Posted by
Steve on Tuesday, May 05, 2009 1:39:08 PM
The Republican Party is in shambles right now. There are people on the right that say, throw out all the moderates and stick to core conservative principles. There are moderates that say, throw out the core conservative principles and move more to the left. Which will be the final winner? Only time will tell for sure. My gut instincts are to stick to conservative principles, because when they are spoken with conviction they always win.
Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush are on a “Listening Tour” around the country. Is there anyone in the entire world that believes that a listening tour is anything but a campaign photo op? On their listening tour, Jeb Bush made the comments that we should give up the values of Ronald Reagan and move more to the center. He said that because he believes that would bring in a larger tent for Republicans.
Mitt Romney put his foot in his mouth on this “tour”. He was shown a list of important Republicans. On the list was Governor Palin of Alaska. Mr. Romney said that she did not belong on the list of important Republicans. Thereby breaking Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment, thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. That was a particularly dumb move on his part. She is an important player in the Republican game at this point in time. She may ultimately fall out and be what Mr. Romney says she is, but we do not know that at this time. She may also be important enough to be on the ticket in 2012 in either spot. I should say at this point that I contributed to Mitt Romney’s campaign for President in 2008. I believed he was the best person to be President in 2008 and still do.
But, just because I support a person does not mean that I cannot see their flaws. In 2008, Mitt had a problem of being too stiff. He had a hard time taking off his tie and connecting with the people. He had a hard time just being himself in public. That got better right at the end, but it was too late. Right now, he is quite comfortable in the public eye. Had he been this comfortable in 208, he would have been the nominee. I also see the mistake in criticizing Governor Palin. She is obviously working on polishing up her resume to be ready for a run at the Presidency in 2012. This comment will come back to haunt him in the 2012 race, especially if it comes down to the two of them.
The biggest question the Republicans have to answer is who shall lead the party? The person that leads the party will be the face of the party. That person’s values will also become the values associated with the Republican Party. It is critical that Republicans pick a good leader with good values. We cannot have a repeat of Independents and Democrats voting for our leader. That led to John McCain and disaster. I am not saying John McCain is a bad person. I am just saying he was the wrong candidate at that time. Against the nimbler Obama, McCain stood no chance. McCain stood on some principles that made no sense. He voluntarily tied his hands and would not return fire when it counted.
My choice in a leader should have a clear vision of what a conservative should be. That leader should articulate the conservative position in such a way that people get excited about being a conservative. The leader should not be defensive about being a conservative. My leader should believe in and support liberty for Americans and others. My leader should talk about releasing the power of private ownership of businesses. In other words, my leader should be everything Barack Obama is not.
I think we have a good selection of people to pick from. In my mind, the most polished and ready candidate is Mitt Romney. I am biased as I supported him in the past. We have a couple of potential stars in Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal. They needed some seasoning in 2008. Sarah was a better speaker than Bobby. Bobby probably has a better resume. The others on the list like, Jeb Bush, Governor Huntsman of Utah and Mike Huckabee have more serious flaws. There will not be a “perfect” candidate. No candidate will completely emulate Ronald Reagan, but they do not have to. The one that best matches their potential will be the ultimate winner. We can win the White House in 2012. All we have to do is select our “Best” candidate, not a perfect candidate.