Posted by
Steve on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 3:17:52 PM
What the Republican base is looking for is two things. The first is someone who really has conservative ideals in mind. Of the three Republican candidates running for President, Mitt Romney is the closest to having that stance. He is criticized for coming lately to that position, but he is there. No matter how long it took, at least he got there. John McCain was there and is leaving. Rudy Giuliani never was there and is not showing any signs of actually becoming a conservative in anything.
The second thing the base is looking for is a fighter for the truth. Currently, none of the three have distinguished themselves in this regard. All have made small attempts, but when the chips are down, they have wimped out. We need a fighter as President. We need someone who will say, this is where I stand and you will not move me. Right now, we have some that say this is where I stand, but move if attacked. The first one of the big three to take a stand and fight to keep it will run away with the nomination. This issue will probably even dwarf the issues.
The best position is for the candidate to stake a position that is truly conservative. He then must defend that position with passion. By defending the position with passion, he will have demonstrated that he is truly a conservative that will fight. At that point, the nomination is his for the taking. Just like when Ronald Reagan said he paid for the microphone and then made a statement, he got the nomination at that point. That is what will happen here.
Rudy Giuliani has a reputation as a fighter. He can only energize the base by fighting about national security. Mitt Romney can choose the issue to fight on and win. He has to be willing to take the arrows to win the fight. Not taking arrows will not help him win. John McCain has not shown that he has the fire to be President. He seems to be shrinking with each and every day.
As I size up the three, Mitt Romney is in a position to actually set himself apart from the three candidates. He can fight and bleed for the cause. The slings and arrows from the msm will be intense. He has to show that he has the intestinal fortitude to hold his own under fire. That will win over converts that are conservative and want a conservative that will fight. Rudy Giuliani only has his reputation as a fighter to go on.
Right now, Rudy Giuliani is way ahead in the polls. John McCain is losing ground. Mitt Romney is slowly gaining, but too slowly. Newt Gingrich is inserted into the polls and easily takes second. If he stays out, most of his people will go to Mitt Romney. Mitt is the most conservative of the three running. I am not saying that he is a true conservative. I am saying he is the most conservative of the three we can pick from. So, with Newt out of the race, I put Mitt Romney comfortably in second place. He is within range of Rudy Giuliani and should be able to overcome the difference in a two person race.
That is how it looks to me sitting here in sunny Arizona this 20th day of March 2007.