Leading up to the 2000 Republican Presidential nomination contest, conservatives, especially GOP Governors, rallied around George W. Bush as the best bet to take back the White House in 2000. With this help, Bush raised $70 million by December 1999.
Looking ahead to 2008, conservatives once again scout around for a candidate. Dick Cheney and Jeb Bush have taken themselves out of the running.
The conservative Council on National Policy recently met in Florida to seek a candidate. Many names were floated but one dark horse who has emerged is the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty. This
article is a good introduction to Pawlenty. Much to make conservatives happy.
I like George Allen of Virginia myself. A Pawlenty-Bush (Jeb) or an Allen-Bush ticket might be able to defeat the Hilary-Richardson ticket in 2008.
i want Condoleeza Rice...
Condi vs Hillary 08!
John:
I agree. That would be quite a match-up.
No way... I would rather move to Norway. Neither of them are presidential and neither of them would qualify as the first female president.
It would be "quite a dangerous matchup." Condi has no experience as a candidate, and she probably isn’t tough enough. Hillary would probably win.
I mentioned this to my AP class yesterday...one of them (a strong Democrat surprisingly) said that Hillary was to much like Henry Clay. An active politician but someone whose opinion is known on too many subjects. He suggested that Hillary would run but would be defeated just like Clay. I thought it was a pretty good comparison for a 16 year old.
Condi has no experience as a candidate, and she probably isn’t tough enough. Hillary would probably win.
Let’s be honest--there are still too many racists in the United States for Condi to be elected. Having her as an opponent is the only way Hillary would manage to win southern states.
I’m from Minnesota, and I think that the true Dark horse would be Norm Coleman on a VP ticket. Pawlenty is largely approved of, but I think may lose out to bigger names. Mondale and Hubert H. Humphrey had hard times out of Minneosta, too...but were Dems. I have to say as a "reluctant democrat" myself that I would not vote for Hillary Clinton in ’08. She is, as Ms. Hahn’s student mentioned, too big of a blanket politician. I think that if America is ready for a female President, it won’t be Rice or Clinton. Inexperience certainly is not attractive, and idiocy is not acceptible.
Dr. Moser,
I don’t think the number of American racists would outweight the number of Democrats who are not pleased with Senator Clinton. And I doubt she would win any independents or moderates (as Condi Rice could easily do . . . and not just with her skin color or gender). Condi’s not nearly as right as Clinton is left, in my opinion. I think Condi would sweep it, honestly (and unfortunately).
Let me also pipe in here as a Minnesotan in regard to Gov. Pawlenty. First of all, I think he is a very astute politician. He is soft-spoken and articulate and does not come across as radical in any sense of the term.
However, as far as his commitment to Republican/Conservative principles, his term has been lackluster. He has quietly moderated himself to accord with the mainstream of Minnesota political opinion (which is instinctively liberal), carrying surprising favor with both major Twin Cities newspapers. He has shown an enormous enthusiasm for new spending projects as well as corporate welfare and new indian casinos.
Additionally, he has not come out swinging for important pieces of social conservative legislation. He backtracked on the implementation of the Woman’s Right to Know bill, and would not get publicly behind a state marriage amendment. I just don’t think he has the necessary commitment to conservative principles that will make him an effective president and "movement" leader.
Additionally, I must concur with the other fellow about preferring Sen. Norm Coleman. Sen. Coleman has a strong conservative record, is a committed pro-lifer, is articulate (and charismatic). He is a much stronger candidate. I have no clue why Pawlenty is being talked up over Coleman. This should be the other way around.