The main stream media has been calling the republican race for Romney since the very beginning. They won't let up because they know that Romney doesn't stand a chance against Obama. If Romney gets the nomination, the republicans should just give it up, eh?

Why do you think MSNBC is so hot on Romney? It's because they have already made their choice in the general election. They want Obama to continue his destructive path. Now I know what the liberals will say, they will say: What destruction? All you do Brianb is blame Obama and are a racist to boot.

I really don't care what hard core liberals think of me. I don't post to suit their needs. They have their agenda and it doesn't effect my opinion of Obama in the least. I've witnessed the destruction set forth in this nation through the last 3 years... Liberals think all is good because their wishes are being met. They have an anchor to continually complain about conservatives and republicans... and wow do they complain.

If Romney just announced a real rightie like Christie or Rubio as VP, then game would be over with clowns such as Blingrich, Paul, Santorum. I predit this strategy coming soon especially since slimey gooballs like Newt keep popping up their ugly fat pig heads...

brian-there is nothing destructive about steady job growth, and GNP increasingeach quarter.GM has regained Its position as the nbr One car company in the world .I believe Romneys solution was let them go bankrupt. Conservatives did not support the american revolution nor did they support western expansion. if it was up to conservatives we would still be british subjects. The fereralist papers written by Hamilton and Adams were such a diaster they asked a liberal to re-write the constitution . THe conservatives were afraid to upset the british (THE job creators ) Thank G-d for liberals like Jefferson,madison,monroe, Sam Adams ( the real tea party ) patrick Henry, Jackson, Polk (the conservatives tried to impeach him for seizing California ) Learn your History, this country has a strong history of liberal politics that made this country what is today. Obama continues this great tradition. What is destructive are the lies the right says to achieve their destructive Agenda. We do not have to look back to far to see this, just look at the Last president who without doubt ranks as one of the most destrutive Presidents ever

Talkto the Hand: relax! Take a breath...No one is MANDATING Romney...you'd just have to be woefully naive to believe he isn't so far out ahead in fundraising and organization that the rest of the field, dividing up the far right vote, could eventually win in states with anything but far right constituencies.

gsiegel, great post. Theodore Roosevelt and his cousin Franklin Roosevelt (both 1%ers by the way) were also liberals who ended child labor and who helped end the Great Depression making sure everyone got a new deal. Most of the government programs of the New Deal era became privately owned companies that still put thousands of people to work.

So Brian, if the media (let us say FOX) were to only praise the other candidates and not report anything about the FRONT RUNNER that would be okay? Just as long as they cover your guy with all the love and kisses the media is fair but dare they say anything against your candidate and wellll that means they are somehow biased? Plllleeeeeaaaase give us a break. Two-year-olds are peevish in that way. Are you a two-year-old?

Romney is not and will not be the nominee.

Today he is not even the frontrunner except in the minds of liberals, especially those that believe Obama can not be beat.

Whoever the nominee is will force questions about Obama to be answered. It will not be McCain Two. He will have to defend his record starting with the time he said Republicans have to sit in the back of the bus.

Mark, Domenico: I don't know that I'd agree with your reasoning about Christie's inside track here...New Jersey?? How does that help with suspicions that the NE moderate Romney is out of touch with the Southern base particularly? Or is your argument that the strength of the tea mix counts more than geography these days?

Old fat guy: anyone can understand your dilemna...THIS is your nominee? I'll bet $10,000.00 though that your going to have to live with this one until he's another footnote in history...

Congrats on having your question selected, Feisty (even if you have to share the credit with bob).

Looks to me like Mark & Domenico still see Mitt as the front runner, even after this past week. I don't see Christie as conservative enough to be picked.

Thanks Steeler Fan!

Speaking of bob lots of #'s - where is the little guy today?

Hope he didn't 'bitch' himself to death last night! ☺

He sure was on a 'roll' with his MSNBC bashing...

@Mark ... When was the last time two Governors were on the same ticket? My Canadian brain is hitting a wall on this.

Thanks for answering Feisty's question, and mine.

Good analysis. The only prominent name that is seemingly on the radar not mentioned was Condy Rice.....

And good point, even though Sarah Palin dominated the headlines, usually the VP pick is not such a huge deal

Mark---yesterday has to have been one of the most crazy days of your career---topped off by the debate.

Thanks for keeping us all up-to-date on the goings on!

Feisty, thanks for asking about my doings last night.

It gives me the opportunity to brag that I won my sports club racquetball Touranment last night, Intermediate Division!

Long time playoff contender, but never won the finals before.

Good omen that the Patriots will win Sunday!

When was the last time two Governors were on the same ticket?

From what I could find it was Thomas Dewey (47th Governor of New York) and Earl Warren (30th Governor of California) in 1948 against Truman

Greg in NY ... thanks!

Feisty...Still got a long way to go to catch up!! ;-)

And besides, I had a really, really super good question this week, that they surely would have picked...but I decided to throw you a bone and let you have this one!! ;-)

And sorry Bob...but GO RAVENS!!!!!

Congrats to you both on getting a good question selected!

but never won the finals before.

@Bob - Congrats on your win & sharing the winning question 'ticket' with me! ;o)

but I decided to throw you a bone and let you have this one

@Grimey - Always the gentlemen aren't you? ;op

GO NINERS!

Congrats, Bob, on your victory. This is a difficult choice for me, but I'll be rooting for your Patriots on Sunday.

Feisty---we have to part company here---since my husband grew up in NYC I'm rooting for the Giants!

Bob-1887910

Thanks for answering Feisty's question, and mine.

Good analysis. The only prominent name that is seemingly on the radar not mentioned was Condy Rice.....

Condy Rice has totally dropped off the political radar, as far as I'm aware. I wouldn't think she'd be a top pick for VP.

And good point, even though Sarah Palin dominated the headlines, usually the VP pick is not such a huge deal.

The VP pick can be a huge deal...depending on how huge the person is (Christie) or how unqualified (Palin). We need to have a healthy, qualified, vetted person in that position.

Another reason why it matters a great deal who the person is who is chosen to be a VP running mate:

Biden is the 47th Vice President of the United States. Of the 45 previous Vice Presidents, nine have succeeded to the Presidency. That means the historical odds for the VP to assume the responsibilities of the President are nearly 20%.

It is truly a position that is too important to ignore.

Bob

Congrats as well on your tournament win. I will have to adjust my mental image of you, I hadn't pictured you as that fit :)

Thank you. I lost 50 pounds a few years ago, so your previous image was until recently, correct !

My Republican co-worker just shrugged her shoulders when I asked who she wanted to be her nominee

Amy,

I think it's more a case of the GNOP having commitment issues... ;o)

I know I would, if these were the candidates I had to chose from. lol

Thanks Amy.

The answer is "Bob McDonnell " !!

Bob,

Everyone knows that … he has been running everywhere saying “pick me, pick me” because he is term limited and needs a job soon.

If he is so high on the list then why isn’t he, once again, giving the Republican response to the SOTU Address? Didn’t he do a good job last time?

BTW who will be giving the Tea Party response ???

Nobody But Obama !!

NBO

BTW who will be giving the Tea Party response ???

Herman Cain

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/205237-herman-cain-to-deliver-tea-party-state-of-the-union-response

Absolutely phine. I especially loved her "At Last" hit!

Watching President and Mrs. Obama dance to that song during the inaugural balls was enchanting!

I second that Phinephancy--- I saw her twice in concert, what a voice!

Good one Fiesty!

ideologyspoilstheview, I agree with you. What is the point of having two politicians from the northeast for a national campaign? It doesn't make sense for Romney to pick Christie.

Pat, I asked this question above- When was the last time two Governors were on the same ticket? Do you know the answer?

I find it interesting that with the exception of Rubio, who's barely been in the Senate a full year, all the possible names Mark and Domenico mentioned are either current or former governors. Just wondering:

a) With Romney being a former governor himself, where's the foreign policy experience on any of these potential tickets? (sorry, but the Cayman Islands don't count)

b) What does this say about the current House and Senate Republicans that none of them seem to be in the running? - and -

c) After the Palin debacle, you'd think going with a "safe" pick this time would be the obvious strategy, so McDonnell would seem to be the front-runner - Virginia's a key state, and it would lock up the "good hair" vote. But does the party that's so often accused of being pale, male and stale really want to double down on that?

Like I said, just wondrin'.......

Edit - Ideology, looks like we crossed in the mail - but at least great minds think alike!

"What does this say about the current House and Senate Republicans that none of them seem to be in the running"

Marco Rubio is a Senate Republican, is he not?

Rubio's political mentor is Jeb Bush. Jeb has advised Rubio, as of this time, not to accept a VP spot.

Marco Rubio is a Senate Republican, is he not?

In the first sentence

with the exception of Rubio, who's barely been in the Senate a full year

Name some others...

Okay, I'm back - looks like the last time two governors were a ticket at all was the infamous "Dewey Defeats Truman!" election when Thomas Dewey (New York) and Earl Warren (California) lost to Harry Truman (newspaper headlines notwithstanding) in 1948. Last time it was a winning ticket looks to be Woodrow Wilson (New Jersey) and Thomas Marshall (Indiana) in 1912. Hey, in researching this, the 1948 convention sounds like it was a lot of fun:

"The 1948 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first
presidential convention to be shown on national television. As the convention opened Dewey was
believed to have a large lead in the delegate count. His major opponents – Taft, Stassen, and Senator Vandenberg – met in Taft's hotel suite to plan a "stop-Dewey" movement. However, a key obstacle soon developed when the three men refused to unite behind a single candidate to oppose Dewey. Instead, all three men simply agreed to try to hold their own delegates in the hopes of preventing Dewey from obtaining a majority. This proved to be futile, as Dewey's efficient campaign team methodically gathered the remaining delegates they needed to win the nomination. After the second round of balloting, Dewey was only 33 votes short of victory. Taft then called Stassen and urged him to withdraw from the race and endorse him as Dewey's main opponent. When Stassen refused, Taft wrote a concession speech and had it read at the start of the third ballot; Dewey was then nominated by acclamation. Dewey then chose popular Governor Earl Warren (and future Chief Justice) of California as his running mate."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1948

Anyone else see any "deja vu all over again" in there?

P.S. - Thanks, Greg - beat me to it!

While Rubio is liked, he doesn't have the moxie, or the experience to fill the VP slot. He is well aware of this and since he's young, he knows he has time. He has said he won't accept the nomination so I don't know why his name is always brought up. Who would make an excellent VP is Allen West.

"In the first sentence

with the exception of Rubio, who's barely been in the Senate a full year

Name some others..."

John Thune.....Paul Ryan.... Kelly Ayotte...Rob Portman....

Give up yet? there are plenty of rising stars in the GOP

Surprised nobody is suggesting Senator Jim DeMint to be the VP for Romney. He isn't endorsing anyone in 2012, but he did endorse Romney in 2008.

Just a little common sense to throw into the mix. Think. What is it that the choice of the VP candidate brings to the table? Support from a part of the country the presidential candidate is lacking is one, and two, to be an "attack dog" for the ticket. Using that, now think of some names.

phinephancy-4252115

Just a little common sense to throw into the mix. Think. What is it that the choice of the VP candidate brings to the table? Support from a part of the country the presidential candidate is lacking is one, and two, to be an "attack dog" for the ticket. Using that, now think of some names.

In the case of Christie, it's not what he brings to the table that is of issue...

If he wants a future in national politics, it's about what food he leaves on the table.

Do we know what the Mormon Church's position on women in leadership roles is? Some of Michele Bachmann's aides claimed certain evangelical pastors questioned the godliness of having a woman in that role. That could rule out Nikki Haley or Susan Martinez, if the Mormon Church isn't down with a female head-of-state.

Amy, what a flat out bigoted ignorant comment. C'mon, get out of the gutter.

Yes, Bob, Amy showing her usual hate and ignorance. You forgot though she has a partner right above n kaybeetoys. If you two want anybody to take you seriously, then talk about issues instead of throwing around vicious, vile remarks.

Of course, if you want to talk about a candidate's church, shall we discuss Obama's attendance at Trinity and his close association with the hate-filled Rev Wright?

shall we discuss Obama's attendance at Trinity

I thought we already had, ad nauseum? You mean, it's not OK to ask if Mitt Romney, who is a bishop in the Church of the Latter Day Saints, a position only men can hold, might have a problem choosing a female for Vice President?

flat out bigoted ignorant comment

Just curious, Why is it considered bigotry to point out the prejudices of a religion?

Would I be a bigot to point out that women are largely treated unequally in the Islamic world? Or that blacks (until 1978) and women (currently) can't be leaders of a congregation in the Mormon faith? I'd say those are facts rather than bigotry on my part.

People should be treated as equals, but ideas are not equal and religion is an idea.

dirt-303814

Yes, Bob, Amy showing her usual hate and ignorance. You forgot though she has a partner right above n kaybeetoys. If you two want anybody to take you seriously, then talk about issues instead of throwing around vicious, vile remarks.

I pay attention to facts, dirt, and I do my best to base my opinions on careful consideration of all sides of an issue.

The religious affiliation of a candidate is completely unimportant to me personally.

I do, however, take issue with both Gingrich for using phony religiosity as a political tool and with those who are suckered into his hypocrisy. Who is making religion a big issue in this contest? It's religious conservatives.

Which vicious, vile remarks are you referring to?

Krispy Kreme or Dunkin?

YES !

We are thinking " Hillary" but he is thinking JOE !

Most voters in PA, especially eastern PA, think of Joe as one of their own.

I have been really impressed with the job that VP Biden has done. I think he has become a valued counselor to the President and his political instincts are great, too. And Dr. Biden has been a great "Second Lady" with her work for military families.

Yeah, Joe Biden has been gaffe-tastic! the latest: he just said, when kowtowing and trolling for Millionaire campaign contributions in San fran , that he hoped the Giants win the Super Bowl...oops, he mixed up the team names...

But his best speeches are the ones that are truthful:

"When Barack Obama and I were literally sitting in a desk in a high rise in Chicago beginning to plan how we would try to get this economy out of a ditch, literally, the first guy I called was Jon Corzine. Not a joke. Not a joke. Because first of all, he's the smartest guy that I know in terms of the economy and on finance, I really mean this."
-Joe Biden

I particularly enjoyed Joe Biden telling a crowd in San Fran the other day that "the Giants are going to the Superbowl"

speaking of Biden, remember this??

"Responding to a question at a town hall-style meeting at Nashua Community College, Mr. Biden said, 'Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me.'

He added, “She’s qualified to be president. I mean that sincerely, she’s first rate.”

Ooopppsssss, Hillary got thrown under the Bus by the Dems when she was the ONLY Dem who could actually do the job of VP or President. Instead they chose Obummer and Dumber. LOL

Rubio is not well known among Hispanics outside of FL and he is of Cuban decent which is of little help with other Hispanics and could be a hindrance. His distorted story about his ancestry will not help either … he needs time for that to blow over, be forgotten.

Also at his age he should look at 2016 or 2020 for a run at President – that is his goal, to be the first Cuban-American President and very few VP’s ever get elected to President.

"very few VP’s ever get elected to President"

Um, sure, whatever you say, Dennis.....(another educated liberal genius)

In our lifetimes....Nixon, Ford, HW Bush ....others came close...Gore, Humphrey, Mondale

Ford was never elected ... lost his bid for President

It took Nixon how many years after he was VP ??

Close ... are we playing horseshoes ??

Anybody check Rubio's long form birth certificate?

Hi Dennis,

I was thinking the same thing, VPs don't usually get elected President. In my seventy one years I believe Bush 1 was the only VP to be elected immediately after the term of the President ended.

Truman became President upon the death of FDR, and was reelected. Johnson became President upon the assassination of JFK and was reelected.

Nixon ran and lost to JFK, also ran for Governor of CA and lost, then ran for President and won.

GO 49ERS,

uh Bob...before you go making fun of anyone else's "genius"...remember that Ford wasn't elected...Agnew had resigned, then Nixon...that's how he wound up the 'accidental' President, remember? And close only counts in horsehoes, not presidential races...Rob's "very few" statement stands.

Too bad Biden himself said Hillary "might have been a better pick" than him. LOL

.....the gaffe machine has entertained us much.

He may be entertaining to those who love the punchlines...but anyone watching the baseball knows how vital Biden has been to getting things done on the Hill.

More hate and ignorance from kaybee

Weight descrimination is as bad as any other. Christy may be over weight but so are millions of other people. I am more interested in what is in his brain and what comes out of his mouth than that he enjoys food perhaps a little too much.

Judge not, lest you be judged.

Weight descrimination (sp) is as bad as any other.

dis·crim·i·nat·ing/disˈkriməˌnātiNG/

Adjective: (of a person) Having or showing refined taste or good judgment.

Perhaps Christie should be more discriminating in what he eats?

baldeagle11

Weight descrimination is as bad as any other. Christy may be over weight but so are millions of other people. I am more interested in what is in his brain and what comes out of his mouth than that he enjoys food perhaps a little too much.

Judge not, lest you be judged.

What is the point of having eyes and a brain if we don't use them?

This is what Dr. Nancy Sniderman had to say about Christie's weight issue on The Today Show:

If he (Governor Christie) showed up today and said, "I'd like to enlist in the U.S. Army," he would not meet the qualifications to serve.

So how can he be Commander-in-Chief?

This is not a time to elect President Taft. It's time to elect a President who has the fortitude to push himself away from the table and lead.

Star Jones said, "The question is that if you lack discipline in your personal life, will you lack discipline when it comes to making hard decisions?"

Obesity is a serious health issue in this country. Heart disease, Diabetes and cancer are all linked to obesity. Everyone pays for people like Christie in higher health care costs and higher insurance premiums. Governor Christie's weight and the health of America is a serious issue, and we ignore it at our peril.

I'm not going to follow down the road with the politically correct sheep who say we mustn't discuss it. Nothing is going to improve if we don't talk about it. Christie has to answer for his weight just as Ted Kennedy had to answer for his alcoholism

Indy in Illi -

Couldn't agree with you more. And yes, you'd think the GOP would have learned a lot from the Palin experience. Well, at least you would think that, and I would think that.....but will they? We shall see. Have a good weekend, and if you've got any extra snow out there, could you send some this way? :)

Off topic to you folks in the northern climes. A lot of people down here have generators as back up for power outages due to storms (hurricanes, etc.). Do a lot of people up there have the same?

IMHO any change of the VP on the ticket would be seen as desperation.

A lot of people down here have generators as back up for power outages due to storms (hurricanes, etc.). Do a lot of people up there have the same?

I am guessing not as much. I happen to have a generator if needed, but it is typically only needed in the event of an ice storm which isn't as frequent in occurrence.

Just wondered. I know ours is used to keep the fridge going and fans. Cooking can be done on a grill.

Phine...

I think generators down here are relatively new...it took those long power outages after Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma to make people realize they were a good idea!

I have a lot of family up north and I don't think any of them have a generator.

Ryan is a superstar. He should consider a Senate or Governorship run at some point...

Ummmmm...........you can blame "brain dead" (your words) Dem voters for considering another 4 more years of following Obama down the road to more debt ($15 trillion and going up) and 17% REAL unemployment.

The "brain dead" part ended with the last day in office of the worst President in modern history (that'd be GW...the guy who racked up all of the debt your just now getting around to being upset about and took this nation to the brink of financial ruin with two off the books wars, unpaid for tax cuts, and spending like there was no tomorrow). Oh forgot, for R's, GW is "he whose name we must not speak".

AP,

now, now, now....

Everyone knows that Jimmy Carter is universally considered the WORST President ever, but that's only because Obama hasn't retired yet.

Progressive,

It's only "economically devastating" for Romney, to your liberal lemming minds who have been taught to HATE wealth of any kind.

Sad but true.

let's see, we Repubs aren't "very bright " and we are "extremists" according to you.....

Here's just one of the Republican job plans = PIPELINE

Here's the Democrats job plan = PIPE DREAM

the Republican plan to reduce debt = lower tax rates and get rid of loopholes.

the Democrats plan to reduce debt = raise taxes.

LOL

What we know is that the man behind the curtain (Romney) isn't even fooling his own party..whine all ya like about just waking up to debt and unemployment...some of us remember that fellow GW and his evil cowardly lion, Cheney. Not all of us just woke up from the same long sleep you've been in.

AP,

"follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road, follow, follow, follow follow, follow the yellow brick road"

to more debt and higher unemployment.......

Go Liberals of Oz (NOT) ! LOL

dembarb,

Wow, that's not very nice.

DO YOU FEEL THE SAME way about Oprah ? Does she "turn (your) stomach too?"

Oprah just interviewed Christie and agrees with him that it isn't easy to have a weight problem.

She seems to like Christie a lot too. That woman has class, unlike some of you liberal name callers.