Uh why wouldn't someone run against Obama if he is so "landslideable"

[underpants]

"landslideable" is a term that Rush Limbaugh thinks makes sense

So Christie says NO
Palin says NO
Rubio says NO (for now) to a VP slot

Is it because of the awesomeness of Rick Parry and Mitt Romney?
Is it because they can't face Herman Cain?
Is it because it is "too late in the game" to get in?



HELLLLLLL NO
They know that they can't beat Obama. Not counting chickens here but with the money Obama is going to have and even with half the effort on the ground (let alone the air that money allows) they know damned well they aren't going to beat him.

Oooh his numbers are down.... take any one poll about Dems or Independents and come to an end conclusion - always suggesting that a dip in numbers for Obama means that every single percentile will suddenly switch and blindly vote Republican. PUUUHLEEASE.

Of course there is the option that it isn't their internal polling numbers that scare them off - it could be the disaster that the next President is going to have to face. Let's not discount that.

[Bjorn Against]

1. If they were to run a moderate candidate Obama would be in serious trouble

Obama is not very popular any more and if he had a credible candidate opposing him he would probably lose, the Tea Party would never allow a moderate candidate to get the nomination however so Obama will win despite his relatively low poll numbers.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. Huntsman would be one that I would be most worried about in a GE

but he's too sane and definitely way too moderate for the GOP primary voters (believes in science, global warming, supports gay soldiers serving openly in the military). I don't know about Romney. He's had a history of being more of a moderate but he's flip-flopped on so many things so many times, it's impossible to figure out what he truly believes. :shrug:

[underpants]

4. I agree- Huntsman has the only real shot in the GE

buty they are fueled by their media

[Yavin4]

8. "If they were to run a moderate candidate Obama " -- That's A Huge "if"

Moderate and Republicans today do not go together.

[racaulk]

2. Agreed.

I don't think any of them want to be the sacrificial lamb like McCain was in 2008 (or, for that matter, like Dole in 1996).

I can understand why Romney and Gingrich are running. Being failed GOP Presidential contenders before and with no other likely options for winning an elected office, this might be their last realistic chance at securing the nomination. And poor Ricky Santorum is desperate to hang onto any trace of relevance he had before he was solidly defeated by Bob Casey in 2006, and he must know that this may be his last chance to do so. The rest of the GOP clown car must so blinded by power (or just plain mad) that they can't see how slim their chances at victory are.

Christie and Rubio are smart to not run this year and to work on building their experience for a future run. And Palin knows that she will never get near the White House -- she has just been stringing the teabagger rubes along to collect more of their $$$. Idiots.

:rofl:

[underpants]

5. I wish I could rec a single post

spot on racaulk!

[racaulk]

7. Wow!

Thank you for that, underpants! :hi:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. Incumbent Presidents Running For Reelection

Usually end up with their percentage of the vote being correlated with their approval rating at election time.

President Obama's approval rating is currently in the low forties.

Reelection campaigns are referendums on the incumbent. Sometimes an unpopular incumbent can win by making his opponent unpalatable. That's what happened in CA when Grey Davis beat William Simon.

[krawhitham]

6. Mitch Daniels also said NO

[Che Billy]

9. No way Obama wins in '12

I think Obama is totally beatable, even by a certifiable nutcase like Perry. Obama's mass support in '08 came from the political center who were fed up with Bush economic and war policies, and from the left who assumed that they were supporting a true liberal who was damping down his liberalness during the campaign in order to appeal to the centrists whose support was needed to win the general election.

Both groups were wrong, we now know. The Republican nominee will be able to count on the automatic 40% or so of the vote from the misguided sheep that always vote Republican, the politically-unaware centrist's vote will be split because they've forgotten who Bush is already, and the left will have maybe 10% of their initial enthusiasm left over after having been betrayed and marginalized by Obama's administration.

When I add it all up, and I cannot conceive of an Obama victory in '12. The only good news I can conjure up is that a Republican victory will (hopefully) finally show the American public how disastrous right-wing policies really are (Bush and Co tried their best to teach us this valuable lesson, but to little avail it seems) and make a vow never to allow those corporatist shitholes to take power again.

Bouncing back and forth from Republican Corporatists to Democratic Corporatists who are a little more socially liberal sucks with with the power of a thousand Kirby's. Maybe another Republican asshat in the Oval Office will finally get us off of this barely moving pendulum once and for all. I can dream, anyway...

[underpants]

11. Well I can't argue with an opinion and I understand what you are saying

the only thing, in my opinion, that will create an Obama loss is incredibly low voter turnout -- and that is the point of the media deluge on him. The corporate media deluge.

You are absolutely right about the 40%. I don't think the Tea Party effect is anything but if it is at even 1% of their base (meaning they don't turn out) then Obama is a lock.

They have to be careful with diminishing interest and trying to call it now. If they declare victory and a few Repubs types don't show (especially in the right spots) they lose.

I think Obama wins either way. I don't think the middle is going to stay away to the degree necessary and they are not going to show up to vote for the people they voted against in 2008.

[flamingdem]

12. Americans look for a degree of stability in POTUS, Perry = fail nt

[joshcryer]

13. Exactly, they are staying out of it until 2016, they know their odds.

[Honeycombe8]

14. There are good reasons those 3 said no this time. They aren't ready.

Christie's experience would be that he was an attorney general (I think), and then was guv for two years and quit (like Palin). He's not experienced on teh national stage. It's hard to run for President.

Rubio is too young. He's waiting to see if and when he can run for President. He's a #1 kind of man.

Palin - when she quit teh governership, I and many others have repeatedly said she won't run for any political office again, ever. She knew when she quit that, esp after quitting being Mayor of that tiny town, that she'd never be running for anything. She's all about the money. Money. She's raking it in. She won't give that up to run for a political office, and work that hard.