Overheard at Breakfast

[James]

My wife and I eat breakfast twice a week at the local Panera. One of the regular groups there is a made up of about a dozen senior citizens who seem to be of the Republican persuation.

Last Tuesday one of the brothers was at the point of disolving in tears as he lamented the upcoming election. He said he wanted desperately to vote for someone other than Obama, but he had real problems with the four candidates left in the race. He listed them as: the LIAR (Romney), the idiot (Santorum), the maniac (Gingrich) and old what's his name. He asked his friends for help in seeing some redeeming value in any of the Republican candidates. His plea was absorbed by silence.

[Dave Roberts]

I suspect the group is not alone.

[Ed Pettibone]

[KeithE]

Other possibilities loom:

Jeb Bush
Guilani
Palin
Daniels
Christie
Condi Rice
Powell


Time to consider third party or independent candidates. It can happen if voters unite with the very prevalent attitude of the man at James’s Panera. OTOH, I ran into my associate pastor at Panera this morning and he pooh poohed the possibility of any 3rd Party.

[Cathy]

[Tim Bonney]

I normally hesitate to make predictions. But I will make two today:

1. Romney will be the nominee of the GOP

2. Obama will win the general election.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

I'm amazed that anyone would vote for any of the four candidates currently up.

1. Romney - Out of touch rich guy who flip flopped from liberal to conservative

2. Ron Paul - Not really a Republican with a mix of good ideas and nutty ideas.

3. Gingrich - left congress under the cloud of ethics charges, nasty, mean, and adulterous.

4. Rick Santorum - a 17th century Catholic who would welcome back the inquisition.

I mean really. It is the worst slate of candidate from the GOP in my life time.

[Haruo]

[KeithE]

[Dave Roberts]

That video was quite an indictment of the parties and the fact that they spend their time now seeking a candidate to fit their narratives rather than crafting a platform around the ideas of the winning candidate. We seem to see little else in the current cycle. It's all about appealing to the base of each party, not crafting ideas to make real differences. Eveyone knows the fringes of the parties determine the candidates and then have trouble getting support from the broad middle.

[Tim Bonney]

[James]

I've always considered myself an independant and this election reinforces my inability to cast my vote now and forever with one party.

I would like to see a none of the above choice on every ballot for every office. Imagine, if one Nov 8th we woke up to find that None of the Above won the presidential election and each party and those wishing to run as independants had 30 days to select a new candidate (one who had never thrown his or her hat in the ring) for this election. Maybe we would Colin Powell for the GOP and Hillary Clinton for the Dems. They would get two hours each to explain their platforms to the public and then a two hour debate. These hours would be on every broadcast and cable channel with no alternative programming at channels own expense (or cable channels could opt to not show anything during those hours). If Powell presented us with real choices on the future, I would vote for him. I met him back in the 1980's and liked what he had to say. He was still a 4 star general then.

[KeithE]

[Ed Pettibone]

[James]

Loser as the VP was the way it was in the beginning. It might break down the demonization of both sides.

[Gene Scarborough]

This is most interesting---what caught my attention at the beginning was how I doubted any Republican was living in the busted economy of the US--brought on by "trickle-down economics" theory and actually busting in Bush's Administration! The demise has been going on since Reagan!

I am totally amazed how--after 3 years in office--they are trying to blame Obama for it all!

Thank God that somewhere there is someone willing to admit we have a bunch of wackos around the presidential table.

I am not a died-in-the-wool Democrat. I am just a struggling businessman who feels the corncob of the Recession and (now) the one with diesel fuel and gas going through the roof---just at the time we hope for recovery.

My problem is with the entire non-caring and non-thinking stuff on all sides. People who get a royal life as paid politicians only want to get re-elected!

Get them all TERM LIMITS and let's see if they won't get something done. At the least, we won't have to put up with the log jammers more than 3 terms! Disclosure of funding in campaigns is a total FARCE!!!!!

[Sandy]

Romney is on the verge of losing his party primary in his home state to Santorum, who the polls show wouldn't be able to carry Michigan in the general election. If Santorum manages to pull the upset in Michigan, Obama's re-election chances go up over 90%. The only question will be how much of Congress will he pull with him?

[Haruo]

I think with a little luck, Santorum could be the new Goldwater.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Haruo]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Haruo]

Yes, and Johnson was (or many perceived him to be) carrying the mantle of Camelot... most people didn't quite know where Vietnam was yet... etc.

[Gene Scarborough]

It's the economy!!!!

Every presidential candidate with a bad economy going is in for trouble.

The "short memory" American voter needs to decide who and what philosophy gave us this bad economy and whether we are making progress or not.

It didn't happen overnight and it will not end overnight.

The great disappointment for me is that FDR had enough sense to help the American farmer---most numerous small business in the US---first. Thus far only the large businesses have been helped with tax money.

Banks still aren't loaning money and the auto industry got good reviews for its products this year. For an industry still 32% owned by the voter it begs the question:

Why aren't the prices of new cars reduced by that amount paid by us????