Thread: 2012 Republican Presidential Contenders

here she is,..............

and some info about her: Bachmann announces run for president | Minnesota Public Radio News

Originally Posted by Norton

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

His support for cutting the corporate tax rate, eliminating the capital gains tax and dividend tax is outstanding

Urban myth. There is absolutely no correlation tax cuts spur economic growth. Wall street will like it but Wall street is not an indicator of real economic growth nor will it put people back to work.

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

cleaning up the tax code by instituting flatter tax rates and eliminating tax loopholes and giveaways.

This is needed but depends on details.

I have seen nothing from anyone which seriously addresses the deficit, the unemployment problem or the competitiveness of America in a global economy. The Obama/Dem plan which claims to cut the deficit by 1 trillion over ten years is a joke. The couple of GOP solutions are equally ridiculous. All are based on no new taxes or further tax breaks.

America has been riding high on a false economy for far to long. It's time to pay the piper. Unless someone comes along with the truth and can convince all it will take sacrifice by all to right the ship, America continue to decline economically.

Taxes will have to increase significantly, spending in the public sector must be reduced, consumption via easy credit must stop, effective educational reform must happen, antiquated infrastructure must be improved, innovation must be fostered, foreign policy must be completely changed, a proper national energy strategy needed and military spending on fruitless wars immediately stop.

It is going to take years not months to fix so unemployment will remain high for some time. And by the way, housing prices will drop further until they reach affordable levels.

Will the "truth" candidate please stand up? We are waiting. No one. Very well. Rearrange the deck chairs. Strike up the band. Mustn't worry the voters.

Just posted a Time piece on another thread - https://teakdoor.com/1784009-post3.html - taking on some of the issues here in Nortons post, I agree taxes must up significantly, The 400 richest in the US only on average pay 18% tax, lower taxes for the richest is not going to come back in the economy. None of the GOP candidates are willing to go that route, yet a sharply decling economy might still be what could turn things around for the GOP chances, shame they don't have better ideas if they should get the reins.

Some quotes from Time-

"First-quarter GDP numbers showed a measly 1.8% increase, well short of the expectations of above 3%, and second-quarter estimates are not much better. Then came a report on housing-price declines that have not been seen since the Great Depression, followed by reports of consumer spending at six-month lows"

"a mere 54,000 jobs were created in May, less than half of what was expected and less than a third of what is needed to lower a 9.1% unemployment rate."

"We would need to create 187,000 jobs a month, growing at a rate of 3.3%, to get to a healthy 5% unemployment rate by 2020. At the current rate of growth and job creation, we would maybe get halfway there by that time."

"There is a fundamental disconnect between the fortunes of American companies, which are doing quite well, and American workers, most of whom are earning a lower hourly wage now than they did during the recession. The thing is, companies make plenty of money; they just don't spend it on workers here."

"Meanwhile, companies are flush: American firms generated $1.68 trillion in profit in the last quarter of 2010 alone. But many firms would think twice before putting their next factory or R&D center in the U.S. when they could put it in Brazil, China or India."

"Nobel laureate Michael Spence, author of The Next Convergence, has looked at which American companies created jobs at home from 1990 to 2008, a period of extreme globalization. The results are startling. The companies that did business in global markets, including manufacturers, banks, exporters, energy firms and financial services, contributed almost nothing to overall American job growth."

I don’t want this thread to go off track/topic, but I might like to see her as my first lady.

Some news,…….

With the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman will formally launch his presidential bid next Tuesday at Liberty State Park in New Jersey and continue the week with a fly-around to most of the early-voting primary states.

Allies of his campaign say that after the announcement, he will head to New Hampshire. On Wednesday, he’ll be in South Carolina, followed by Florida on Thursday, Utah on Friday and Nevada on Saturday. The only traditional early state he’s skipping is Iowa, where he has said he won’t be competing, anyway.

Lucky guy: RealClearPolitics - Huntsman to Announce Candidacy Next Week

^Skipping the bizarre Iowa caucuses. Can't say I blame him. Wish the entire country could give that a miss.

Michelle is still hotter.

Originally Posted by robuzo

former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman

... is the only GOP candidate that looks vaguely Presidential.
Might just be their wild card. I think everyone is bored of showbiz Mitt.
Basically, every GOP candidate is employed by Fox, or a rich Mormon.

Originally Posted by sabang

Rick Perry from Texas is the only GOP candidate that looks vaguely Presidential.

There...fixed that for you!

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Originally Posted by sabang

Rick Perry from Texas is the only GOP candidate that looks vaguely Presidential.

There...fixed that for you!

Some things you might want to know about Mr. Perry before you get behind him.

While Perry’s supporters will explain what he’s done for Texans, detractors will cite what Perry hasn’t done. Those celebrating him as the architect of our low-tax state would be forced to acknowledge that this is nothing new, and that Texas is also an extreme low-services state, with serious consequences for Texas families.

Education? We’re 50th in the nation in kids with a high school diploma by age 25, and 43rd in high school graduation rates. We’re 42nd in the nation in high school graduates going to college, and of those, only half earn a degree within six years.

Health care? We’re first in the nation in folks without health insurance and 49th in our low-income population covered by Medicaid.

Relative wealth? We’re fourth in the nation on the percentage of our residents living below the poverty line.

The environment? We’re first in the nation in cancer-causing carcinogens released into the air, first on toxic chemicals released into the water and first in the amount of hazardous waste generated.

I could go on, but the Legislative Study Group already has, and Perry and other Republicans in charge in Texas are currently wrapping up legislative work in which their policy priorities will assure that those measures worsen.

Link: Guest Column: Why Perry Shouldn't Run for President — 2012 Presidential Election | The Texas Tribune

Legislative Study Group: Texas On the Brink


In addition to boasting a raft of nasty scandals, here’s a guy who pranced around threatening to secede from the union after the Democrats passed the unAmerican socialist stimulus — then covered his $7B budget shortfall with it.

Texas was the state that depended the most on those very stimulus funds to plug nearly 97% of its shortfall for fiscal 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Link: Looks like Rick Perry is Running for President | Firedoglake

Link: Texas balanced budget with stimulus money from Washington - Jan. 23, 2011

Maybe a very few Republicans would back this guy Perry, but I don’t think any rational Republicans would.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Maybe a very few Republicans would back this guy Perry, but I don’t think any rational Republicans would.

99% of the vote ain't bad.

Couple of polls out,……..

This one after the debate and gauging NH voters.

Romney leads all contenders with 42% of the vote. Texas Congressman Ron Paul and Bachmann are tied with 10% each. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin earns 7% while former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani earns 6% followed by former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty who gets 5%. Four percent say they would vote for Newt Gingrich while Herm Cain and former Obama official Jon Huntsman both earn 3%. Santorum gets 2%.

But the most surprising numbers emerged when we asked which candidates had the strongest debate performance. We asked this question of the 54% of respondents who said they watched the televised debate either on WMUR or CNN.

Thirty-nine percent said Romney gave the strongest performance. But an impressive 28% said Bachmann did. No other candidate finished in double-digits. Among self-identified conservatives who watched the debate, Bachmann performed even better. Among this group, 37% said Romney had the strongest performance, while 33% said Bachmann.

Poll results in the link: Poll: Bachmann breaks through, Huntsman hurting, Romney rolling

And a poll asking Texans what they thought.

Only 9 percent of likely Republican voters said they would favor Perry in a presidential race, with the most support going to Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin, according to an independent poll released Thursday.

His own constituents wouldn’t support him: Poll: Most Texans approve of Perry, but few support presidential bid — yet

A few things,..

First: Jon Huntsman is in (tomorrow 6/21, 10am EST he will announce his intentions)

nice video,..............Tomorrow on Vimeo

Link (watch online RSVP): Jon Huntsman

Second: California poll numbers

Romney is preferred by 25 percent of registered GOP voters, giving the former Massachusetts governor a double-digit lead over each of his challengers. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, viewed as Romney's leading competitor for the nomination, barely registered in the poll, earning just 3 percent support.

Romney's closest competition comes from two candidates who haven't even joined the race to deny Democratic President Obama a second term: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (17 percent), and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (10 percent). If Giuliani is taken out of the field, Romney's lead widens - to 30 percent and a more than 2-to-1 lead over Palin at 12 percent in second position, the poll shows.

Rest of the poll: Printable version: Mitt Romney fares well in California Field Poll

Third: I was thinking, no matter who received the Republican nomination at least 44% to 46% of the popular vote would go to that Republican candidate. No matter how crazy they were, the Republicans would stick behind them because of their hatred for Obama.

Might not be the case if a Mormon is their candidate,………

In U.S., 22% Are Hesitant to Support a Mormon in 2012

PRINCETON, NJ -- Though the vast majority of Americans say they would vote for their party's nominee for president in 2012 if that person happens to be a Mormon, 22% say they would not, a figure largely unchanged since 1967.


The Republicans might not show up at the polls, this round.

Strange group: In U.S., 22% Are Hesitant to Support a Mormon in 2012

more Newt news,..........

ATLANTA – Newt Gingrich's top two fundraising advisers resigned on Tuesday, and officials said the Republican candidate's hobbling presidential campaign carried more than $1 million in debt.

The departures of fundraising director Jody Thomas and fundraising consultant Mary Heitman were the latest blow for the former House speaker who watched 16 top advisers abandon his campaign en masse earlier this month, partly because of what people familiar with the campaign spending described as a dire financial situation.

These people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the campaign inner workings, said the former Georgia lawmaker racked up massive travel bills but money had only trickled in since he got into the race earlier this spring.

These officials said that he is at least $1 million in debt. The current fundraising quarter ends June 30, and Gingrich will have to disclose his campaign finances by July 15. He is personally wealthy and could fund his campaign out of his own pocket, at least in the short term, to keep his campaign afloat.

Gingrich has insisted that he will not abandon his troubled bid and will continue fighting for the Republican nomination for president "no matter what it takes." He's revamping his campaign, given the series of departures.

toast anyone?: APNewsBreak: Gingrich campaign fundraisers quit - Yahoo! News

An interesting read, so far,………

Handicapping the Republican Field


Mitt Romney, 3-2 odds against (40 percent chance of winning nomination)

Tim Pawlenty, 9-2 odds against (18 percent chance of winning nomination)

Rick Perry, 7-1 odds against (12.5 percent chance of winning nomination)

Michele Bachmann, 15-2 odds against (12 percent chance of winning nomination)

Sarah Palin, 30-to-1 odds against (3.2 percent chance of winning nomination)

Jon M. Huntsman Jr., 30-to-1 odds against (3.2 percent chance of winning nomination)

Herman Cain, 35-to-1 odds against (2.8 percent chance of winning nomination)

Paul D. Ryan, 40-to-1 odds against (2.4 percent chance of winning nomination)

Chris Christie, 70-to-1 odds against (1.4 percent chance of winning nomination)

Jeb Bush, 70-to-1 odds against (1.4 percent chance of winning nomination)


Handicapping the Republican Field: Part I, the Top Tier - NYTimes.com

Handicapping the Republican Field: Part II, the Wild Cards - NYTimes.com


on another note did you know that Rick Perry Was Al Gore’s Texas Campaign Chairman in 1988

Political observers have noted that Jon Huntsman is likely to take some flack from conservatives for having served as President Obama’s Ambassador to China until recently. But Huntsman isn’t the only prospective GOP candidate who has worked for a prominent Democratic politician in years past.

Rick Perry, who entered the Texas legislature as a Democrat in 1984,served as Al Gore’s Texas Campaign Chairman in the 1988 presidential campaign. Soon after the campaign, Perry switched parties and was elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner as a Republican in 1990. “Going through that (Gore experience) was part of what started me through the process of changing parties in 1989,”Perry later said. “I came to my senses.”

Snip

Rick Perry prides himself on his anti-environmental credentials as Texas Governor. But if and when he decides to run for President, whether it is in the next few weeks or in 2016, he’ll undoubtedly have to explain all of this to the Republican base.


Link: Rick Perry Was Al Gore’s Texas Campaign Chairman in 1988 at EnviroKnow

A slogan for the 2012 elections:

RE-ELECT OBAMA: Because Bombing Foreigners to Smithereens Is Only Wrong When Republicans Do It!

Mrs. Bachmann formally announced her bid to run today in Iowa where she is polling well, however there is already a problem.

Announcement,…….

Bachmann Officially Announces Her Run for the Presidency of the United States in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann officially announced her candidacy in front of a hometown crowd in Waterloo, Iowa. Hundreds gathered at the historic Snowden House to hear Bachmann convey that together we can secure the future of our country.

The following is text of the official announcement speech:

It's great to be in Iowa and even better to be in Waterloo where I was born. It's fitting to be here at the Snowden House, the place that once served as the home of the Waterloo Women's Club. I stand here today in front of many friends, yada yada yada

MBachmann/donate site: Michele Bachmann for President | MicheleBachmann.com

Iowa Poll numbers,……

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and business executive, claims 23 percent, and Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman and evangelical conservative, garners 22 percent. Neither has done heavy lifting in Iowa.

Link: Iowa Poll: Romney, Bachmann lead Republican pack | Iowa Caucuses

Problem,………

Bachmann's had her share of government aid

The fiscal conservative from Minnesota and 2012 presidential contender has benefited personally from federal funds and federal farm subsidies.

Snip

But the Minnesota Republican and her family have benefited personally from government aid, an examination of her record and finances shows. A counseling clinic run by her husband has received nearly $30,000 from the state of Minnesota in the last five years, money that in part came from the federal government. A family farm in Wisconsin, in which the congresswoman is a partner, received nearly $260,000 in federal farm subsidies.

Do as I say not as I do, welfare queen M Bachmann: Rep. Michele Bachmann: She's had her share of government aid - latimes.com

Originally Posted by robuzo

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told Fox News that she has "the spirit" of John Wayne.

Aka rotgut, moonshine, or Hooch.

We too have some cartoon characters running for political office in other democracies. The difference is, in our country's they are normally attached to fringe parties, such as the UK's stellar Monster Raving Loony party, or something way out in Greenieland. In the USA, well the GOP is the place for them- Palin, Trump, Bachman et all. Blimey. The thing is, none of them have buckleys chance of actually winning an election (unless perhaps the second coming actually happens, and the big JC tells you to 'vote Bachman'). So basically, they are a waste of Press space.

^They are but still,..it is interesting to watch it take shape.

Originally Posted by robuzo

In Waterloo, Iowa on the eve of her official presidential campaign announcement, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told Fox News that she has "the spirit" of John Wayne.

The presidential hopeful -- who was born and grew up in Waterloo as a child before moving to Minnesota -- said, "Well, what I want them to know is just like, John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too."

The Washington Times points out one slight problem with the Tea Party favorite's remarks: The John Wayne with roots in Waterloo is John Wayne Gacy, a serial killer who was executed by lethal injection in 1994 after being convicted of 33 murders.

I have read where she/or her staff have already come out to explain that John Wayne’s mother and father stayed there a short time before Mr. Wayne was born. Mr. Wayne's parents moved about 3 hours away, where John Wayne was born.

Backtracking

The Bachmann campaign sent this explanation: "John Wayne is from Iowa, his parents lived in Waterloo."

And indeed his parents did in fact live briefly in Waterloo — in fact, according to "Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne," it's where they met. But soon after their marriage they moved to Winterset, where Wayne was born.

Poor girl is a mess: The wrong John Wayne - Washington Times

edit,...Rick Scott, SUCKS!

To be honest, she has something in common with JW Gacy, both of them being dangerous clowns. Granted, she's not killing kids and hiding them under her house, but she is hoping to push women needing abortions back into alleyways, and is an avid death penalty supporter and right-to-carry any sort of weapon you please in public type, so in terms of actual body count she would exceed the serial killer if she got her way.

Just a little update from a poll out today.

Pitiful ,……….but then we only have one candidate, Obama.

While Republicans are more enthusiastic than Democrats about the presidential elections in 2012, Republican voters remain entirely un-enthused by their current options -- they're still waiting for one of the field to step up and shine, or for a new face to spring from the shadows.

Only 23 percent of Republican voters said they were satisfied with the candidates running for their party's nomination, while a solid majority of 71 percent said they'd like to see a new face in the mix.

snip

Seven percent of self-described Republicans said they were enthusiastic about Mitt Romney's candidacy, and Michele Bachmann, who has stolen the spotlight in recent days, got the same backing. Two percent threw their backing to Herman Cain. None of the other candidates managed to garner more than 1 percent of the Republican respondents' backing.

Rest of the story/poll PDF: Poll: GOP voters still not happy with choices - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Pitiful ,……….but then we only have one candidate, Obama.

Not so fast there slick - Generic Republican Candidate 46%, Obama 42%

By the time this Fast & Furious Gunrunning scandal is over, Obama won't be able to run for City Dogcatcher. Stick a fork in him - he's done.

Election 2012: Generic Presidential Ballot - Rasmussen Reports

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Not so fast there slick - Generic Republican Candidate 46%, Obama 42%

But if you stick a face to this Generic candidate (let’s say Perry or Palin, IN THEIR OWN STATE) the results are different than the poll you refer to.

These polls were just recently released,……

Texas poll: Obama 47, Perry 45

Only 33% of voters in the state think he should make a bid for the White House compared to 59% opposed to him running. More surprising than that? Perry actually trails Barack Obama 47-45 in a hypothetical match up in the state.

and Palin,.....

A new poll shows President Obama beating Mama Grizzly in her homestate. When asked if they preferred Obama or Palin, 42% of responders leaned towards Obama, while only 36% chose Palin.

Of those who preferred Obama, 35% said they felt strongly about their choice. 24% felt similarly about Palin.

Debunking any accusations of a liberal survey bias, the Anchorage Daily News reported that conservative radio host Mike Porcaro paid for the poll.

AMERICAblog News: Poll: Obama beats Palin in Alaska

Texas poll: Obama 47, Perry 45

You gotta love the repugs shotgun approach to selecting a candidate. Throw out as many folks as are foolish enough to try to pass the smell test and hope that Fox can make one of them stick. The new black guy that nobody's ever heard of wants all new bills to be no more than 3 pages long. This is appropriate for repugs, they prefer that people don't read. They would rather they are told how to think by Fox. Romney is a morman, you know those crazy people who believe that they can talk to god directly. The morman church is the largest contributor to anti gay marriage campaigns which may not bother some, but some of the other "family values" that they push just might. Fortunatly for Obama American's have low expectations for their "leaders" so whoever gets elected it will be business as usual. I got a budget cut for this bunch of losers; fire the bunch of them, congress 535, congressional staff 300,000 and just let the c**t brothers and Murdoch run the country and lets forget the bullsh*t pretense.

Another one

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., will launch his presidential campaign on July 2, making him the third sitting member of the House to run for the White House in 2012.

McCotter will make his bid official in his home state of Michigan, according to a knowledgeable source in the campaign who declined to be identified.

Link: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/06/mccotter-runs-for-president-2012/1

Thaddeus McCotter website: http://www.mccotter2012.com/

And some other news,………..

Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain is a grassroots sensation on the 2012 presidential campaign trail. Now we know what that looks like as a dollar figure: Cain brought in $2.46 million in campaign contributions, a number the campaign tells TPM it expects to see rise to closer to $2.48 when all the final reporting is done.

Link: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/07/herman-cain-hauls-in-25m-in-fundraising-no-debt.php