here is a guy to keep your political eyes on folks. he is the Massachusetts republican governor and he is talking a run for President.



he is prochoice, anti-gay marriage (which is now moot here in MA, yay!), pro-fiscal responsibility and tax cuts (but not too obnoxiously so), pro-death penalty. he is a morman. his wife has musculsar dystrophy. his father was a politician of some note someplace. he has an obnoxiously handsome family.

he is a slick politician who is very articulate, and he makes you think he has actually said something when indeed he has not. he is "comforting" in a crisis i.e. terrorist threats, natural disasters, very much like ronald regan in that regard. a smooth talker with a fatherly take-charge attitude.

he has been running Massachusetts like a business and has cleaned up some of our fiscal waste. it appears to me that he is quite hands off when it comes to governing, meaning that he tells his underlings what he wants to have happen then others make it happen. his main focus is the budget...and he has done a pretty good job with it.

while he is a comforting and trustworthy leader in a crisis, he is not hands on touchy feely like a lot of people would want. recently, we had a whole town just wash away with all the rain. he was blasted for not going tot he town to see the damage, but he got reports from his underlings nad got the emergency services going immediately. his response to the criticism was something like this: "I was well informed, i sent out the necessary emergency services, and when i am done with what i am doing, i 'll get out there and survey the damage."

he treats his lt gov (female) like something dispensible...we don't see Healy at all...and i suspect he chose her as a running mate to get he female vote.

When i see his give speeches and press conferences, i am always impressed but simulatneously waiting for the shark to emerge. there is something hidden underneath his polished demeanor...and it does not feel quite right.

and if kerry runs again? wouldn't it just piss off everyone if the two major party presidential nominees were from massachusetts?

Wait, Mass has a republican governor, WTF?

Maryland, my state, also has a republican governer. Mostly because there are no remotely decent democrats left. Except for Liberman.

yah--i think Massachusetts is bipolar. we've had a republican gov for...year and years...at least since the early 90's.

There's no way a pro-choice, moderate Republican wins the Republican nomination. The right-wing zealots in the party will not allow it. The most qualified and appealing candidate in 2000 for the Republicans was John McCain. The right-wing hated him. Hence, his nomination came to a crashing halt, even though he would have demolished Al Gore in the general election.

That's the problem with the Republican party -- they don't always put up the best, most-qualified candidate to run. They typically put up the candidate that is the most-conservative in the primaries, but who turns out to be too conservative in the general election. Your Mass. governor will be no different. Too liberal for the primary, but perfect for the general election.

I agree with this general idea, but Romney is slick, he is charismatic, a consummate politician...and not to be underestimated even if he does not toe the republican line.

. . . and from Massachusetts. To the conservative base in the South, he's a Democrat who poses as a Republican. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

I think he would be a great candidate and a welcome change for the Republican party as we know it. He could easily carry swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, etc. in the general election. The problem is, he can't win those same states' primaries, so he'll never get the chance -- which is a shame.

His father was a three term Governor for Michigan. I used to live in MA and liked Romney, it used to annoy me that the state unions used to always block he proposals for restructuring the state departments. He is a very good public speaker, much like Clinton was.

He won't win because he's Mormon. I'm not saying that's right or wrong...it's just a fact.

He's obviously a bad mormon if he's pro choice - and doesn't live in Idaho or Utah.

Fixed.

I do believe that no-names will eventually get both the Dems and GOP nominations in 2008, because everyone else has so much baggage.

He's Mormon? Oh no way in hell does he end up in the White House. True dat.

That's a stretch

Will he take away our FREAKIN' GUNS???????

no way. and he is trying to get the death penalty here in MA for "the very worst of criminals".

correction: Romney is not exactly pro-choice, but he has stated publically that the law has been made and that he has no desire to change that law.