Barbour holds lengthy meeting with advisers to discuss possible presidential run

[ScottM]

He may decide to run but Haley Barbour is more the running mate type. Don't get me wrong I'd love to see a southerner with a conservative agenda as my president.

You did. He served from 2001 to 2009. His name was George W. Bush.

I don't consider George W. Bush to be a conservative. He did nothing to check spending, he did a horrible job securing the border, and he didn't have a conservative stance at all on education.

BTW, I fully expect him to run. I have for a long time. I'll be shocked if he doesn't.

As for Barbour, I think he fits the mold of what a true Conservative would like to see as the nominee. He has plenty of experience, he has shown good leadership skills (Katrina), and he's not afraid to fight with Democrats over the budget. (There's been plenty of that going on with the state House of Representatives).

I'm not going to vote for him just because, he's the governor of my state, but he's certainly on the list of candidates I'll consider thanks to his positions.

[ScottM]

deep red                  Obama 10% margin or greater  
medium red              Obama, 5-9.9% margin  
pale red                   Obama, margin under 5%  
 
pale blue                  Barbour  under 5%
medium blue             Barbour  5-9.9% margin  
deep blue                 Barbour over 10%

light green    third-party conservative  -- no distinction

I figure that such states as Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska are conservative, but they are not going to vote for an outright racist. There would be a third-party conservative... maybe Pat Buchanan.

I normally wouldn't comment on such a map, but it gave me such a good laugh that I couldn't help myself!

As for Rochambeau's point, that may be valid, though maybe not in the way you meant it. I think Thompson would have fared far better if voters had thought he really cared about the campaign.

[ScottM]

his work in katrina showed he is a good leader that can handle a national crisis, Obama never proved that and still hasn't

Let me deal with that a little more. As someone who lives in South Mississippi, I was personally affected by Katrina. I left for North Alabama to stay with some family the day before it hit, and wound up being there for a week and a half due the damage in the area. And I live probably 70 miles inland.

Since I wasn't in the affected area during the storm (even though we were without power for 18 hours as far away from the "action" as I was), I was able to see the news coverage of the storm. I think the disastrous response by the elected officials in Louisiana is well-documented. But, Alabama's officials didn't do much better. Gov. Riley didn't declare a mandatory evacuation until 18 hours before landfall. Only 18 hours before that caused the USS Alabama battle ship in Mobile Bay to list to one side. Only Camille had ever moved the ship and it just rocked a bit then. So, considering the magnitude of the storm, Riley definitely should have done more to prepare the people.

Compare that to Mississippi. Barbour issued an evacuation order well in advance of the storm, and on Sunday morning when it had exploded into a category 5 monster, he made it quite clear to inland residents that we needed to be prepared, as well. I don't know how many times I heard him say "this is not just a coastal storm," or some variation of that.

Barbour really shined compared to both Riley and Landrieu. He was the only governor from the affected States that came out smelling like a rose.

[ScottM]

Unfortunately, I don't see our country being open minded enough to vote for Barbour. That's too bad at least Mississippi gets it right.

I, probably needless to say, voted for him twice, and I, again probably needless to say, have no regrets for doing so.

[ScottM]

Unfortunately, I don't see our country being open minded enough to vote for Barbour. That's too bad at least Mississippi gets it right.

I, probably needless to say, voted for him twice, and I, again probably needless to say, have no regrets for doing so.

He has been a good Governor and will prove very effective has Chairmen of the RGA this fall but beyond that he doesn't have much of a chance at advancement.

Believe me, I'm fully aware of that. I do find it a shame, though. I think he would make a fine President. As I said once before in this thread, I wouldn't say 100% that he would be my candidate in the primaries, but I can say 100% I'd strongly consider him. I've had the privilege of observing him more closely than most.