Voting

[SR540Beaver]

I like Rudy as much as the next guy. That being said, don't think he is an automatic shoe in for '08. Let's not forget how the right hammered home how personal character counts and traditional values while Clinton was in office. Rudy left his wife for another woman....at least Clinton stuck it out. Rudy is very moderate in alot of other political views such as abortion and gay rights. Rudy's views wouldn't set well with much of the Repub base and his personal life would be fodder for his opposition. To try to run him to appeal to voters on both sides would be the same as what conservatives claim of the liberals all the time. That being that they will stoop to anything to retain the power they have gained. People can't have it both ways. It will be interesting to see how the Repubs do now that they control both the Admin and the Congress and have a majority of Governors. Will they rule as they see fit and risk angering people or will they move to the middle to satisfy people and play politics to stay in power like the Dems did. The ball is in their court now and it is put up or shut up. If they blow it, they stand to lose big time in '08.

[JimmyD]

I am a republican and voted for the 1st time in the general election during a presidential year. My analysis is as follows: (If your democrat/liberal you may not want to read)

 

Its been proven that the hidden reason for a lot of people to get out and vote is because of moral values. The Democratic Party does not have this with the American people. A good example of this is looking at the south. I was watching Hanity and Colmes on fox news (Best network for coverage) Sean brought up a great point with this issue. In 1980 there were about 20 some democratic senators in the south and only 6 republican senators now those numbers have flip flopped. Back then Democratic Party had good religious values but now they've lost. Bush won the catholic vote over his opponent who is catholic.

 

When you have hardcore liberals such as Michael Moore sucking up a lot of light and being a spokesmen in a way for Kerry its also a bad idea. Michael Moore and his fellow liberal stars failed horribly to try to defeat Bush in this election.

 

As for my home state of Pennsylvania, my party did half decent. I am a member of college Republicans at Bloomsburg University. I got to see Dick Cheney speak at my university live on my first day of college. I was able to be a staff member at a Bush rally at the Wachovia arena in Wilkes Bare PA a couple weeks ago. Getting to see the president speak lvie is totally different then you see him on TV. The energy surging through a 10,000+ filled arena is incredible. I was very lucky at the entrance from where Bush came out I got to shake his hand which was very big for me at such a young age. I'd compare to my Eagle Scout ceremony or my first deer kill. I knew at that point Bush was going to win the election.

 

State wide races didn't go to well. I think my party only won attorney general, but that was the only one I was expecting us to win. My state senator won reelection by a lot who is NRA endorsed and has his son in cub scouting. My state rep who is a democrat who I support also is NRA endorsed and has 2 or 3 sons who are eagle scouts. (he even owns his own paint ball field and shop)

 

The republicans kept Arlen's seat intact. Better to keep the incumbent in office who is a moderate. Toomey a conservative ran against him in April and Arlen squeaked the victory. Since PA is very democratic now it was just better to keep specter to face off against the democrat.

 

Republicans now have a firm control over all 3 branches of Government. Bush is the first president in 68 years to have won relection and gain seats and both houses. Daschile the minority leader lost his election which was a huge blow for democrats.

 

Kerry going Canadian geese hunting was the worse thing I had ever seen. As a sportsman for the 2nd Amendment I was very disgusted about that and that also might have pushed a lot more hunters out. John Kerry is very much against the 2nd Amendment.

 

If Rudy or (if laws are changed) Arnold are the republicans nominees in 08 there is something very wrong with the Republican Party. Arnold for sure won't be and I don't know Rudys views well enough to decide but I do know he is moderate. I'm expecting Hillary as the nominee in 08 and use her husbands legacy (if thats good or bad) to her advantage. Edwards won't be a factor. If Hillary runs in 06 for senate seat again and if Rudy is her opponent she'll get killed. Rudy is moderate enough in my view to win New York for a senate race.

 

[dsteele]

Something about this sentence(s) tickled me inside. I'm not making fun of the poster, far from it, but it does show that he's a republican just as I am.

 

"I was very lucky at the entrance from where Bush came out I got to shake his hand which was very big for me at such a young age. I'd compare to my Eagle Scout ceremony or my first deer kill."

 

I've killed deer and shaken the hands of two Presidents of the USA. One of those Presidents even wrote to me in a hand-written letter in response to one I sent him.

 

It never occurred to me to equate it with shooting my first deer. But, in reflection . . . why not?

 

As far as candidates for 2008 -- Yes, I think Hillary Clinton will run. I think she's highly intelligent and that's about the nicest thing I can say about her, so I'll shut up.

 

I also think that her running for President would be the best thing the Democratic Party could do for the GOP.

 

Not because she's a woman. I really don't think gender matters that much in today's society.

 

I was going to buy Hillary's biography. Then I picked up a copy and read the dust jacket. It talked about how she was born and raised in Park Ridge, Ill. a middle-class suburb of Chicago and her family didn't have much.

 

Horse-pucky! Anyone who knows Park Ridge knows it is not very middle class and Hillary's family was far from poor.

 

If you lie on the dust jacket, I'm not voting for you for anything.

 

I've also read Guiliani's book. I'd vote for him, depending on who his Vice Presidential Candidate is. If you read Rudy's management book, you'll see that he was a micro-manager as mayor. He'd be a heart attack waiting to happen as President.

 

That's how I see it.

 

Unc.

[scoutingagain]

Well I've been out of town for a few days and havn't had time to review this thread for a while. Spent a few days in W. Virginia & Western PA. Jeepers we live in a beautiful country.

 

Back to politics as this thread seems have evolved to.

 

My take on George W. is that he's not as conservative as he's been made out to be. He's as much a pandering politician as any other candidate. He needed the conservative religious vote to win and that's the way the Republicans played the election. I give them credit, it worked.

 

However, now that he is in his second term and doesn't have to worry as much about re-election he will be free to pursue his own agenda rather than one that will get him re-elected. I still think he will promote business friendly and upper-income tax policies, try to reduce environmental regulations that his business friends tell him hinder US competitiveness, promote liberal immigration laws so his business buddies can have access to cheap labor. Foreign policy wise his proposed approach wasn't all that much different than Kerry's but I don't think he'll be as successful as Kerry might have been. (Face it, no one's going to step into the mess in Iraq to help.) We're stuck with this Iraq mess and I think he will do his best to get us out of there and even George W. realizes we're in no shape to take on much else until the Iraq situation stablizes.

 

Finally on the social front, here's some things I don't think he'll do.

 

He won't appoint Judges that will over turn Roe v. Wade. His mother would be very upset with him.

 

He won't pursue a constitutional amendment to define marriage. He has said the State's already have this authority.

 

We'll just have to wait and see.

 

My reference to Hillary running was not meant to slight her personally. I think she is a very intelligent and ambitious women and see nothing wrong with that. It's just I don't think she would have a prayer of winning. There's some doubt she'll be able to keep her seat in Congress when she comes up for re-election, depending on who runs against her. Maybe Rudi would consider being a Senator?

 

Just some of my ramblings.

 

SA

 

 

 

 

 

[WAKWIB]

For the GOP in 2008:

Jeb Bush

 

For the Dem's:

Any one but Hillary. Face it, the Democrats seem have lost touch with much of the mainstream. I have heard from a number of Democrats that voted for Bush in this election. Ms. Clinton would do worse than Kerry. There are many Democrats in the RED states, who really want someone that speaks to them. The shrill, far-left minority in the Democratic party have alienated thousands. The DNC would do well to stop listening to the icons of the pop-culture, and recover their identity with the vast working class in the midwest.