GOP Gears Up For 2012

Politico: A Wide Field Of Hopefuls, Among Them Palin, Romney, Huckabee And Jindal, But All Remain Mum On Possible Run

(The Politico)  This story was written by Jonathan Martin.

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Votes are still being counted in some races in last Tuesday’s election, but no matter: talk of the potential Republicans field in the 2012 presidential election is already underway.

Too early?

Too bad - just look around.

Two potential candidates will be in Iowa before month’s end, multiple prospects - almost certainly including Sarah Palin - will make high-profile appearances next week at the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) meeting and Newt Gingrich’s name has already being floated in a Bob Novak column.

For a party anxious to move past a brutal election up and down the ballot, and especially a presidential campaign they’d just as soon forget, it’s not too soon to start thinking about ‘next time,’ as the pros call it.

Now, officially of course, any talk of a presidential run is verboten.

“Oh man,” drawled Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, when asked about 2012 and specifically his own interest in a possible presidential run. “I’m going to tell you something. One of the worst things that can happen to the Republican Party in our effort to rebuild is for a bunch of people to start running for president. Anybody harboring that ambition needs to squelch it until after 2010 … Anybody out there running for president is undercutting what’s important. You do this against your own interest.”

Following Barbour’s admonition, every likely candidate asked the same question by Politico demurred in all the time-honored ways politicians demur about such questions.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: “That’s way too far away.”

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal: “The most important thing I can do is be the best governor of Louisiana”

South Dakota Sen. John Thune: “I’m just looking to help the team.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty: “My day job is an honor and a privilege, and my focus is here.”

That is, according to the holy “don’t-get-beyond-the-next-cycle” writ of presidential politics, what they must say.

But don’t watch their mouths - keep an eye on their feet.

Huckabee, winner of the 2008 Iowa caucuses, returns to the Hawkeye State on November 20th for stops in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines to hawk his new book, “Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America.”

Huckabee, who is making his trek in a campaign-style bus with his likeness emblazoned on the side, is also slated to make five stops in South Carolina. The Palmetto State is home to the first-in-the-South GOP primary and a reliable indicator of who will get the party’s nomination in every primary since 1980. It was also Huckabee’s Waterloo this year, the place where he saw his presidential hopes slip away when Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney cut into his conservative vote share and enabled John McCain to snare a plurality win.

The book, he said, “makes the connection between conservative fiscal and social policy.”

“The size and scope of government is related to the way people behave,” noted Huckabee, who is also keeping his name fresh in the minds of Republican activists with a weekly talk show on Fox News.

Jindal, elected governor of Louisiana in 2007 after serving in Congress and holding health care posts in state and federal government, makes his first trip to Iowa on November 22nd.

He’s keynoting the statewide banquet of the Iowa Family Policy Center, a Christian conservative group, in suburban Des Moines and will tour flood-ravaged Cedar Rapids, offering his insights as a hurricane-state governor to state and local officials.

Though only 37 and in his first year in statewide office, Jindal is already drawing rave reviews.

Asked in a post-election chat which Republican office-holders impressed him during the campaign, McCain campaign chief Steve Schmidt didn’t hesitate: “Bobby Jindal, no question.”

Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, who wanted Jindal to be McCain’s vice-presidential nominee this year, said flatly: “Jindal will be president. I don’t know the year.”

Thune, who is eyeing a Senate leadership post, will likely keep the majority of his travel confined between the Badlands and Siouxland. The freshman senator is up for re-election in 2010 and Democrats would like nothing more then to knock him off and ensure that their tall, handsome, hoops-loving president doesn’t have to worry about facing a tall, handsome, hoops-loving Republican in 2012. That he also knocked off Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a close Barack Obama confidante, only adds to Democratic desire to send him the way of George Allen.

But to get a sense of Thune’s ambitions, look back, not foreword, on the calendar. Since coming to the Senate, he’s been a hot ticket for GOP Lincoln Day dinners. Freshman senators from the Great Plains senators don’t trek to such party fundraisers in Kent County, Michigan (Grand Rapids) and Hillsborough County, Florida (Tampa) because they like the chicken and rice pilaf.

Pawlenty, a runner-up in McCain’s veepstakes and frequent surrogate for the Arizona senator, will make his presence known this week in Miami, when the RGA holds its annual conference. He’ll be featured at the kick-off luncheon and then appear at two more open press roundtables in what will effectively be the first of many GOP cattle calls ahead of the 2012 contest.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, another potential 2012 aspirant and the event’s host, will close the session by giving a speech Thursday night focused on broadening the party, according to his closet political adviser.

“We can’t win with what we have right now,” said George LeMieux, who ran Crist’s 2006 gubernatorial run, a rare bright spot in a difficult cycle for Republicans.

Crist made inroads with African-Americans in his 2006 race and feels strongly about making the GOP more inclusive - a demographic imperative made clear by Tuesday’s election.

Predictably, LeMieux offered a standard-issue demurral on behalf of Crist when asked about 2012.

Barbour, Jindal and other prospects such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman will also brave the November weather at the InterContinental Miami.

But there is little doubt who will be the star of the show: Palin is virtually certain to make her first official post-election public appearance in the Lower 48 at the RGA, according to GOP sources.

Asked about a future run by CNN’s Dana Bash in the Phoenix Biltmore lobby on Wednesday, Palin observed: “2012 sounds so far off that I can't even imagine what I'd be doing then.”

A source close to the Alaska governor says she has been bruised by the finger-pointing in her direction by anonymous campaign aides - something made plain by her denunciation of them as “cowards” upon returning home Friday - but that she’s also “clearly an ambitious woman.”

Then there is Mitt Romney.

The former Massachusetts governor was a dogged surrogate on McCain’s behalf after their sometimes-bitter primary campaign and retains a loyal following in the party.

He declined an interview - he’s actually in Alaska on a cruise sponsored by National Review, a magazine that endorsed him in the GOP primary -- but sources close to the CEO-turned-politician say he’s very much uncertain about whether he’ll run for elective office again and is keeping a close eye on what direction the party takes in the months ahead, especially with regards to Palin.

Romney is extraordinarily close to his family, and most are opposed to another run.

He is, though, likely to stay involved at least at a policy level.

“What I'd say is he’s keeping his options open for now,” said one source close to Romney.

And as for Gingrich, the always-plugged-in Novak seems to think he’s running, and other longtime Republicans around Washington say the same of the former House Speaker.

His spokesman, Rick Tyler, even hints that it may be a possibility - edging dangerously close to speaking the unspeakable.

“We’ll see what Barack Obama does,” said Tyler.

[rsamps1]

The Repubicans continue to get booted out because they abused their power- they didn''t govern from the middle, only from the far right, pandering to big business and the radical religious right. Voters don''t like that. Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and just about all the other names that come up to "lead the party" are horrible choices & will only empower the democrats. Until the Republicans admit and remedy this, they can throw names out all they want, but they''ll sit on the sidelines- in 2008, 2012 & 2016. They''re horrible.

[cbsnewsread]

If the GOP is dumb enough to run Palin again then they will see an even larger mass exodos. Further they need to go back to being the Republican Party and stop promoting the Neoconservative Party.

[giantrobot2]

The 2012 Huckabee Fan Club

Media recognition:

1. The largest and fastest growing 2012 Presidential fan club formed to date.

2. A very strong organized network of fans, covering 45 States and one international country.

3. 34% growth rate. An unstoppable force is energizing itself around America.

http://www.freewebs.com/huckapedia

or Google: Huckapedia

[economist5]

I have to agree that as long as republicans remain an exclusive group and too concerned with some of their outdated positions, they will continue to marginalize themselves. They need to realize that the world is moving on and putting so much importance on issues such as abortions or gay marriage can only hurt them. They also need to realize that they cannot impose their beliefs on everyone, because that''s undemocratic. They also need to stop calling anyone who criticizes America''s role in the world anti-american. First they lost New England by doing that, then they lost the West Coast, then New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois... now states such as North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado are becoming blue because they don''t want to associate themselves with a party that only looks backwards.
I don''t think Romney will be a candidate again. He lost too much money campaigning and I''m not sure he can afford to do the same again unless he''s backed by the party. I don''t mean to be a pessimist either but I doubt Jindal would have a chance considering that many of McCain''s supporters (not McCain himself who was a gentleman throughout the campaign) did not vote Obama because he was a black/arab/muslim/anti-american/terrorist. Do you really expect those people to vote an Indian-american for president?

[colt8881]

GOP Gears Up For 2012

IF the GOP wants to win they need to change their ways and Open Their Eyes to the Future.

If anybody watched the Republican Convention there were NO BLACK People there or HARDLY ANY people of Color. It was all Rich White people having a Flag Wavin convention and talking about them selves and how great they are. The GOP needs to get rid of quite a few of their OUT DATED Ideals and Values and smell the coffee and change with society.

Stem Cells, The Right To Choose, Bio Fuels, Move Away from Big Oil, Wind Power, Solar, Nuclear, Geo-Thermal, Equeal Rights for EVERYBODY.

If the GOP does not change their ways and moderate their values then they are doomed as a political party because society will reject them.

[aboz3]

If they want to regain this former Republican (since 1960) they need to go back to smaller, fiscally responsible government and drop the anti abortion (it should be pro-choice) and anti gay hard core party faithful.

[usclimey]

Please, let''s just revel in President Obama for a while without letting the foul taste of a possible Gingrich Presidency permeate.

[swin5]

Lyndon Johnson''s Great Society and Vietnam War led to deficit spending and double digit inflation that was blamed on.....Jimmy Carter.
Jimmy Carter ran an almost balanced budget during his 4 years and appointed Paul Volker to the Federal Reserve. Volker raised interest rates sky-high, which was necessary to limit borrowing and end the inflation and bring back prosperity. Credit for all this was given to.....Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan followed an anti-labor creed that culminated in George Bush I proposing, and Clinton/Gore passing, NAFTA, thus destroying America''s industrial base and middle class. Reagan and Bush II also ran sky-high deficits that will bankrupt this country. The likely result - the next great depression, and who will receive the blame.........
Barack Obama. That''s right, people don''t seem to realize that what will happen today is already in the cards and can''t be prevented. Oh they will blame George W. to some degree, but mostly they will blame Obama for not doing anything about it - as if he can. The end result is that a GOP victory in 2012 is not that unlikely and this is the reason that the real GOP candidates stayed clear of this election, knowing they could not win. So the nomination was given to the hot-headed candidate with limited intellectual ability and his wacko running mate to fill in the gap until the next election that can be won by the GOP comes around.

[popstom12]

I will wait come 2010 everyone will come to know
obamanation and the stupid white people who vote
for him can starve

If the term "inclusive" ever became compatible with the term "republican", it sure would be a surprise to me.
I''ve watched ''em for over 50 years, and the one outstanding characteristic they have is that they view their party the same as they view thier country clubs, as exclusive domains for those they consider closer to the divine than the rest of us "unwashed heathens".
And that proximity to the divine has always been measured by the size of their net worth. An old calvinist notion (I think).

[ioweign]

In 2012 people will pay to join the republican party.

Posted by mr22587 at 08:53 PM : Nov 10, 2008


Typical GOP - money, money, self - extortion....

[likeitis5050]

Was Obama a muslim, or did he sit in Reverend Wright''''s church for 20 years? Pick one of your venomous half-truths and stick with it. Those two are incompatible.


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Posted by CountSlapula

c.rappy argument since Wright is as far from teaching Biblical truth as you can get....besides...I know people who grew up in a church and it didn''t mean they were committed to the religion. Don''t debate.

[countslapula]

Obama lied about being a Christian? Well which is it Einstein? Was Obama a muslim, or did he sit in Reverend Wright''s church for 20 years? Pick one of your venomous half-truths and stick with it. Those two are incompatible.

[kansas1946]

Another suggestion for the GOP. You might want to get rid of nuts like this.
**************************************

WASHINGTON -- A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.

"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he''s the one who proposed this national security force," Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I''m just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may -- may not, I hope not -- but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism."

[likeitis5050]

True Republicans are now Independents...the GOP is so far off base they don''t even have a field to play in...gripe all they want but the next elections will be between the Democrats and Independent Parties.

[bjcone8559]

It really won''t matter how many republican politicians run for the next election, the mental midgets that make up the majority of their party will nominate some weird and outrageous ticket like Palin/Joe-The-Plumber''s-Helper.

ROFLMAO!!!

[velma179]

The FIRST thing Republicans need to do is "get back to where they once belonged".

I mean, they need to jettison the religious right/social conservatives and get back to the economic and governmental conservatism that was once the "grand" part of GOP.

I know many Republicans that would love to see Georgetown cocktail party faces rather than Joe''s with six packs or tax bills due from their jobs as [quasi] plumbers.

[frankie2fing]

OH PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE nominate Palin. I have not laughed so hard in years...

[macusweil]

"Repubs need to look at what worked for Obama''''''''s campaign, and emulate it. If it works."

This will be next to impossible for most members of the GOP because it entails telling the truth to the American people on a regulars basis. Similarly , giving up their enormous free spending habits may prove just as difficult for most Republicans save Ron Paul.

[evian_ycnan]

Repubs need to look at what worked for Obama''''s campaign, and emulate it. If it works, don''''t knock it - steal it!!

Posted by zhynaryll at 06:06 PM : Nov 10, 2008

That''s not necessary. Just don`t ever nominate/elect a piece of 3rd generation dynastic wealth trash like George Bush or John McCain and you won`t have to worry about duplicating Obama`s efforts.

Better yet, get a Harvard Law School grad, who was both the president and the editor of the HLR, and who pulled himself from the middle class through hard work and determined efforts... but odds are they won`t be a Republican.

Regards,