The Republican candidate for 2012 Presidential election will be...

[arcadian]

Who?


I say Scott Brown.

Pretty face. Not well known nationally. Little experience in the Senate to call him out on. Rising star.

Republican but he represents one of the most liberal states in the country, they'll try to make him out to be a Republican JFK. They'll use this to pull in the northeast and they will get the pickup truck from out of storage to try to win the midwest. He's a a male bimbot clone of Sarah Palin, but he's actually been to law school.

[harun]

1. Not crazy enough for the fundies. Probably be Jeb Bush.

[blue_onyx]

3. I agree...I think it will be Jeb Bush

If Jeb isn't the nominee, I think he'll be the VP

[NoSheep]

51. IF it is.....oh god...if it is....oh...this is unthinkable.

[arcadian]

5. The Bushes are done til this guy gets back from Iraq:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_P._Bush

Then it's gonna be round four of installing Bush's in national and state offices.

[BeFree]

17. yep

The media is already rewriting the bush legacy, preparing to put Jeb in office.

How can we finally get rid of the bush's?

[zbdent]

19. and you won't hear anything from the "All my life, I've seen elections with either

a Bush or a Clinton ..." people, at least in the "liberal media" ...

[Cheap_Trick]

33. I hear napalm works good at clearing vegetation....nt

[pipi_k]

18. I agree too...plus...

Scott Brown doesn't look or sound nearly stupid enough to please the anti-I-have-a-brain crowd.

[liberal N proud]

2. Romney - Palin ticket

Romney has the hots for her.

[monmouth]

4. The name "Bush" is toxic, even for pubbies. I was under the

impression they nominated whomever "turn" it was..Mitt is going to be highly annoyed if he doesn't get the nod. He's waited a while now...LOL. If they did name Jeb, they'd lose Florida, he is not the beloved down here a lot of folks would like to think he is.

[arcadian]

11. Scott Brown is Romney without all the Mormon baggage

Plus he's over exposed and stale by now. They want an unknown.

[DrDan]

6. I thought so too . . . and said so several times

but not so sure any more. His support of the jobs bill might have been his Waterloo.

I think Mitt may currently have the inside track.

[OHdem10]

7. Mitt Romney.. Romney was #2 in last election. GOP follows

tradition and rewards their #2. Romney is therefore next in line.

No matter how we activists see Romney, some see Romney as
highly credentialed candidate. Highly successful turning
businesses around and making them effective. While Romney
could potentially have problems in GOP Primary, he has
best chance in General Election of bringing along Independents
and some wayward Democrats.

Scott Brown, too inexperienced. This is the GOP complaint
against Obama. They cannot put up an inexperienced candidate.

[FSogol]

8. Some loser. n/t

[Ozymanithrax]

9. Can Scott Brown win southern primaries.

He voted for the Massachusets State Health Care Plan. (This hurt Romeny in 2008) It will hurt him. He already has one vote that completely pissed off the right fringe, who will drive the primaries.

Scott Brown is going to win the Governorship in Texas, then do a Bush and run in 2012. He has great Tea Party/seccessionist/conservative credentials galore. He is governor of the Texas, a huge state. Now, Scott Brown will probably be on his list for VP.

There is already a buzz in Texas...(From a 30 second google search)
Carl Leubsdorf: Is Rick Perry's next race for president?

Is Rick Perry Running For President?

[AlinPA]

32. You mean Perry is going to win the Governorship in Texas.

[Ozymanithrax]

48. My mistake, thanks.

[cameozalaznick]

38. That's IF Rick Perry can win re-election...

He was so unpopular the last time that it took three other candidates to siphon away all the anti-Perry sentiment. This go round, he's only facing Bill White, the popular Democratic former mayor of Houston (termed out or he would have easily won re-election).

[Ozymanithrax]

49. I suspect Perry has locked in enough Texans to win...this is texas

Following his win, he will announce comittee to look into a run for the President.

He is the wet dream of the right fringe, and they are driving the Republican party right now.

[FSogol]

10. Bob McDonnell, current empty-suited Governor of Virginia with Huckabee as VP candidate.

:shrug: Obama will win reelection.

[DefenseLawyer]

12. I think Brown will switch parties and try to get re-elected to the Senate in 2012

He's pro-choice. No way he could get the Republican nomination for President.

[AlinPA]

31. The teabaggers helped put him in, so I doubt he will change parties.

[DefenseLawyer]

40. You really think the "teabaggers" are going to be a force in Massachusetts politics in 2012?

In a presidential election year? I don't. They can have some sway in an off year special election with low turnout. Not in 2012. A Democrat is going to win that seat.

[AlinPA]

43. I agree a Democrat should win MA. But not him. Teabaggers will be a force there but I doubt

they can beat a good Democratic candidate.

[Taverner]

13. It will be Romney/Brown

Romney will declare his home state as Utah to get around the same state law

[Swamp Rat]

28. That's my guess too

One of the two will be their nominee. I am thinking both will be on the ticket.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

14. Whoever Gets The Nod............

.............will get slaughtered. And that should tell you something about just HOW bad this current crop of "front-runners" is, that in THIS political climate, the Republicans can't field a single candidate capable of carrying 100 electoral votes. Unless someone nobody's ever heard of suddenly emerges out of nowhere, Obama cruises to a second term without even breaking a sweat. Because if Romney's the best you've got, that's pretty sad.

[lazarus]

15. It'll be Bob McDonnell

Newly minted Governor of Virginia. He's got the Teabaggers on his side, but he's able to put forward a somewhat moderate appearance, to make the independents happy. And he didn't totally screw up his response to Obama, the way Jindal did.

Plus, being Governor allows him to claim that all-important "executive experience". You know, like W.

[Vogon_Glory]

16. Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, possibly Sarah Palin

I suspect that the 2012 Republican candidate is likely to be MN's Tim Pawlenty or IN's Mitch Daniels. Possibly Sarah Palin; less likely Texas' Rick Perry.

I confess that I'm hoping for either Perry or Palin. In either case, the President will clean their clocks.

:dem:

:patriot:

[Arkana]

26. I'd look at Daniels, McDonnell, and Pawlenty.

Most likely Mitch Daniels.

[Ozymanithrax]

20. No, it is Rick Perry all the way.

There is already a buzz in Texas...(From a 30 second google search)
Carl Leubsdorf: Is Rick Perry's next race for president?

Is Rick Perry Running For President?

[ThomWV]

21. Petraeus

You got to be able to see this one coming.

[Ozymanithrax]

23. Gen. David Petraeus is still an active duty officer.

He will need to retire this year, or it is no go. Running for President takes about 2 years.

If he retires before the primary in 2012, he would be on a short lest as VP or Secretary of Defense in a Republican administration.

[Arkana]

25. Petraeus isn't a GOP party man--he's not walking their line.

[ThomWV]

29. And their line isn't going anywhere - that's plain to see. The GOP of 2012 will not be today's GOP

[AlinPA]

34. How do you see them changing?

[ThomWV]

37. If they are to survive they have to move in the Eisenhower - Powell mode

And there we have the good General who saved Iraq standing in waiting.

[Arkana]

42. Yeah, do you REALLY see them moderating for 2012?

A full third of their party thinks the President is a terrorist sleeper agent, all the foot soldiers who knock on doors and GOTV for them are Tea Party nutjobs who will want their voices heard, and St. Sarah of Palin still holds sway.

The GOP has spent the last two years tacking hard to the right. What on EARTH makes you think they will suddenly "moderate" for 2012?

[Ozymanithrax]

50. They only way the GOP changes is if they get their ass kicked in the midterms...

I don't see that happening.

AT worst, they will plick up seats in the house and Senate, though not enough to take over. If people like Perry wins in Texas and the teabagger doufus in Florida, that will be all they need to continue moving to the right.

[mfcorey1]

22. I also say Jeb Bush

The red party has just excused away anything in his life that is questionable.

[Sixty_cycle_humm]

24. Mitch Daniels

He's going to be the "dark horse" of this race for the repubs.

[DefenseLawyer]

44. Mitch Daniels is about 5'4 and talks like Larry Bird

and before entering politics he was an executive at a pharmaceutical company. Pinch me, I'm dreaming.

[Sixty_cycle_humm]

45. Hey,

I didn't say he was a bad choice for us... :)

[Tony_FLADEM]

27. Bob Corker will be the Republican Nominee for President in 2012.

[AlinPA]

30. As teabaggers gain more power, Palin.

[BlueIdaho]

35. Only if he wears his pink leather short shorts...

What a tool.

[county worker]

36. Romney and Palin

[athenasatanjesus]

39. An extreme right winger that the media will portray as moderate nt

[Echo In Light]

41. Contingent upon what's occurring via Deep Politics

[onenote]

46. if i had to guess at this point: Romney/Cantor

Gives the repubs a shot at two states that went for Obama in 2008 - Mass and VA and improves their chances in Florida (where Romney and a Christian VP candidate would do very poorly among the state's older, but politically active, Jewish voters).
It also lets the repubs claim to be a "big tent" party by having a Mormon/Jewish ticket, rather than a ticket of two white protestant (or Catholic) guys.

[brettdale]

47. Its going to be Palin of course

And she will be worse than Bush, because at least Bush knew he wasnt really in control, Palin will think
that she is.