Republican Draft Picks? Not The Trumpster
Donald Trump will not be the Republican candidate for President – not a chance. He has the money, the notoriety, and the ego for it. Let’s face it -you have to have an ego in national politics. It comes with the territory, just as it does quite often in broadcast journalism (read DEATH BY DEADLINE for more details.) Trump’s “birther” hysteria has really hurt him. There is a hateful undertow in the movement. Whether he admits it or not, any real chance to run has vanished.
Americans, and Republicans looking for an alternative, will not nominate or choose Trump. With that not-so-fearless forecast in mind, something else is clear. If the Republican party gets a crushing defeat in 2012, it can forget all the progress it made last year. So, the GOP must find a candidate, not necessarily to win, but to make a good enough showing so that the party can win in the Senate and House.
Paul Ryan will not be running for President. Although the most interesting person in the field, Paul Ryan wants to dismantle Medicare as we know it. No individual who wants to take apart Medicare can win the Presidency. That is a fact!
Mitt Romney is an attractive candidate, attractive as in good-looking. Newt Gingrich and Mitch Daniels are all over the place on the issues. In fact the only true conservative in the race is Rick Santorum. Say what you want about Santorum, but he says it like it is, never backs off on his views, and is electrifying on TV. That’s a good thing.
But if the GOP really wants to compete against Barack Obama, it should pick ex Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, or Mike Huckabee. Pawlenty appears moderate, has fascinating views on energy, and is, compared to the others, a more “contemporary” face in a crowded field. If I were Pawlenty, I would wait till 2016. Huckabee should run now. He is quite conservative but has a real appeal to moderates with his personable style. With all of his challenges, Obama will be hard to beat, unless the Republicans can come up with a real, certifiable moderate. In the last ten Presidential elections, the candidate who appeared moderate, won the Presidency. That includes alleged liberals Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Carter lost in 1980 to a moderate (by today’s standards) conservative – Ronald Reagan.
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