GOP presidential candidate is a distraction

Further, I expect that during the course of a campaign each candidate will have to address and state a position on all those issues.

"The fact that the Tea Party chose to work through the Republican Part is pretty telling as far as their social/religious agenda"

I think that it is more telling of the fact that many of us supported Perot in 92. It is a failed formula.

The Tea Party will tell you that they are not the Republican Party and that they are made up of people from every political persuasion, from Republican to Democrat and everything in between.

If that were true, why have I not seen a Tea Party Democrat show up in any of the primaries?

archer wrote: Now if we had a 3rd party/faction that would blend some of the Tea Party fiscal platform, with a liberal social platform, I would be on board. But so far as I know our political system just can't find that kind of equilibrium.

The problem with finding that equilibrium is that the liberal social agenda of providing individual welfare is quite expensive to operate, which makes it difficult to cut the size of the federal budget down to something approaching reasonable. What percentage of the nation's annual production is a reasonable amount for the federal government to collect and spend? I think this is the first question that needs to be asked and answered. Not where it will be spent, not how much would we like to spend this year, or think we need to spend this year, but how much of what the nation produces in a year is a fair amount to set aside for the general government. Once we get that figure settled, only then can we move to getting the next decision made, where should that money be spent.

If the amount of money you have access to is limited only by your desires, whether those desires are good or ill, then there is an unlimited amount of different areas in which it can be conceived in which to spend money. Money is not an unlimited resource if one wishes to have that currency be worth more than the currency contained in the Monopoly game you bought for your kids. Right now the value of the currency is being determined by debt instruments. Not value, not specie......debt.

neptunechimney wrote: "The fact that the Tea Party chose to work through the Republican Part is pretty telling as far as their social/religious agenda"

I think that it is more telling of the fact that many of us supported Perot in 92. It is a failed formula.

I don't think it was a failed formula.
. Perot could possibly have pulled it off if he hadn't gone off the deep end. I voted for him anyway, but many abandoned him after the meltdown. I never forgave him for screwing up our best chance at a common sense 3rd party

I campaigned for Perot the first time. Not the second time.

neptunechimney wrote: chicagoboyz.net/archives/24928.html

I am thinking more and more that the GOP presidential candidate is a distraction.

Whoever it is will be better much than Mr. Obama, so don’t worry about it. Mr. Obama makes Mitt Romney look like George Washington.

So, what does matter?

Making sure we have a Tea Party Congress in 2012 is the most important thing.

Then the 2013-15 political era will be a conflict between a corporatist Republican in the White House and a populist Congress down the street.

So picking at least 2 SCOTUS Justices is not a big deal if Obama gets to do it? It will change our nation for the nexxt 20 years! This is one of themost important elections in history!

The Viking wrote:

neptunechimney wrote: chicagoboyz.net/archives/24928.html

I am thinking more and more that the GOP presidential candidate is a distraction.

Whoever it is will be better much than Mr. Obama, so don’t worry about it. Mr. Obama makes Mitt Romney look like George Washington.

So, what does matter?

Making sure we have a Tea Party Congress in 2012 is the most important thing.

Then the 2013-15 political era will be a conflict between a corporatist Republican in the White House and a populist Congress down the street.

So picking at least 2 SCOTUS Justices is not a big deal if Obama gets to do it? It will change our nation for the nexxt 20 years! This is one of themost important elections in history!

POTUS does not pick them , he nominates them. Borked lately?

It will be an interesting mess to watch. I predict that there will be plenty of mud slinging to go around and lots of effort to discredit candidates regardless of their party affiliation. Watch me be wrong...

archer wrote: I have taken my share of insults for saying that I was looking for a candidate from either party that I could get behind. Obama is going to be the Democrat nominee....so the only alternative to Obama for me is a Republican candidate that I could support, and that would mean that candidate is fiscally conservative, but socially if not liberal, at least willing to let those social programs already in place continue to exist and be improved. Healthcare included......

Sounds like you should vote for Romney. His Romneycare in MA. was groundbreaking and he was socially liberal and fiscally conservative, except for Romneycare.