The Not Ever Ready for Prime Time Leaders or The More We See the Less We Like

[rpannier]

If you look at the image of the major players of the Republican Party and their fortunes 6 months to one year ago to what people think now it has got to be disheartening for even the most Polly Anna within the Republican Party.

When Kasich, Walker and others were elected they claimed they were going to reahape their states. They were going to make their states more business friendly by cutting coporate taxes, property taxes, cut spending and curb the power of public unions.
It appears the reality has gotten in the way of the dream.
In a round table interview shown on Hong Kong-TV, several business men in the group pointed out that when you ask companies what are the criterion for choosing locations for their operations, taxes come in behind Good Schools, Good Property Values, Safety and Quality of Life.
The massive protests that have numbered over 100,000 persons isn't the sort of thing that will woo businesses to your state no matter how low your corporate taxes are. Add to the mix, the unsettled situation regarding schools (sorry IBM and Boeing are not backing the idea of firing 1 in 12 teachers), the possibility of higher unemployment and a disatisfied police force throughout the state and you'd be hard-pressed to give a Fortune 500 company any good reason to leave Illinois or New York for your "Business Friendly" environment.
Yes Virginia, CEO's do pay a little more attention to things other than just money. It's why businesses will move into China and Vietnam, but not Yemen or Afghanistan no matter how cheap the labor force and low the taxes are in the latter two.

One of the members of the panel pointed out that the Republicans in Ohio and Wisconsin may have weakened the Party with their anti-Union stances. One of the groups in the Republican base are white, middle class police officers, fire fighters and some teachers. The attack on public unions is being seen by these people as an attack on them.
It would probably not be surprising if we found out that a large number of police and fire are married to other public employees -- the one's that Walker and Kasich are screwing over.

The Not Yet Ready for Prime Time Players:

If you listened to the media for the last year Palin, Christie, Romney and Gingrich are four of the major players that have Obama and the Dems worried.
Palin is the perfect example of overkill. If she were buying a Number 3 Special at McDonald's drive thru you could be sure that CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox would be there to cover her making the order. We'd be sure to know what choosing a number 3 says about her. Is it a bold choice? Did choosing the Coke instead of a Diet Coke make her even more likeable to the public because she wasn't being PC?
Palin has never been viewed by more than 1/4 of the public as being someone they'd support for President and now it appears she is hovering below 20% and will probably not get above that number again.

Why? Because the former half-term governor-full time grifter has used her celebrity to suck as much blood out of so many groups that even some have been questioning her motives. Last year at a tea party event the organizers complained that she made the event about her and not the movement.
She has tried to copyright her name and her daughters name and we all know nothing says common man or woman more than copywriting your name. And it didn't happen because she didn't sign the paper.

How about Gov. Christie? Big state. A man the media have been pointing to as someone the White House is rightfully concerned about. A man who trails Obama in his homestate by 20 points. I'm sure the Republicans will feel energized by a guy who has to spend millions of dollars and weeks of time in his own state in the hopes of only losing by 5-7%.

Fox loves Gingrich, but most other people not so much. The man is a thrice divorced womanizer whose stint as Speaker of the House included advising Bob Dole on how to get swamped in 1996, then in 98 he devsied the (ahem) brilliant starategy that saw the Republicans lose Senate and House seats.

Jeb Bush? The only positive thing about Jeb running and why I almost hope he does is, I would love to see the election night coverage of Jeb chasing DUMB-YA with a fireman's axe screaming, "You dumb son-of-a-bitch cost me a chance at ever being president!"
Yes, I'd enjoy that.

So far the only Republican that seems capable of carrying the Republicans to victory in 2012, is the former governor of Utah and soon-to-be former US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. But sadly for Republicans Huntsman has two obstacles to winning the nomination if he were to try and get it:
1) He's Mormon. (The republikkans are turning on Beck because he's Mormon)
2) He's not certifiably crazy. Hell, he's not crazy at all. He'd last Iowa and New Hampshire and be gone.

I guess they could run Herman Cain. I mean, he's fucking nuts. He makes Bachman look lucid.
But he's black and the fundies might not vote for him because he killed Abel (at least they might think he killed Abel)

[aSpeckofDust]

1. This is a good read, thank you. n/t

[rpannier]

3. Thank you much

One thing I forgot to mention from the round table was when one of them wondered how many police and firemen have been treated by the people affected by Walker's scheme.

[hfojvt]

2. Is that gonna leave an opening for UPS?

"What can Brown(back) do for you?"

Kansas Governor and Presidential hopeful Sam bam Brownback.

On the plus side, for Democrats, besides being from a state which Republicans are gonna win anyway, he is married to a grand-daughter of landslide Alf Landon.

Also makes for a nice repeat of 1996 - incumbent triangulator, rich guy (Perot and Trump? Bloomberg?) and a Senator from Kansas. It could be like deja vu all over again.

[vikings_fan]

4. Never had thought about it before

But a lot of people who aren't public employees are married to one.
That can't make them happy.
Thanks