Politico: GOP insiders urge Barbour to run for RNC chairman rather than prez

[Mr. Morden]

Apparently, they think he'd be particularly good as RNC chairman, while a second term for Michael Steele would be particularly awful:

http://www.politico.com/playbook/1010/playbook1203.html

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[Bull Moose Base]

Wouldn't it be rare for Steele to do a second term anyway?

[Mr. Morden]

Wouldn't it be rare for Steele to do a second term anyway?

Up until Jim Gilmore's resignation as RNC chairman in 2002, I think it was pretty much the norm that an RNC chairman would serve two successive two year terms for a total of four years.  Since then, it's been more erratic.

Steele, of course, has been such a disaster in the role that he'll likely be replaced when his term is up in a few months.  Of course, you can't beat somebody with nobody.

[Mr. Morden]

An unnamed Barbour adviser says there's no way that Barbour is going to run for RNC chairman:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/14/barbour-adviser-rejects-talk-of-possible-rnc-bid/

[Bull Moose Base]

I wonder if Barbour would attempt a Giuliani-like strategy but with South Carolina instead of Florida.

[California8429]

Confirmed. My dad is resonably close with him. He says Barbour is only likely to run in order to secure the RNC Chair...but truly he can just get the Chair without a run (though he does want to be president) since he knows he can't win it. It would just look silly.

But yeah, I'd put money down on him being RNC Chair, though he personally wants the Presidency

[Keystone Phil]

I hope it happens. He'd be a good Chairman and it's better to have the epitome of a Republican stereotype as leader of the party instead of as our Presidential nominee.

[milhouse24]

Umm...wasn't he RNC chairman before?!?!?   

Freaking just run for President, even if he loses SC, he's not getting any younger.  There will be plenty of time to be RNC chairman, but only a short window to be President.  Don't be Mario Cuomo or some other waffler who wishes he could be President but doesn't have the ballz to actually enter the primaries.

[California8429]

Umm...wasn't he RNC chairman before?!?!?   

Freaking just run for President, even if he loses SC, he's not getting any younger.  There will be plenty of time to be RNC chairman, but only a short window to be President.  Don't be Mario Cuomo or some other waffler who wishes he could be President but doesn't have the ballz to actually enter the primaries.

But Cuomo had a chance to win

[Dgov]

Umm...wasn't he RNC chairman before?!?!?   

yeah, and he was a really good one (1994 happened under his watch)