One person can’t control gas prices

I’m hoping Barack Obama is a one-term President for a variety of reasons that I won’t regurgitate in this post. Defeating him is important, but I’m hoping the Republican nominee won’t use pie-in-the-sky predictions to gain favor with voters. Eventually, such tall tales will catch-up to him and undermine his credibility. The first potential pitfall to come to mind are promises to lower gas prices.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has often said that gas prices would fall below $2.49 per gallon if he were elected. He points out that such a fall would put money into the pockets of consumers, which would be pumped into the economy, corporate profits would be increased, fueling growth, and tax receipts would climb. These positive events would likely follow lower gas prices. The problem is that Gingrich thinks he can single-handedly bring down prices in the span of a single administration. This isn’t likely.
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A debt limit fight is on the horizon

Everyone in Washington will be seeing dollar signs this fall.

It looks like we might will be heading toward another fight over the debt limit. According to Senator Rob Portman, the current limit will likely be reached before Election Day, making it a big topic of debates and news coverage.

Here’s a preview of what we have to expect, courtesy of Senator Portman:

“Following the contentious debt ceiling last August, President Obama promised that he would take action to address the country’s fiscal crisis. He has failed to do that,” Portman said. “In fact, his new budget increases spending and projects that Washington will be hitting the debt ceiling again in mid-October – burning through a $2.1 trillion debt limit increase in just over 14 months.”

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Rick Santorum: Stop the sex

When it comes to abortion, I’m pro-choice, but I can see where those that are pro-life are coming from. For some issues, it’s hard to understand the other side’s viewpoint, and quite frankly, I think they’re a bit confused. Those who oppose birth control fit this description.

In the video, Republican nominee Rick Santorum discusses the dangers of contraception, and how these methods have harmed the country. If you’re one of the people who believe sex is inherently wrong, and whose only purpose is for procreation, then you must think Rick Santorum is onto something. Those who share this belief probably also tend to be pro-life. If that’s the case, it raises an interesting question: If more people used birth control, wouldn’t there be fewer abortions? Of course there would.
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Newt? Are you still there?

After winning the North Carolina primary, Newt Gingrich implored fellow candidate Rick Santorum to drop out of the race and throw his support behind him. The thinking was that their supporters are both anti-Romney, and would form a coalition to defeat the former Massachusetts Governor, who reminds this blogger of an exceptionally smarmy used car salesman.

The idea made sense then, and still does. The only problem, for Gingrich at least, is that Rick Santorum has pulled ahead in the polls, and is now ahead of Mitt Romney.
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Mitt Romney won Florida, not the country

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich Debate

Mitt Romney has won the Florida Primary by a wide margin over Newt Gingrich, but the race for the Republican nomination is far from over.

The media has been portraying each win or loss as a make or break moment, but the truth is that four states have voted, and 46 remain. Florida Senator Marco Rubio seems to think that the winner of Florida will win the nomination, but I’m not so sure. If Newt Gingrich can pick up some wins, along with some strong second place finishes in states which assign delegates proportionally, we might be looking at a nominating convention that is very much up in the air. Is it likely that Republicans are heading toward a brokered convention? No. Is it possible? You bet!
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Memo to Republican Candidates: You are no Ronald Reagan

Over the last few years, we’ve seen more and more candidates invoke the memory of President Ronald Reagan. I don’t blame them for admiring Reagan’s accomplishments, but I do often question their sincerity. Are these candidates simply sharing thoughts about their fondness for Reagan, or is it solely a transparent method of trying to ride the coattails of a man they may not really identify with?

This has been going on a while, but it has been Newt Gingrich’s frequent mentions of Reagan during debates that have annoyed me. To hear Gingrich tell it, he and Reagan were rather close, and shared credit for some of the accomplishments of the Reagan Presidency.

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Do you like Jon Huntsman? Harry Reid does!

Nevada Senator Harry Reid would support Jon Huntsman over Mitt Romney.

Former Ambassador Jon Huntsman has made it official: He’s running for President. I know some people are excited by his candidacy, but I think I’ll pass. After all, I don’t want to be on the same side as Harry Reid. In case you missed it, Huntsman received Reid’s stamp of approval. “If I had a choice in that race, I’d choose Huntsman over Romney,” said Reid. On top of that, Huntsman’s family members are big Reid supporters.

In addition to the Reid endorsement, Huntsman doesn’t have much room to criticize Barack Obama, since he accepted an appointment as ambassador to China. Of course, you could argue that his appointment could cause a problem for Obama during a campaign against Huntsman, but I doubt it will get that far anyway. Think about it: If someone is absolutely terrible at what they do (like the GOP will argue), do you really have credibility if you agree to work for them? I don’t think so. » read more

My guess: Rick Perry will run for President

Will Texas Governor Rick Perry run for President in 2012?

Several members of Newt Gingrich’s Presidential campaign have quit…at the same time. A few of these individuals have links to Texas Governor Rick Perry. Perry was mentioned as a possible candidate, but said he wouldn’t run…then said he might be considering it.

Who knows what Rick Perry will do, but it seems really coincidental that while he is thinking about a run (again), some former staffers suddenly quit the Gingrich campaign en masse. My guess? Rick Perry will announce his candidacy by the 4th of July, and many of those former Gingrich campaign employees will find their way onto his team. » read more

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels won’t run for President

What are the chances Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will run for President? Zero

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will not be running for President, and I don’t particularly care. It’s nothing against Mitch Daniels. After all, he would be much better than declared candidates such as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, or potential candidates such as Sarah Palin.

The problem is that Mitch Daniels seemed to be the darling of GOP insiders. That’s not what the country needs. The United States needs someone who isn’t afraid to step in and make bold decisions. We need someone who has little regard for the way things have always been done, and will try to do the right think, regardless of how many people it upsets, or how unusual the solution may seem. » read more

It’s official: Herman Cain will run for President

Herman Cain will be running for President.

Herman Cain has announced that he will be running for President. The former businessman, talk show host, and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City made it official at a rally today in Atlanta, GA.

Unlike other definite and possible candidates such as Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, and Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain has displayed intelligence, straight-forward answers, and a genuine belief in what he says. I don’t get that feeling from the other candidates. Ron Paul is my first choice, but Cain has quickly jumped up to number two.

Donald Trump won’t run for President

Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump. Trump announced he will not run for Presdient.

It’s official: Donald Trump will not run for President. We won’t get the chance to watch Trump make a fool out of himself (even more than usual), but on the bright side, it will allow the serious candidates to receive more attention.

If Trump had decided to run, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. Of course, I’m sure he thought he would have. In the end, I doubt the American people could have tolerated his arrogance in such a large dose. Although, I would have loved to see how someone who ran bankrupt businesses would have tried to paint himself as capable of running the country.

Good news: Sara Palin faces an uphill battle

Can Sarah Palin win the Presidency? No.

Here’s some good news for those of you getting an early start on the 2012 Presidential Election: Sarah Palin is facing an uphill battle.

I was surprised to read how unpopular Sarah Palin is with Republicans in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I’m actually quite pleased with this development, since I believe that a Palin nomination would guarantee Barack Obama a second term. » read more

Ron Paul wins CPAC straw poll

Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll. So, what does that mean?

In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably not a big deal, since it’s an opinion poll of conservative activists. Of course, it does get Ron Paul mentioned on newscasts, blogs, websites, and newspapers all over the country. If he can keep it up, it could create a buzz that slowly build into the primary/caucus season. Of course, I’m hoping that’s not necessary. » read more

Scott Brown for President? Not yet

I was glad to see Scott Brown defeat Martha Coakley in a recent election for “Teddy Kennedy’s seat.” His win in such an overwhelmingly number of Democrats state shows how fed up many Americans are with Barack Obama and Congress. As the 41st Republican vote, Brown’s presence will force Democrats to actually make a real attempt at bipartisanship. What a novel concept!

There’s no doubt that Scott Brown’s win was impressive, and his presence has drastically altered the political landscape in Washington. If you’re a conservative, it was certainly an exciting win, but it seems like some of us are getting carried away by questioning whether Brown might run for President.

By the time the 2012 elections roll around, Brown will have had less than 3 years in office as a Senator. I’d prefer to see a deeper resume for a Presidential candidate. You might argue that Barack Obama had a similar resume when he ran in 2008. You would be correct, but let’s not forget one point: He’s a lousy President.