The trouble with Bush* is -- from the Republican point of view --

[rogerashton]

he was, from the start, a Harriet Miers kind of candidate.

Remember -- "compassionate conservative," "uniter not a divider." As governor of Texas, figurehead position, he had no record that would offend any wing of the Republican party. Unfortunately, he also had no qualifications to do the job, either, but that's only now becoming known to his former supporters.

Can the Republicans nominate any other kind of candidate than the Harriet Miers type? The big good news for the pubs in this off election was that Bloomberg was re-elected in New York. Lesson: A Republican can win if he doesn't have a base to worry about. But where there is a Republican base, it is so divided and out of the mainstream that it cannot come together around a candidate who actually has anything -- a record, a philosophy, any ability -- any of that, and there will be some fanatical segment of the Republican base who will veto him.

Damn pubs are beginning to sound like Democrats -- or maybe Germans.

[NanceGreggs]

1. Thanks to this 'smoke & mirrors' administration ...

... all Repugs are following suit: Speak volumes, accomplish NOTHING.

[tk2kewl]

2. I think you might be on to something

If any republican presidential candidate (probably governor and senator too) actually campaigned on a honest right-wing social and economic agenda they would lose by at least 10 points.

[kurth]

4. You mean like this campaign agenda

1. I promise to give deep tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of Americans
2. I promise to slash Medicaid, food stamps, veterans benefits, school loans, and school lunch programs
3. I promise to send U.S. troops to invade and occupy Iraq. I promise to have thousands of U.S. soldiers killed and maimed.
4. I promise to privatize Social Security and reduce retirement benefits
5. I promise to work toward $3/gallon gasoline and double your heating bill
6. I promise to accumulate a HUGE deficit to pay for Halliburton and useless bridges to nowhere
7. I promise to enact price protection for drug companies and forbid any price negotiation by Medicare

etc. etc.

[tk2kewl]

5. yep

that'd be the one

[The Sleeper]

3. Yep

That's why they HAVE to use every low down used car salesmen type of trick to sell their agenda. The Repubs (aka the Cheap Labor Conservatives) can't let people see the truth....that they have nothing to offer but a big steaming pile of horseshit.