he has this tiny bit of a problem with understanding the proper way to transport the family dog...He is also malleable, unlike a few of the extremist bagger candidates. So, if one of these insane people have to be the nominee I would choose Mittens as well. I think he will be the least terrible of all of them at least I am pretty sure he won't introduce prayer in school or try to turn progress backwards like the rest of the bunch.

[MADem]

33. The one who looks best to the inattentive is Huntsman.

He's less greasy, drives a motorcycle, looks more like a WALMART circular model (as opposed to Romney's SEARS look), and has that "youthful vigor" thing going on. And he's Mormon, but he's not "Romney Mormon."

He's the one that scares me--I think if the first tier of GOP Shitbirds eats each other alive, he's top dog in the second tier.

Carter wants Mittens picked because he has that STINK on him, and Obama will beat him handily--not because he sees Mittens as an "acceptable alternative" to Obama.