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!

Ron Paul and Rick Santorum also appear to be in it for the long-haul. I don’t see either reaching the necessary 1,144 delegates to clinch the nomination, but I do see them winning some delegates in future primaries and caucuses. The more delegates they win, the smaller the chance of the front-runner (whoever that will be) getting a majority.

The only thing that is certain is that we’re in for an interesting election season.

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.

Upon hearing Gingrich’s boasts for the first time, I was taken by surprise. How would a fairly young Congressman with little seniority actually gain so much power in the Reagan Administration? Well, it turns out he didn’t.

Since Newt Gingrich’s win in South Carolina, members of the Reagan Administration have come forward to refute Gingrich’s wild claims. Others have pointed to times where Gingrich criticized Reagan on several occassions.

When it comes to flip-flopping and getting creative with the truth, Newt’s only competitor might be Mitt Romney.

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.

Jon Huntsman’s campaign can’t be taken seriously, and his chances are about as good as Rick Santorum’s. Actually, they might not even be that good.

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.

On a more general note, can’t these people make decisions? Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Mitch Daniels, and several others seemed to waffle on the question. Make a decision, stick to it, and call it quits. For man of these people, you would think that they would have made a decision over the past 31 months since the last election. If they’re that indecisive, would we really want them running the country?

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.

To this point, I’ve only seen two candidates who seem to possess these traits: Ron Paul and Herman Cain. As far as I’m concerned, they are America’s best hope.

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 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.

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.

Why the problem with Palin? For starters, she isn’t qualified. During the 2008 Presidential Election, I didn’t feel Barack Obama was qualified after a partial term in the Senate. The same holds true for Palin, who served less than three years as Governor and resigned before the end of her term. I also question her intellectual capacity. After all, let’s not forget that Katie Couric of all people made her look like a fool (Katie Couric!).

Here’s a thought: Imagine Sarah Palin having high-level discussions with world leaders. Does that really make you feel comfortable?

Sarah Palin

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.

As I’ve written before, Ron Paul would have a much better chance of success if he chose to run as an independent, rather than a Republican. There are so many social conservatives in the GOP, that I doubt they would support someone with libertarian beliefs, even if those beliefs are in tune their own fiscal conservatism.

For Ron Paul, the road to victory includes a lengthy schedule of campaigning that will gain him enough support to gain entrance into the Presidential debates against the Republican and Democrat in the race. Once the typical American has the opportunity to hear Ron Paul share his ideas, I’m confident the number of supporters will increase exponentially.

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.