Predictions: Who will be the GOP Candidate?

[Coito ergo sum]

Predictions, folks.

Who will be on the 'publican ticket?

I will start -

Mitt Romney with Chris Christie for Veep.

That is actually a good ticket.

Chris Christie is awesome. If he would run for President, I would vote for him no problem. He won't, though. But, he hasn't ruled out the VP spot, and he's been hanging out with Romney lately.

He would add a boisterous, populist voice to the ticket to offset Romney's dry, Mormon, stuffed-shirt personality.

Romney from Massachusetts, and Christie from New Jersey, both traditionally Blue states, and both in the typically Blue northeast. If the 'publicans hold on to the stereotypically red states, and pick up New Jersey, and Massachusetts, they might put pressure on Obama where he would least like to see it.

And, Rick Santorum doesn't think Chris Christie is a "conservative" Republican. http://ktsa.com/play_window.php?audioTy ... Id=5617841 - I'd say that's a plus.

[Warren Dew]

Mitt Romney looks like the most likely presidential candidate, yes.

It would be a mistake for him to pick Chris Christie for the VP slot, though. He appeals to the same people Romney appeals to, so he would not increase the probability of a win in the general election.

Romney's best bet would be to pick Ron Paul for the VP slot, if he's available. That would help get the votes of Ron Paul zealots who think Romney is too moderate, and increase the ticket's appeal to younger voters and the Tea Party.

Next best would be Michelle Bachmann for the VP slot to get out the evangelical and Tea Party vote. After that, Schwarzenegger might give the ticket a chance to win California.

[Coito ergo sum]

Mitt Romney looks like the most likely presidential candidate, yes.

It would be a mistake for him to pick Chris Christie for the VP slot, though. He appeals to the same people Romney appeals to, so he would not increase the probability of a win in the general election.

Romney's best bet would be to pick Ron Paul for the VP slot, if he's available. That would help get the votes of Ron Paul zealots who think Romney is too moderate, and increase the ticket's appeal to younger voters and the Tea Party.

Next best would be Michelle Bachmann for the VP slot to get out the evangelical and Tea Party vote. After that, Schwarzenegger might give the ticket a chance to win California.

Schwarzenegger has to get around the 12th Amendment.

I think Bachmann is more likely than Paul

Paul is too risky. He might bring some folks to the ticket, but he also brings some crazy to the ticket. We'd have to endure months of people asking whether they think "Bush did 9/11" and such...

[Geoff]

Mitt Romney looks like the most likely presidential candidate, yes.

It would be a mistake for him to pick Chris Christie for the VP slot, though. He appeals to the same people Romney appeals to, so he would not increase the probability of a win in the general election.

Romney's best bet would be to pick Ron Paul for the VP slot, if he's available. That would help get the votes of Ron Paul zealots who think Romney is too moderate, and increase the ticket's appeal to younger voters and the Tea Party.

Next best would be Michelle Bachmann for the VP slot to get out the evangelical and Tea Party vote. After that, Schwarzenegger might give the ticket a chance to win California.

Schwarzenegger has to get around the 12th Amendment.

I think Bachmann is more likely than Paul

Paul is too risky. He might bring some folks to the ticket, but he also brings some crazy to the ticket. We'd have to endure months of people asking whether they think "Bush did 9/11" and such...

I'm not following it all that closely, but don't they all bring some crazy to the ticket, in varying amounts? I do kinda like the way Faux News are trying to sideline Paul, though...

[Svartalf]

I bet on an all crazy Perry/Bachman or palin ticket.

[Warren Dew]

Schwarzenegger has to get around the 12th Amendment.

Good point. I guess moving his place of birth to Hawaii at this late date wouldn't work.

Ron Paul would be Romney's best choice for the VP spot, but I agree he's not the most likely choice. I'm guessing the most likely choices would be Santorum, also for the evangelicals, or Gingrich for his ties to the south.

[drl2]

The more interesting question, to me, is that if the "liberal" Romney wins the primary, will the tea-party-purist wing of the party:

a) fall in line and support him for the sake of getting the Kenyan islamo-commu-nazi-community-organizer-tool-of-Satan out of office
b) grumble a lot about it and not bother to show up at the polls
c) prop someone up to run as a third party candidate
or
d) nothing, because they'll already be locked up in Obama's FEMA concentration camps being subjected to public-funded health care

?

[Tero]

Mitt Romney the right wing robot, with Sarah Palin to represent the human side.

[amused]

Romney with some weird wildcard VP from out of nowhere.

Losers in the end.

[Tyrannical]

I think Ron Paul will be able to pull it off

Should be a fun campaign season though

[Gallstones]

Paul and Romney, same ticket.

[Tyrannical]

Paul would never be on the same ticket as Mittens.

[Coito ergo sum]

Schwarzenegger has to get around the 12th Amendment.

Good point. I guess moving his place of birth to Hawaii at this late date wouldn't work.

Ron Paul would be Romney's best choice for the VP spot, but I agree he's not the most likely choice. I'm guessing the most likely choices would be Santorum, also for the evangelicals, or Gingrich for his ties to the south.

I gotta say, I doubt Santorum, because I think he's more of a flash in the pan.

Gingrich is on the decline, but he would make a good VP. He is a formidable intellect and one of the few true "intellectuals" left in the Republican party.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

[Coito ergo sum]

The more interesting question, to me, is that if the "liberal" Romney wins the primary, will the tea-party-purist wing of the party:

a) fall in line and support him for the sake of getting the Kenyan islamo-commu-nazi-community-organizer-tool-of-Satan out of office

I think this allusion to racism does not accurately reflect the teabaggers. Despite the fact that I am not a tea party enthusiast, and I oppose practically the entirety of their platform, I don't think it's fair to broad brush them as racists and crackpots.

But, I think Romney would get broad popular support.

b) grumble a lot about it and not bother to show up at the polls

They will show. Republican turn out will probably be high.

c) prop someone up to run as a third party candidate

Possible, but unlikely. Palin might do it, but my guess is she would probably leverage the possibility that she might do something like that for a job. I.e., a backroom deal to get her appointed to some cushy position.

or
d) nothing, because they'll already be locked up in Obama's FEMA concentration camps being subjected to public-funded health care

?

Probably that.