What GOP Nominee Would You Want To Face? Who Would You Least Want?

[Dave Sund]

Who's the dream opponent? The worst possible candidate that the Republicans can throw at us, or the person you would just love to face.

Who's the nightmare opponent? The best candidate, or the person you just couldn't stand to see nominated.

I'd love to face Rice or Gingrich. Quite possibly the two worst candidates for the Republicans to run. They'd even lose to Hillary in a complete landslide.

Giuliani's a wild card. On one hand, he'd run a 9/11 campaign, and ridiculously so. However, would it distract the conservatives from his stance on abortion? Would they stay home or vote for a third party rather than throw their support behind Rudy?

McCain's the nightmare. He has incredible support among Democrats, and decent enough support among Republicans to carry an election easily. If the Republicans somehow manage to nominate him, say goodnight.

[serryjw]

1. Most Frist

He has the personality of a thermometer......McCain is a problem but he will be 72 and many will think he be too old.....Look at Clinton & Bushit..they age so much in this job.

[saltpoint]

2. You're right about McCain's appeal to many --

-- Democrats and independents. I like him personally but his voting record is a total right-wing freakout.

He's the nightmare. A McCain - David Rockefeller ticket (Ike's grandson) would be real tough for us, or McCain-Pawlenty, or McCain-Hutchison.

George Allen's name is mentioned, but I think he may be called back to his base galaxy prior to the primaries. So he's out.

Newt is a hot-air balloon and I just don't see him appealing to rural fundamentalist Republicans with the baggage he's carrying. He's too city-slickered and too-often divorced. He sounds like a banker explaining why a farm is being foreclosed.

George Pataki will be lucky if he remembers how to dress and feed himself by the time primary season rolls around in 2008. He's a bit of a mess with very little demographic appeal nationally.

Jeb says he's not interested, which would be great, but he remains a threat because he could conceivably hold the GOP base together for one last screwjob on the fundies, fueled by neocon/defense dollars. He also takes Florida deep into red if he is their nominee. He's a corrupt business hack and a clueless philistine, but so is his brother.

Mitt Romney makes me sick. That's not a very objective point, I grant you. But he is one of the most vomitous Republicans who ever got up and walked. Long on ego, short on public service as a gesture of citizenship. Too willing to divide others to advance himself. Dangerously high yuck factor.

Owen of Colorado is part crazed ideologue, part arrogant dandy. The GOP is roughly the same though, and so he could wind up as their VP candidate. I don't see him at the top of the ticket, if he's on it at all. I think Gov. Owen should run a used car dealership someplace. I think that's his life's calling.

Rudy is a fool. Tough prosecutor gets elected mayor of New York, suffers bad PR when his wife leaves him because he's a king-hell jerk, so he moves in with two gay guys in their apartment, then stumbles onto hero celebrityhood when the Trade Towers go down. I don't think his pro-GLBT, pro-choice positions are going to enthuse Southern red voters. New Hampshire voters will consider him damaged goods, and rightly so. McCain will destroy Giuliani in New Hampshire.

I think it's THE CAT BUTCHER for the GOP in 2008. He's from a border state, he's a halfassed doctor, he's tall, and once they run a few charisma implants, he might just make a sentient being. There's something....feline....about him -- that demure purr of an opportunist. He'll run as an unthreatening Dr. Welby type, and bore everyone's ass off in debates. He'll poll better than the hapless Bob Dole, but not enough to defeat a solid ticket if we send one up.

I think most or all of our possible nominees can wipe the floor with him. When he loses the general election in November, I predict THE CAT BUTCHER will take a job as the new Mr. Whipple on tv.

[Dave Sund]

3. That would be a dream come true

If Frist were the Republican nominee, we would destroy him. I honestly love the mediocrity of the Republican field, so long as they don't nominate McCain. People, for whatever reason, connect with Bush. They won't do that with the completely dull Frist. Giuliani holds a lot of the same scary potential because of 9/11. Bush was probably headed to a terrible defeat if not for the most spectacular intelligence failure in our nation's history, followed by one of the most ill-advised wars in our nation's history. Go figure.

As long as the religious right continues the "pro-life" litmus test, there's no way Giuliani gets the nomination. That's the great thing about this Republican field: The two most electable candidates are two guys that the primary voters aren't going to vote for.

Unfortunately for us, it's possible that one of them could be a VP choice.

[John_H]

4. First we beat Powell we don't.

Any Dem beats Frist or Condi. McCain is tough but beatable. Powell is the next president if he runs.

[Dave Sund]

5. Powell won't run

He didn't run in 1996, he won't run now, when he's much older, and he doesn't have many allies left in the party.

[safi0]

6. The absolute worst GOP nominee

would be someone who isn't articulate so that takes Gingrich off the table because as much as we hate this guy hes frightenighly articulate.

Someone who couldn't appeal to moderates so that takes Giuliani off the table.

Someone who has some baggage so that takes away Frist(yeah I know the catkiller stuff but that's so minor)

Leaving us with a candidate who could not win outside of the deep South and the Wyoming, Montana areas: Trent Lott.

Not even Karl Rove and all the diebold machines in the world could get him in the Whitehouse

[JHBowden]

7. McCain or Guiliani = GAME OVER

If they nominate someone on the far right like Owens or Santorum, we're in the game.

[Dave Sund]

9. I disagree

On Guiliani, at least... First of all, I don't think he'll get through the primaries. Second of all, the evangelical base will either stay home or vote for a third-party candidate. Third, if we put a southern Democrat up against him, we could win a few southern states, as Guiliani's going to have the NYC image. Fourth, he's got too many skeletons in his closet.

McCain, I agree. Game over. That's unfortunate.

[Robeson]

8. Frist has all the charm of a mortician. I would love to see him as...

...the Republican nominee. As for who I would hate: I would hate to run against McCain. The one I fear the most, is Jeb Bush. The Bushinistas have proven they will rig, borrow, bribe, or fix anything in order to take care of their own...