"IF" the GOP dumped bush, who the hell do they have to replace him?

[mopaul]

i suppose the repubs would vote for any repub candidate, frist, hastert, sam brown, probably not mc cain. so who?

i wouldn't even mention it, but there are some major repubs turning on jr. this week and asking for someone else to be considered. they will ask him not to run, because he's an idiot. it's in all the papers, it happens this week.

[Pepperbelly]

1. it wouldn't matter ...

each of them would be just another sock puppet.

[salin]

16. but they need someone manipulable enough to be a good sockpuppet

someone like... Dan Quayle? Another airhead figurehead. But Marilyn (who guards dannyboy in the way that Nancy guarded/protected Reagan) might be too strong for their tastes (she might interfere)...

[FredScuttle]

2. He's tan, rested and ready...

[Elidor]

32. BRING BACK DICK!!!

Hell yes!

[doni_georgia]

43. Sure, why not?

Compared to the crustacean currently ensconced in the Oval Office, even the 1974-edition Tricky Dick looks electable.
Checkers, anyone?

Mac in Ga

[AlCzervik]

3. Take Frist off

he's a whack job that i don't think can be mass marketed to the Merikan people. hastert, not gonna happen. My guess would be McCain for one reason only----he's electable, though he clashes with many of his fellow repubs he still is one of them.

[Leprechan29]

5. Exactly

Frist would probably get just as harsh a reception as we give Bush, and McCain is probably electable. If McCain made two campaign promises in particular, remove the Patriot Act and denounce the War on Terror as unwinnable with military efforts, then he would essentially have the election wrapped up.

[wtmusic]

7. McCain would never declare the War on Terror militarily unwinnable

during a war. That's the reason we're in Iraq, supposedly.

[Leprechan29]

36. Good point

That means he would only be a near-guarantee

[rogerashton]

6. Right, McCain

The only reason the pubs would dump * is because they want someone who can win -- McCain has far more name recognition than the others and they would be able to answer Demo criticisms of him by pointing out that Kerry and many other Demos wanted him on their ticket as vice president, so how can he be so bad.

Actually, that worries me a little. But only a little: if the Stupid Party were that smart, they would have nominated McCain in 2000.

[Leilani]

19. That is the point!

They would never choose him...they cannot control him.

[union_maid]

45. That's what I'm thinking n/t

eom

[doni_georgia]

54. Agreed

First point for McCain - he was first in line of all non-Texans who got personally screwed over by the chimp, so he has at least as much cause to hate him as the rest of us, and more than most. You can bet the center-to-right Repubs are going to eat that up, since most of them savor the thought of voting for Bush like a six-year-old savors cold, unflavored cream of wheat. You can bet that the Rove/Chimp shenanigans during the primaries would be played to the hilt; once he's off the ticket, Chimp is pure fucking dog meat and worth more to the Repubs politically dead than politically alive.

Second point for McCain - most folks who follow politics at all know who he is. Ask the average joe or jolie on the street and they'll know who he is or at least recognize the name. Ask them about Dick Lugar or Bill Frist and they'll think you're advertising some sort of kinky sex show.

Third point for McCain - his politics are far closer to Kerry's than the chimp's, and he can reasonably co-opt some of the less liberal areas of Kerry's message. If he were to get the nomination or the heir-apparent nod, and moved quickly, Kerry would be blindsided and would be at a serious disadvantage.

Fourth point for McCain - with the Repubs moving toward the center, Kerry would be put in a monkey's paw situation: either he would have to move farther left to distinguish himself from McCain, which could be political suicide given the attack dogs in the right-wing media, or he could hold position or move slightly more to the center, which could blur the distinctions between them. If the differences between the two became blurred, that situation would probably favor McCain.

Fifth and last point for McCain - to my knowledge, he's not very closely involved with the neocon creeps and can credibly distance himself from them. Rest assured that if the Repubs take this step and cut loose the Chimp, everyone on that ship is going to find his or her political career making a beeline for Davy Jones' locker.

In short, if they do this, it might actually work. This kind of idea would normally be absolute disaster for a party that actually attempted it, but Chimp is so hated by so much of America, and across so many lines, and is so demonstrably and provably corrupt, incompetent, crass, craven and generally unAmerican, that the Republicans could actually gain political capital in the end. That alone makes this scenario plausible, because the way things are now, it looks like Chimp is going to get his sorry ass handed to him in November, and if he doesn't, the outcry of "fix" will be so fierce that the Republicans might be permanently and irreparably damaged.

Mac in Ga

[Mechatanketra]

76. Just one thing ...

This kind of idea would normally be absolute disaster for a party that actually attempted it, but Chimp is so hated by so much of America, and across so many lines, and is so demonstrably and provably corrupt, incompetent, crass, craven and generally unAmerican, that the Republicans could actually gain political capital in the end. That alone makes this scenario plausible ...

... except that the vast majority of Republicans are themselves corrupt, incompetent, crass, craven, and/or generally "anti-American" (in the sense of being hostile to the median citizen), which is exactly how GWB got into the White House in the first place. They certainly could gain political capital from dumping Bush -- but they won't do it, because to think of dumping him, they'd have to not be like him.

[rogerashton]

78. If they are desperate enough, the facts

that "they" cannot control and that many Pub political pols (I won't concede all) prefer a profitably corrupt administration -- powerful as these point are -- mean nothing if they are pretty sure they cannot win with the Chimp.

But the clock is ticking, and the Chimp is not actually in as deep a hole as Poppy was at the same time. So I that they will let their bets rides on the Chimp.

Unless something happens ....

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

70. Agreed on Frist. He is one creepy soulless mofo. He has "anticharisma."

[Cyrano]

4. Jeb

They just might be able to sell him as "the smart Bush." Yes, I know, the man's a piece of shit, but that's just the view from DU. Who knows what strangeness lurks in the mind of a repug.

Some are fools and some are knaves, but either way, they just might be able to sell Jeb.

[AlCzervik]

11. Jeb? no way

He's got far too much personal baggage involving his wife and daughter and lord knows what else could be dug up on him if the so called liberal media starting really looking into him. I predict no more bushes will ascend to the presidency

[Cyrano]

15. I totally agree about Jeb's baggage, but

when did that ever stop the GOP from nominating and electing some piece of toxic waste into the White House. For example, Nixon and Dubya. These people can dress up shit as filet mignon and make just enough people eat it to either win or steal an election.

[AlCzervik]

18. I think that today, right now that having

the last name Bush is just like having a big scarlett letter on you. The name is far more tainted now thanks to Jr.

[Cyrano]

25. Tainted, yes. But why are we still looking at his possible second term???

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." (H.L. Mencken)

[AlCzervik]

27. god i hope not.

Let me quote my republican Dad here..."Honey, Bush is a very stupid man and he's put us in jeopardy".

[Cyrano]

28. Let's hope enough people agree with your dad

[merh]

48. and they already have the campaign signs made Bush 2004

[doni_georgia]

58. Name recognition cuts both ways

If the Repubs take this step, it means that the neocons and their ilk will be shoved to the background. The last thing they would want is someone named Bush anywhere near their ticket. At any rate, cutting loose Chimp to nominate Jeb would send a clear message of "business as usual," and if they're going to take this step, that's not the message they'll want to project. At any rate, once Chimp loses the nomination, all bets with the media are off and he's in huge trouble. Jeb can be easily and clearly tied to the election fraud in Florida that resulted in this - as another poster so aptly put it - "toxic piece of shit" ending up as president. Baggage is one thing. Clear, documented evidence of illegal acts affecting a presidential election is the kind of baggage you'd need four GP-30 diesel-electric locomotives to haul.
The argument of "if McCain's so bad, why did you want him" question cuts in reverse here: "If Bush is so bad, why the hell would we nominate someone who actively worked in violation of the law to make sure he got elected?"
Jeb Bush may remain governor or even become a Congressman or senator, but what his brother has done with his crack at the top job hopefully will make it impossible for him to rise farther. Therein lies the one non-negative accomplishment of the Chimp's otherwise uniformly horrifying adminstration: it was so bad that everyone figured out that Republicans named Bush should not be allowed to be President. We ought to put that in the Constitution instead of some stupid gay-marriage ban or asinine anti-flag burning law.

Mac in Ga

[progdonkey]

26. too obviously monarchical

If the Repubs traded George for Jeb, I think the only people who would buy it would be the die-hard freeper types. To the moderates (and non-insane conservatives) it would so obviously be an attempt at maintaining power in one family. Besides, they need him in Florida to keep them color'ds from votin'!

[Cyrano]

31. Ummm... define a non-insane conservative

Okay, maybe they're not all insane, but they're either deluded, stupid, or making huge profits. And if Jeb is perceived as keeping any of these three things going, they'll vote for him.

[progdonkey]

67. some are okay

The non-insane conservatives are the ones who still are capable of thinking rationally. Some people just honestly believe that social equity can be better acheived through private enterprise than by government intervention. I think they're wrong, but at least they're thinking rationally.

I wouldn't call these people deluded, as that means they ignore facts; I think these people are merely ignorant in the purest sense of the word: what they've been told about people on welfare, etc., is wrong, and they've drawn logical conclusions from these false premises.

They're not stupid, because that would mean they're incapable of processing the facts. The processing is fine; their facts are just wrong. If they became educated, they'd abandon their conservatism because they are still capable of Reason.

Of course, these people are a distinct minority in the Republican party, but every time someone leaves the Republican party it's good for us.

Most of the other conservatives are just scum, of course.... :evilgrin:

[mitchum]

38. Would certainly happen if the chimp were "assassinated" by a Lee...

Harvey Patsy type. Jeb would certainly step in and run. And of course the vile "assassin" would be a "left/liberal" type (ensuring a victory for the republicans) I have a friend who has been predicting that PNAC will go with this scenario. They are very capable of this.

[goclark]

What horrible choices!

Such boring no face names.

Is this the best that they have? Maybe they will push for AAArnold the Gropper(does he have time to change the age requirement?)

What about RUDY G...the one that blended his wife and kids into the same address. That is Christian Values for you!

What about Colon who is still looking and defending the WMD lie? He can't even control Emily, his Assistant. How could he possibly control this country!

What about CondiLIEzza? That would be the first time that I know of where the "girlfriend" follows her "husb..." into the WH.

They are really a sorry sorry lot!

[TexasProgresive]

39. Auhnold is a native Austrian

not constitutionally possible to be president of the USA.

[merh]

51. the Repug Congress would pass emergency legislation

changing the law to delete the requirement that one must be born in the US to be prez and Arnold will be their guy. Its part of that Hollywood plot and that's why Moore's movie was made and is being released, and its their plan along. And well, whoever it is, just please not any more of the Weed family - demons be gone.

[wtmusic]

8. Junior's ego is too big

Won't ever happen. Their fate is sealed.

[sweetladybug]

14. If the Republicans running our country now ,think that Bush

does not have a chance of winning, I bet they will have McCain run
ELECT KERRY 2004!!!!

[Yupster]

50. McCain has himself perfectly positioned

to be the not-Bush candidate. Don't think it would happen, but if it did, it would be McCain and he'd be tough to beat.

[fdr_hst_fan]

9. Not sure;

is Bonzo still alive?

[notadmblnd]

10. McCain

nt

[shraby]

12. They might not choose McCain

because he won't be a sock puppet for them.

[SarahB]

77. I'd like to see that.

It was *Bush's pull polls in South Carolina that knocked him out anyway. If not for the sleaze tactics and the right wing radio, he would have been the Republican nominee. At least you can stomach him. I doubt he would have gotten us into this quagmire either.

[ablbodyed]

13. Arnold is constitutionally....

barred: not native born. Pataki could be a choice. How about one of the two Maine senators? Liddy Dole? Limbaugh?

[merh]

60. are you kidding, what's a little constitution between politico

power hungry fanatics? Have you forgotten that Gore won the election and the Supremes gave it to Weed boy? They could do some emergency legislation and get the Supremes to sanction it for the public good.

Of course, it could be Rush - not much of a change to their already existing campaign signs and stickers. With a little paint, it would be easy to amend Rush 2004!

[doni_georgia]

62. That would be a hoot - Limbaugh

Three-ring circus, that'd be. And I'd pay to watch that sucker. Yeah, run him. Family values (and three wives to prove his commitment)... tough on Iraq (insert comment of your choice here)... fat, stupid, loud and obnoxious (in perfect tune with the world perception of our country)... and best of all, he comes with two constituencies - the people that lick his boots and the people who hate him worse than anyone this side of the Chimp. Sure, let him run. Let him debate John Kerry. He'd lose seventy pounds off his ass and have to follow Kerry to the toilet for weeks to get it all back. Best of all, it'd be on national TV where the whole world could see what an ignorant, insecure, bellicose, raving little turd he is.

Mac in Ga

[TrueAmerican]

17. Bo Derek

with her family values.

[Rosco T.]

20. McCain/Rudy would be an interesting ticket.... n/m

[Leilani]

21. Shrub is not going away...

The party powerful like him, just the way he is!

[wtmusic]

22. Has any party ever NOT nominated an incumbent seeking re-election?

:shrug:

[Blue Wally]

33. Generally

the reason they don't seek reelection is that they are so badly damaged they might not get the nomination (e.g. Truman, Johnson)

[Samantha]

23. Hagel has been auditioning for over a year now

but he doesn't have the name recognition to be a last-minute substitute. Might take the vp slot if Cheney were dropped as well.

Rick Santorum (spelling?) might slid into the vp slot as well. He's obviously been sliding himself into the limelight these past few months.

Colin Powell made it clear in 2000 he had no political aspirations to run for President. I believe his wife is firmly against it.

Maybe Kerry has his finger to the wind and that is why he has been courting McCain, to remove him as a potential contender if Bush* were dropped.

I believe the Repubs are grooming Frist, but he's not ready yet.

[hlthe2b]

24. It would have to be another readily manipulated puppet...

'Hard to think of anyone electable (and with name recognition) given those constraints....McCain would be their most electable; Guilliani would have "cross-over appeal" (not from MY point of view, but still...)but devastate their base, Powell, the good soldier, maybe...
Frist not well known enough, but shows "promise," as a "sell-out..."
Ridge, Condi, tainted.... Jeb? I can't see replacing one miserable Bush failure with another, but possibly... Arnold must give them mental orgasms, but ineligible (and there IS that pesky pro-choice stuff)...Bill Owens of CO-- meets the stupid, easily manipulated criteria for the RW fundies, but major skeletons would come to light re: his marriage and one or more illegitimate kids...

So, I guess that only leaves: (drum roll, please):






























Zell Miller!

[yardwork]

29. I've been wondering this too - we know that Republicans wish they could

dump chimp.

If it happens, it will signal a victory by the paleos over the neocons, so all Bushes will be out the door.

Who is a paleocon? Buchanan, but he ran once as a third-party candidate, so they won't run him.

I'll bet the paleos are trying to get McCain to run. And Rudy would be an obvious VP for them.

[vetwife]

30. The would run Denny Hastert

He would lose but they would run him.....Would have to be someone like him...because Chuck Hagel and Warner is not close enough to the base.Or they would run Tom Ridge.

[Hippo_Tron]

68. Denny Hastert would do better for them than Bush...

That is assuming that they keep Tom DeLay's face off of the TV screen as much as posssible.

[kodi]

34. chuck hagle and dick lugar

neither can stand bush and both have more support than bush does with real conservatives

[randr]

35. I have repeatedly posted that McCain is waiting in the shadows

for the fall of *. He would have fled the Reps had he not seen the writing on the wall. HE WILL be the republican candidate and it makes sense of all the moves Kerry has made regarding the war.
If McCain can separate himself from the fundamentalist, far right, wacko element that has taken over the repugs he may be the only saving grace that traditional republicans have of staying in the public discourse.
If he can not muster up the old party and its' ideals we will be witness to the end of a philosophy that just could not find a place in this ever changing world.
The dinosaur may have breathed it last gasp and is in the trashing motions that accompany death.

[KittyWampus]

37. Chuck Hagel

or, for an attempt at humor, Zell Miller... who finally crosses party lines and embraces his inner self.

[TexasProgresive]

40. The Bugman from Sugarland Mwwaahhhaaaaa! n/t

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NoPasaran]

42. Buh bye!

[hmfic72]

47. See what I mean?

Not suprising at all.

[TexasProgresive]

46. Since you can write complete thoughts

it defies all reason that an intelligent person like you would be happy to be represented by someone who is an embarrassment to the electorate.

[hmfic72]

49. To who?

An embarassment to who? Since when do you represent the majority? Why is it that your opinion is the only one that matters? What about the others out there that do have a different position, but you refuse to even be open minded enough to hear it?

Not all agree with your broad interpretation of what our president is doing.

[TexasProgresive]

56. Well first he's an embarrassment to me

that he represented Texans to the country and the world. He's like no Texan I know- a drugstore cowboy, wannabe but failed business man, one of the politically connected who made service in the 147th TANG a disgrace. Everything about this fellow is false. He does the worst Texas accent that I've ever heard.

Then there are his policies - shoot the guy across the street because some kid knocked down your house with his pickup. That in a nutshell is this idiotic war in Iraq. Promote dishonesty among his business friends and the use of torture by his military friends, refuse to face honest questioning by the press or the American people.

Then there is foreign policy. I am embarrassed because this man has isolated us from our friends abroad. We as a nation have no capital left with our traditional allies and the ones who joined the coalition of the "willing" are dropping like flies.

I am proud to be an American who comes from a long line of patriots who have always been liberal in thinking and yet never failed to come to the assistance of the nation when it needed them. We have served during every war since the battle of 1812 and perhaps in the revolutionary war - with the exception of Korea. Not all served as combat troops but all were serving were ordered to serve. None ran off to Alabama because they got board with it.

I guess this man has got fire retardant soaked pants because they surly would spontaneous combust otherwise.

If you want to recruit new conservatives get someone real-fire the faker.

[Cyrano]

53. Dear hmfic72

Here's one liberal who is ready to have an intellectual discussion with you. Exactly what is it that Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have done to improve this country?

If you believe in the philosophy of Ayn Rand or the robber barons of the nineteenth and earlier twentieth century. The middle and lower classes have suffered greviously under these two administrations.

The insane tax cuts pressed by both of them have decimated our economy, but any time we complain about it, you scream "class warfare." There is indeed class warfare being waged in this country. And it's being waged by the haves against the have-nots and the had-somethings, before your criminal enterprise stole the last election.

Tell me exactly what it is he's done for us.

[hmfic72]

59. A few things...

Reagan cut interest rates. Lowered inflation. Rebuilt the military. Tore down the Soviet machine without firing a single shot. Gave the American people a sense of purpose after the debacle of Carter, Ford, and Nixon.

Bush pulled us out of a recession in spite of 9-11, the war in Iraq. Has expanded the ecomony, increased jobs since the first of the year by 1.5 million+. Continues to fight the war on terror and is winning.

[Dees]

73. "without firing a single shot" stinks of viperdriver from last night.

Is that you freeper wannabe?

[mitchum]

63. What a dumbass!

[hmfic72]

64. Again...

Why does your reaction not suprise me?

[mitchum]

69. Oh, maybe because you come here fellating Reagan and Bush...

on a Democratic message board? You would have to exceed even the average levels of freeper stupidity if you weren't prepared for scorn. You are not prescient. You are just a troll.

[doni_georgia]

65. Uhhhhhhhhhh

Well...

First of all, I'm suspicious of anyone who mentions the Chimp in connection to Reagan. As bad as Reagan was, he didn't need his brother to act outside the law to get him elected.

Second, Reagan might not have been the most popular guy to the rest of the world, but the Chimp has to be one of the most hated men on earth right now. This is not the sort of person we need for the implementation or design or representation of our foreign policy.

Third, you will find that both the left and the right have core constituencies that are pretty intolerant of their opposite numbers. I've seen several conservative forums myself. What's the point of posting on them? The fact is, most of the people on those forums are not interested in debate. If you don't adhere to the party line, you get trashed, then ejected.

I'm not going to trash you, at least. I will keep my opinion of your post off this message. But I think you're trying to draw abuse as an attempt to make a negative point, and that's just not cool, for starters. More to the point, it indicates that you're not really interested in serious debate. Why, then, would you expect to receive it?

Be civil and expect civility in return. I'll heap abuse on the president, for the simple reason that he has richly earned far more than I alone can dish through his incredible mismanagement of this nation. I'm not going to rise to this bait, however; I don't have unlimited time or words here, and all of mine are trained on getting your man out of office muy pronto.

Mac in Ga

[hmfic72]

66. What?

And I certainly don't think he has done anything to deserve the abuse that you choose to bestow on him.

Bait? Not hardly. Just an opinion of mine.

[Forkboy]

74. They're crawling out of the woodwork this week

The only way this week could get better is if Bush choked on a pretzel!

Oh,wait... :)

[NoPasaran]

44. What's Dr Evil doing these days?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

52. The pretender to the left side of the right side is...

Chuck Hagel.

2008, count on it.

[UTUSN]

55. Why, McCAIN, of Course

and why would ANY Democrat be thinking of McCAIN for ANYTHING Democractic---------------ehhhhhhh???????????

[the_real_38]

57. McCain, yes, and he'd wipe up the floor with John Kerry...

... so please stop praying for the death of George W. Bush, Duers!

[UTUSN]

61. Hell, POPPY Would be Better than Shrub

and I neve thought I would say that.

[Hippo_Tron]

71. Tom DeLay

"If we're gonna have a fascist, we oughta have one who's open about it."

[x-g.o.p.er]

72. McCain or Giuliani seem the most likely

but neither appeal to the base, as they are both pro-choice, I believe. At least Giuliani is, and McCain got eviscerated by the religous right in the SC primary in 2000.

[Cheswick2.0]

75. Here is the web site for the new candidate

http://bush-zombiereagan.com/

Make sure to see the section on campaign slogans

Now He's Only Taking Dirt Naps! (Zack Mardoc)

Carrion: My Wayward President (Zack Mardoc)

The Congenial Monsters!

Because Eight Years and Eight Days Of Funeral Coverage Just Isn't

Enough!

Four More Ears!

Give Us Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Succulent, Begging to be Fricasseed!

Doing to Your Brains What We Did to Communism

For a Faith-based Presidency: The Resurrection and the Lie

Zombie Reagan: And You Thought It Was Scary the First Time

Zombie Reagan: Colder Than the War He Won

Because the Living will Envy the Dead