Even if Mitt Romney wins, both parties could have primaries in 2016.

I was thinking about the 2016 Presidential Election recently. That’s right, 2016.

I’ve seen several stories that have mentioned the possibility of Hillary Clinton or (hold the laughter) Joe Biden running in 2016. Here’s a question: If Barack Obama loses, which I think seems likely, will he run again in 2016? If so, we could see a repeat of the 2008 election.

This scenario also led me to think about Mitt Romney’s chances in 2016 if he should win in 2012. I’m not referring to the General Election, but rather the primary. Romney will be the Republican nominee in 2012, but if he becomes president, is it a foregone conclusion that he would win in 2016? I don’t think so.

By now, we all know how much flip-flopping Romney has done over the years. If he wins and moves too closely to the middle during his first (only) term, I could see a ground-swell of support for a primary opponent. If he is victorious, he should keep this possibility in mind.

Over the past couple of years, there have been many Republicans in Congress who have been defeated by opponents who are more conservative. Is it really far-fetched to think that the President would be held to the same standard?

Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul at a Republican debate.

The GOP nomination is still very much up for grabs, and its fluidity seems to change the frontrunners on a monthly basis. While Mitt Romney is usually considered the favorite, it appears that a sizable majority of Republicans are looking for anyone but Romney. The pattern is to elevate a monthly favorite, then watch them collapse once the media picks them apart. To date, this has been the pattern for Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum.

With more than half the original field gone, and several primaries behind us, it looks like Romney is in real trouble. As other candidates have dropped out, there are fewer choices for their supporters, increasing each piece of the electoral pie for the remaining candidates.

It’s safe to say that my personal favorite, Ron Paul, has little chance of capturing the nomination. With that said, he will gain several delegates due to new apportionment rules. The same goes for Gingrich, who still attracts a lot of support. If Romney and Santorum continue to slog on at the same rate they have been for the past few weeks, it’s likely that no one will gain a majority of delegates, leading to the first brokered convention in quite some time.

Because of the lack of excitement about the current field, party insiders are probably anxious to choose one of their favorites to get the nomination. Since many potential candidates are turned off by the long primary season and grueling schedule, it might be easier to talk one of the people who decided not to run, into running. That’s when names like Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie, and Jeb Bush will begin to get a lot of attention. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Sarah Palin or Rudy Giuliani get some attention.

Who the nominee will be is still up in the air, and could very likely turn out to be someone who isn’t running. If this scenario comes to fruition, there may be a lot of unhappy GOP activists.

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.

Regular use of birth control would result in fewer abortions, but the deputized members of the morality police don’t want to acknowledge this fact. If Rick Santorum is the nominee, he’ll be the darling of the evangelical wing of the Republican party, but his social conservatism will alienate many independent voters.

There are so many important things happening in the world, but today I decided to write about something that is completely meaningless and unimportant. Some would argue that I do this frequently, but i digress.

For those of you who enjoy perusing the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and follow politics, you might be surprised to find out that there is a connection between the two. Michigan Rep. Fred Upton’s niece Kate Upton is featured on the cover of the 2012 issue.

Like I said, this is completely unimportant, but it does provide an excuse to check out some pictures of Kate Upton.

Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl, Kate Upton.

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.

Newt Gingrich’s logic made perfect sense a few weeks ago, and it still does. Now, the question is: Will Newt take his own advice? Considering the trepidation many in the G.O.P. have toward a Romney nomination, many Republicans hope he will.

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling, and I’ll continue to take that message across the nation.”

I’m not a Mitt Romney supporter, but I can’t believe anyone with common sense would be bothered by this comment. Sure, progressive Democrats are going to seize upon it, but the last time I checked, they lacked any semblance of common sense. Let’s take a look at what Romney was saying, shall we?

First, the wealthy don’t need any help. They have all the money they need. That’s simple enough. As for the poor, that’s going to take some explaining, especially for those who are accustomed to government sponsored hand-outs.

If you’re poor, you’re eligible for welfare payments, subsidized rent, childcare, heat, utilities, food stamps, free college, free healthcare, and lots of other breaks. These programs are all established at the state or federal level, and are (overly) generous. How many more handouts and programs should be created for those who have a track record of bad decisions? We have a safety net, and Romney said he would fix it if need be.

The middle class? That’s a different story. They’re usually too “wealthy” to qualify for help, and can be a layoff away from economic chaos. Again, this chaos could very well result from bad decisions, but the truth of the matter is that the middle class tend to work harder, and have a track record of better decisions. I don’t have hard numbers to back up those assertions, but I do feel comfortable making them.

With that said, I think we all know that Romney’s interest in the middle class is due solely to their large numbers. Mitt cares about whatever group has the most voters who will turn out at the polls on election day..

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.

Sarah Palin: Biker chick

Sarah Palin is currently engaged in a tour of “enemy territory,” also known as the Northeast. Her first stop was the Rolling Thunder motorcycle event in Washington, D.C. Her next stop will be…she’ll be going to…where will she be going? If you check out the map on her site, it’s blank. I wonder if she even knows where she’s going.

I think Sarah Palin seems like a nice person and is very likable. There are lots of nice, likable people, but those traits don’t qualify them to be President of the United States. Intellectually, she’s unimpressive, plus she has a thin resume, and for me at least, fails to instill confidence in her leadership skills. Even her campaign/publicity tour looks like it’s unorganized. Plus, if Katie Couric of all people can make you look like an idiot, how can we trust her to interact with world leaders? I don’t think we can.

By the way, I just thought I would mention that I’m a long-time Republican. I’m not being critical of her because of her views, I’m being critical because of her lack of skills for the potential task at hand. If Sarah Palin were to win the GOP nomination, the likelihood of a second term for Barack Obama would rise exponentially. I don’t want that. I want him to face the best candidate possible, and Sarah Palin isn’t that person.

Katie Couric interviews Sarah Palin

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.

Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James has a novel idea. Rather than offer the state’s drivers license exam in 12 languages, it should be offered in just one: English. Tim James cites the amount of money that could be saved because of this change. I have no doubt there would be some modest savings in printing costs, but there are even more important reasons to make the change. The most important is to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.

Road signs are written in English. Some signs are easy to recognize, such as stop signs, but what about those that are seen less frequently, such as those related to road construction? How will someone who can’t read English understand warnings and directions?

Individuals can speak any language they wish in their homes and social situations. Is it really too much to ask that when one makes a conscious decision to come to the United States that they be expected to conduct official business in English? I wonder if Japan, Russia, Mexico, Iran, Romania, Pakistan, China, or Germany would offer their drivers license exams in over a dozen languages?