Okies, here we go. With the caveat that I'm a solid Democrat, so my opinions are a bit biased.
GOP: "Grand Old Party". A more casual term for the Republican Party. In recent years USA demographics have been working against them. The United States has been getting younger, more urbanized and more diverse. More liberal in other words. The core of the Republicans since the 1960's has been conservative, starting with their "Southern Strategy" in the 60's which grabbed Southern Democrats who felt shut out by the Civil Rights Movement during that era. Generally speaking, they're more religious (mostly Protestant Christian) and more reactionary. Hardcore Republicans also tend to be deeply suspicious about government intervention in... well.. anything. Hence their opposition to government healthcare, government corporate bailouts, government prosecution of civil rights cases (unless it's in support of Christian churches) ect.
Romney/Santorum Ticket: This refers to the potential challengers in the upcoming 2012 presidential election. The "ticket" refers to the candidates for President and Vice-President the GOP might be fielding against Preseident Obama's re-election campaign. The idea of Romney/Santorum ticket is something that would make Democrats very happy, because it would work to the GOP's weaknesses and the Democrat's strengths.
Note: Who is going to run again Obama is still up in the air. We have a very complicated system here in the states where candidates are selected in "Primaries" in each state, gaining the support of each state's local Party before being confirmed at a big national party convention during the summer. When the primaries go smoothly, a clear winner is decided well before the convention. When it doesn't, you have two or more potential presidential hopefuls arguing with each other for months before anything is decided and the national party can present a united front against their opponent in the other party.
It has not been going smoothly so far for the GOP.
Mitt Romney: Former governor of the state of Massachusetts, and considered the most "electable" GOP. He's a relative moderate (at least by GOP standards), and usually a smooth talker. unfortunately for him he's got bit of baggage which is hurting him as he tries to win general support among the deep conservatives in the GOP. Mostly:
1) He's a Mormon, an offshoot of Christianity that added an extra book to go alongside the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. Mormons tend to be conservative politically by almost everyone's standards, but the "Fundamentalist" Christians tend to think of Mormons as a wierd cult (of course they think Catholics are a wierd cult too)
2) When he was governor of Massachusetts, he signed a mandatory healthcare policy into law, which was very similar to the one President Obama has been trying to get into place since he was elected. That waves a red flag marked "Socialism" (which rhymes with "Communism" which = "Fascism...) in front of many GOP members as well.
3) And he isn't immune to speaking gaffes either, assuring auto workers in Detroit that he supports the auto industry because his wife owns two Cadillacs, which emphasized his wealth over his Commmon Man credentials.
So, not the best choice by GOP standards. On the other hand Santorum isn't that great either...
Rick Santorum: Former US Senator from Pennsylvania. Very, very conservative by GOP standards and a favorite of the Tea Party splinter GOP group. Against same sex marriage (referring to it in context with bestiality), abortion rights, supports teaching "Intelligent Design" (ie: Biblical creation of the universe), has stated that liberalism was somehow responsible for creating the Catholic Sex Abuse scandals, and doesn't believe in the seperation of Church and State.
In other words, by the standards of the GOP coservative base he's perfect. By the standards of moderates who aren't affiliated strongly with either party, he's a flaming lunatic. If he were to be the Vice Presidential candidate with Romney as President, he'd be as much of an anchor to Romney's campaign as Sarah Palin was to John McCain.
no subject
GOP: "Grand Old Party". A more casual term for the Republican Party. In recent years USA demographics have been working against them. The United States has been getting younger, more urbanized and more diverse. More liberal in other words. The core of the Republicans since the 1960's has been conservative, starting with their "Southern Strategy" in the 60's which grabbed Southern Democrats who felt shut out by the Civil Rights Movement during that era. Generally speaking, they're more religious (mostly Protestant Christian) and more reactionary. Hardcore Republicans also tend to be deeply suspicious about government intervention in... well.. anything. Hence their opposition to government healthcare, government corporate bailouts, government prosecution of civil rights cases (unless it's in support of Christian churches) ect.
Romney/Santorum Ticket: This refers to the potential challengers in the upcoming 2012 presidential election. The "ticket" refers to the candidates for President and Vice-President the GOP might be fielding against Preseident Obama's re-election campaign. The idea of Romney/Santorum ticket is something that would make Democrats very happy, because it would work to the GOP's weaknesses and the Democrat's strengths.
Note: Who is going to run again Obama is still up in the air. We have a very complicated system here in the states where candidates are selected in "Primaries" in each state, gaining the support of each state's local Party before being confirmed at a big national party convention during the summer. When the primaries go smoothly, a clear winner is decided well before the convention. When it doesn't, you have two or more potential presidential hopefuls arguing with each other for months before anything is decided and the national party can present a united front against their opponent in the other party.
It has not been going smoothly so far for the GOP.
Mitt Romney: Former governor of the state of Massachusetts, and considered the most "electable" GOP. He's a relative moderate (at least by GOP standards), and usually a smooth talker. unfortunately for him he's got bit of baggage which is hurting him as he tries to win general support among the deep conservatives in the GOP. Mostly:
1) He's a Mormon, an offshoot of Christianity that added an extra book to go alongside the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. Mormons tend to be conservative politically by almost everyone's standards, but the "Fundamentalist" Christians tend to think of Mormons as a wierd cult (of course they think Catholics are a wierd cult too)
2) When he was governor of Massachusetts, he signed a mandatory healthcare policy into law, which was very similar to the one President Obama has been trying to get into place since he was elected. That waves a red flag marked "Socialism" (which rhymes with "Communism" which = "Fascism...) in front of many GOP members as well.
3) And he isn't immune to speaking gaffes either, assuring auto workers in Detroit that he supports the auto industry because his wife owns two Cadillacs, which emphasized his wealth over his Commmon Man credentials.
So, not the best choice by GOP standards. On the other hand Santorum isn't that great either...
Rick Santorum: Former US Senator from Pennsylvania. Very, very conservative by GOP standards and a favorite of the Tea Party splinter GOP group. Against same sex marriage (referring to it in context with bestiality), abortion rights, supports teaching "Intelligent Design" (ie: Biblical creation of the universe), has stated that liberalism was somehow responsible for creating the Catholic Sex Abuse scandals, and doesn't believe in the seperation of Church and State.
In other words, by the standards of the GOP coservative base he's perfect. By the standards of moderates who aren't affiliated strongly with either party, he's a flaming lunatic. If he were to be the Vice Presidential candidate with Romney as President, he'd be as much of an anchor to Romney's campaign as Sarah Palin was to John McCain.
Does that help?