My poor neigbor is assigned to covering the GOP primaries. His analysis:

[Lorien]

My neighbor is a correspondent for a British news service. He usually gets to travel with Kofi Annan to Africa or cover the Oscars in LA, but for the past month he's been assigned to covering the GOP primaries. Every week he interviews one or more of the contenders and he's gotten to know each as well as any reporter can. He also talks to GOP groups here in Florida to get their feedback on the candidates.His (very brief) analysis:

Mike Huckabee: One hit wonder. Outside of evangelicals there's no real enthusiasm for him. He seems completely out of his depth on many issues and can come across as confused and grasping in interviews. "a real hick".

Rudi Giuliani: stick a fork in him, he's done. Still has not caught on to the fact that people laugh at/ are annoyed by his constant references to 9/11. Neighbor interviewed him yesterday and he STILL referred to 9/11 time and time again!

Ron Paul: Sincere but "mad". No media support, so not expected to add anything more than entertainment value to the debates.

John McCain: Still a divisive figure among many republicans. His health is also a real concern, as he often sounds a bit "feeble" during interviews. Most polished of the candidates.

Mitt Romney: "WHAT A TOTAL DOOFUS"! So many awkward and idiotic statements made during a single interview that "it's simply embarrassing to listen to him". Has Florida locked up, apparently. Supporters at a local GOP event were waiving big foam mittens with "Romney '08" on them. That it itself spells "Doofus" (neighbor was confused by the foam mittens until I mentioned Romney's nickname-then he nearly fell over laughing). Neighbor adds "you'd think that Republicans would have had enough of idiots in the White after the past seven years. Apparently not. I'm fairly certain that it will be Romney, with only a slim probability of it being McCain."

No big revelations, perhaps- but I just wanted to pass along one reporter's take on what we'll be facing later this year.

[TwilightGardener]

1. I agree with his take, FWIW. McCain is the most "polished", but too old and feeble--

and Mittens is definitely a doofus, but stands a good chance of being the nominee, because he doesn't divide the party, even though he doesn't excite the party either.

[ingac70]

6. A good pecentage of evangelicals will stay home...

if it ends up being Mittens.

[TwilightGardener]

7. Mittens got the majority of the Michigan evangelical vote--he beat Huckabee

for it. So I don't think that's true, except possibly in the deep south, perhaps.

[ingac70]

19. He won't get the Southern one...

and his statements about the Confederate flag doesn't help down here either.

[rox63]

2. Yep, that about sums up Romney

"WHAT A TOTAL DOOFUS"!

[Lorien]

9. It's really funny to hear my neighbor speak about him (sorry, I won't

use his name here; I'll just call him "Reporter John Doe"). Every time John even starts to mention Romney his face gets all red and he starts giggling. Quite undignified for a British correspondent of his caliber-but he can't help it! He says that the statements Romney makes are just so stupid, awkward and inappropriate that it's all he can do to keep a straight face while speaking to him-then he has to walk away and laugh himself silly in private. He said that the "who let the dogs out" MLK day blunder is "par for the course" with Romney. That he's sometimes simply stunned by the crap that escapes his lips.But you KNOW the MSM will give him a free pass, of course!

[mahina]

21. That sounds a little too familiar.

I don't take a win for granted for one moment, even against The Hair.

[Lorien]

23. I guess it really depends on who the MSM will rally behind

though I agree; the repugs do love their imbeciles and would likely turn out to vote for him-especially if Hillary (who they truly loathe) were the nominee..

[Demeter]

3. Then the GOP Has Even Less To Offer Than They Think

and they aren't too enthused to begin with.

[Eurobabe]

4. LOL, interesting to hear it from the inside

I think whomever McCain's VP is, should he get the nom, will be the next president, because he IS FEEBLE. Maybe they'll run Jebbie with him? :rofl:

[Lorien]

15. I think if they did run Jebbie it would spell certain defeat

for their party. Most repugs I know personally NEVER want to see another Bush in the WH!

[Pathwalker]

5. Thank you for that. Regarding McCain; I remember very early

in the campaign that he was having trouble being coherent, and read - somewhere on DU - that staffers had started giving him medicine for it. Now, he's far more coherent, but it worries me that he might be a little too Reaganesque. We don't need that.

[TwilightGardener]

8. He got confused on his camapign bus last winter, during an interview, and

had to ask aides what his HIV/AIDS position was, he couldn't remember. Sad and scary.

[countingbluecars]

10. Regarding doofus romney

I found this interesting.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2763103

[Lorien]

13. Hooo boy

Yet another "special olympics" candidate. No wonder the repugs adore him. They always love things that can't think: Bush, fetuses, human vegetables, ...and now "Mittens".

[Barack_America]

11. There's only one thing that could get McCain elected...

Hillary Clinton.

He made divide Republicans, but he attracts independents. She, on the other hand, has successfully driven the youth and African American vote away from her, cannot attract independents and unites Republicans.

She's the GOPs wet dream.

[mahina]

22. Word.

[CK_John]

12. If he wants to break the real GOP story, He needs to find out who they

have waiting in the wings. IMO, they have a match for each of ours depending on who are nominee is.

I can not believe that their current group is anything more than a focus group.

[Lorien]

14. I was out with a group of friends last night that included two repugs

and they also admitted that the candidates are a joke. They feel most comfortable with Edwards-even though he's not on their team-because they say he seems like "the only "normal" person out of the bunch".

[thereismore]

17. "normal person" = code for white non-psychopathic male. nt

[Lorien]

20. I'm afraid that you're right about that

when I asked them to elaborate they said "all the rest have some sort of gimmick associated with them". As if being born female or black is a "gimmick"! (and one of these people was a woman), *sigh*

[thereismore]

16. I agree. Clearly, it's going to be Mittens. He is a dunce - just what repigs love.

His hair is really stiff, and he looks rich (which he is), wants to double Guantanamo, has (ostensibly) the economic wherewithal, is unlikely do die before elections, what else? CEO president. McCain is too quirky. Voted against *'s tax cuts, "agents of intolerance". The only thing going against Mittens is he is a Mormon. I still think he'll be the nominee - thank God!

[Lorien]

18. Forgot to mention re: Rudy

Neighbor feels that he sticks to the 9-11 theme because he doesn't have a good grasp of the issues and knows it. He seems to fumble quite a bit when asked about any specifics. That may explain why he's remained somewhat low key throughout the primaries (not a good tactic, obviously) along with the fact that he's nearly out of $$.