08 Presidential Possibilities Part I Summer 2007

Oh, I know its early yet but many prominent decision makers are starting to take sides so I thought it was high time I weighed in on the subject.

First off, the only Democrats that have a chance are Hillary, Obama, and Edwards. Also, there remains a distinct possibility of even the Goracle himself joining the race. Those that I didn’t mention have no prayer, and no chance. Biden & Kucinich are ultra partisan lefties and while their positions play well with the moveon.org ultra-liberal base, they have zero personality and no draw for the umpteen clueless Americans that will eventually vote for a Democrat in the general election. Dodd only gets a mention because he is my current CT Senator. Thankfully, I have a strong feeling it will be his last term. His unfavorables climb higher every year and without Lieberman as an ally, I sense he is destined lose his next campaign. I can dream, can’t I?

As far as the front-runners go, I think even most Democrats have come to think of John Edwards as the shyster-lawyer that he is. The “only man talking about poverty in America” is the same guy who lives in a home so large it alters weather patterns and spends more money on his hair in a month than most people do in a decade. Average Americans might not be able to show you Iraq on a map or tell you the name of the VP but they can absorb the simple concept of “shyster-lawyer”.

Obama is the dream candidate of the super-lefties. He has the same positions as Biden & Kucinich and many of the leftwing pundits yet has something they don’t, charisma. This has propelled Obama’s fundraising ability to near Clintonesque heights, especially with the netroots crowd. He is a darkhorse candidate but personally I think the Clinton machine will crush him before long. Not only that, despite the leftwings assumed superiority with regard to tolerance and anti-prejudice, there are some Democrats that will not vote for a black man, regardless of his merits.

Hillary has a similar problem as some voters will just not vote for a woman. Also, her position changes on the Iraq war will hurt her horribly in the primaries against her anti-war anti-American challengers. Although, they will likely help her in the general. My personal opinion of Hillary is that she is completely unlike her husband in that she is a hard worker on the plus side but completely annoying to listen to on the negative side. As far as their politics go, they are kindred spirits which is to say, they will do whatever is politically expedient and falls in the realm of “things we can get away with.” Aside from that, she shows up in polls as having the most people who won’t vote for her under any circumstances. This is not usually a desirable trait in a candidate but her name is Clinton and I see her using her husbands famed likability day in and day out until the better end.

Incidentally, a bitter end is exactly what I see for the Democrats 2008 Presidential hopes. Obviously, I’m a Republican and a tremendous partisan so its easy to dismiss my outlook as completely biased. Yet, the way I see it, the Democrats will likely end up with Hillary or Obama as their candidate. As long as there is a strong Republican candidate, I think our side has the better chance for victory.

The question is “will we have a strong Republican candidate”? The answer is most assuredly, yes. Like the Democrats, we have our share of second string candidates. Brownback, Gilmore, Huckabee, Hunter, Tancredo, Thompson and yes, John McCain all fit this mold. Don’t get me wrong. I have strong admiration for some of these guys. It’s just that none of them have a chance. Huckabee would be my favorite out of the second tier guys. He’s a solid Republican, I am with him on the issues and if fate gave him a nudge, I would champion his cause. McCain, on the hand, repeatedly sells out Republicans on the issues and for some reason, he still seems surprised when his support evaporates. Ron Paul is a nutjob. Enough said.

Currently, the Republican front-runners include Guiliani, Romney, and Thompson. Guiliani is an old school politico who’s status as a viable POTUS was reinvigorated by 9-11. And rightfully so, I love his stance on the War on Terror and I have faith that he would even stick to it. Where I worry is on immigration reform and gun control. Simply put, he is your typical center-right candidate that got us the last two Bush’s. Which is to say, he is not nearly Republican or at least, conservative enough for my tastes.

Romney looks good in a lot of ways. He definitely performed in the debates. He’s a handsome man. That will get you some votes from little old ladies somewhere no doubt. Most importanlty, he looks and sounds like a Republican virtually all of the time. This is shocking considering he comes from a very very blue state. He strikes me as a less well known but more polished Guiliani, another center-right guy who is clearly a skilled a politician. The problem is that I want a statesman not a politician.

Don’t get me wrong. I would take either of these guys over any of the Dems. I just get frustrated when the decision makers in the party start backing the Guiliani’s of the world out of fear. They toss around the word “electable” and worry about people looking “presidential”. It’s all a load. I have enough confidence in the average voter that if they were given the real conservative message, they would choose it in a heartbeat. It doesn’t need to be finessed or compromised and thats what you get with a Bush or Guiliani type.

Fred Thompson is my dream candidate right now. I think this is in large part that he represents my hope for a better candidate than the initial offering. The question is “is he actually the candidate I’ve been waiting for?” So far he has met every expectation. I pray it continues. Here is a guy with a commanding presence who doesn’t come off as an inside the beltway politician willing to wheel and deal. He is a solid conservative across the board. Is his backbone strong enough to stay on message? Time will tell.

I should also mention Newt Gingrich. So far he is not an announced candidate but I feel he should be everyone’s first choice if that should happen. I mentioned the word “statesman” earlier. Newt is who I was referring to. This is a man who brings all the goods to the table. He has the experience of being Speaker. I would argue that he is responsible for a large part of what it means to be a conservative today. Unlike his opponents, he has read and written significantly more than one history book. He has a proven track record (ever heard of the contract with America?) and even a plan! Imagine actually being prepared for the job of POTUS. He is the only candidate in either party with those bases covered. Yes, yes I know about the baggage. Look around people, it makes no difference. America loves baggage. Look at Hillary. Hell, look at Bill. Look at Paris Hilton for heavens sake. The newsmedia will create baggage where there is none anyway. Trust that Newt has a message and he knows how to deliver it.

This week I will be meeting with the draftnewt.org folks and I promise an update once I do.
Bottom line is that I feel good about our hopes for 2008. We have the stronger candidates and of course, we have always had the right message.
Either way, we need more Americans like this Brit..