2012 Republican Presidential Nominees: Who's Your Top Five?

The GOP's emerging 2012 frontrunners... take our poll

Included in my list below are the Intrade odds for each: the ultimate devil's advocate, as these are people who make a living guessing this stuff- and in a business not kind to fools. The Intrade number represents what a share costs for a chance at a $100 payout... so it's roughly the assigned % chance for the candidate winning the Republican nomination in 2012 according to their oddsmakers.

My new debate partner Aurelius at Pundit Press also has his five below, then tell us what you think... final results published next week. Here's my picks as of now, fwiw:

Sarah Palin

+ Natural political talent, huge charisma, tough, principled conservative, a real fighter, building a lot of support with her winning touch in the primaries

- Too good-looking by half, slightly silly accent, establishment GOP/MSM/entire Left out to destroy the poor gal... and Levi Johnston needs to get a job on a rig in Siberia

Intrade: 18.6

Sum: Hard to hold this one down... just like the powerful grassroots movement she's so closely allied with

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Mitt Romney

+ Highly competent manager, economic expert, previous runner-up, looks and acts presidential

- Too good-looking by half, dull on the stump, hiding/laying low while waiting his turn, mostly absent from today's battle for the future of the nation... disappointing, where's some courage and sense of urgency here?  The tipping-point is now, not two years too late...

Intrade: 31.2

Sum: apparent front-runner to this point, and the establishment's dream candidate. For the rest of us, the father of RomneyCare has got some 'splainin to do... and we haven't heard a peep yet.

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Tim Pawlenty

+ social conservative, respected governor, no apparent skeletons

- Lacks charisma and national political base, has been tepid in support of TEA Party movement... 'Cuda left him in the dust

Intrade: 12.8

Sum: already running, basically

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Bobby Jindal

+ Wiz-kid Reaganite with a resume/record of success that puts most others to shame, impressive manager in most ways, novel background

- still not 40 yrs old, pretty-much choked in his big national TV debut

Intrade: 4.6

Sum: I really like Bobby Jindal... for 2016-2020, though.

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John Bolton

+ Great strategic mind, true conservative -and patriot- all the way

- Pugnacious nature, honest to a fault, lack of campaign experience, distaste for for inside-the-Beltway DC political games

Intrade: n/a

Sum: Love the man... but I dunno if he's serious about recent hints, and came as quite a surprise to most.

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Runners-up: Barbour, Daniels, or maybe Newt- although he's a non-starter for me personally due to heavy, heavy baggage and a number of poor choices from working with race-hustler Al Sharpton to total loser moves in NY-23... Scozzafava really made fool of him. 

As a defense hawk, I don't stand take Ron Paul serious... at all. 

Sure like Petraeus, would like to hear more from him on some key issues. But the good General seems fairly resolute about not entering politics anyway, and if the politically inexperienced Petraeus did go that way, perhaps a better fit as a VP alongside -say- a Sarah Palin...

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Pundit Press:

Sarah Palin- Yes, the bane of the Dmocratic Party and liberals in general is one of the top contenders for the Presidency come 2012. With clear political pull (just look at her endorsements for congress) and her presence in the American media, Mrs. Palin has both clout and name recognition. Add to that the fact that she could be the first female Commander-in-Chief and you've got someone who is poised to strike at the presidency.

David Petraeus- One of the greatest and most repsected military minds of our age, David Petraeus is one of my favorite candidates. Not only does he have cadence and quick wit, but he has incredible foreign policy experience. On top of that is his honorable and exceedingly successful military leadership. Petraeus deserves respect and has earned it.

Jeb Bush- That's right, another Bush. Jeb Bush successfully led Florida as its governor for two terms and has the conservative values that Republicans are looking for. With discontent with President Obama rising, by 2012 many voters will have a much brighter view of the George W. Bush years than during the 2008 election. Jeb Bush's last name could very well boost his candidacy.

Chris Christie- Although he's been in office for just a short time, Chris Christie's governorship of New Jersey has been nothing short of excellent. Though some doubts about this conservative-ness abound, his actions so far leading NJ show a conservative who is also pragmatic and good at what he does. On top of it all, he has shown he knows how to run a campaign and win.

Mitt Romney- The most important thing going for Mitt Romney is name recognition. Coming just short of the Republican nomination for President in 2008, Romney has been in the public's ey for over two years now. Some questions still about about his stances, but he is widely considered conservative.

Dark Horse- Glenn Beck: One of the nation's most influential political commentators, he has spearheaded a gigantic rally in Washington as well as the Tea Party and 9.12 Project. He'll have no problem with name recognition and is extremely conservative to boot. Though he's said that he won't run, some of his actions say otherwise.

Please choose five: 

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Thanks to all for participating...

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