Predictions on the Republicans in 2008

[TomC]

I believe Allen may make a run in 2008. I know he's hired some extra people to his staff associated with previous Presidential and other campaigns, which I suppose is the first hint at a run.

(Of course, if Mark Warner somehow decides to run for Senate and beats Allen in 2006, all this Presidential talk is moot).

I was checking to see if anyone else had picked up on Allen.

He's a former Govenor, a sitting Senator a non-controversial conservative who has lots of friends in the party.

It would be very interesting to see a match-up between Warner (the best available nominee for the Democrats) and Allen.

How is the least experienced politician the best available nominee??

[TomC]

I believe Allen may make a run in 2008. I know he's hired some extra people to his staff associated with previous Presidential and other campaigns, which I suppose is the first hint at a run.

(Of course, if Mark Warner somehow decides to run for Senate and beats Allen in 2006, all this Presidential talk is moot).

I was checking to see if anyone else had picked up on Allen.

He's a former Govenor, a sitting Senator a non-controversial conservative who has lots of friends in the party.

It would be very interesting to see a match-up between Warner (the best available nominee for the Democrats) and Allen.

How is the least experienced politician the best available nominee??

Allen, having been both a two term Gov of VA and a sitting Senator, is at least as qualified as current VA Gov Warner.

Yes, I'm questioning if Warner is qualified. Or "the best available nominee." My problems with Allen aren't because of his qualifications.

[TomC]

What skeletens are in Allen's closet that give you such qualms, unless it's just the (R) by his name? 

I used to live in VA during his first term.   He seemed to be very popular statewide, though as a Tennessean, I didn't involve myself in local VA politics.  I never really knew that much about his policies at the time.

Not just the "R" but he seems a pretty conservative "R." The "R"s I could vote for are more moderate. I could vote Repub on fiscal issues, but I cannot vote for a social conservative. If the Dems controlled congress, I might be more likely. Repubs I like or might vote for:
Schwartzenegger (assuming he could run), McCain, Giuliani (although I think he has zero scruples, so maybe not), Hagel, Kemp, Snowe or Collins, I respect Lugar, Lamar Alexander has his moments (although I can't recall one as a Pres candidate), Forbes caught my interest the first time, although the 2nd time he did a 180 and sold out to relig right.

My comment was to whomever said Warner would be "best possible nominee" for Dems. I find him underqualified. Allen is qualified, just too conservative for me as far as I can tell.

[TomC]

Well, yes, I agree somewhat, although I'm a social liberal but I'm not for all the big spending programs many Dems want. In that respect I consider myself a moderate.

And, to me, representation is about building consensus, getting a majority of people to agree before our government embarks on something new. I much prefer this to ramming through an agenda that only 30% of people agree with, whether it's left or right. And with all the checks and balances in our system, a cautious agenda is usually what we end up with. People used to say the liberals are the gas pedal of the govt and the conservatives are the brakes. Today, depending on the issue, you could switch those labels. Well, okay I want the gas pedal down, but not to the extent that say, Al Sharpton or Alan Keyes. The problem with your saying that moderates lack the vision thing is that we have been led to believe there are really only two visions, one akin to Ted Kennedy's and one akin to, say George Bush's. I refuse to buy into that, that there are only two ways to fall on the political spectrum, as there are hundreds of issues to consider. If I want gay marriage and private social security accounts, everybody is going to say I'm not with their vision,  even though I see that I clearly have a vision of freedom and opportunity. I'm not Reagan or Feingold, or I'm a little of each, so somewhere along the way I have to make a compromise, since so many people have oversimplified what it means to have a vision for the country.

[TomC]

Frist, by the way, would be a disaster.

No would be about it- the majority leader is a disaster- and one in the making for the pres nominee.