Predictions: Who will be the GOP Candidate?

[Coito ergo sum]

Rasmussen has Romney gaining ground in Ohio -- that will be a key -- http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... an_primary

We'll see. I don't think anyone counts Santorum out. I wish we could, but anything can happen. It's still early in the process. What does one need? 1000 delegates? Mitt has like 145 and Santorum 86 or something like that. So, who knows. I'll draw conclusions when Romney is ahead by 300 delegates.

[Warren Dew]

Romney supposedly won Ohio, which should help dry up Santorum's money. I hope.

[Tyrannical]

Wow, what a mess super tuesday was. Mittens did well, but not well enough. Lots of very close races, and I dont think any winner take all.
I see this fight going to the convention floor.

I think convention delegates are only bound for one round of voting in many cases, and unless someone has a majority of delegates it will go more than one round. Once the delegates are free to vote, who knows what chaos will happen

[Clinton Huxley]

Little Ricky Santorum was quoted on the radio this morning as saying something like "Everyone who lives in Palestine is an Israeli. There is no such thing as a Palestinian". I've also read elsewhere about his connections with pro-Israeli church groups eager for the coming of Gog and Magog and the final battle against the Anti-Christ.

He is starting to make Sarah Palin look normal. I think Ian is right, any of this pack of rabid right-wing morons is going to get kicked in the face by Obama.

[JimC]

CES wrote:

There is baby-bathwater problem here if we try to shut up certain message because the people expressing them are rich.

Perhaps this issue needs re-framing; not just for the US, but any democracy with mass media...

The re-framing involves seeing that great wealth involves the ability to buy whatever is needed to influence voters...

There are those who do not see this as a problem...

They are either very wealthy, or those who feel that they will do better riding on the coat-tails of the wealthy...

[Clinton Huxley]

This is America, the great meritocracy, where any millionaire can become President, if they really try.....

In 10-20 years, you'll probably need to be a billionaire. Bloody inflation.

[Coito ergo sum]

This is America, the great meritocracy, where any millionaire can become President, if they really try.....

In 10-20 years, you'll probably need to be a billionaire. Bloody inflation.

Who said the US was a "meritocracy?" Singapore is a meritocracy. And, so was British India. The US has never been structured that way, thankfully.

And, most Presidents were not born millionaires, and most weren't even millionaires when they became President.

Presidents born in poverty: Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Bill Clinton (also left the White House in debt millions - made up for it after the Presidency with books and speaking engagements), James Garfield (born poor, worked on steamboats at 17).

Presidents born middle class: Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon (lower middle class birth - worked low paying government jobs until elected to Congress - didn't become well off until he became President), Eisenhower (middle class - one of seven kids on a Kansas farm, until accepted to West Point) --- President Grant (died poor) Harry Truman (born middle class - worked as a haberdasher and then became a civil servant). Hoover - born middle class to a blacksmith father.

The current denizen of the WH - Obama - was he born wealthy? Not positive. Seems roughly middle class to me.

Presidents who were definitely wealthy - Carter (although he was essentially self made- he became a millionaire before running for office) -- Kennedy -- born with the ultimate silver spoon -- Both Roosevelts -- etc. Probably Calvin Coolidge.

So, you were saying?

[Coito ergo sum]

CES wrote:

There is baby-bathwater problem here if we try to shut up certain message because the people expressing them are rich.

Perhaps this issue needs re-framing; not just for the US, but any democracy with mass media...

The re-framing involves seeing that great wealth involves the ability to buy whatever is needed to influence voters...

There are those who do not see this as a problem...

They are either very wealthy, or those who feel that they will do better riding on the coat-tails of the wealthy...

I don't know if that's the case.

I mean - rich people can by bigger cars, luxury boats, and bigger houses -- if they can buy a radio station, are their words to be controlled? By whom?

[Clinton Huxley]

This is America, the great meritocracy, where any millionaire can become President, if they really try.....

In 10-20 years, you'll probably need to be a billionaire. Bloody inflation.

Who said the US was a "meritocracy?" Singapore is a meritocracy. And, so was British India. The US has never been structured that way, thankfully.

And, most Presidents were not born millionaires, and most weren't even millionaires when they became President.

Presidents born in poverty: Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Bill Clinton (also left the White House in debt millions - made up for it after the Presidency with books and speaking engagements), James Garfield (born poor, worked on steamboats at 17).

Presidents born middle class: Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon (lower middle class birth - worked low paying government jobs until elected to Congress - didn't become well off until he became President), Eisenhower (middle class - one of seven kids on a Kansas farm, until accepted to West Point) --- President Grant (died poor) Harry Truman (born middle class - worked as a haberdasher and then became a civil servant). Hoover - born middle class to a blacksmith father.

The current denizen of the WH - Obama - was he born wealthy? Not positive. Seems roughly middle class to me.

Presidents who were definitely wealthy - Carter (although he was essentially self made- he became a millionaire before running for office) -- Kennedy -- born with the ultimate silver spoon -- Both Roosevelts -- etc. Probably Calvin Coolidge.

So, you were saying?

What are the odds on the next Pres being a millionaire? I know Romney has a personal fortune of around $200 million, don't know about the others but I'm guessing they aren't short of a bob or two.

[Clinton Huxley]

You missed the Bushes out, CES....

[Coito ergo sum]

This is America, the great meritocracy, where any millionaire can become President, if they really try.....

In 10-20 years, you'll probably need to be a billionaire. Bloody inflation.

Who said the US was a "meritocracy?" Singapore is a meritocracy. And, so was British India. The US has never been structured that way, thankfully.

And, most Presidents were not born millionaires, and most weren't even millionaires when they became President.

Presidents born in poverty: Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Bill Clinton (also left the White House in debt millions - made up for it after the Presidency with books and speaking engagements), James Garfield (born poor, worked on steamboats at 17).

Presidents born middle class: Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon (lower middle class birth - worked low paying government jobs until elected to Congress - didn't become well off until he became President), Eisenhower (middle class - one of seven kids on a Kansas farm, until accepted to West Point) --- President Grant (died poor) Harry Truman (born middle class - worked as a haberdasher and then became a civil servant). Hoover - born middle class to a blacksmith father.

The current denizen of the WH - Obama - was he born wealthy? Not positive. Seems roughly middle class to me.

Presidents who were definitely wealthy - Carter (although he was essentially self made- he became a millionaire before running for office) -- Kennedy -- born with the ultimate silver spoon -- Both Roosevelts -- etc. Probably Calvin Coolidge.

So, you were saying?

What are the odds on the next Pres being a millionaire? I know Romney has a personal fortune of around $200 million, don't know about the others but I'm guessing they aren't short of a bob or two.

So because Romney is a millionaire, then the US is a place best described as "a place any millionaire can become President."

It would be more egalitarian, I suspect, if we had an aristocracy of landed gentry and titles to boot, that way the poor would be guaranteed to occupy the highest positions in the land.

[Coito ergo sum]

You missed the Bushes out, CES....

I was mainly concerned with demonstrating that many Presidents were poor and middle class. Most, actually.

[Clinton Huxley]

Nicely misrepresented, CES. Do you think that a millionaire has less chance of becoming Pres than a pauper?

Many of the poor or middle class presidents you cited were from a while back, looks to me like the potential-president gene pool is narrowing.

[Coito ergo sum]

Nicely misrepresented, CES. Do you think that a millionaire has less chance of becoming Pres than a pauper?

Many of the poor or middle class presidents you cited were from a while back, looks to me like the potential-president gene pool is narrowing.

No, nor did I make that allegation.

And, yours was the misrepresentation, Hux. I didn't misrepresent anything, I merely did not include every single President. I should have included the Bushes, and they are wealthy. However, including them does not change the essential fact that your comment was complete and utter bullshit. For you to suggest that I misrepresented something, given your either completely disingenuous or rather dopey initial comment is quite humorous.

Many of the poor or middle class presidents were from a while back because most of our presidents were from a while back.

Recent ones: Obama, Clinton, Reagan, Nixon, Johnson. That's 5 out of the last 10 Presidents. I'll add Ford to the mix -- you'll note I also left him out - by accident, even though he was born to a middle class family in Grand Rapids, MI, and wasn't particularly wealthy until later on. No Oxford or Yale for him -- he went to the University of Michigan and played some football. Guess I "misrepresented" by not including him.

Guess the gene pool of potential Prime Ministers is exclusively wealthy too, ay? Don't go far back now. Only look to the present crop of rich guys to give your answer.

[Clinton Huxley]

I'm not talking about British Prime Ministers and their social class, feel free to start a thread about that.....

Just to check:-

Romney - Millionaire
Santorum - Millionaire (if only just)
Gingrich - Millionaire
Ron Paul - Millionaire

So you agree that the next Republican presidential hopeful will definitely be a millionaire?