What do you think of the field of Republican presidential candidates?
Posted at 5:00 AM on May 19, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(33 Comments)
Filed under: Politics/Government
Recent days have seen developments in the Republican race for president. Some prominent names have joined the field of candidates, and some have left. Today's Question: What do you think of the field of Republican presidential candidates?
Comments (33)
Now I hear Rick Perry might get in the race, as if we need yet another Texas cowboy to embarrass us on the world stage.
See them dance! See them march!
Pathetic imposters!
Puppets of the wealthy.
The field is so full of BS I could use it for fertilizer.
Although that Ron Paul has got something, let's keep him.
I find it funny that no one will get endorsed UNLESS they vote with Paul Rand to destroy Medicare as we know it, and almost 90% of Americans want to remain as it is....
And yet if they endorsed the dangerous policies putting the vulnerable in danger, they will never get to be president....
Poor old Grinch, even though he authored the extremism of conservatives, they now think he is too Liberal!?!?!
Donald Trump did one nice thing, pull a lot of morons down with him. Seriously ... Its funny watching people try and claim now they were not part of the Birther Nutjob stuff.
Right Ms Bachmann?
ROFLOL!
They clearly demonstrate the need for a third party.
Pathetic. They have already lost the election.
The task of becoming the Republican Party's candidate is so brutal, how do we really know?
Candidates are so terribly punished for saying things that they truly believe and could get away with saying and doing once in office, that drawing conclusions from what they are saying and how they are behaving now is impossible.
Candidly the field looks weak, but who knows, for sure?
Gingrich is attempting to apologize his way out of his correct criticism of the proposed Republican budget, Romney is trying to defend his signing of a health reform bill that's more liberal than the health care reform bill the Republicans are trying to kill. Pawlenty keeps trying to make himself relevant by bringing up budget issues, even as he left the Minnesota people with a disastrous financial problem. Bachmann is waiting for God to influence the voters in her campaign,while hoping that her anti gay stand will win her votes She has paid even less attention to her sixth Congressional district than she has in the past.
Meanwhile President Obama, working quietly, has eliminated the leader of al-Qaida, something the past two presidents were unable to do. The economy continues to make steady improvements from eight years of "give to the rich, take from the poor" under President Bush, and Mr. Obama continues to reduce our military presence in the now proven unjustifiable, war in Iraq.
It seems certain that Mr. Obama is assured of another four years in the White House, and that there will also be a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate, now that the voting public has seen the record of Republicans in the House, along with their proposed budget, once again catering to the rich, while kicking the middle class and the poor to the curb.
the crop sounds pretty good it should be a good election!
At this stage in the game it's hard to get behind anyone. Part of the problem lies with the candidates...it always seems that they want to be (and sometimes claim to be) the ones who are going to sweep the floor with the opposing party and really stick it to 'em. As we're seeing with both the state and national government, all you end up with in that situation is two brick walls pushing against each other and not getting anything done. I want a candidate who is willing to compromise in order to do what is best for the rest of us. I realize that they have campaign promises to keep, but nobody seems willing to give a little in order to get a little...right now nobody's giving anything, and WE the PEOPLE aren't getting anything.
I also think some of the problem lies with the voters. An aircraft carrier requires 50 miles of open ocean to turn around 180 degrees. The government is like a triple-wide aircraft carrier, yet people seem to be expecting things to change immediately. We need to have realistic expectations of our elected officials if we want things to keep moving forward.
Baby Boomer here. This is the worst field of presidential candidates in my memory. These Republicans are monotones with a stale message. I am a former Republican voter-yes I voted for Ronald Reagan and trickle down economics before it was proven to be bunk. The wealthy are not job creators. A more honest label would be wealth hoarders. These pretenders don't tempt me to return to the the Right. My life experience has taught me that the Left is Right.
Amy, I don't they're all "rhetoric spouting hypocrites." Ron Paul does seem to be sincere in his superstitious belief that unfettered free markets will magically make everything better for everyone.
@ Clark - Pawlenty was NOT a great govenor for our state. He was totally focused on himself and his future career, not on serving the people of Minnesota. He left the state in the biggest deficit we've ever had. He refused to work with the legislator and with illegal manuvers did the budget by himself, that was totally against our state constitution. I could go on all day. Saying he was a great Govenor tells me you obviously don't know anything about him except he was a republican govenor. I'm not against republicans, we've had some great republican govenors (that I voted for), Pawlenty just wasn't one of them.
Totally not impressed with them. I can't get behind any of them as far as what they stand for. Obama should have no problem beating them on an intellectual level. Although Democrats don't like to play in the mud like Republicans do.
I'm thrilled! President Obama's re-election should be no problem!
They are all a bunch of rhetoric spouting hypocrites
Mean spirited and pathetic. Not one is worthy of my vote.
Not one that is honest or ethical, except maybe Ron Paul. Not one that truly believes in Liberty and Justice for ALL, except maybe Ron Paul. Not really into all of Ron Paul's politics, but they seem pretty honest. Not in love with Obama's "leadership" style either, but he looks like a boy scout compared to the rest of the republicans.
So far it's great news for President Obama! : )
I have to agree with most of the other left-wing liberal hippies, the Republican choices this year are a joke. They might as well not even run. But as you can also see from other post by die-hard Republicans on here as well, they'll always find voters for them who somehow think taxes for the top 1% and large businesses will somehow affect them.
mitch daniels = tim pawlenty = michelle bachmann = Cain = gary johnson. After listening to 5 or 6 speeches of each of these people I have come to the conclusion that they might as well just hand one another a copy of one of their speeches, and then end the speech with, "and daniels, pawlenty, bachmann, cain, johnson, all agree with me" They are all toting the party line like the good little robots they are. They have no interest in governing this country with intellectual rigor and will only say what ever the cooperations that own them approve them to say. Ron Paul, is the most unique of the Rep. candidates, unlike the others, he is honest and forthright, refusing to lie even on the smallest of details, even if they would be better skipped. He wants you to elect him for what his positions are. That is, in his dream america, we would be 100% market driven, and reduced almost back into a survival of the fittest mode. Although I love him for his honesty at the same time, he terrrifies me. Newt Gingrich, is hands down, the smartest person on the podium, he has a bunch of new and innovative ideas, and he is the most moderate of the candidates. However, he lacks the self confidence needed to defend his own ideas, even if they are really really good. His statements about the radical social agendas of the far right and left were dead on the money. After the butt kicking he got from both the right and left wing media and the right wing elites of his party, he will not be voicing any of his brilliance ever again, he is reduced to being a very old damaged robot outputting the party line. Mitch Romney, a moderate, much like Gingrich, he gets punched in the nose every time even a hint of his moderateness shows itself. He too lacks the courage and conviction to stand up for his good ideas, and successes that pave the path behind him, but,,,, he is the strongest of the 7 big republican candidates. My money is on Romney to take the #1 spot in the primary (he is only one with any prayer to beat Obama head to head), with Newt (If he can find his mojo in that yellow belly spine of his) Bachmann & Pawlenty fighting for the VP nomination. (these 3 are the moderates and the least polarizing, any polarizing candidate will be a death nail) The conservatives are running into a problem that plagues them in any strategic conflict, they are so afraid of change, that they will ostrasize any member that is not a 100% true believer in their message, they quell all dissent and stifle any innovation that might move them forward.
As an Obama supporter, I couldn't be more pleased so far :).
Tim Pawlenty or Mitch Daniels, both GREAT governors who understood you can't run state government pandering to the freeloaders. When the far left radical democrats talk of tax fairness,that is just code for asking high income earners to pay for 100% of government rather than the current 80%.
Time to make the freeloaders pay their fair share.
It's what I expected: A bunch of undeserving, pandering, disingenuous, charlatans.
Too early to tell.
I don't follow it much now because by the time the election comes around I will be so sick of it.
I plan to get interested by fall.
What I have noticed is that the left leaning media is just waiting to pounce on any Republican person throwing their hat in the ring.
When you have Rick Santorum, who gets cheers for warning candidates not to abandon core conservative social values, sharing a stage with Ron Paul who gets cheers for talking about legalizing prostitution and heroin. . . .I"d say they are all over the place and I don't know what to think
At this point I wouldn't be surprised is Pawlenty got the ticket. He may be a snake oil salesman, and he basically left our state for two years before his term was up, but at least he isn't throwing his foot in his mouth two at a time or cheating on his wife.
I would like to see a debate between him and Obama, and I would like to think Obama would rather have that then have to debate someone on Palin's level
I really like Herman Cain and not just because I enjoyed the pizza at Godfather's. I wish they (and the Dems) would talk about the composition of their administrations. We don't vote for a king but more of a CEO of a large administrative structure. Who would Cain or Pawlenty use in their admin?
Newt the Grinch appears to be the most moderate of the bunch, which shows just how far to the right the Guild Of Patricians has gone.
I just can't figure out why the Republicans can't come up with candidates with real American names, instead of names like Newt, Mitt and Rand.
I think this shows that they don't have real American values like you and me...
Not much.
The Republicans have spent two years decrying what a socialist, terrorist, anti-American Manchurian candidate that Obama is, and not a single one of them is interested in running against him to save us from him. Either they're full of shit, or so lacking in conviction to not be worthy of anything more than a one hour slot on a cable news network.
The Republican field of contenders is a visible manifestation of that party's moral and intellectual bankruptcy.
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