Finding a Candidate
The GOP president contenders have a front-runner in Rudy Giuliani, but the actual candidate is far from settled.
The Democrat side is all but settled. I will be shocked if the ticket of Hillary/Obama isn't set in stone very early in 2008. If there was a Democrat who had broad appeal with a message substantially different from the rest of the pack, he (or she) could get enough people excited to beat Hillary's machine. But there isn't anybody.
So give the fact I will never, not even with a gun to my head, vote for Hillary, all I have left are the Republicans.
But none of them measure up. At least not yet.
Rudy cleaned up New York City and was a visible and seemingly effective leader during the crisis of 9/11. He's saying the right things about National Defense. But he's suspect on taxes. And he's way off the reservation on social issues. Besides the fact he's an established skirt-chaser with a questionable moral history.
Mitt Romney is saying a lot of the right things and seems to be a competent executive. But he seems to be a political chameleon, so one never knows how seriously to take his positions. His Mormon faith isn't a problem for me, but I am concerned that there are lots of folks who won't vote for him just because of that. All else aside, when he talks he doesn't inspire me. I could vote for him against Hillary very easily, but would not be very happy about it.
Fred Thompson had everyone excited as he played coy about entering the race. But now that he's in, you can't really find anything that separates him from the rest of the pack. The weird thing is that he gives me the feeling he doesn't really want to be president. I can't tell what, if anything, he's passionate about.
John McCain is a guy that sometimes says things that make a lot of sense. Then he says something that doesn't. He angered lots of conservative voters with his leadership on the comprehensive immigration reform bill, most often alternately called the amnesty bill. It hurt his campaign, and although he's spending most of his time explaining himself on that issue, it may become the most important reason he doesn't win the nomination. McCain is a sort of moderate politician, which means I agree with him about 50 percent. Not enough to generate enthusiasm to pull his lever at the polls.
Of the rest, I seem to like Duncan Hunter the most. I probably agree with him on more issues than anybody else in the field. But nobody seems to even know he's running.
Mike Huckabee speaks well and seems like an honest, moral man. He's polling as the fourth most popular candidate, but doesn't seem likely to pull through. I'm a bit offended by his characterizations of people who feel the borders need to be secured and illegal immigrants dealt with as racists and bigots. But against most of the other guys, I might be willing to forgive.
Tom Tancredo is a one-trick-pony. All immigration all the time. I love his passion for the issue, but would like to hear more from him about other things.
Ron Paul won't win a nomination for president, but he will win Mayor of Crazytown hands-down. Every time he talks I get the uncomfortable feeling that maybe somebody should bundle him in a straightjacket and find him a padded room.
Where's my candidate? Not running for president, apparently.
The Democrat side is all but settled. I will be shocked if the ticket of Hillary/Obama isn't set in stone very early in 2008. If there was a Democrat who had broad appeal with a message substantially different from the rest of the pack, he (or she) could get enough people excited to beat Hillary's machine. But there isn't anybody.
So give the fact I will never, not even with a gun to my head, vote for Hillary, all I have left are the Republicans.
But none of them measure up. At least not yet.
Rudy cleaned up New York City and was a visible and seemingly effective leader during the crisis of 9/11. He's saying the right things about National Defense. But he's suspect on taxes. And he's way off the reservation on social issues. Besides the fact he's an established skirt-chaser with a questionable moral history.
Mitt Romney is saying a lot of the right things and seems to be a competent executive. But he seems to be a political chameleon, so one never knows how seriously to take his positions. His Mormon faith isn't a problem for me, but I am concerned that there are lots of folks who won't vote for him just because of that. All else aside, when he talks he doesn't inspire me. I could vote for him against Hillary very easily, but would not be very happy about it.
Fred Thompson had everyone excited as he played coy about entering the race. But now that he's in, you can't really find anything that separates him from the rest of the pack. The weird thing is that he gives me the feeling he doesn't really want to be president. I can't tell what, if anything, he's passionate about.
John McCain is a guy that sometimes says things that make a lot of sense. Then he says something that doesn't. He angered lots of conservative voters with his leadership on the comprehensive immigration reform bill, most often alternately called the amnesty bill. It hurt his campaign, and although he's spending most of his time explaining himself on that issue, it may become the most important reason he doesn't win the nomination. McCain is a sort of moderate politician, which means I agree with him about 50 percent. Not enough to generate enthusiasm to pull his lever at the polls.
Of the rest, I seem to like Duncan Hunter the most. I probably agree with him on more issues than anybody else in the field. But nobody seems to even know he's running.
Mike Huckabee speaks well and seems like an honest, moral man. He's polling as the fourth most popular candidate, but doesn't seem likely to pull through. I'm a bit offended by his characterizations of people who feel the borders need to be secured and illegal immigrants dealt with as racists and bigots. But against most of the other guys, I might be willing to forgive.
Tom Tancredo is a one-trick-pony. All immigration all the time. I love his passion for the issue, but would like to hear more from him about other things.
Ron Paul won't win a nomination for president, but he will win Mayor of Crazytown hands-down. Every time he talks I get the uncomfortable feeling that maybe somebody should bundle him in a straightjacket and find him a padded room.
Where's my candidate? Not running for president, apparently.
posted by Dan S. at 10:33 AM
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