[From the class of 09]

Well we know Obama will be on the ballot...looks like we can now add Newt

ATLANTA — Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is expected on Thursday to become the first major Republican candidate to enter the 2012 presidential race, aides said, and will soon begin raising money and testing whether he can build enough support to challenge President Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/us/po ... grich.html

[ATrain]

If it's Newt v. Obama...I vote for myself.

[NG33]

If it's Newt v. Obama...I vote for myself.

QFT.

[From the class of 09]

If it's Newt v. Obama...I vote for myself.

QFT.

I totally agree with this. If Newt is the best that the Republicans can put forward they deserve to lose.

[TDDance234]

Newt vs. Obama is a democrat's dream.

[jbock13]

Newt. The perfect example of Republicans not learning their lesson.

Here they go parading "we saved 60 billion dollars!" Ahem. That's like 4% of what we need to.

My only concern is this. You get 8 conservative candidates who split 10% of the vote. And Newt wins with 20%. It's what happened in 08. Romney and Huckabee split the vote.

[From the class of 09]

An interesting guy who had a piece on him in the Journal was Mitch Daniels. I haven't read that much on him but from the article it sounded like he might be someone intrigging.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 03936.html

[jbock13]

Mitch Daniels may have trouble with the "religious right" because he has come out against running on social issues. I tend to agree as a libertarian but we'll see. I'm not so sure about him myself. But I'm not saying I won't support him.

[Purple Haize]

I'm not naming names, but I am going to vote for either The Mormon or The Fat Guy!

[ALUmnus]

I actually really like Newt. I definitely have some problems with some of his out-of-left-field turns he's taken in the last several years, but the guy could do wonders for this country.

This is one of the best pieces I've read about him when it comes to the Presidency, written back in 2005. Below is the conclusion as to why this author wouldn't vote for a guy he really likes.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/05/ ... _newt.html

Clearly, these scandals along with whispers about his personal life would doom a Gingrich candidacy in the general election. But there's another, more personal reason I wouldn't want to see Newt run. And since there is no more personal vote an American makes than his vote for a President, this particular reason would take precedence over any alleged or proven wrongdoing on the former Speaker's part.

I do not believe that Newt Gingrich has the necessary temperament to be President of the United States. Vin Weber, a good friend and colleague of Gingrich's, summed it up best:

'I never saw a lot of crackpot ideas. I saw a lot of good ideas. But there was difficulty in assessing a cost—benefit ratio. Even if every idea is good, resources are limited. With Newt, it didn't matter if we were overreaching, we had to do everything.'

This type of scatter—shot approach to policy, a hallmark of his political career, would be a disaster in a President. A former aide, Ladonna Lee, said

'He would always get people started on a project or a vision, and we're all slugging up the mountain to accomplish it. Newt's nowhere to be found...He's gone on to the next mountaintop.'

Perhaps this is why visionaries don't make good executives. If he can't stay with people as they go slugging up the mountain, it stands to reason that some will drop by the wayside or start to choose a different path up that mountain. In a politically polarized Washington, Gingrich would be 'Carterized' — his Presidency would turn into an unfocused mish mash of policy starts and stops that would doom any initiatives no matter how sound or noble.

In the Age of Terror and terrorists states, I can't imagine anything more dangerous to the safety of our republic.

Newt Gingrich will remain a favorite thinker of mine. I'll gladly buy any book he writes and listen anytime he speaks. But I won't be voting for him for President if he runs.

[JDUB]

Charlie Sheen. Winning.

[From the class of 09]

Mitch Daniels may have trouble with the "religious right" because he has come out against running on social issues. I tend to agree as a libertarian but we'll see. I'm not so sure about him myself. But I'm not saying I won't support him.

Yeah his lack of a stance on social issues might detract from him in the primary, but if he got the Republican nod the "religious right" would get behind him when the alternative is Obama.

Not to minimize the social issues but if we want America to remain a great country we IMO really need to fix our national debt issues. Daniels is someone who has shown he is serious about addressing the issues and isn't afraid to address the gorilla in the room of our entitlement programs. If we can get the fisical problems in line we can countinue to fight about the social issues for the next 100 years.

[Old School]

Definately, positively, absolutely, the smartest, and best candidate possible is Newt. Thrilled that he is running and can't wait for him to be elected.....one great choice for the Republicans....next choice Romney.

[From the class of 09]

Definately, positively, absolutely, the smartest, and best candidate possible is Newt. Thrilled that he is running and can't wait for him to be elected.....one great choice for the Republicans....next choice Romney.

See despite your name I think I'm a bit more old school where i think you need more than smarts to be a great leader. Newt has shown more or less a total lack of integrity to those closest to him multiply times. I still have a really hard time getting behind someone who obviously lacks integrity. I don't need him to be perfect but giving Newt the nod is kinda like coastal hiring Cliff Ellis. It might be fun while it last but eventually the dirt comes out and then it isn't pretty.

[jbock13]

@JDUB- Yeah! Winning... Duh!

@Class of 09- Totally agree with you national debt is what matters, not the social issues.

@old school- no offense, but Newt would be a disaster. He's just another George Bush... afraid to run for principle. That and Newt is an environmentalist wacko who would continue to raise taxes on energy. And don't even get me started on the fiscal side of Newt...

[Purple Haize]

IMO, Newt and Palin would both lose handily. HOWEVER, Newt and Palin would be absolutely AMAZING in the next presidents administration. Put Palin in charge of energy policy or the EPA and she would do incredible things. Put Newt in charge of......anything and you wouldn't have to worry about it getting done, getting done correctly and getting done in a way that was better then first thought.

[BJWilliams]

I am of the feeling that we need to drill in ANWR (screw all the tree hugging liberals...if they can quadruple the caribou population in Prudhoe Bay where they are drilling Im sure that drillling in an area maybe the size of North Campus wont cause irreparable harm to the ecosystem), learn from the BP incident but still attempt to drill off our own shores, and that certain countries would be better served getting a gift of a few thousand well placed cruise missiles along with a few targeted air strikes and blowing them off the face of the earth in a show of force unrivaled in world history. If there ever is a candidate that feels the same way...Im voting for them

[From the class of 09]

I am of the feeling that we need to drill in ANWR (screw all the tree hugging liberals...if they can quadruple the caribou population in Prudhoe Bay where they are drilling Im sure that drillling in an area maybe the size of North Campus wont cause irreparable harm to the ecosystem), learn from the BP incident but still attempt to drill off our own shores, and that certain countries would be better served getting a gift of a few thousand well placed cruise missiles along with a few targeted air strikes and blowing them off the face of the earth in a show of force unrivaled in world history. If there ever is a candidate that feels the same way...Im voting for them

[SuperJon]

Uh oh.

[BJWilliams]

what?

[jbock13]

sounds like BJ is promoting world war 3 lol.

[JDUB]

IMO, Newt and Palin would both lose handily. HOWEVER, Newt and Palin would be absolutely AMAZING in the next presidents administration. Put Palin in charge of energy policy or the EPA and she would do incredible things. Put Newt in charge of......anything and you wouldn't have to worry about it getting done, getting done correctly and getting done in a way that was better then first thought.

+1

[BJWilliams]

sounds like BJ is promoting world war 3 lol.

I dont want World War III, Im just tired of all this talking and sanctions that really at the end of the day dont do a whole darn lot...If you want to send a message...send one with force...and that may mean unloading a whole lot of cruise missiles or other strong arms on these countries who hate us (and terrorist groups funded by said countries) and probably laugh at us when we want to impose sanctions instead of showing them why we have one of if not the most powerful militaries in the world.

[jbock13]

sounds like BJ is promoting world war 3 lol.

I dont want World War III, Im just tired of all this talking and sanctions that really at the end of the day dont do a whole darn lot...If you want to send a message...send one with force...and that may mean unloading a whole lot of cruise missiles or other strong arms on these countries who hate us (and terrorist groups funded by said countries) and probably laugh at us when we want to impose sanctions instead of showing them why we have one of if not the most powerful militaries in the world.

Agree with half and disagree with half. I agree with the sanctions part, that's why I believe the UN should be abolished, or at minimum we need to leave it. Ask iran how scared they are about sanctions. Better yet, ask youg innocent black african girls how compassionate the UN soldiers have been to them.

However, I do not want to see the united states meddeling around the entire world again. That's the reason fundamentalists hate us. I'm not saying they'll ever like us, but they won't attack us if we get out of their business.

[Schfourteenteen]

I am of the feeling that we need to drill in ANWR (screw all the tree hugging liberals...if they can quadruple the caribou population in Prudhoe Bay where they are drilling Im sure that drillling in an area maybe the size of North Campus wont cause irreparable harm to the ecosystem), learn from the BP incident but still attempt to drill off our own shores, and that certain countries would be better served getting a gift of a few thousand well placed cruise missiles along with a few targeted air strikes and blowing them off the face of the earth in a show of force unrivaled in world history. If there ever is a candidate that feels the same way...Im voting for them

BJ Hitler for President!