Election 2008- right around the corner:
Some leading conservative activists say they plan to screen 2008 Republican presidential hopefuls, perhaps as early as this fall, in hopes of finding a candidate they can endorse as a group.
Religious and social conservatives, long an influential power center within the Republican Party, have been stepping up their efforts in the months since the 2004 election, when conservative Christian voters played a key role in helping President Bush gain a second term.
With an eye toward the post-Bush succession fight, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said last week that he and other conservative activists would like to “interview some of the candidates” sometime this fall and determine whether a single candidate merits their support.
“We would like to see where they stand on issues. What their platforms are,” Perkins told a group of reporters Wednesday. The goal would be for these leaders to “stay together” behind one candidate and then “educate our constituencies,” he added.
Since this baby, absent Cheney running, is going to be wide open, there are a lot of names that can be thrown into the hat as the darlings of the social con wing. The short list includes:
Mitt Romney
Sam Brownback
George Allen
Bill Frist
Santorum would also be a wet dream for these guys, should he lose to Casey in ’06. Also, expect gary Bauer and Alan Keyes to run again, and Buchanan will probably have his ear to the ground again.
Anyone I am missing?
Nathan Lanier
I think that’s it as far as social-cons are concerned.
What about Newt?
John Cole
Newt has no electoral chances. The short list of four, presumably, are ‘electable,’ at least according to conventional wisdom.
I would disagree, of course. I don’t think a social con has a chance in hell in 2008. I could be wrong,though.
ppgaz
You’ll have a better shot at forecasting the weather in 2008, from here, than you will trying to forecast the national election scenario.
Putting my money where my electronic mouth is:
June 26 2008: Partly cloudy, hot, winds light and variable.
You heard it here first.
Stormy70
Noooooooooo! 2008 is too far away, and we need a break from Presidential campaigns. June 26, 2008, it will be 98 degrees and sunny in Texas.
Rick
Pitchfork Pat Buchanan is the wettest of the Sisters of the Divine Severity’s (h/t: Cheers, season 4) dreams, but as a conventional Republican of the 21st century, he’s just a wet.
Cordially…
Nathan Lanier
With respect to more moderate choices, I have it on good faith from a buddy in D.C. that John McCain isn’t in the type of health you might expect.
And I live in Mass. so I’m pretty up to speed on Romney and his potential 2008 bid. His latest healthcare proposal has actually receieved some support from Senator Ted and other leading Dems. And then there’s his recent support of a plan to ban gay marriage, which obviously caters to the base.
I can’t imagine Romney being all that strong on a foreign policy level, though.
ppgaz
98 degrees, 98 percent humidity. Whooee! That’s when I head for the nearest barbeque shack and order up a big sandwich and some cole slaw and a Lone Star.
There’s this little rundown place right next to downtown in Dallas ………
Stormy70
Dallas traffic is too horendous! I head for Babe’s in Roanoke which won best fried chicken of the South by Southern Living. Plus, Grapevine is full of dumpy Bar-b-que and mexican food joints. All less than 15 minutes away, and air conditioned.
Veeshir
Maybe too obscure, but I like Erlich out of MD. He’s a fairly conservtive Republican trying to get stuff done against a very hostile Democratic majority and he’s doing ok. He didn’t get slots at race tracks, but he appears to have done enough to drive them crazy and he’s good enough that they’ve had to shut up. It’s been pretty entertaining to watch it play out in the Wash Post, who don’t really like him but at least they don’t attack him in their news pages.
I’d vote for him.
Stormy70
I like Erlich, too.
Rick
I like Erlich well enough, but he isn’t quite pretty enough. Pity uglo-Americans like Lincoln can no longer become President. Instead, we must settle for commenting on Balloon-Juice.
Cordially…
Stormy70
Ha ha, good one Rick. Senator George Allen is starting to make his move, as well.
Rick
Stormy,
Senators historically just don’t make the cut. True, Allen has served a term as Gov. But the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body” is a boneyard of Presidential aspirations. Hope that holds true for the scary lady from NY. ;)
Cordially…
Stormy70
True, the Senate does a good job of keeping the rest of America safe from Senators. Like I mentioned above, I really don’t want to think about it. But if you love this kind of thing Polpundit is already covering all the upcoming races. I will pay more attention as we get closer to the midterms.
MC
Isn’t Ehrlich up for re-election in ’06? If he has to face Martin O’Malley, he probably can’t win re-election. If he’s not Governor of Maryland, he can forget about a run for President (he’s also a little too moderate). I think the same thing holds true about Rick Santorum – lose to Bob Casey, stay at home in ’08.
Personally, I like Bill Owens. He’s taking a lot of heat for tax increases in Colorado, but I look at it as doing what needs done. The same might need to be said about putting the U.S. finances in order. He’s still committed to spending control. Of course, he’s probably too moderate for fiscal & social conservatives, but after the spending in Washington the last few years, I think he might be exactly what we need.
Rick
I don’t think Erlich would be found “too moderate” by GOP primary voters. But as a DC resident with roots in Maryland, I’ll note that the only buzz about Erlich as Presidential timber is on this thread.
He has no national base.
Cordially…
ppgaz
Apparently, the Pat Paulsen for President movement is in its last throes, as they say.
The death of the candidate, I suppose, must be considered a factor. But I am still behind Pat.
Told that children were going to bed hungry in America, he said, “Let them eat cotton. There’s plenty of cotton.”
Perhaps someday we’ll return to that kind of common-sense, keep-it-simple politics. See problem, solve problem.
Jim Henley
What about Reagan? Frist said in his medical opinion, the Gipper’s not really dead.
Crank
Not that I put a lot of stock in him, but Haley Barbour’s also been mentioned as a guy looking to make a move. Bill Owens looked like a strong candidate a year or two ago but he’s not regarded seriously anymore.
I think Brownback will emerge as the challenger on the social Right – he’s the only one who is really trusted, Rudy as the moderate, Tom Tancredo will make a few dents as a one-issue guy on immigration. But Allen could yet be the guy to run the middle between that crowd; I suspect he’ll run stronger than Romney.
KevinA
Jim Henley: LMAO!! Brilliant, sir.
Romney is doing a great job of running against his own state, which will play well with the base.
George Allen: Base loves the guy, and he expresses the base’s views in a way they like. Question: Has the man EVER had anything resembling an original thought?
Frist is incompetent.
Brownback will be all gay marriage/abortion all the time. But he is surprisingly charismatic.
David R. Block
Santorum, Bauer, Keyes, and Buchanan? Pardon me while I puke.
Hillary, Biden, Kerry, and who knows who else? Pardon me while I puke, again.
Darrell
Retired TN Senator and actor, Fred Thompson.. would be awesome. Solid conservative who would have wide appeal to average voters. I can’t see any of the leading Democrats being able to go head-to-head with him in a debate. Not sure if he’s willing to run though