Conservatives Want Condi in 2008
Over at The Mighty Middle, Michael Reynolds gives his take on a recent conservative blogger poll rating the most-desired Republican presidential candidate for 2008.
Surprisingly, Condi Rice won. Wouldn't that be a category-busting, stand-up-and-take notice Republican nominee? Michael thinks she's popular mainly because she's the anti-Hillary. That's part of it. But I think it goes deeper. Since most people assume Cheney won't run, conservatives are seeking the person most likely to continue the Bush legacy. A Rice win would validate the entire War on Terror and specifically the Iraq War.
So, a Rice candidacy would 1) be a victory for the Bushies and 2) neutralize the Hillary effect. Primary voters might consider #1 but I doubt they'd be so strategic as to consider #2. Rice may be religious but she's also said to be pro-choice. Could a single black pro-choice woman really make it through a Republican primary? I'd like to think the less-savory elements of the Republican party wouldn't raise their bigoted heads, but I imagine they would.
When given the choice between a single black pro-choice woman and a white male pro-lifer like George Allen, a fair number of Republican primary voters aren't going to pull the lever for Condi.
Nevertheless, I hope her current support motivates her to run. I would love to see her in the race. She's a brilliant and fascinating woman and while she's never held elected office, I think her time in the Bush Administration makes her just as qualified as any small-state Governor or big-city mayor would be.
I don't know if I'd vote for her, but I certainly wouldn't write her off until I heard a lot of what she had to say.
Surprisingly, Condi Rice won. Wouldn't that be a category-busting, stand-up-and-take notice Republican nominee? Michael thinks she's popular mainly because she's the anti-Hillary. That's part of it. But I think it goes deeper. Since most people assume Cheney won't run, conservatives are seeking the person most likely to continue the Bush legacy. A Rice win would validate the entire War on Terror and specifically the Iraq War.
So, a Rice candidacy would 1) be a victory for the Bushies and 2) neutralize the Hillary effect. Primary voters might consider #1 but I doubt they'd be so strategic as to consider #2. Rice may be religious but she's also said to be pro-choice. Could a single black pro-choice woman really make it through a Republican primary? I'd like to think the less-savory elements of the Republican party wouldn't raise their bigoted heads, but I imagine they would.
When given the choice between a single black pro-choice woman and a white male pro-lifer like George Allen, a fair number of Republican primary voters aren't going to pull the lever for Condi.
Nevertheless, I hope her current support motivates her to run. I would love to see her in the race. She's a brilliant and fascinating woman and while she's never held elected office, I think her time in the Bush Administration makes her just as qualified as any small-state Governor or big-city mayor would be.
I don't know if I'd vote for her, but I certainly wouldn't write her off until I heard a lot of what she had to say.
posted by Alan Stewart Carl at 10:46 AM
1 Comments:
Definitely not a statistically significant survey, true. But those bloggers are opinion leaders, so I think it's still an important result.
As for Democratic Underground...I've always imagined they're just a bunch of college students who think they have the whole world figured out. At least I hope they're mainly kids that will grow out of their militancy.
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