I believe the GOP has resigned to the fact they can't beat Obama in 2012

[snooper2]

So they are letting the circus clowns have their "chance" and will run a "viable" candidate in 2016...


Just my theory...

[rurallib]

1. owning the media, they can polish a turd to make it look like gold

while on the other hand the media can destroy, destroy, destroy.
Don't count those chickens yet.
Remember 40% of the US will vote for anything with an 'R' behind the name. That means they only need to get 11%.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[LiberalAndProud]

2. You may be right, although I wonder why they would want to?

They have the best of all possible political worlds right now as they obstruct all progress and abdicate all responsibility. It's a game to them, and they've been winning. They don't want the Presidency. The real fight is in the House and the Senate. If we can't make huge inroads there, we'll have four more years of the same bullshit we've been experiencing for the last decade.

[Mz Pip]

4. I think their plan is to

take over the senate and keep the House in 2012. Then seriously focus on the POTUS in 2016. They'll be in control of everything and really do a whole lot more damage.

[rurallib]

9. They may have effed that up with the Ryan Budget vote

unless Obama fucks it up by backing down to the GOoPers and helping dismantle SS and Medicare.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. I think they are deluded, and believe they can beat Obama...

especially if they keep the economy in the Tank. They think there are enough voters who are really that stupid. If they can supress the vote of the left, they are right.

[existentialist]

5. I wish that you were right.

I think the candidates that have emerged in the Republican race shows something about how desperate the Republicans are. I could scarcely describe any of their candidates as sane, much less remotely qualified to become President, but the right has huge amounts of money to spend, numerous true believers, and, of course, Fox News.

That's not to mention that few Democrats are showing much by way of courage, that the economy is in the tank, not likely to get better anytime soon, and if the Republicans are primarily responsible for that fact it is likely to be lost on much of the public which wants results now--make that 10 months ago, and are likely to blame Democrats who, if they are not primarily at fault have done little to reverse Republican caused damage.

We are in for a fight.

I too am no thrilled with Obama, but he is clearly better than any Republican alternative.

The Congressional elections may be more important than the presidency, and there are numerous serious and likely close Congressional fights, and we need to win as many as possible.

[Tippy]

6. Don't kid yourself they are resigned.....they will fight till the bitter end

[LeftinOH]

7. 2012 will will be a showdown over "family values": Gays and abortion..

that's all they have, and they're going to run with it. The topic of the "economy" will surface from time to time, but that doesn't get the attention of the mouth breathers in quite the same way.

[Blue-Jay]

13. If that's the case, they're going to need to stay away from Romney.

He'll get eviscerated on his own record as governor of MA. As an added bonus, if they throw in "jobs" as a point of contention, the DNC will hammer him on being 47th in the nation in job growth during his tenure.

OTOH, crazy-ass Bachmann might win a few points with the crazy-ass base regarding her "family values" bullshit (god hates fags and whatnot), but the DNC will hammer her utter lack of knowledge of...well...everything, plus photos of her cowering behind the shrubbery next to a disgusted-seeming bodyguard will (or SHOULD) be on every TV ad.

These are the two frontrunners, and either of them can be handled easily.

In other words; They got nothin'.

[rurallib]

10. I almost forgot about the unlimited money they have thanks to

Citizen's United V. FEC.
That money will fight to the end.
One reason is that the election is merely the beginning of the next campaign.

[Vincardog]

11. I believe that snooper is correct. They are letting the "B" team try out their campaign skills and

allowing the nutz to run wild. The more they fuck things up the worse they can say Obama did.

[damntexdem]

12. Even if they have, they are dedicated to destroying the U.S. economy on the off chance ...

that it would allow them to beat Obama.

[Johonny]

14. It worked in 2010

they went out of their way to be counter productive Obama's first 2 years and America rewarded them with a big election victory. It appears they think they can pull it off a second time.

[elleng]

15. Maybe, but at the same time they are 'bankrupting' the country,

and possibly the world.

[FLPanhandle]

16. I agree.

Anyone with a real political future wants nothing to do with running against Obama. The serious candidates are waiting out this elections that just leaves the clowns.

[Youth Uprising]

17. If they lose they still win.

By legitimizing the right-wing's positions Obama is pushing the country further to the right, and if they lose they won't have to take the responsibility of being in the White House and answering to the people after their disastrous policies fail. If Obama's second term continues with him continuing to cave and push the right-wing/'Third Way' agenda and he ends up with high disapproval ratings, they will just turn around and blame Obama's 'failed liberal policies' for the state of the country. If that happens and the people buy it, we'll see a resurgence of the far right back in power. I hope this nightmarish scenario doesn't happen.