Which forum Republican....

[angus]

1) On economic issues:  I have enough moderate economic policies not to scare off independents, and I have more than enough economic imagination to trounce Obama on his economic record and lack of economic imagination.  And I am willing to spend and tax, not in an attempt to artificially redistribute wealth, but in an attempt to transform the American economy in very patriotic (e.g. my energy plan) and concrete (set milestones and metrics for measuring success) ways that would unite the majority of the nation and give it a sense of economic purpose that would greatly benefit our foreign policy goals.

2) On foreign policy:  My long standing position is based upon the principles of the freedom and tolerance of religion, and therefore I can completely be consistent in critiquing a) Bush43’s naïve foreign policy for attempting to occupy and impose democracy in Muslim countries which do not believe in religious tolerance, and b) Obama’s naïve policy of supporting the Arab Spring Islamist uprisings which do not believe in religious tolerance as the foundation of democracy.  Thus, I could critique both Bush and Obama based on the principles of the US Declaration of Independence and on the Preamble and First Amendment to the US Constitution and argue from an 100% American viewpoint that these freedoms are universally essential to any society, and that the US should NEVER have a foreign policy which supports “democratic” movements opposed to these universal principles.  Thus my foreign policy is explainable to any American and upholds the foundational universal principles that have a) made this country great b) made the US a safe-haven from religious persecution, whether that persecution is in the form of Christian theocracies or in the form of Muslim Sharia Law.  And my view of tolerance and freedom of religion as the foundation stone for a civilized and peaceful society will reassure independents who may be disturbed that I am a genuine believer in the bible.

3) On social issues:  aside from opposing abortion except in the case of rape or incest (less than 1% of all abortions), I am status quo on social issues.  I do NOT support anti-sodomy laws and believe the government should NOT be telling adults what they can and can not do in the bedroom, whether they be homosexual or heterosexual.  I believe gays should, and do, have the right to marry (no one is going around arresting homosexuals for declaring themselves married), but recognition of those marriages by the state (which is the people) is NOT a right under our constitution – you do NOT have the right to have your actions condoned by the state….my social positions would NOT scare off independents.

4) My personal beliefs:  I am not a young-earther and I am a huge proponent of science.  I know enough about the bloody history of heretical Christianity to be able to use that history to promote separation of church and state and reassure independents.

That's all pretty mainstream republican plank stuff.  Romney could be described nearly the same way, for example.  So what do you have to offer that none of the other candidates have?

[NVGonzalez]

Torie is the most likely to defeat Obama

jmfcst is the most likely to be nominated.

[muon2]

I'm confused by the replies that claim that any poster wouldn't get past the primary. I interpret the OP as an assumption that the poster is the nominee, hence the question about the general election.

Oh, and thanks Kal.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

1) On economic issues:  I have enough moderate economic policies not to scare off independents, and I have more than enough economic imagination to trounce Obama on his economic record and lack of economic imagination.  And I am willing to spend and tax, not in an attempt to artificially redistribute wealth, but in an attempt to transform the American economy in very patriotic (e.g. my energy plan) and concrete (set milestones and metrics for measuring success) ways that would unite the majority of the nation and give it a sense of economic purpose that would greatly benefit our foreign policy goals.

2) On foreign policy:  My long standing position is based upon the principles of the freedom and tolerance of religion, and therefore I can completely be consistent in critiquing a) Bush43’s naïve foreign policy for attempting to occupy and impose democracy in Muslim countries which do not believe in religious tolerance, and b) Obama’s naïve policy of supporting the Arab Spring Islamist uprisings which do not believe in religious tolerance as the foundation of democracy.  Thus, I could critique both Bush and Obama based on the principles of the US Declaration of Independence and on the Preamble and First Amendment to the US Constitution and argue from an 100% American viewpoint that these freedoms are universally essential to any society, and that the US should NEVER have a foreign policy which supports “democratic” movements opposed to these universal principles.  Thus my foreign policy is explainable to any American and upholds the foundational universal principles that have a) made this country great b) made the US a safe-haven from religious persecution, whether that persecution is in the form of Christian theocracies or in the form of Muslim Sharia Law.  And my view of tolerance and freedom of religion as the foundation stone for a civilized and peaceful society will reassure independents who may be disturbed that I am a genuine believer in the bible.

3) On social issues:  aside from opposing abortion except in the case of rape or incest (less than 1% of all abortions), I am status quo on social issues.  I do NOT support anti-sodomy laws and believe the government should NOT be telling adults what they can and can not do in the bedroom, whether they be homosexual or heterosexual.  I believe gays should, and do, have the right to marry (no one is going around arresting homosexuals for declaring themselves married), but recognition of those marriages by the state (which is the people) is NOT a right under our constitution – you do NOT have the right to have your actions condoned by the state….my social positions would NOT scare off independents.

4) My personal beliefs:  I am not a young-earther and I am a huge proponent of science.  I know enough about the bloody history of heretical Christianity to be able to use that history to promote separation of church and state and reassure independents.

That's all pretty mainstream republican plank stuff.  Romney could be described nearly the same way, for example.  So what do you have to offer that none of the other candidates have?

  dude, I've said more in that one post that Romney has said in 5 whole years of running for POTUS.  Plus, I haven't flipflopped on sensitive issues.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

North Carolina Yankee or AHDuke

[memphis]

How many native born Republicans do we have who are at least 35?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

How many native born Republicans do we have who are at least 35?

I think we're just discussing ideological fitness, regardless of age, for none of us have the resume to run for POTUS.

[angus]

dude, I've said more in that one post that Romney has said in 5 whole years of running for POTUS.  Plus, I haven't flipflopped on sensitive issues.

Haha.  Okay, fair enough.  But where's your tweak of the Cain tax flat tax plan?  That's what you're going to need to win the primary.  The rest of that doesn't really differentiate you from the pack.

As for the general, what you wrote helps, but your tax plan might hurt you.

Also, I don't know what kind of hijinks you were up to in your early rogue years, before you found Jesus.  Some of that will surely come back to bite you in the ass. 

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

As much I love Torie, he's too busy now hunting down strange stuff to bed, so I'll go with angus..... although considering the length of his postings, I'd hate to see how long the SOTU speech would be

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

But where's your tweak of the Cain tax flat tax plan?... As for the general, what you wrote helps, but your tax plan might hurt you.

that's way way down the list of economic priorities.  The first thing we need to do is get the US Government supporting businesses with valid business plans (e.g. conversion over to natgas from oil in order to keep dollars spent on energy within the US economy).  My Apollo-style energy plan with a 2020 goal to wean us off half of our dependency of foreign oil that we’re spending $700B/year on and thus create a $350B/year organic stimulus, in addition to creating millions of new high-paying energy jobs in the US ( the Saudi-Arabia of natural gas) and generating vast tax revenues from energy production profits to help pay for the Apollo level effort…would be my main economic objective 

Once the energy plan passes congress, then I’d set my sights on reforming the tax code.   I want to abolish the IRS and the need for personal CPA’s, with the promise that Americans will never again have to fill out an individual federal tax return, which would also help to eliminate tax cheats.  But we need a jobs engine (see energy plan) to absorb those displaced by eliminating a whole entire industry of bean counters.

I’d probably look into tax reforms that could help rebuild some of our manufacturing base by shifting taxes from the manufacturing level down to the consumption level, and seek the approval of the proposed plan from manufactures and unions of manufacturing workers, and add that to my platform.

---

  That's what you're going to need to win the primary.  The rest of that doesn't really differentiate you from the pack.

Right now the GOP is simply looking for a trusted conservative who can complete a sentence, who isn’t a loon/troll who immediately alienates half of Americans, and who hasn’t ruined the lives of several spouses.

Romney and Huntsman fail the trusted conservative test.  Perry and Cain fail the complete a sentence test.  Bachmann and Santorum and Paul fail the loon/troll test.  And Newt fails the spouse test.

---

Also, I don't know what kind of hijinks you were up to in your early rogue years, before you found Jesus.  Some of that will surely come back to bite you in the ass. 

Well, I don’t have the resume to run for POTUS, so my past is secondary.  I view this thread as only considering each poster’s ideological strengths in relation to the American electorate.  But, my criminal record is minimal (criminal trespassing for breaking into my high school when I was 17 during the summer before my senior year, and public intoxication on a Galveston beech when I was ~19).  The fact that I was also a punk wouldn’t damage my chances since I was never arrested for a violent crime.

[opebo]

jmfcst, you're certainly more electable than an aging never-married/never-reproduced bachelor obsessed with fitness.

you lost me...are you referring to Torie?

Yeah of course..

What is this Koch connection?  Opebo, I have put the aging process on hold for the moment. Deal with it.

I have no problem with it, Torie, in fact I quite support it and wish you all the best.  However, I was implying in my subtle way that it might be a little too 'alternative lifestyle', if you get my meaning, wink-wink nudge-nudge, for the American prude-electorate.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

If were going on eligibility & experience, I'd guess muon. That aside, hmmm... Who do we have that could keep the conservatives, rinos, & indies all in line at once? While there are many respected moderates such as angus and Torie, they probably couldn't keep the base in line.

[angus]

moderates such as angus and Torie ... probably couldn't keep the base in line.

There's the rub.  You have to get past the primaries to defeat Obama.  Even if we're ignoring our youthful indiscretions, and the fact that we may not have law degrees, and the fact that we would not want that job in real life, and the fact that our speeches would be too long and too philosophical, you're left with finding a poster who has the correct ideology to win not only the GOP nomination but also the general election against Obama.

I'll second muon.  He seems to have the ideological pattern and temperament to win both.

jmfcst is probably ideologically correct--traditionalist and anti-tax enough to with the GOP, but centrist and compassionate enough to win the general--but he's going to let somebody piss him off and he'll say something arrogant and harsh that will cost the Republicans the election.

[Torie]

As much I love Torie, , so I'll go with angus..... although considering the length of his postings, I'd hate to see how long the SOTU speech would be

Hey, I still find time to post in-between sessions. I have a high energy level.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

jmfcst is probably ideologically correct--traditionalist and anti-tax enough to with the GOP, but centrist and compassionate enough to win the general--but he's going to let somebody piss him off and he'll say something arrogant and harsh that will cost the Republicans the election.

Moi?!

[angus]

Moi?!

Oui, tu. 

You're the master infracter on this board.  On the campaign trail, with a hectic schedule and lacking rest, I bet you'd be even more quarrelsome and stubborn. 

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Moi?!

Oui, tu. 

You're the master infracter on this board.  On the campaign trail, with a hectic schedule and lacking rest, I bet you'd be even more quarrelsome and stubborn. 

angus, my man, I'd be nothing but smiles on the campaign trail:

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Moi?!

Oui, tu. 

You're the master infracter on this board.  On the campaign trail, with a hectic schedule and lacking rest, I bet you'd be even more quarrelsome and stubborn. 

angus, my man, I'd be nothing but smiles on the campaign trail:

Thanks for posting that image again.  I particularly enjoy looking at the first girl on the right to Cain.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

You're the master infracter on this board. 

yo, that's Master Infractor (with an "o"), to you, angus. 

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I have never had first hand contact with muon. What is his ideology?

[angus]

I have never had first hand contact with muon. What is his ideology?

You can be like Captain Kirk.  Initiate the all-important First Contact.

That's the only way to really explore strange new worlds and seek out new life.

[Torie]

I suspect Muon2 is more of a policy wonk. I suspect he senses there are more than enough out there to pontificate about the big picture in generalities. But there are few out there to grapple intelligently with the really complex, with a lot of numbers and causes and effects, requiring a disciplined, analytical mind, with a confidence in manipulating numbers. Muon2 is one  of those few amongst his guild of elected officials. So he lends his hand where he thinks he will add the most value to the public square, and do what others cannot do as well. It is about the square - not him. He had a major influence I think on reforming state employee pensions, a horrifically Byzantine exercise when it came to getting from here to there, as cash flow issues constrained trying to get the actuarial liabilities under some reasonable control, and segue slowly out of the defined benefit plan business.

In short, Muon2 is not one of those who tend to be enslaved by the "experts." He either is an expert, or will run those who presume to be through there paces. He will not be fooled.

As to Muon2's exact place on the political compass, he reveals that through his work for his constituents, not here. Nor should he. He represents them, not us.

[The Mikado]

To be honest, I don't think we should talk about Muon's work in politics this much.  It is, after all, his job, and I suspect he comes here to get away from it.  We're very lucky to have an elected public official on this forum (how many Republican officeholders want to take time out of their day to hang out on a somewhat left-leaning forum with people a generation younger?) and I think badgering Muon with references to his job is perhaps not as pleasant as letting him share his thoughts on his passions like redistricting.

[Torie]

To be honest, I don't think we should talk about Muon's work in politics this much.  It is, after all, his job, and I suspect he comes here to get away from it.  We're very lucky to have an elected public official on this forum (how many Republican officeholders want to take time out of their day to hang out on a somewhat left-leaning forum with people a generation younger?) and I think badgering Muon with references to his job is perhaps not as pleasant as letting him share his thoughts on his passions like redistricting.

Wise words. I'm unleashed, Muon2 is not. But I don't think he will mind too much what I posted.

[muon2]

To be honest, I don't think we should talk about Muon's work in politics this much.  It is, after all, his job, and I suspect he comes here to get away from it.  We're very lucky to have an elected public official on this forum (how many Republican officeholders want to take time out of their day to hang out on a somewhat left-leaning forum with people a generation younger?) and I think badgering Muon with references to his job is perhaps not as pleasant as letting him share his thoughts on his passions like redistricting.

Wise words. I'm unleashed, Muon2 is not. But I don't think he will mind too much what I posted.

I don't mind. And yes, I do like tackling complex issues that require nuance. I don't think that needs to take away from basic principles, it just doesn't translate well into simple solution soundbites.