Redstate

Posted at 8:15pm on Jun. 16, 2008 How the McCain campaign is screwing up

By dskinner11

McCain has had 3 months to raise money, organize the party and advance a campaign narrative to use in the fall. He has failed on 2 of the 3 which leads me to wonder what on earth they are thinking over at the McCain campaign headquarters.

Fundraising

He has done a decent job raising money thanks largely to surrogates who have stepped in and done the work for him. Regardless of why the money is coming in, the campaign has done a great job managing the money and they have temporarily neutralized what would have been a huge liability in the fall.

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Posted at 7:28pm on Jun. 6, 2008 Romney for RNC Chairman

By dskinner11

As a Romney supporter, but a McCain-hater (at least in the primaries) I have been asking myself who I want McCain to pick for VP both to win now and for the future of conservatism.

Some days I feel like Romney would be a great choice, other days I am reminded about how many conservatives and independents, unfortunately, really despise the man, and how maybe now is the time for Bobby Jindal or Sarah Palin.

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Posted at 1:05am on Feb. 16, 2008 The case for McCain/Romney and other potential tickets

By dskinner11

First off, I recognize that this ticket is still a longshot, but not as big of a long shot as it was 1 week ago as Romney is now at least on the short list.

That said, I probably have a different view on what qualities a VP should bring to the ticket. Most people think the VP should help win a state or should provide regional balance. I disagree and I think history is on my side.

Instead of regional balance or help in a swing state, I think the VP spot is best used to 1) unify a divided party, 2) to enforce a theme at the top of the ticket or 3) to make up for a perceived weakness at the top of the ticket. I base this on the history of winning tickets over the past 30+ years.

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Posted at 10:53pm on Feb. 3, 2008 Ender deserves all the credit for this updated look at how Romney can stop McCain

By dskinner11

Ender has a great blog looking at each state and how the delegate totals would end up if things really broke for Romney. There were a few things that needed to be changed to accurately reflect how some states apportion delegates and some new polling has changed the potential for Romney in some states, particularly Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri and California. Check out Ender's blog for a more detailed look.

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Posted at 1:28am on Feb. 3, 2008 I don't think the differences between McCain and Hillary are enough to warrant voting for him.

By dskinner11

First off, I would never in my entire life vote for Hillary. I would however vote third-party in an effort to restore the Republican party to it's conservative principles.

I'm sure some people will disagree with me and that's fine, but I really don't see McCain putting the country in a much better place in 2012 than Hillary. The only difference will be what are our election prospects in 2012 and what will be the potential for the future of the GOP.

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Posted at 3:38am on Jan. 6, 2008 A Potentially Historic Moment - How Romney needs to handle McCain in Sunday's debate.

By dskinner11

Surprisingly Romney wasn't very well prepared to go after McCain on immigration in last night's debate. This issue is Romney's best hope to win NH. Thanks to the exchange last night when McCain said he never supported amnesty, it also is the perfect chance to hit McCain on his straight talk image.

The following exchange, if Romney executed it properly, would swing the election to Romney and he would beat McCain by at least 5% on Tuesday.

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Posted at 10:58am on Jan. 4, 2008 Enough of the MSM spin: The REAL analysis from last night. Religion trumped Issues.

By dskinner11

Quick note, this has nothing to do with people not voting for Romney because of some anti-Mormon sentiment, instead it is about Evangelicals voting for Huckabee because he is an Evangelical.

The only thing we learned last night was that Evangelicals love Mike Huckabee. I'm sure all the spin is going to be about how Romney didn't measure up when in reality the story should be Huckabee overperformed because Evangelicals turned out in record numbers.

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Posted at 5:50pm on Jan. 1, 2008 The real reasons Fred Thompson lost (will lose) the nomination.

By dskinner11

A lot of people will say that Fred Thompson lost (will lose) the nomination because he didn't work hard enough and because he didn't get in in time. That is a bunch of crap, mostly.

There are three very simple reasons why FDT will lose the nomination. I am a Mitt guy, but FDT is my number 2 and I will be very disappointed with McCain and horrified with Huckabee. If we get either of these two Maverick Republicans, I will blame FDT for these three missteps and Team Mitt for poor image management.

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Posted at 10:17am on Oct. 22, 2007 A Gore/Obama ticket would kill Hillary first, and then the GOP. Let's be thankful it isn't going to happen.

By dskinner11

Al Gore is apparently not going to run for the Democratic nomination for President. He denies that he is interested and his closest advisors indicate that he really does mean it. First let me explain how I think Al Gore could actually beat Hillary even though he would be entering so late, then I will explain why I think he would crush us in the general election.

Most politicos probably agree that if Al Gore ran on his own he wouldn't be able to stop the Hillary machine from walking away with the nomination due to her enormous advantages in organization and fundraising. However, there is one way that Al Gore could stop the Clinton machine and win the nomination. A Gore/Obama ticket formed now would be able to stop Hillary from winning the nomination.

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Posted at 11:14pm on Oct. 18, 2007 Who will win the Values Voter Summit Straw Poll?

By dskinner11

Since so many things regarding elections are tied to expectations, what are the expectations for the Straw Poll?

So far the only consensus is that Giuliani will do poorly. My guess is that people assume Romney, Thompson and Huckabee will do well. That begs the question of how well they each have to do in order to claim a victory.

I would guess that FDT is the favorite since he consistently polls higher than Romney. If Romney wins there will no doubt be claims that he bought the straw poll so it will be tough for him to get a bounce unless he wins by at least 10%. Thompson would also have to win by a significant margin to get any sort of momentum. Huckabee on the other hand could probably claim momentum if comes in 2nd or a close third.

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Posted at 4:16am on Oct. 11, 2007 Romney needs to address Mormonism at the Values Voter Summit

By dskinner11

Even though Romney will likely give his normal "Values Voter" speech at the Summit, everyone will still be asking themselves if being Mormon will affect his candidacy and if and when he will address it.

The issue of Mormonism has been hanging over Romney's head for his entire campaign. So far he hasn't focused on the issue, instead opting to answer questions as they come up in interviews and on the stump and then move on to other issues.

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Posted at 2:39am on Oct. 11, 2007 Rudy is the least electable. Now tell me again why to vote for him?

By dskinner11

I am admittedly a Romney supporter, but first and foremost I am a conservative. I am sick and tired of people telling me that Rudy is the most electable and that I should just accept it and sacrifice my principles to vote for him. (Note: I go back and forth, but right now I would vote for Rudy in a general election, not because I believe he will be any better on judges, only because I believe Hillary could do serious damage on other issues that we wouldn't be able to undo 4 years later.)

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Posted at 3:10am on Oct. 4, 2007 What is your candidate's election scenario?

By dskinner11

Here's mine. Essentially I believe that Romney is in good shape and just needs to hold his current position in the polls in the early states and the rest will take care of itself.

If the elections started tomorrow in Iowa with the expected intervals between states thereafter, Romney would win the nomination. I would bet everything I own on that. (That really isn't all that big of a bet since I am in medical school, but I really do believe it) Let me explain:

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Posted at 4:11am on Jun. 27, 2007 Tell me again why early states matter less?

By dskinner11

I have heard time and time again that because of the mad rush to have a national primary on 2/5, Iowa, NH and SC will matter much less than in the past. I have never heard anyone explain the logic behind that theory.

The way I view it those states have always been important only because of the momentum they create or destroy. Momentum is always strongest and most valuable right when you first get it and its effect diminishes over time.

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Posted at 8:33pm on Jun. 2, 2007 Romney is our best chance in the general election

By dskinner11

I think if Romney can win the GOP nomination then he is our best general election candidate. Before all the Rudybots, Fredheads, Brownbackers and McCainiacs go crazy, let me explain why (if there are any McCainiacs brave enough to speak up that is). My criteria to win is something that many other posters have stated quite a bit: 1) excite the base and 2) be able to reach out to moderates and independents. Also, I am not saying let's end the primary process right now and annoint Romney because as I explain below, the confirmation that Romney is the best GE candidate will be the fact that he can win the party's nomination.

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