Do You Think the Answer Is Still Someone Else Out There?

I have listened to Steve Forbes speak for a good decade...I would vote for him in a heartbeat!

~Sadly, IMHO: The only reason he would never be elected is because...quite frankly the man is very scary (creepy) looking...so sad!

My honest opionion, all the running candidates are a bunch of all clowns. It is very hard to fix what a previous president has done wrong to the country. No matter who comes along republican/democratic will have a hard time fixing all the wrong doing of the previous presidents. Not to mention that some have made worst situations than others. Even worst if they only have a chance of a 4year term, this is not enought time to make an improvement to a country.
Chicago just had a change of mayor...the new mayor has come in an made huge changes. Starting with rasing fees, parking fees, city sticker fees,etc- this raises revenue to the city's budget. Good for the city-bad for the residents. Its a never win case.

Personally, I am a registered Republican but I am Hillary Clinton's biggest fan. That woman has more experience, dare I say than our current POTUS, in being in the trenches, working for the average Joe, identifying needs of the poor and down-trodden and by golly, as Secretary of State she now has global vision in knowing how to position the US as a leader in the free world and beyond. I just wish her foreign policies reflects more support for Americans and our military.

I would listen to her. I honestly wish she were running. I was fortunate enough to be in New Orleans when she and Obama were playing the primaries in 2007 and she was AMAZING to listen to. Hillary knows her stuff and her experience shows she knows how to deal w/Americans on any economic, intellectual, demographic level. Obama...well, he just tries to appeal to whoever he is in current company with. You should have heard him in NOLA...all he talked about was rebuilding the community and you would have thought he was going to swing a hammer to help NOLA once he was in office but I seriously can't recall any major move Obama has done since then to help NOLA. To this day I still can't understand how he won that year's Democratic nomination.

Hillary for President in 2016!!!!

Jeb Bartlett. Ethical, responsible, compassionate progressive. (unfortunately fictional, but other than that vastly, better than the competition).

Unfortunately the right has moved so far to the right that there is no where for moderate fiscal conservatives who want the government out of their bedrooms to go - it truly horrifies my parents that they will be 'forced' to vote for Obama again - it was the first time my dad voted democratic in his life and the second time for my mom (she voted for JFK). I would prefer a more progressive option - but NOT at the risk of putting one of the other clowns in office. It might be a different world today (maybe a little cooler) if Ralph Nader hadn't run - my vote will not go there.

Ron Paul is NOT a libertarian. Libertarians believe in small government - not your government in MY bedroom, MY doctor's office and MY marriage. Ron Paul is an isolationist who believes he knows how many children I should have. Sorry.

Libby:

I'm sooo glad you are doing research and thinking!! Not just going with what the media tells us....in 2008 we were in the same boat - our options sucked. I would've preferred Clinton over Obama any day. I think she would've done better. I know she's got balls and wish she would run against Obama NOW.

it's hard. The choices are not the best - however, they are better than what we have now (my opinion and others as well).

Do I think there is another option out there? Probably.

Ron Paul scares the living bejesus out of people because his platform is simple - VERY SMALL government and people are held accountable for their actions...for sooo many decades we have NOT really been held accountable for our actions and we are now reaping what we sowed. Sucks doesn't it? Ron Paul is the antithesis of Obama - where Obama is an extreme liberal - Paul is an extreme libertarian. So totally opposite in their convictions and platform.

The reporters will continue to bash and down play ANYONE who poses a threat to Obama...there will be people who disagree with that - but it's true. The media will skewer ANYONE (think Palin, Cain and Joe the Plumber) anyone who threatens Obama's presidency...too bad the media didn't skewer, examine and drag every skeleton Obama had in his closet in 2007 and 2008...it would've been VERY different.

No one will be perfect. The mess we were in was NOT JUST Bush's doing as Obama supporters say. It was DECADES in the making and WE ALL are accountable for it - lack of voting, voting party lines, not researching the candidates, etc.

I'm sure I'll get bashed for this - but it's all documented and facts...

Keep in mind - under Obama we have had NO FEDERAL BUDGET for THREE YEARS!! It's all been continuing resolutions (CRs) lasting anywhere from 24 hours to 9 months. But NO BUDGET. Our deficit has TRIPLED...
Unemployment is still high (and don't let the seasonal hirings of Nov/Dec/Jan mislead you).
Gas is STILL above $3 a gallon (when he took office it was $1.79 here in DC)
He got us into ANOTHER war (Libya) without congressional approval.
He is TRYING to circumvent the system by doing recess appointments - which is WRONG - and EVEN THE DEMOCRATS are telling him it's WRONG!!!

So when you are looking for a candidate - you need to make a list of YOUR priorities and how the candidate will WORK FOR YOU. Look at their voting history if they are currently a member of congress or the house...(if you looked at Obama's record while he was in IL, you would see that he didn't show up most of the time and voted 3 times....) their votes will tell you HOW THEY REALLY are, not what they are TELLING YOU.

As for me? Right now? Anyone BUT Obama. Most are clowns, but in MY opinion, they are and will be better than what we have now.

ETA: Zakaria is ineligible to run for President. he is NOT a natural born citizen. He is a smart man though (even though he works for CNN!!) :) We could open another can of worms about Obama's eligibility as well, couldn't we?

I don't like ANYONE. However, Ron Paul scares me the most. He is toeing the line of believing in anarchy. Not only that, his record is abysmal. I think he's had 3-4 things passed. NOTHING he wants to accomplish would get passed, and he would just be veto happy.

I don't believe a president will save our country. I think it's much more complicated then that. I'm honestly undecided on what needs to happen.

Here is an article that may help, Libby. It is an old article, but is still pertinent.

http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2007/08/wha...

"Ron Paul is one of only a few members of Congress who always votes according to his principles, and truly believes in Constitutional limits on the power of government. On spending, on taxes, on freedom from an overbearing government, he’s great. I also agree for the most part with his take on foreign aid, and in always putting America first.

Where I disagree with Ron Paul, in domestic terms, is in his inability to compromise or rally anyone to his side to get anything accomplished. He’s a go-it-alone, all-or-nothing kind of guy. It’s admirable in a sense, but also unhelpful, to vote against every bill because it happens to fund a federal education plan, or because it contains a million dollar grant to Uganda. At a certain point, you have to vote on the best bill you can get; bills are never going to come out of Congress perfect. Because he will never bend, most of his votes are essentially meaningless and counter-productive.

On foreign policy and trade, I disagree totally with Ron Paul. He is an isolationist and is against free trade, while I believe that 9/11 calls for increased involvement (at least diplomatically) and more trade with other nations.

Some of Paul’s inability to bend spills over into defense and security issues, as well. He votes against bills that help Government detect and fight terrorism, arguing that they mean more government invasion of our privacy. A fair concern, to be sure, but ultimately unjustified in my view. For me, it reveals that Ron Paul has the right ideas but the wrong priorities, especially in our current fight against terrorism. I think his policies would make us less safe, more vulnerable, less able to detect and respond to terrorist groups.

I’ve read some of his articles and speeches, and he also seems to be a bit of a conspiracy nut. And so it doesn’t surprise me that the people supporting him most, at least around here, are the John Birchers, the folks who think 9/11 was an “inside job,” people who think everything they disagree with is “unconstitutional,” etc. These are folks I agree with 99%, but who consider me liberal.

No offense, though, if you like him. Because, like I said, he really does have some great qualities.

I do think a lot can be deduced about someone by simply observing who it is that is passionate about what that someone has to say. Ron Paul is backed by too many people I consider to be a bit kookish and he does little, very little, to distance himself from them.

That's a problem."

Now, Libby, here are my thoughts. Ron Paul is a libertarian in the truest sense (not the nut job libertarians in the present party, but the philosophical ones). In a different world I would actually agree with a lot of what he says since he is a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. The problem is the same problem that exists with Communism - neither Libertarian nor Communist ideas really work in the real world. One side eviscerates government and is pretty much every person for themselves, while the other is at the extreme of government intervention and control.

We are fundamentally a Federal Republic (not a democracy if you are keeping score) and the issue of the dominance of states’ rights vs. federal rights was settled by the civil war long ago. Paul suggests eliminating the Federal Reserve for example, as excessive intrusion by the government in private affairs. However, we have to have a monetary policy and it has to be managed. Even though some may argue that the Fed is not as effective as it might be (and in the most recent recession contributed to the magnitude by continuing to loosen money policies longer than they should have), when the crisis hit the Fed was very effective at reducing panic and preventing runs on banks and other financial institutions. Agree or disagree with TARP and TALF, having a lender of last resort prevented the failure of virtually every major financial institution in the US.

Libby, imagine a world with no Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, or other social services, no national educational standards, no foreign aid or foreign based troops and limited military (no ability to project force due to Paul’s isolationist views), therefore neither a carrot nor a stick to influence world events, where each state is regulating commerce on its own so business rules vary state to state, where FEMA does not exist as local disasters like tornados or hurricanes are considered local problems, where emergency rooms can turn away the uninsured, yet there is no mandate to insure, and the insurer has the right of recession (I can only imagine the calls to insurance companies “How much will it cost to take care of him?” “oh about $30,000” Ook thanks, just let him know we are cancelling his policy and wish him luck”). While I applaud Paul’s consistency, sincerity and willingness to clearly stake a position, I do not want to live in a world that reflects his values.

The thing that shocks me is listening to people say they would either vote for Ron Paul or Hillary Clinton. Does this mean they have no clue what Ron Paul believes? Or do they not understand that these two people are absolutely opposite? How does this make sense?

And I have to say I am rolling my eyes over people STILL going on and on about where Obama was born. Oh please!

You mention having someone run against Obama. The Democrats and Hillary Clinton are smart enough to know that if they did that, they would be handing the presidency to the Republicans. I think that if the American people want a president other than Obama, and they want an America they recognize, and not what I've written about here, or a Newt Gringrich CORPORATE run government, they would be smart to vote for Mitt Romney, and get over the fact that he is a Mormon. What a stupid reason to have a problem voting for a president.

Dawn
Hope this helps!

The way I see it with the NDAA: Hello! If you don't want to be detained without trial for terrorism, keep your nose clean.

Do you really think a Republican would not have signed the NDAA? Don't forget Bush and Cheney were not champions of civil liberties.

President Obama is not less humanitarian to every day Joes on this issue. If you're looking for more fairness and freedom for the average Joe, looking Right is the wrong direction to look.

Obama is not a wuss or a flaming liberal, he is very tough regarding the military, which is why he signed the NDAA. No, it's not Left enough for some of us, but it's still far preferable to the Right.

ALSO, I do sympathize with the GOP only having kooks this time around to pick from. They should just back Romney, but he's not going to beat President Obama.

Where are the normal intelligent non crazy conservative candidates? I don't know, but not in this race. President Obama is the most moderate choice-in other words, best for general population.

If McCain (WITHOUT crazy Palin) and Hillary were the candidates this time around, that would be a TOUGH race. (And I'd Vote Hillary)

I think the transformation from wide eyed idealist, to hardened administrator is fascinating. Something clearly happens in the "behind closed doors" security briefings. Our President is a principled man that lives his values. If he has signed things that contradict his values, I know it was for the greater good. If he backs down on something he holds important, I know it was a necessary compromise. If he has reveresed his position on certain matters, I know it is for our safety. I believe that there are things we are not privy to, that only a President will ever actually know. I have faith in him, like a father, to make decisions and shield me from some of the dirtier details. Do I think someone new will make a differance? No, because they will be subject to the same transformation. The wieght of the world. The greatest responsibility in the world. The fate of millions. That has to make a man realign priorities.

I think the mainstream media will continue to downplay all the republican candidates. They want Obama to be re-elected. That being said, I would like to take a little bit from every candidate and that would make my "perfect" candidate. I will vote ABO (anyone but Obama). I believe the republican slate is much better than what we currently have. I have never seen a president so disconnected, and have so much contempt for a large section of the population.

I like Ron Paul's domestic agenda, but his foreign is totally out there and that is why I could never support him.

The right has now moved so far right that there are no reasonable choices as a Republican candidate. Ron Paul intrigues me too but every time I look a little closer, read what he believes, I find myself thinking he's a crackpot. He is a person running to be the leader of a government he believes should not exist. Also while I do think we need to stop policing the world, having Paul in charge of foreign policy is frightening.

People actually think Obama is an extreme liberal? In comparison to who, our last president? Michelle Bachman? Rush Limbaugh? Obama is so moderate it isn't even funny compared to our other choices so far.

I think you've been listening to too many "occupyers" I think they are fed up and rightfully so but if we don't re-elect Obama we will then be stuck in the process of this big old country turning even further right. With that will come more politcal and social changes that will put us in even worse shape then we are now. Didn't we spend eight long years moving in that direction just a while back? We are now in real trouble and turning decades of mistakes around is going to take a lot more time and alot more bold moves.

Please don't forget old Ralph Nadar. Can't help imagining where we'd be if he had never run. May not be all roses but I know for sure the damage of the Bush legacy wouldn't be on our books.

I personally still support Obama and I actually believe that the reason he hasn’t done more is because he can’t do it without House support and because unfortunately, any candidate can have the best intentions, but when they actually get to the presidency and get all the facts, not everything is doable or convenient.
That being said, I try to be open minded and if there was a candidate on the Right that I believed could do better, I could consider it, but I the only one I actually like and that seems to make sense without looking too radical is Huntsman. I wish I could hear more of his ideas and have the press cover him more.
I know for a fact that if any of the others win the nomination, they will not have my support as candidates, but will definitely have my prayers to help them guide this Country if they do win the Presidency and I’ll only wish them success in all their decisions, even when I didn’t believe it’s the way to go.
Lets pray we all make the right choice on the upcoming elections.

The only REAL way to fix this mess is to revamp our entire political system.

Think that's gonna happen?

The last few presidents have been elected because: The previous guys term was up and/or they were the 'best' option. Not necessarily the right person, but the best option at the time. Obama DID NOT get this nation where it is, it took decades to get us where we are. He hasn't done much to make it better, but this isn't his fault.
This nation doesn't like change. And if none of the current candidates step up and really show they can/will change where we are, Obama will be re-elected. I'm a Ron Paul fan myself and will most likely vote for him. But current no candidates have the 'masses' behind them, so like I said unless something amazing comes out of one of their campaigns, it's Obama for 4 more. That's just my opinion...

Libby,
If every US citizen of voting age gave as much time and attention to the power of their VOTE, this nation would be a better place.

Do I think someone "new" is going to ride in on a white horse and steal the day? Not really.

I find it very hard to believe that this is all the GOP's "got" though. Maybe others will come forward.
ALL candidates undergo scrutiny--right or left, black or white. As the GOP candidates fall, it seems conservatives have a short memory.

Until lots and lots of money is necessary for a presidential campaign--this is what it's going to look like.

As for the NDAA, I agree with Amy J.

No O. presidential candidate is going to align exactly with each of their supporter's issues.

All we can do as voters, is look at the overall picture, and vote for who we feel can do the most good--or, at the very least, the least harm.

I don't think there is anyone else out there to come forward and I don’t think anyone wants to.
I for one like Ron Paul. He has predicted our situation for years now and has not changed his views on anything. I think it is time for Americans to start being responsible for their own choices, actions etc. and I would prefer less government involvement in our lives. I am sick and tired of our government telling me how to live. I don’t think there will ever be a perfect candidate since our country is a mix of so many different views.
I can't help but think about the movie V for Vendetta and if we are headed for that kind of life if either of the extreme sides wins. They seem to want to control every aspect of our lives.

Sorry I do not have any answers but I agree with you that options we have before us totally suck! There are so many issues being ignored and it has become a personality/ beauty contest instead of who CAN and will do a GOOD job for the country.

I had a doctor appointment January 3. I expected the doctor's office to verify insurance but after waiting for hours after my appointment time I learned the insurance company had to pre-approve my treatment. I finally left about 5:30 without a treatment because the insurance never authorized treatment.

My insurance company and treatment is the same for 2010 and 2011. When I asked the doctor's office about it they said it was part of the new healthcare plan.

I am anxious the other responses you are going to get. I am tired of all the white house vacations and parties when we are having a difficult time making ends meet! I am also tired of congress and the president having a life time retirement for a part time job. We don't have a paid retirement no matter how long we work.

When options really suck, you go with someone you *know* and *is known* to be the lesser of the evils.

I'm okay with the candidates we have. I don't pay attention to the negative ads and only focus on what they say about themselves and their proven history. So, to those candidates that are talked about as "no good", I don't think that is true. I don't change my opinion on a whim based on a negative ad or mud slinging.

I also know that no one is perfect, and that politics make a person be a way that they wouldn't be otherwise (we are family friends with our governor -should I say our GREAT Governor, who is doing a fantastic job- and even closer to his family, we try our best to make sure that he stays grounded and himself... its hard)

Case in point: I don't hate Herman Cain at all because of the negative stuff against him. True or not, it was NEVER proven and one's personal life of that nature doesn't have anything to do with how they would lead a country.

If there was another Democrat candidate, I think that would greatly increase the chance of that party winning the next election. I know there has been talk about Hilary Clinton, but that would be a bold and controversial move, therefore unlikely.

Is this just a fantasy question? Who is our fantasy candidate? Because certainly nothing is going to change for this election cycle. We're stuck with what we've got.

We can't comment on Ron Paul?

Okay, my fantasy candidate is Fareed Zakaria, who I think is one of the smartest men in this country. But he's unlikely to run, and smart doesn't necessarily make someone a good politician, as we have seen.

Cheryl: I love ya, but Obama's a citizen. That can's been closed.

I'd like to see Giuliani, but he is not running.