Mitch Daniels will not run for President
Hahahaha. This is getting pretty pathetic for Republicans, and more hilarious for Democrats.
Gov. Mitch Daniels, R-Ind., said Sunday he won’t run for president because of family concerns, narrowing the field but making a wide-open race even hazier. “In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one,” said the former Bush White House budget chief, disclosing his decision in a middle-of-the-night e-mail to supporters. “The interests and wishes of my family, is the most important consideration of all. If I have disappointed you, I will always be sorry.”
A two-term Midwestern governor, Daniels had considered a bid for months and was pressured by many in the Republican establishment who longed for a conservative with a strong fiscal record to run.
Strong fiscal record? He was Bush’s budget director, and he was directly responsible for turning a $200 billion surplus into $800 billion deficit. Attention corporate media and their Republican friends, that is not a strong fiscal record. That is an amazingly weak fiscal record. Indeed, it is fiscal recklessness.
But there is no need for such reality from me, since Daniels hid behind his family as the reason he did not want to run rather than the fact that it will be very difficult to defeat the President. Indeed, a lot of more viable Republican candidates have bowed out.
Daniels’ close friend, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, surprised much of the GOP when he pulled the plug on a candidacy in April, and. Barbour privately encouraged Daniels to run. A week ago, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the 2008 Iowa caucus winner, bowed out, followed quickly by celebrity real estate developer Donald Trump.
Add to that Chris Christie and John Thune, who both ran screaming from the prospect. And we are left with a GOP presidential field that the base of its own party is not happy with. Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, and Jon Huntsman. Which leads to me to return to my long held prediction: Sarah Palin will run for and win the GOP nomination.
Sarah Palin was asked on Fox News why she hasn’t made a decision about a presidential bid and whether she has the necessary drive to run.
“Oh, that’s a great question. I think my problem is that I do have the fire in my belly. I am so adamantly supportive of the good, traditional things about America and our free enterprise system, and I want to make sure that America is put back on the right track, and we only do that by defeating Obama in 2012. I have that fire in my belly.”
“It’s a matter for me of some kind of practical, pragmatic decisions that have to be made. One is, with a large family, understanding the huge amount of scrutiny and the sacrifices that have to be made on my children’s part in order to see their mama run for president. But yes, the fire in the belly? It’s there!”
Oh she wants to run. And I bet you her insane family wants her to win. It’s everyone else on the planet who doesn’t want her to run. But she will. Because she will see that it will be easy to win the nomination as the Anti-Romney candidate. She has no other competition, except Bachmann really.
I’m frankly surprised Romney is in this year. Everyone on the right with a little bit of brain power knows that the GOP bus is being driven by lunatics right now. It must be about setting up for 2016 for Mitt.
No way. He would be a two time loser by 2016. 2016 is all about Chris Christie and Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio for the GOP. On the Dem side, we are probably looking at Hillary Clinton and Andrew Cuomo.
Palin’s interview w GVS was hilariously dissected on Mudflaps. http://www.themudflats.net/2011/05/22/sarah-palin-and-greta-van-susteren-reflections-of-a-hateful-blogger/
I was surprised, actually, that GVS actually said something, but I don’t think Sarah was listening.
Family concerns indeed:
Mitch Daniels: Cheri didn’t abandon kids
I can’t imagine why they didn’t want to face the press on that one.
I don’t think Palin will run. “Earning” those FOX $$$ is her career highwater mark and she’s too cowardly to risk them.
I think Daniels not running is yet another indication that the Repubs know that 2012 will be a disastrous year for them at the polls. The Tea Party thugs are chasing many of the mainstream candidates away. I think there is a real chance that the Repubs will nominate a flaming crazy candidate for 2012. That could be good for America. A prolonged and intense focus on a certifiable GOP crazy promises to thoroughly expose the insanity of all their crazies and just might jolt much of the nation to a more sensible and informed consideration of what should be conventionally acceptable politically. I’m pulling for a Bachman or a Paul.
Excellent. The only credible candidates the Republicans have are Romney and Pawlenty, and both came with significant flaws. Obama’s usual approval ratings, right track/wrong track polling, and the shaky state of the economy should make 2012 an eminently winnable election for the Republicans. I wonder what their polling is showing about subterranean Obama strength to scare so many premier candidates off, if it is fear of Obama that is driving them away. It could just be an assumption that the tea party wing of the party will in the primary process drive the eventual nominee so far to the right that it would render him or her unelectable, even if they look like decent candidates vis-a-vis Obama in the middle of 2011.
With respect to the Republican race, my money is on Romney now. Huckabee would have been at approximate parity with him, a Christie or Daniels had the potential to overtake him, but right now Romney towers over the field in both primary and general election electability.
Palin: Joke, unelectable in the GE.
Bachmann: See above, plus low name recognition. History also runs against her. I cannot recall anyone vaulting directly from the House to the presidency.
Gingrich: Unelectable in the GE.
Cain: No shot at winning anything.
Paul: See above.
Huntsman: Toxic in the primary due to being an Obama appointee.
Santorum: Unelectable in the GE.
Pawlenty: Lacks charisma.
It is likely going to be Romney by default. Pawlenty may have a chance if he successfully becomes the “anti-Romney” but that person will likely be a conservative. This is where Palin running would be such an asset for Democrats. Palin has the name recognition, fundraising strength, and grassroots support to emerge as the consensus conservative candidate and defeat Romney. Historically the GOP’s establishment has been able to almost anoint its nominees. One would presume that they would be able to stop Palin–but we’ve seen the “electable establishment choice” versus the “right-wing candidate” movie play out firsthand in Delaware in the tea party era…
Fox News told me that a Herman Cain/Allan West ticket can win!
I don’t think the Cheri Daniels story has that much too it. It’s already out now, what more could happen?