Our only native Pittsburgh running for president may be gaining ground! (dangerous, racist)

[BrianTH]

The fundamental problem was finding candidates with the right resume to appeal to moderates/independents who hadn't previously embraced policies the Republican primary electorate now considers unacceptable. Romney's "answer" to this problem is to be a shameless flip-flopper, which has little political downside since he is currently a private citizen. But I wonder if someone like Christie, with a live political career, looked at the situation and decided it wasn't worth trashing his credibility in an effort to win this contest this year.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The fundamental problem was finding candidates with the right resume to appeal to moderates/independents who hadn't previously embraced policies the Republican primary electorate now considers unacceptable. Romney's "answer" to this problem is to be a shameless flip-flopper, which has little political downside since he is currently a private citizen. But I wonder if someone like Christie, with a live political career, looked at the situation and decided it wasn't worth trashing his credibility in an effort to win this contest this year.

That was my thought when he bowed out.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Hopes

He doesn't have a real chance at winning because he can't speak coherently when he gets excited. Not "presidential" enough.

Seems the latest polls are disagreeing with your assumptions. The media hates him, but that might be a blessing in disguise over time. He was just on face the nation and the idiot reporter was trying to fry him. Paul handled everything with perfection. He sure is treated horribly by the media. I have a feeling I know why, but can't say that on this forum.

[BrianTH]

Paul's polling average has remained in a narrow range:

RealClearPolitics - Election 2012 - 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination

In fact he picked up right where he left off in 2008:

RealClearPolitics - Election 2008 - 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination

Anything is possible with such a large anti-Romney vote looking for a home, but I'm not going to credit Paul with a serious chance to win the Republican nomination until he has a sustained period with much better polling, which would prove he has broken out beyond his dedicated cadre of fans.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

He did a damn better job of convincing america of "Change" than any of the candidates on the Right are doing...To be honest the Right is doing better job of convincing me it'll be more of the same as far as the economy goes.....

If only Obama backed up his catch phrase with some actual action. Outside of passing obamacare, I can't come up with any significant change in his administration other then continuing on and expanding some of the worst Bush policies. And this was with also controlling both houses for awhile.

It will all come down to whether the economy improves significantly by election time. Just look at the economic data - no president in US history was ever re-elected with such poor numbers

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by UKyank

If only Obama backed up his catch phrase with some actual action. Outside of passing obamacare, I can't come up with any significant change in his administration other then continuing on and expanding some of the worst Bush policies. And this was with also controlling both houses for awhile.

And he got "Obamacare" passed even though we can't afford our existing federal programs, let alone any new ones. And you could eliminate the Department of Defense and the savings still wouldn't help nearly enough with everything else.

[Sealtite]

Whoever gets elected, it won't matter. Even if it's Ron Paul, he'll probably turn out to be every bit as much of a corporate douche bag as Obama has. Remember how awesome everyone thought Obama was gonna be for the country? Looks like the joke was on us, and it'll be on us again this time 'round.

These people are all just figureheads for the banks and corporations. All of them. Ron Paul is no exception. He wouldn't have been permitted to run if he wasn't. What makes any of you think he's not full of the same empty rhetoric that Obama was full of when he was campaigning? Politics in the new America is nothing more than a suit-and-tie version of pro wrestling. Instead of throwing fake punches around, they throw fake words. It's boring and it's all rigged.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

All of them. Ron Paul is no exception.

How do you know Ron Paul is no exception? You don't. I do agree Obama turned into a flub. I was hopeful he would be better than some, but most of what he does is crap, except for Pittsburgh. He has been great for our area.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

How do you know Ron Paul is no exception? You don't. I do agree Obama turned into a flub. I was hopeful he would be better than some, but most of what he does is crap, except for Pittsburgh. He has been great for our area.

I agree with regard to Paul's genuineness. If he were a savvy political operator like the rest of them, he would tone his views down a few notches (IE, become even remotely electable). A modestly libertarian candidate could actually make inroads with a lot of different constituencies.

[gg]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

I agree with regard to Paul's genuineness. If he were a savvy political operator like the rest of them, he would tone his views down a few notches (IE, become even remotely electable). A modestly libertarian candidate could actually make inroads with a lot of different constituencies.

Not so sure. Maybe a strong arm is what is needed these days and he has strong opinions. I really like his foreign policy ideas, but i am sure places like Israel would hate it and they wield a lot of power in the US to say the least.