I don't think so. For example he could incentive business to build in low income areas and provide jobs to the poor by exempting profits made there from the 9% corporate tax or some permutation of that.

I've never understood this sentiment.

I agree that as far as foreign policy is concerned, the 2 parties are very similar. But as far as domestic policy is concerned there is a significant difference. Would not one consider Romney close to the capitalist pole and Obama nearer to the Euro-socialist model?

That isn't an insignificant difference in political philosophy.

I am surprised that Gingrich has made it to third place in the polls, especially given how late this is in the game, and I am much less sure Romney will win than I was a few weeks ago. If Romney does not win, then I think it will be Gingrich who gets the nomination. I don't think Cain or Perry have a legitimate shot, and Gingrich is the only viable non-Romney candidate.

In terms of the debate tonight, I don't see any upside for Cain, but I see a lot of upside for Gingrich. I expect Gingrich's stock to rise in the coming days and weeks, partly off the strength of his showing in the debate tonight, and also because after Cain's inevitable collapse, I think most of Cain's supporters will go to Gingrich instead of Perry or Romney.

Gingrich is by far the best speaker and debater of all the nominees, and he is the best at expressing his ideas. With all the focus on Cain's sexual harrassment problems, I think it helps to sweep Gingrich's past personal problems, which are the only significant obstacle to his nomination, under the rug. I'm not (yet) predicting that Gingrich is going to take the nomination, but I do think his stock is about to rise. According to intrade, Gingrich currently has a 7.7% chance to win the nomination; I think that number will be a good bit higher in a few weeks.

surely Perry is the only possible alternative to Romney winning? Cain had slim to none chances even before the sex scandal. Gingrich is the most unlikeable guy they have. Even more than Santorum. Gingrich is supposed to be some great thinker within the party but i haven't seen any big ideas or policies. the social conservatives have big issues with him and the tea party fiscal group have their support scattered around too many other candidates. surely the republican base if not the elites know that Newt Gingrich is toxic to the general population? his personal history? the crazy rhetoric he uses? nothing is presidential about him. luckily, he's not trying to be the nominee.

pretty much. i am not saying that if Cain or Gingrich suddenly found themselves at the convention with enough delegates that they would make a speech syaing they cannot go through and will quit on the spot there. i'm not saying that if by some miracle they beat Obama in the general election that they would give up the chance to be president.

what i am saying is that they both know they have a tiny chance if any of being the nominee and even smaller of being president. both seem like smart guys business wise. not nice guys. but smart enough to not waste an enitre year if their lives (even in a part-time campaign) for a less than 1% chance of victory.

so there must be other rewards for them if they don't win. such as book sales, dvd sales, speaking fees. positions on executive boards of right wing think tanks etc.

So it doesn't bother anybody that Cain is "the Koch Brothers brother from anutha-mutha"?

pretty sad they couldn't buy someone educated.

he has a degree in computer science from purdue

Anyway, yes I would find it fairly disturbing if the koch bros were seriously all in on cain... but is that true?( like serious question I don't know) is it confirmed they funded his campaign? the thing I read sounded substantiated but not 100% confirmed. But more importantly if they did fund his campaign does that really mean they are pushing him as their guy? Big corps and executives have been shown to give to both dems and republicans so maybye they are just throwing him a bone as a sign of goodwill?

I think it's pretty clear that Gingrich's run was almost solely to build his brand and monetize his elevated status within the party. Cain is less clear, he started as an unknown and he can use this experience to polish his game for a future run at political office.
How about the other minor candidates? RP has no better chance of winning that Gingrich/Cain but he is spreading his unique political philosophy. Huntsman looks like he is angling for a cabinet position. Bachmann is (was) trying to position herself as the leader of the Tea party and Santorum is strengthening his position as the anti-gay frothy mix douchebag.

Cain's campaign raised 3M in October from 65,000 donors.

I'd ask for a refund after his comment about China

I think you underestimate Newt. He rivals, if not surpasses Romney, in general intelligence and eloquence. Both are really bright, well-spoken, and impressive.

Where you are correct that Newt has really significant likability and character concerns, Romney has likability concerns of his own. I don't think there's any widespread view that he's an ass or anything like Newt is, but he's entirely unrelateable. He's robotic and comes off as disingenuous. It mitigates his advantage in likability quite a bit. Who wins the "I want to have a beer with that guy" award? Well, neither really, but if I had to choose one it wouldn't be a slam dunk. I wish that factor wasn't as significant as it is, but reality sucks sometimes.

Romney doesn't have Newt's personal character concerns, he seems to have lived a pretty scandal-free life or something significant surely would have been found by now...but he does have significant concerns to the Republican base where people just aren't fully sure that he's sincere about being a real conservative. That's huge, and there are no significant concerns to that effect with Newt. And, as I've said, every spike in the polls you see for Newt is real (as opposed to Cain's that is more likely to come crashing down in a hurry if and when things get bad/worse), because I don't think any measurable part of the population saying they'd support him is unaware of his skeletons.

The electability problem for Newt is real and may ultimately doom him, but we'll have to see just how his brand name is doing if and when he becomes an actual contender in the GOP race.

None of this is to say that I think Gingrich is going to be the nominee; I definitely think that Romney is a clear favorite. But don't sleep on Newt. I might like his odds better than Perry's, especially as I don't believe that his electability problems are any worse than Perry's are.

The 'who do I want to have a beer with' test is pretty hilarious for this crew, because nobody wants to have a beer with any of them, with the possible exception of Bachmann for ppl with MILF fetishes. Just a miserable group of people.

Oh I don't know, I think Cain does pretty well by that standard, which is undoubtedly some of the reason for his nice poll numbers.

Of course, that standard would have probably given us Huckabee last time, so I'm glad it doesn't always win the day.

We already know Herman Cain would not be a good wingman.

Go Hawkeyes!

Expert and expert right there. Well done.

This a Republican primary...
And the base wants a "real" Conservative...
That's the test for hardcore primary voters.

Cain, Perry, Gingrich can all pass that test...
But Romney has flat-lined at 25% forever...
Because he can NEVER pass that test.

It will come down to a 2 man race.

Since Cain is basically an amateur...
And Perry is a poor strategist and communicator...
That 2 man race may very well be Romney-Gingrich.

Newt's "Rose Garden"/"Lost Vacation" strategy was brilliant...
He's now tied for 3rd at 10-14%...
And starting the race for 2nd with only Cain to beat.

Gingrich would wipe the floor with Obama in 2012...
He's an Adult = would take back America from Crazies.

I'll have some of what he's smoking.

Must watch lololol

That is brilliant.

"becky beckystan", lulz.

174th on Amanzon? you think that is bad? any idea how many books are sold to get rank 174? and how much royalty money he'll get for it? hit net worth is around $5m iirc from some public disclosure document. this book deal will represent a signigficant chunk of change to him.

HERE'S THE OBVIOUS CLUE: Cain's book is ABOUT his run for the white house and his campaign. it's title is something like "my journey to the white house". obv a huge amount of the book will focus on his background before the campaign but still... the book is about his candidacy for president.

if Cain was not running for President, would this book be published? i say no it wouldn't. if it would be published, it's title would certainly be different. something like "i'm a random CEO you've never heard of. please make me richer". this book would sell far less copies because people haven't heard of him AND because people don't have any need or motive to hear about him. they do have the need/motive now that he may the their future president. do you see how the book is integral to his campaign?

romney and perry's books are very different. they are books that are being used for self promotion and propaganda in order to get elected. obv they make money too but romney certainly doesn't need it and perry seems pretty serious about wanting to be the nominee.

#174 is actually pathetic...
Cain will get not much more than his advance...
No wonder he's only worth a paltry $5,000,000...
Cain is not even "rich"...
He may even qualify for food stamps somewhere.

And I just got another hallucination...
Forget about the Reagan-Carter rerun.

It's gonna be the 1968 Nixon-Humphrey rerun...
Where a truly "unlikable", but competent, Nixon won...
With the Democratic party wedded to...
A freaky, anarchic, chaotic, violent protest movement.

And Nixon won in a landslide...
If you account for Wallace siphoning off 5% of vote.

Gingrich = Nixon.

guessing ur being sarcastic about $5m not being rich? it's a lot but right wingers are greedy. so if Cain can make even $1m of book advance + sales + raise his profile for future speaking fees and maybe a tv deal with Fox News than his fake fun for the presidency will add a significant percentage to his net worth.

i mean... come on... are liberals really the only ones who see it for the sham campaign it is?

everything about Cain's campaign screams "i do not want to win". the idiots he hires to do his ads. the moron who smokes in the ad. the quotes of him saying ubekibekistan etc. i think it's certain that he has to know that stuff won't appeal to enough voters to get him the nomination and especially to beat obama in the general.

his policies scream fake too. 999 plan? it's the Bush tax cuts on STEROIDS. huge giveaways to the rich while punishing the poor. many people hold those views but most are smart enough to know they could never be elected so it would be a waste of time. e.g some racist conspiracy nutjob in Montana would like to be President but he knows his views are toxic to the mainstream so no chance.

so since he has no chance, ask yourself if there are any other prizes in the nominating process for president? answer = yes. tons. some candidates will want a VP slot. some cabniet position. some a tv deal. some book sales. some speaking fees.

the point is there ismotive and benefit to him running even if he can't win. which is what he is doing.

this really isn't some crazy theory. look at the guy and everything he's said/done campaign wise. we all know it's not presidential material. he does too. but he carries on to make money and fleece the tea party muppets of their money.