Redstate

I was trying to discuss this dynamic with my daughter, as I have commented in another thread, and she said:

Shouldn't you just be glad that she's losing(as oppossed to wishing we could beat her in the general)?

Ah, my 12 year old is very smart.

It's probably about the only political pleasure -- guilty, though it is -- a conservative is going to have in 2008.

Enjoy it while we can.

Yes, there would be the "adult in the room" factor. On the other hand, we'd have a Southern white politician advocating states' rights, running against the first major African-American candidate. Thompson's still my guy, but the identity politics and smear ads basically write themselves.

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NARF

Wink, wink.

I agree about Obama. His message will be his undoing. he promises a new kind of politics, but will deliver the same old fare. Every time he takes a position, or makes a proposal that can be characterized as standard liberal politics, he will lose some of his luster.

Besides, as a sitting senator, he will either have to vote on issues this year, or take an entire year off from the Senate. Neither is a particularly good position. Sure, the Democrats control the Senate and will use that control to protect their presidential candidate. But the fiesty minority Republicans should be able to force him into some uncomfortable positions on issues, or to run for cover.

Obama is a teenager. The right Republican with gravitas and a decent speaking ability, especially in foreign affairs, will show him for the novice that he is.

Damn the Obama, full speed ahead.

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Develop alternatives to existing policies and keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable. Milton Friedman

I guess I am a gloom and doom kind of guy.

I am getting a bad feeling that the Dems will win and even if its only for 4 years, allot of damage can be done in those 4 years.

Having survived numerous bubbles (including the infamous NASDAQ > 5000 bubble - remember that, Blackie? :-) ), I smell an Obama bubble.

So I'll venture a conditional prediction.

If Sen. Obama somehow does run the table and has the math to be the "inevitable" nominee before the snow melts.... then by no later than early June there will be a very serious effort underway among the Donks along the lines of "OMG, we have to deep-six that and draft someone else at the convention!!"

with all but the McCain/Huckabee paragraph. I do think Obama will be a more formidable opponent. But I would rather risk four years of Obama than four more years of the Clintons.

I actually think McCain might be the worst candidate we could put up against Obama. The contrasts would be significant: Old vs young. Stale vs fresh. Establishment vs outsider. Sour vs sweet. Cranky vs pleasant.

I give McCain a few positives in the contrast: Experience vs rookie. Right vs wrong. Win the war vs surrender.

I just think the mood of the country is such that Obama's positives would overwhelm McCain's.

Huckabee has many of the same positives that Obama brings, but I think he's alienated enough Republicans that he may not win many more states. I would vote for him in the general, but I would have to plug my nose to do so.

Hillary's Descent Is A Conservative Victory, although maybe not a Republican victory. It's a victory for principle, but not politics.

Liberal ideologues have vested so much into identity politics as a form of new cultural marxism. Unlike Obama, Hillary's campaign has been a weakly veiled attempt to appeal to identity politics, especially women. She was rejected, even by women, by a black man in two states with no black people.

Obama is a naive liberal and I hope he is exposed, but I too am glad to see Hillary go down in flames. Obama's rhetoric has been much more moderate than Hillary's and Obama has not played games with identity politics.

In the short term, it may be bad for the GOP. But in our great culture war for the heart and soul of the USA, it is a victory. Losing a battle, but winning the war. Identity politics is a disease state of mind being pushed by liberal academics. It is ruinous, but it is being rejected. People are putting principle ahead of race, sex and class (unless of course your an Hillary, Edwards of Huckabee supporter).

Even eight. Sure, he's liberal, and his policy ideas are a total train wreck. But I'm more confident of our ability to rein in a genuinely liberal Obama for four years or even eight than I would be of our ability to rein in Hillary Clinton. Remember how her husband used the IRS to audit his political opponents? Now, imagine Hillary with PARTIOT Act powers.

It's enough to make my *bones* curdle.

Obama, as liberal and as inexperienced as he is, would likely be a boon to the GOP in 2010. I'm not necessarily promising a recapture of the Congress - but I certainly wouldn't rule it out, either.

A Hillary Clinton presidency would be so toxic to this country that I'd take just about any other living eligible candidate over her for the Dem nod, just to make sure she's out of it for good, no matter how hard it makes our November.

with the possible exception of Fred. I fear Bob Dole II with the guy. can't wait to see the Obamatons' heads explode when their "It" boy goes down in flames.

I wrote this last night, but I think it fits this discussion more.

There are two candidates that are sure losers in the general, Mitt and Rudy. The evangelical base detest both of these guys, and if Obama is the opponent, the lack of grassroots campaigning will result in a 5-10% loss in Nov.

As hard as it is to swallow for some, if we don't nominate Fred, McCain or Huck, the working enthusiastic portion of the Republican party will sit at home all year.

Regardless of how good/bad Mitt is, look at the atmosphere of his events. The party is crazy if we think we can run that against Obama, Hillary maybe, but Obama never!

Someone responded with this: "The South hates Yankee Republicans, although we're the states that need picked up if we're ever going to get back to majority status.

If Huck's the candidate, it's a two way street. Southerners aren't the only ones that get depressed or swing in the other direction."

Well it has nothing to do with them being Yankee Republicans, a very large portion of the Evangelical base doesn't trust Mormonism and we know the problem with Rudy. Also, McCain and Huck are the only candidates that are going to draw large support outside of the party.

Less than 24 hours of bad press during 2008. The real question is will the drive by media survive? I vote no. Our local daily is now publishing 3 days a week at about 1/10 the size.

I have nothing but disdain for the Hillary Clinton campaign for all the reasons we've said, time and time again. I think another Clinton presidency would be a disaster for this country. No one wants to see her depart the political scene more than me. However, I'm not naive. There's not a prayers chance in hell that Hillary Clinton is going to roll over, no matter what the results are in NH, or for that matter SC. She's got money; she's got the machine; and no one can weep her way faster to the head of class than her. Anyone who thinks she's done, clearly underestimates her determination, her gift for dirty tricks (they are legend), not to mention the power of the Democrat elites. No question Obama has made an impression; and no question he may pull it off. But it's about to get very ugly and I suggest this race is far from over, and we can't just sit back and relish her momentary setback and thinks she's done. One thing that's lurking in the shadows is that phenomena of the 'super delegates' in the Democrat Party. These are the power brokers; these are the people that can make or break any candidate; and these are the people most beholden to the Clintons. If you think they are not going to be heard in this contest, you have clearly missed what Ms. Hillary has been doing the last four years. Again, Hillary may be mortally wounded, but until someone issues the political death certificate, I suggest defer the party until a later date.

Erick, I guess you're entitled to one really dumb post each year. Glad you decided to get it out of your system early on in the calendar.

Here's just TWO examples of your faulty logic..
Obama, if president, will display a softness to Iran, a total unwillingness to displauy/use force, that will probably result in an attack INSIDE the continental US during his administration.

Oh, yeah..and maybe he gets to appoint 3 -4 Justices to SCOTUS..

IOW, Life AIN'T good..the guy could turn out to be Jimmah Carter II. Want to go through that again for 4 years???

Schadenfreude: noun, Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

And if she loses the nomination, I'll be bathing in an industrial sized barrel of it. The Clinton's have had it coming for a loooong time and it couldn't happen to a nicer couple.

Some may have seen the Hillary t-shirt at http://patriotroom.com/?p=71, which actually quite tastefully done and you don't really even need to like country music.

Huckabee would not beat Obama. He essentially is Obama except that he is a culture warrior. I admire his stance on life and gay marriage, but you don't win people over to our cause by waving a finger in someone's face and exclaim that they're living in sin if they favor abortion. They may be, but that won't win any moderate converts. Personally, I think ANY one of our other candidates would be more effective pro-life presidents because they are more pragmatic about it.

I'd you are right about McCain. He would contrast very nicely with Obama. Obama doesn't have 1/10 the gravitas of McCain and he will look like a child when he attempts to debate national security with him. Against Obama, McCain could well be our most electable candidate - although I'm not really a fan.

If either McCain or Huck is the nominee, it will lurch our party to the left and it runs the risk of shattering the conservative coalition. The drive-by media would LOVE to see this happen, so they are propping up both of these guys, big time, while they constantly tear down Romney & Fred. For more on this, check out this piece in the American Thinker: http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/the_onetwo_punch_aimed_at_gop.htm...

“.....women and minorities hardest hit”

Giuliani would be unafraid to go after Obama on lack of executive experience and Obama's indifference to Islamofascism.

McCain and Fred would run the risk of being grumpy old men, while Romney's lack of foreign policy experience would make it somewhat harder to use Obama's radical dovishness against him.

you haven't spent much time there. And quite seriously, he is by far the best informed of any of the candidates about foreign policy, including McCain.

Is Barak’s success due to the media?
Not so much as it is due to what he himself projects onto the popular mindset. What recommends him is the hopeful fascinations he conjures in naive(ish) minds.

What chance to beat him?
The reality of his own governance may be the only thing certain to burst the bubble.
McCain’s chances may look good now but the stark contrast between Barak’s fresh youth and McCains’s crafted age will only feed the Change Narrative, this year’s tsunami.
Huck’s charisma may offer the best chance but his governing philosophy will tear the Republican Party apart and likely produce a realignment. That makes it just too hard to predict.
Thompson suffers from Sunday pitcher syndrome.
Rudy and Mitt face problems with certain segments of socons but they might be able to resist the narrative propelling Barak forward by refocusing it on issues and competence. That’s why I give them the best shot.

...expected to have seen Harry Truman, Franklin Roosevelt, or JFK keeping their hands at their sides during a salute the flag moment? Or, publicly, with much pomp and circumstance, removing the flag pin on their lapel?
Those men were brave Americans, whose actions from time to time, had intonations of greatness, their intent being the benefit and well being of the people of the United States.
Mr Obama's actions, for whatever reason, smack of those committed by John Kerry, Jane Fonda, and Benedict Arnold in contrast.
It would not be unreasonable to see any or all of the Veteran's Organizations treat him, when he requests permission to speak in front of them, as if he hadn't showered for a month, had snot running from his nose, and had the remnants of a roll of toilet paper running up from the inside of, over the belt of, and down the outside of the back of his trousers.

I am not going to be upset that it has finally happened.

Ding Dong the witch is dead.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777

Hollywood shifting to Obama?

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-et-cause8jan08,1,5061330.story?c...

What the hell is going on out here? - Vince Lombardi

Drudge is reporting, the two snakes, Carville and Begala will be joining Hillary's campaigh starting tomorrow. Oh yeah, she's rolling over like a dead dog. Not on your life; and it's going to get very, very personal, and very, very ugly, in a heartbeat. The rumors of Ms. Clinton's demise is just that, rummors. The Clintons will not go quietly, so sit back, the fight is about to begin.

Drudge is reporting, the two snakes, Carville and Begala will be joining Hillary's campaigh starting tomorrow. Oh yeah, she's rolling over like a dead dog. Not on your life; and it's going to get very, very personal, and very, very ugly, in a heartbeat. The rumors of Ms. Clinton's demise is just that, rummors. The Clintons will not go quietly, so sit back, the fight is about to begin.

I believe that sometime around the beginning of November, whoever we end up nominating is going to say about Obama "I can't believe I'm losing to this idiot". Yes, we're about to nominate our own John F. Kerry.

And who knows? Obama may grow into the position. Stranger things have happened. But the country will survive. It always does.

And yes, I'm depressed about this. But I have been this entire election cycle. Before Thompson got into the race there were zero palatable candidates. So from where I sit, the country is likely to be damaged for the next four years. We're only going to be voting on the degree.