Which Republican Do You Want to Face Off Against in November? Why?

[David Zephyr]

Poll question: Which Republican Do You Want to Face Off Against in November? Why?

While my instincts tell me that John McCain would pose the biggest threat to a Democratic victory in the presidential contest, I could be persuaded to think differently.

Who do you think of the following four GOP candidates would be the easiest to defeat in November? And why?

Why am I wrong to think that McCain would make our challenge the hardest?

Who do you think will be the easiest to beat?

I think Rudy would be the easiest to beat because of his corrupt past and because of the six marriages between him and his current wife. I think he will turn off independents.

[BuyingThyme]

1. John McCrazy cause he's craaaaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzy.

[madokie]

6. any of them actually, they're all nuts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18YtVDOPlcw

it will take a powerful lot of lying for them to get much better than the sunday schooler crowd who they have anyway. Our next President will be a Democrat providing that is if they the bush cabal allow us to have another President. I'm not really convinced that they're going to allow it.

[Bucky]

29. McCain represents the "sane" faction within the Republican party

That was always his floor--the 10% of Republicans who aren't downright bonkers. There's another 20% who are quite loony and committed to voting for a loony candidate, but their vote is split between Fred, Rudy, Huck, and Mitt. The real action has always been that 70% in the middle who are neither sane nor insane, but simply waiting to squawk "yes" and thunder along with the herd as soon as they're told who the designated spokesmodel-in-chief is this time.

The Republican Party today represents everything the Founding Fathers warned us about.

[Swamp Rat]

McCain is insane in the membrane

[jakem]

2. Romney.

Cause i want to see him cry.

[gateley]

3. Huckabee. Biden's all ready with the "Values" argument. He said

"where in the Bible does it say torture is okay?"

Plus, I think his TOTAL cluelessness regarding foreign affairs, not to mention his whack views in general, would HORRIFY the American people.

I agree about McCain, although I don't feel he's as formidable this time around as he could have been last time.

[dmallind]

4. Rudy - not even Republicans will vote for him. NT

lk

[lvx35]

19. Exactly! And there's a a dirt mine under his feet.

I see Huckabee's winning, but I think people underestimate him. He comes across as very authentic, and if we ran the wrong candidate against him we could be in for a nasty surprise.

[TheWraith]

34. I agree.

Huckabee, I think, is the only one who could really make it a race. Thank God he's self-destructing.

[lvx35]

38. We'll see how he does after his win in Iowa tonight.

I have no doubt Obama can beat him, he comes across as authentic as well and he could win on policy...Hillary would be weaker against him, because he might seem more authentic, and she can come across as too crafty and secular. Against McCain I think it would be the other way around however, Obama's inexperience would come into play.

[On the Road]

5. Romney

The Mormon thing will kill him. The flip-flopping will make it worse.

[helderheid]

10. the flip flopping is why I want him to be the nominee. It's all over the internets.

[harun]

13. I actually think Romney is the least crazy and hence the easiest to

beat. Those rethugs likes em REALLLLL crazy not just kinda crazy.

[On the Road]

22. Despite the Consensus Around Here,

I would NOT want the Dem candidate to face Huckabee in November. I think he's a very appealing candidate and has a great chance of actually winning.

[NeedleCast]

23. I agree

[David Zephyr]

28. I agree. We may be wrong, but I agree.

Huckabee has that aw-shucks act down pat.

[On the Road]

30. I Remember How Ronald Reagan

was mocked and dismissed as a lightweight in 1980. And look what happened then.

American love folksy. Americans do not think being devout is being an idiot, even if it means doubting evolution. They trust what they see and hear from the candidate himself.

I suspect Huckabee is actually saner and more moderate in practice than any of the other Republicans. He does not frighten me like Giuliani. But I do not want to live see the eighties all over again, with a "Huckabee revolution" and "Huckabee Democrats."

[yardwork]

40. It's true that I never thought anyone would vote for w....

[Speck Tater]

7. Huckleberry would put a bright spotlight

on the deep-seated craziness of the religious right.

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. Huckabee because he'll get only 25% of the vote because he's a RW wacko religious nut job

who has a son who killed a dog, slit its throat and stoned it. His other son was into PORN, big time, when in college. PLUS...there's oodles and oodles of garbage on the guy.

[NeedleCast]

24. Sorta like Bush?

Republican Election Machine very good at making stuff like that go away in the sensationalist media. Democrat Election Machine, not so much...

[in_cog_ni_to]

26. Yeah, well, I don't think the Repuke Election Machine is too thrilled with Huckabee either.

They were hopin'/plannin' for Rudy or Thompson...too bad that didn't work out for them!:rofl:

[yardwork]

42. Plus, he's WEAK ON CRIME. This makes the right wing hysterical.

Wall Street doesn't like Huckabee, because he falls back on those religious beliefs at inconvenient moments. No, I really don't think he has a chance. I hope they nominate him.

[salin]

9. I honestly can't say...

anyone who gets the nod - could become president. Doesn't seem likely but ten months is a long way away. Thus when thinking who we would want per beatability I also have to think about teh worst case scenario. And they all frighten me.

Rudy would probably be the easiest to beat per all of the baggage he carries around, but he would be a frighteningly authoritarian president - do we even want to risk that?

[Arugula Latte]

11. They're all so suck-tastic, it's hard to pick just one.

:)

[harun]

14. LOL, yes we are very blessed to have such HORRIBLE rethug

candidates. I don't see any of them getting within 5% of the dem.

[progressive_realist]

12. Huckabee

He couldn't carry a single purple state, much less any of our blue states.

OK, Arkansas. He can win one purple state. And maybe Missouri, so two.

But Ohio, Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania? Come on. Easiest general election ever.

[jackster]

15. Romney scares me....

he has corporate cons behind him - I'm not so sure they'll be too happy with Huck (even if Huck can GET the nomination cuz of them) and I think Huck is the least electable.

[Va Lefty]

16. Huckabee

I'd love to see him, in a debate with our nominee, explain to the nation that the Grand Canyon is only 6000 years old. That would be on a par with Ford "freeing" Poland in '76

:rofl:

[bunkerbuster1]

17. Rudy, because we have to bury the "9/11 changed everything" mind-set forever

If the Gooper nominee is Rudy, he'll have to be Swiftboated on his anti-terrorism buffoonery; if that doesn't bury the last vestiges of support among the masses for this phony "War on Terror," nothing will.

So, I want Rudy. I don't think I'll get him, though; it's probably going to be McCain, by default, last guy standing. And he won't be so easy, because he can sound fairly sane on a lot of issues (immigration, treatment of detainees, the environment...)

[booksenkatz]

18. Roody ---

while he is every bit the piece of garbage his 'puke rivals are, at least he is a bit more tolerant on social issues i.e. abortion and gay rights. On those issues, his eyes don't spin around in his head like a damned pinwheel, something I can't say about the other 3. And since I don't trust the American people or the system to prevent a Republican win (it's always remarkably close enough to steal), at least with Roody the Thug we'd be getting "half a loaf," as Molly Ivins always said. No, I don't trust Americans to see through Hucksterbee's jones for Armageddon and theocratic rule, McCain's craven flailing about for power even if he has to sell out his own family, Romney's handjob sense of entitlement... I don't trust the people or the system to keep these individuals out of office. So if one of them stands a chance of stealing it in November, I'll take the half of Roody's stale loaf, even though the crumbs choke me.

But why ask me, as a Michigan resident, my opinion about the candidates doesn't count.

[slackmaster]

20. The Huckster because he doesn't "believe in" evolution

And other religiously based flaws.

[leftynyc]

21. I picked Hucabee because I think

he'd be easiest to beat but beating Giuliani would be most satisfying.

[rucky]

25. Rudy.

because of his personal life.

[midlife_mo_Jo]

27. Giuliani

He doesn't appeal to the extreme right wing contrary to the fact that a couple of their leaders have endorsed him.

Huckabee and Romney come across as likable in that weird, white "All American" sort of way, that suckered a lot of people towards Bush.

With Giuliani, I really think there's going to be more apathy among the GOP voters.

[wildbilln864]

31. Ron Paul! n/t

[Greyskye]

32. Fred Thompson

I almost ran my car off the road laughing when I saw a "Thompson '08" sticker on a truck a while back! :rofl:

[cabraverde]

41. How come there is no poll option for FDT?

[TheWraith]

33. I agree, Rudy is the easiest.

Absent a major motivation like Hillary Clinton being the Dem nominee, the fundies will NOT turn out for the pro-gay, cross-dressing thrice-married Catholic ex-mayor of NYC.

Huckabee is the most dangerous, I think, because the fundies are willing to turn out for him, and because unlike Rudy and most of the others, he's not superglued to the war. That said, if his recent campaigning is any indication, Huckabee would destroy himself with independents.

[readmoreoften]

35. Rudy or Romney. Huckabee is going to be difficult to beat.

Of course, depending on who is elected.

Hillary will have a very hard time against Huckabee or McCain.
Obama will have a hard time against McCain, possibly Huckabee. (Huckabee will split the Christian vote.)

I think Edwards or Biden would handily beat them all, but I'm not crazy about Biden.

[Johonny]

36. Huckabee

His corrupt record in office will hurt and his over the top religious style will put off too many independents.

McCain has a love/hate media thing. If you've seen him on the Daily Show he has the ability at times to play to people/ but the ability at other times to go angry old man. If he can stay calm during the election process he could ride a love feast to a narrow win.

Rudy could actually attract moderates. His biggest problem is with his base, but lets face it his base votes for anyone with an R next to his name.

Romney is the CEO president part II. We just had the CEO presidency and how did that work out. His personality is very Kerryisk. Still he isn't out there crazy.

Thompson wants $, not a presidency. He's in this to rack up some quick deals as soon as he can get out of this...

[mdmc]

37. Dr. Paul , of course

[yardwork]

39. I agree with you about Giuliani. I'm sorry he's so far down.

Giuliani will not go over well in the south, not at all. I'd love to have him as the Republican nominee. My second favorite is Huckabee, because he's batshit crazy. McCain would also do poorly among extreme conservatives - they hate him.

Romney is the one who worries me.

[deacon]

43. Oh Huckleberry. No way he can win the general election. n/t