Political Punch

Don't be too hard on Gov. Romney, Jake. It's obvious he must have amnesia and gets easily confused. Just look at all the positions--each diametrically opposed from the others--that he's taken this week!

I think we all can agree that there is no perfect Republican candidate in the race. Each all their faults and weakness. All the candidates will want to be the most patriotic on defense/security. Just because McCain has served, it does not means he has cornered the market on being patriotic. That is a given among all leading candidates.

McCain says he is against spending. But he was part of the Democratic and Republic habit giving out govt. pork. (That is what got the Republicans in trouble this past election) He should have done a better job to help reign in spending.

Romney has the outsider message going for him. In addition, he has been succesful in the private sector. Forget Ron Paul. He is not a viable contendor. Romney knows what it is to run a business. Romney favors making the tax cuts permanentHe will not demonize business and play the class envy card.
Bottom line, the Republican party needs to bring a candidate that clearly illustrates the stark political and philosophical differences between the Republican party and Democratice. We need to draw a line in the sand to show the differences. You cannot do that with McCain

I don't care if Romney or Guiliani get the nomination, but if McCain, or Heaven for bid, Huckabee, the party's principles are doomed. McCain IS NOT conservative. He is lying if he says he is. He is a maverick, a consensus builder. He will appoint liberal judge. If you disagree, look at his record. If you don't John McCain is a liberal in sheeps clothing, well you will never know him.

Scott,

You must be assuming that noone intimately familiar with McCain-Kennedy is reading these posts. If so, you're mistaken. McCain didn't waltz into this dance in an attempt to mitigate the impact of a potentially more liberal bill. There is no difference between his perspective on immigration and Ted Kennedy's. Same motives, same frame of reference. You can fool some of the people some of the time....

Mclame amnesty. I don't to tell more about that. What about Mcfeingold? what about his bad mouth? He's an embarrassment. He's been in government payroll for too long and he thinks he deserves to hand him the presidency. Yap, you are NOT QUALIFIED MClame. You had your chance. I don't trust you. I cannot support a person dumping his disabled ex-wife to a trophy wife.

It's obvious that Mitt was talking about the others not having experience working in the economy as a businessman. He knows Ron Paul was an excellent OBGNY, and that Rudy was a lawyer, and that Mike was a pastor, but that really doesn't qualify any of them to change the economic outlook of the country. Serving years in the Navy, while honorable, does nothing to prepare someone to take over the huge job of changing Washington.

First of all as a moderate Republican let me say that I think Romney is the best choice. However, I feel like Romney needs to address the issue that he is not looking good in the polls when compared to Hillary or Obama. I think part of the problem is that his name is not as widely recognized as McCain, Clinton, or Obama. However, it has been interesting to see when Romney goes to a state and people see and hear him, they start voting for him. Hopefully a win in Florida will get him that name recognition that he needs nationally.
Romney = best conservative choice.
McCain = better than Hillary.
Hillary = I'm moving to Mexico.

George, Nobody cares about your opnion of Romney

I don't think voters are penalizing McCain for his war experience. Simply put McCain is NOT THE BEST CHOICE for president.

At age 72, McCain should just retire and stay in Florida with his supporters. 25 years in DC is a very long time. Yet he has no noticeable positive accomplishment, but only a history of miring in controversial issues to the republican party. He has worked for the Government his entire life with no private sector experience.

Like most Americans, I have a lot of respect for his sacrifies during the Vietnam war. But all things considered, McCain has not shown leadership.

It is well known by now that Dr. Paul (who has written 6 books on economics) and stands head and shoulders over the other candidates as an economist. Why do you think the 'cool' candidates denigrate him (except for Huckabee who copies his homework)? Every other candidate speaks in vague generalities.

Why do all these articles avoid talking about the POSITIVE things that Romney has done. Not only for the state of Mass. but for the Olypics, for being a successful business man..etc. He seems that he is the most criticized. Is that because he's a real threat? People are grasping at straws trying to knock him down. Why don't run for president if you're gonna be so dand ignorant and superficially judgemental!?

Paul has been self-employed several times and owns some small businesses. When he votes, though, is when you see how in touch he is with businesses an other organizations. He knows the concerns of business.

Anybody who uses the term "private sector" knows little about the "private sector." The term is used by those who worship the "public sector," that is, government. Romney may have experience in the "private sector" but only as an agent from the "public sector." I would certainly not count his venture capitalist experience as business experience.

Thank you. How can anyone (especially a draft dodger who spent his time in Paris) get away with saying a hero's service to our country is a negative?

Carol, you are of course entitled to your opinion but you are quite misinformed regarding McCain's role in the amnesty bill. What actually happened is that a FAR more liberal peice of legislation was being developed by the democrats that essentially said "if you are on American soil right now you are now a citizen with full rights and benefits AND we are eliminating further border security". McCain got involved because he feared that due to the Democrat majority it may pass as law and if it didn't that the GOP would be cast as a racist party and alienate the Hispanic voting block. As such through his involvement he was able to add several provisions (such as increased border security and "go to the end of the line") that represented conservative viewpoints. In fact by the time he and Senator Kyl were done with it there were several pro-amnesty groups that withdrew their endorsement of the bill.

Now that being said I, as many others, still disagreed with even the revised version, but to say McCain is pro-amnesty is showing a fundamental and very common misunderstanding of what he did and why he did it.

As far as Romney is concerned the guy has no chance to beat Clinton or Obama for the simple reason that Independants and moderates (like myself) will simply not vote for another ultra-conservative and despite popular belief it's not "securing the party base" that really matters in the end. The party base on either side will, when push comes to shove, vote for their party candidate because voting for the other party's candidate is an abomination to them. It's the swing voters who are just as willing to vote democrat as they are republican that ultimately decide the election. Those people are voting for McCain first and Obama a very distant second. They're avoiding Romney like the plague and the reason is because he's just another Bush and a "say anything to win" candidate like Hillary. What this means is that he has no chance to win the general election because the Independant and moderates won't support him.

If the republicans want to keep the White House they had better realize that a moderate President McCain is a LOT better than a screaming liberal President Hillary.

Romney was excellent in the debate last night. His answer about the National Guard/the military was wise and then he used that as a platform to say how our men and women are winning the war not General Hillary Clinton....brilliant. For him to display that kind of gravitas standing next to a war hero was just great. He's a real leader amongst men.

cordelia525,

What do you mean Paul doesn't count?

He's the ONLY one that counts. Any of the other bozos get the nomination & we'll end up with a Democrat in the White House during a depression!

Running for the highest office of the nation, candidates must tell all about themselves for citizens to make a choice. When one complains and critiques these candidates, think of why you are not running. I know you have a million reasons, but these candidates have the gut fortitude to offer themselves to serve this nation. So, SHUT UP and make choice, Vote for the most qualified and worthy candidate.

We need someone in the White House who is NOT going to give this country to the illegals and who will straighten out this country...STOP all the spending that is unnecessary and STOP giving more and more to the illegals and you wouldn't have to take so much of our money away from us hard working people...There is no way we can save for our futures with the government's hands in our pockets...taking more and more of our hard earned money...

Give me a break! McCain was the one speaking with a straight face, claiming that he was well-versed in economics - too bad Russert didn't call him on denying his own words. McCain is the biggest flip-flopper out there. Take a look at Ann Coulter's latest article about the Straight Talk Express Taking the Scenic Route to the Truth. Romney never took a public paycheck. He never took a salary in Massachusetts. He never took a salary in saving the Olympics. He has promised not to take a salary as President. McCain has always been on the public payroll. He tried to shove the Amnesty Bill down our throats with no discussion, no hearings, no votes. I don't trust him.

Ron Paul has the only real economic "plan" by returning to sound money, eliminating the IRS and cutting unnecessary spending, and returning power back to the states.

those are all not for profits and Paul doesn't count

Only a doctor can cure our country...Ron Paul 08

He's talking about business. None of the others have private sector business experience. People are bright enough to figure that out. I don't even like Romney and it's obvious to me the press hates him.

i think romney is very much a boaster. he's the only one that did this; he's the only one that did that. he's annoying.

BUT, i do think he's right in the sense that giuliani was basically a governmental employee until post-9/11; mccain has done nothing but sit in the US Senate for 30 years; huckabee hasn't done a whole lot, other than lose weight and preach about it in a church.

mitt's actually the private sector guy in the GOP race.

That stupid remark by Romney is why he is my least favorite Republican candidate.