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BLITZER’S BLOG: In GOP race, anything could happen
By CNN’s Wolf Blitzer
(CNN) - At this point eight years ago, in September 2003, several national polls showed Howard Dean and Wesley Clark were one and two in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
At this point four years ago, in September 2007, several national polls showed Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson were one and two in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Right now, the national polls show Rick Perry and Mitt Romney are number one and two in the race for the Republican nomination.
So does that mean Perry and Romney will fade as the other four did?
Not necessarily. One of them might yet win the nomination.
On the other hand, someone else could win as well – someone already in the race for the nomination or, perhaps, someone who is yet to jump in.
In other words, it is still very much a wide open race.
There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s why I love covering politics.
There are many different scenarios that could yet unfold, including a lengthy primary battle similar to the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton contest four years ago. Remember, we didn’t know the winner until June 2008 – just weeks before the Democratic convention in Denver. That could happen again now in the Republican race for the White House.
One other possibility is even more dramatic. The contest actually could continue until the Republican convention next summer in Tampa, Florida. Some GOP insiders already have speculated about that.
And don’t forget there is yet another huge wild card – the possibility of a serious third-party candidate yet emerging.
Bottom line: get ready for a wild political ride.
RELATED STORY: CNN Poll: Perry still at top but Romney stronger vs. Obama
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Post by: Filed under: 2012 election • Wolf Blitzer |
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Wonder which one will take the opportunity to speak with the American citizens gathered, called Occupy Wall Street in an effort to explain their economic agenda ?
Rubio for Vice President !
Operation Twist working for ya ?
"Twistin The Night Away"...Sam Cooke and we'll all be "Dancin In The Streets." Seeing the Republican and Democratic party politics washed up on shore like jellyfish burned and melting in the sand of which you don't step on but walk around."Washed A-shore..on a lonely Island by the sea." A new party soars like an eagle with wings for a fearless flight. Never under estimate the power of We The People.Jackie Wilson sings "Higher and Higher. " What have the Democrats and Republicans done for the USA ? Bank-rupted it and no jobs. You're fired ! Next Party step right up !
Trump is such a jerk I don't know why any serious Presidential Candidate would associate with him. On another note, I would love to see Mr. Blitzer have a sit down with Lindsey Graham, and for Mr. Blitzer, to ask Lindsey why he isn't running for President. Doug.
i will like the GOP to bring out sarah pelin , so the obama will really really win the next election with 98 percent,. thank u.
Somebody asked why Obama will go to an expensive fund raising party but want to cut their SS and medicare. Folks, it is NOT Obama who wants to cut SS and medicare. It is the Repubs, especially tea partiers. They say let people without insurance die. They say (Perry) SS is a pnnzi scheme. Rep Ryan's budget will get rid of medicare in 10 years and replace it with vouchers to private insurance. On and on. It is repubs who want to get rid of SS and medicare, not Obama. How can you be so wrong?
Ron Paul is the only candidate worth a vote. He tells it like it is.
the longer this drags out the worst it is for the GOP
Huntsman could be unstoppable, with broad support up the middle, but he's just not crazy enough to gt the nomination. Strange times we live in.
I've chosen you and CNN as my "honest broker" in this news orgy...To give Donald Trump as much time as you just did is truly reprehensible and I'm starting to wonder
Puhleeze! The party of NO should just hang it up.
Wolf, I bet you enjoy covering politics when its this wild. The only problem is that we, the people, have serious problems associated with home equity, jobs, income and pensions. While you report on and, dare I say it, encourage a circus, we need a leader. If this process, that appears to me as nothing but a vehicle for the media, is going to encourage the emrgence of a rationl, competent President, able to steer our country through very rough waters, then so be it. But I have my doubts. To me it looks like we have an incoherent democracy.
If you're not voting for Ron Paul, it doesn't matter who you vote for. Everybody else is the same.
If you're not voting for Ron Paul, then your only decision is – Do you prefer to have your freedom and fortune eroded from the right side or the left?
I like Ron but his foreign policys are pretty weak. his policy on the boarder is a little confusing as well. other than that i agree with what he stands for. i think hes a pretty honest guy. if he was vice president or ran with Newt, i think that would be awesome....but i doubt that would happen.
my thoughts exactly, sir, except not quite so extreme.
Unless its Huntsmann (and it won't be), whoever they put out makes no difference to me. You can paint crazy any color you like...at the end of the day, its still crazy.
As a life long Repub I say it is now the time to dispense with the two media front runners. Romney and Perry are not what this party needs. Jon Huntsman or Gary Johnson give more credibility to the race. If religious choices are what makes up this party in 2012 then it is doomed to lose.
The problem black people have had in this country is their own doing. They insist on not assimilating. If they would consider themselves people instead of African-Americans and behave more like the majority, they would be more respected. Instead, they have their own language, their own dress code and would rather be uneducated. White people do not hold them down – they hold themselves down.
Well said. I totally agree. Regardless of political affiliation, these people would serve themselves well if they listened to a Herman Cain, or a judge Clarance Thomas. These are just two of many great Americans that happen to be black, but are truly assimilated Americans. I have immense respect for both of them and many more. But NONE for Jackson, Sharpton, Waters and to many more of this gimme crowd. They are not even close to being Americans. Whiners and takers is a better description.
How come the RNC and the media haven't embraced Herman Cain yet? He has done very well during the debates and won the straw poll in Fla, and yet all we ever hear is Perry and Romney. The RNC is still trying to get that NJ governor in the race. Why do they want Christie when Cain is doing exceptionally well?
Perhaps the problem with Herman Cain, as well as the entire Republican field, is a startling lack of any idea that wasn't posited in the 19th century. And please, cut the racist silliness. Whenever racism comes up in progressive media - which is every five minutes - I defend the Tea Party as simply being small-minded and narrow. Don't make me reconsider that.
Stop bringing BRITHERS on you show to BASH the president. Romeny , and Trump are business men that have had failed businesses, plus Mitt made millions of dollars breaking up companies sending jobs overseas and laying off workers. I"m sick of people saying Mitt is a businessman,remember we had a MBA businessman in the White House,George Bush and how did that work out!!!!
Wolf, You have been a great professional. stop trying to put words in the mouth of Ms Watters, Let her speak for herself and she can! Stop trying to control the outcome to the way you want it, it has been happening more and more of late. I watch you every day and have for some time.. but dont fall into the media ego trip to try and change history..I want to remain a fan of yours....
Perry going down..Romney is trouble. I am a democrat but would take my chances on Palin...No one could do much worst than Obama..This country is beginning to scare me.
I am a democrat but would take my chances on Palin...No one could do much worst than Obama
You are a Democrat and you do not understand the Rethuglicans would rather destroy the country than
let Obama win re-election? sure Leo
The Republican party made these problems itself..It was fine for mainstream Republicans when the Tea Party was just opposing the president, but when they began to strong arm the establishment of the party, they realized that they had a problem; but they didn't push back. They allowed them to hijack it, and take it to the far right, making it almost impossible to win a general election. So now, they are stuck with extremists who won't find any reasonable candidate, capable of winning the mainstream in a general election to their liking, including Chris Christie; who marches to his own beat.
anything but these progressive pigs.they have hijacked the democratic party.after shoving the health care bill down our throats they deserve to be impeached.every last one that voted for it.i don't want to hear that we wanted to see what was in it before we passed it excuse from these pigs.simply put,a progressive is evil.
ms Waters? Is she and the black caucus making the economic problems a race thng?
Cannot she see where obama is heading...
Teachers almost alwyas vo;te and why would any teacher votea fo;r this crop of republicans/
Please, Wolf, you are too intelligent to miss the point of the Mountain View questioner who asked to be taxed, and we are too intelligent to listen to your grandstanding. Give me a brealk.
Can you PLEASE tell me why Mr Pres(Obama) is have a dinner tonight in one of the richest communities in the country on the beach in Ja Jolla CA. And for a mere $38,000 I can get my Picture and a comment with him. And he wants to cut SS, raise taxes? Tell him to donate every dollar he raises to SS Ralph , San Diego
The serious answer is because he, like anyone else, wants to win the 2012 election, and in order to do that these days, you need to raise a huge amount of money. If he does not, the republicans will outspend him with ad campaigns he won't be able to counter. And you can thank in part the morons in the Supreme Court who decided recently that corporations are people and that money equals free speech. The only way out of this is a public campaign fund.
I think the media is a little fast to count out Ron Paul. In an election where every candidate is a reflection of the other , hes the only one that stands out as original and america loves that.
A broken government The reason WHY is so obvious, read the comments and pay attention, one comment reads these Democrats are the reason why, read another one It reads these Republicans are the reason why.
And then you watch talk news, (( the very same thing talking heads get into arguments and yelling fights because one is a Republican and one is a Democrat. ))
The very same thing happens in the Congress and Senate these two parties hate each other, and when you have two parties hating each other, you need a third-party to break it up, it is that simple.
This is why we have a (( do-nothing but argue and yell Congress and Senate,)) two parties hating each other.
And the other factor is, (( both parties have narcissistic personality )) career politicians that don't like each other, That have been in there too long, term limits with a third-party would solve all the problems. A government that works.
Dear Mr. Blitzer,
This will, indeed, be a wild ride to the Republican nominee for President. I'm still looking for someone else to step up to the plate. Chris Christie or Donald Trump, perhaps?
The Democratic Party must be ready for for anything and everything the Tea party/(R) could throw at them. Personally, I think GOP will throw everything, INCLUDING the kitchen sink, at Dems.
I really hope his 15 minutes of fame are over, as he is up to no good. Here in Texas he had it made because unlike other states in the nation, where governors are given tremendous responsibilties, Texan Constitution limits its governors over what they can do to avoid an inexperienced and amateur politician like Rick Perry to provoke major disasters and if you don't believe me, well you can go back to W, then you'll know what I'm talking about.
The ones in office should be WORKING to clean up the mess they have already screwed up.What a waste of time and our money.Jim Thomas Phx.Az.
Yawn.
CNN and other media have done a disservice to America with their hyping of politics on a consistent basis.
The GOP has been running against President Obama since about February 0f 2009 and I'm not exaggerating. We need to shorten election cycles, not lengthen them. The media outlets are trying to gin up "content" to fill their airwaves.
Why else did we hear so much about the MEANINGLESS Iowa straw poll? An event where candidates bussed in their own voters, paid for their admission tickets, bribed them with food & drink and God knows what else. Then the media tries to get the rest of the country to view this as worthy of their attention and to give credibility to "winner". I say ENOUGH.
We shouldn't even allow the opposition party to discuss running against the President until Labor Day the year before the election. Not one peep until then. Maybe then Congress would do it's damn job.
A third party candidate would guarantee a second term for Obama. All votes for a third party candidate would come from the Republican party. Hey GOP: do EVERYTHING in your power to stop a third party candidate.
Wolf, do we really need another clown to jump in this rodeo?
I mean from flag waving, bible-thumping, God-loving Americans jubilant about the prospect of letting a 30-yr-old man die because he has no health insurance, to people in that same party booing a uniform-wearing Iraq-war veteran because he is gay.
While those so-called leaders stand there and smile for the camera...really? You would be happy to have another clown in this side-show?
Gonna be real fun when Palin announces a run.
It really doesnt matter who gets nominated as the Republican candidate. ALL of them are so far-right that they dont stand a chance in the general election. The only question is, how much of a landslide is the Tea Party going to hand Obama?
Bottom line is many Americans are dumbed down and vote for whom their __________ tells them is the best choice. Most Obama supporters think 4 more years are already locked up, as they fail to acknowledge that Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter were relative unknowns at this point in 1991 and 1975, respectively. Both went on to beat an sitting POTUS. It's happened with GOP candidates as well. America needs to study the issues and vote policy, rather than party. Only then will we begin to dig our way out of this hole we are STILL IN.
Wild, and the message completely subsidized by the corporate media.
Sarah Palin will emerge as the independent third party candidate – going rouge and splitting all the conservative vote so POTUS will remain POTUS for another four years.
Obama 2012
Hey Wolf ,
is that gem incrusted elephant the one Newt charged a at Tiffanies ?
Your point that four years ago, in September 2007, several national polls showed Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson.
Now Fred Thompson is selling reverse mortgages , and Rudy Giullani is on an endless lecture tour .
True visionaries ?
It's going to be a wilder ride for the white house failure. Obama's class and race warfare has been mild so far. Wait until he gets going.