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President Barbour?

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^_^ Grand Master

^_^   5,021

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Dedicated readers of this blog will no doubt remember that shortly before Christmas I made this prediction: if Haley Barbour made a more than milquetoasty apology for his bone-headed comments defending the segregationist Citizens Councils in Mississippi, it would mean that he was running for president. He made such an apology, and I guess I have to put my political capital where my mouth is and defend the notion of a President Barbour.

I think both my Texan colleague and Josh Marshall come down a trifle too hard on Mr Barbour. Does he have a strong accent? Yes. Is he comfortable in smoke-filled rooms? No doubt. Where Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, for instance, seem to love the wonky side of politics, Mr Barbour seems most comfortable with the horse-trading aspect of it—it's what has made him such a successful lobbyist. He knows and likes the game, and to be a successful politician these days it helps to at least pretend you find the game distasteful.

But what makes Mr Barbour an intriguing candidate is that he seems to straddle the divide between populists and managers. He has a common touch that, say, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty lack; he has a political savvy and a familiarity with Washington that Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee lack. This might make him unpalatable to either side, but if he can thread the needle he could appeal to both sides. But then, of course, there is the general election, and here my colleague and Mr Marshall are on firmer ground. It is difficult to see Mr Barbour making significant inroads amongst urban voters along the coasts or in the midwest. To do so he would need a Jeremiah Wright moment; he would need to confront his own messy history with race (and that of the white South and Republican Party) head-on. Can he do that if he wants to? Sure, maybe. Would it hurt him among Republicans? Not if he does it after the primary election. Is this new habit I seem to have picked up of asking questions that I then answer annoying and cheap? Yes, very, but it's also convenient.

Mr Barbour's term ends in 2011. It's difficult to envision him running for Senate in order to be one of 100 after heading a state and a political party; if he doesn't run for president now he never will (and it's worth mentioning that "The Dukes of Hazzard" has been off the air for a while now). His road to the White House is rough, but it's far from unmanageable.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/12/haley_barbour_0?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/standdown

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peejay Mentor

peejay   327

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Two years is a millennium in American politics. I wouldn't waste more than a few sentences on the prospects of who will be elected president in 2012. Barbour? Who knows?

"Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave."

"...for the system to be credible, people actually have to be deported at the end of the process."

US Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-TX)

Testimony to the House Immigration Subcommittee, February 24, 1995

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peejay Mentor

peejay   327

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The Iowa caucuses are a year away.

So a year is half a millennium. LoL

"Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave."

"...for the system to be credible, people actually have to be deported at the end of the process."

US Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-TX)

Testimony to the House Immigration Subcommittee, February 24, 1995

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peejay Mentor

peejay   327

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Haley Barbour?

Don't make me laugh :rofl:

What's so funny? If a community activist with little experience and questionable associations can be president, the bar has been set pretty low already.

"Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave."

"...for the system to be credible, people actually have to be deported at the end of the process."

US Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-TX)

Testimony to the House Immigration Subcommittee, February 24, 1995

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Pooky Grand Master

Pooky   3,348

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What's so funny? If a community activist with little experience and questionable associations can be president, the bar has been set pretty low already.

Fool me once, shame on you (the Washington machine).

Fool me twice, shame on me (the American electorate).

Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to myself

2011-11-15.garfield.png

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Pooky Grand Master

Pooky   3,348

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Do you really want to go back to Jimmy Carter, Tricky Dicky, or even further?

If you do, the American Electorate can be said to have been 2 generations of fools ;)

If we're going on experience, even BushBaby had way more than Obama coming into the White House. Just goes to show that even experience is not enough, although lack of experience takes away even that asset from a President.

Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to myself

2011-11-15.garfield.png

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