I’ll be pulling a Republican ballot in the primary, but I’m still a little undecided on who to vote for. Who do you think is the best candidate? This thread isn’t limited to Republicans — if you pull a Democratic ballot, I’d like to hear who you favor in that primary as well. But more important than who you favor is why you favor them. I’d like to know what it is about the candidate that made you decide, “that’s the person I want to vote for!”
I will be pulling a republican ballot and I will be voting for John McCain. I am absolutely fed up with the talking heads like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh who are trying to brand McCain as a liberal while all the while praising Romney and Guiliani who have either changed positions or are just complete social liberals.
Romney can’t be trusted, I could care less about his religion, but he changes his mind more than Aaron Schock does on nukes. And Rudy is just simply a liberal, yet somehow no one calls him on it.
McCain has the record to bring back the Republican party we all hoped to have in 2000, lower spending decrease the size of government and support a strong military front without all the flip flopping and socially liberal points of view of Romney and Rudy.
In reality, Rudy will be DOA when he comes to Tazewell since all of his efforts in Florida have netted him a distant third. Its really between McCain and Romney, and you’ve really got to question how a “conservative” Republican could EVER get elected governor in the state of Massachuesetts, land of Kennedys and Kerrys.
Oddly enough, McCain is far ahead of both Romney and Rudy at a local fundraising level. The FEC has a cool map that will show you the amount of money donated to a candidate from a geographic area when your cursor hovers over it. In the 615 and 616 zip code range Rudy has only received donations from 5 people only one of which is from outside Peoria, Demetra Demonte the Tazewell GOP Chair (he also received money from CAT Chairman Jim Owens…). Romney has a little over $7,000 only within Peoria ($5,000 of which is from a Romney delegate/CAT attorney) and not the 615 area and McCain has nearly $18,000 from the local area. Just some interesting info…
The fun in Illinois is you can vote for whoever you want to in the popularity contest and then vote for the DELEGATES of the person you really want to win.
I often split that vote. I’ve done that when I think the best candidate has already dropped out or can’t win (which happened frequently before the Illinois primary was moved).
An example would be selecting Fred Thompson but then voting for McCain delegates. This isn’t the selections I will be making).
Quite frankly, I am still waiting to see if Edwards drops out and what the Dem side looks like before I decide which ballot to pull.
I am an official member of the “Not Hillary” party.
McCain is an open borders/free trade guy with a highly suspect ethical record. Romney has a good executive resume, even if he has shifted his positions on some issues (Ronald Reagan changed his position on abortion, too, you know). More importantly, who has the judgment to be a good President. McCain has a notoriously explosive temper. Not Good. Romney strikes me as thoughtful less impulsive. Finally, who has best chance to defeat Hillbillary Clinton? That is a closer call. Clinton will no doubt appeal to religious prejudice if Romney is the nominee (just as they are now playing the race and gender cards with Obama). Unfortunately, I fear that will be effective with some people. But McCain’s ethical skeletons will be argued to make him no better than Clinton on ethics. McCain’s old and Hillary is ugly so I think its advantage Romney on “charisma”, although he isn’t a Rock Star, that’s for sure. In the end, McCain would be more at home on a battleship with his grandfather’s mentor, Bull Halsey. Romney would make a better (if far from perfect) choice for President. As for Rudy, I wouldn’t count him out just yet. He did a remarkable job as Mayor of New York. Those who vow to stay home and not vote if he is the nominee, as if to “punish” him are, I believe, misguided. They would be effectively voting for Clinton. If elected, only for one term, she could do irrepairable harm to this country. The U.S., indeed the entire free world, is in desperate need of leadership. The threats are real and growing. China, Islamo-fascism, trade deficits, uncontrolled immigration; other economic issues (inflation; mortgages; stability of the dollar; govt. spending; credit card debt, etc., etc.). We’re in real trouble and a frightening number of our “leaders” are leading us over the cliff and looking forward to a “world without humans”.
McCain is the clear choice based on the simple, rare ability to do straight talking. Age remains the lingering doubt and that would be totally erased if I know his running mate would be Joe Lieberman.
If the most independent Republican (McCain) could be on the ticket with the most independent Democrat (Lieberman) then I feel their is a chance to minimize the partisan bickering and Washington and deal with problems that require Hard choices.
After all Lieberman was the only good reason to vote for Gore in 2000! Gore would not have even come close to his nearly tied vote in Florida without Lieberman on his ticket.
Mouse what ethical skeletons are you referring to? I also think you are dead wrong on charisma. If you are basing it on looks along, probably. But McCain plays well in person, having seen him here in Peoria, he plays well on TV with the media and he doesn’t pull any punches. With McCain you get the truth, whenever I listen to Romney I see a republican Bill Clinton who says what people want to hear.
When it comes to beating Hillary, McCain is the only one who could beat her tomorrow and polls back that up. Romney doesn’t appeal to anyone outside of the Republican party and even there he’s not widely accepted.
And Rudy is a sinking ship, none of the I was mayor on 9/11 stories have worked. He has no money, and the money he did spend in Florida will net him 3rd place. With all of the effort he has spent there its truly a pathetic result.
McCain. I listened to him in Washington,DC last year. I’ve been following him for years.
Age? Who is Chuck Norris to be critizing McCain? Norris loooks like what we used to say on the farm “rode hard and put away wet”. Most of Hollywood repeats what they hear from the liberal press. Most of the rest can’t stop looking at themselves in mirrors. You really believe they read books?I can name you dozens of people who are older that McCain and still could do a better job than any candiate from either party.
Two of the best articles I have read on McCain “Now McCain must Convince the Right” by Fred Barnes in the WSJ also on 1/22/08 and “McCain has Populist Pitch” by Alex Frangos in the WSJ on 1/22/08.(Every president should have SOME populism in him or her without being a populist) and Peggy Noonan on 12/29/7 “Mr McCain is an experienced, personally heroic,seasoned, blunt-eyed, irrascible American character. He makes everyone proud.”
Explosive temper? Some may remember Harry, FDR, and Ike to name a few who had big tempers but learned to handle those outbreaks.
I’ll blog on him this weekend.
McCain has been mentioned in connection with more than one scandal. Wasn’t he among the “Keating 5?” Is Romney the perfect candidate? NO, but I think he may be the best offering there is. Unfortunately, we can’t dig up Teddy Roosevelt and run him. Wish we could. Merle has a point about the “populist punch” but I think its image and rhetoric. I don’t think his record bears that out. I don’t doubt his personal courage, but plenty bad people had personal courage. I just don’t think he has the judgment to be President. And besides, he gets too much good press from the establishment media, which is a good reason to pause and ask why. The establishment media is almost invariably wrong in its assessment of people.
Mitt Romney’s business background allows him to understand economic issues more than most. Also, he has changed to the right side on social issues.
Romney has my vote come Feb. 5.
I agree with David Jordan (gasp) on Romney’s understanding of economic issues. While he’s moderated his positions (or seen the light – however you care to verbalize it) on many social issues, I think I like the Massachusett’s Romney better. It may make me a RINO on social issues, but I think it’s a better approach for America.
Romney? Are you people insane? The guy has changed his stance on EVERY issue in this race. He is a talking head. Just listen to him in a debate, everything is totally rehearsed. Don’t you think it is odd that he joined the NRA the day he filed papers to run for president. Can someone say transparent? Just look up his record as Governor and you’ll see who he really is. The fact is he had to try to appeal to Conservatives so he changed all of his views. And because he has a business background, that qualifies him to run a Super Power Country? Wow, we really have dropped our standards after George W!
Anon: Since you are already well versed — Just look up his record as Governor and you’ll see who he really is — please give a couple of specific examples for why you feel his is unqualified for office… Thank you.
We can really thank McCain for the McCain-Feingold bill for getting all the money out of politics. Ha Ha Ha
Republicans would be wise to make McCain their candidate. He is more moderate and would be able to draw the undecided voters more than some of the other Republican candidates.
Karrie: I find it hard to believe that you HAVE checked out his record as Governor and are such a big supporter. Check out this website: http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/record/
Maybe you missed something; The Massachusetts newspapers sure didn’t. The fact is, he ran a very liberal campaign in Mass. to be Govenor but now to win the Repub vote he has to “act” more conservative. Come on I know you are smarter than that!
Romneys(Bane Capital)economic solution is to assist the worlds largest communist government (China) with buying the D.O.D. American software developer 3M.