I think it is funny how the polls keep floating one person or another as the front runner in the Republican nomination process. Each candidate has had a chance to be out front and each one has been met with reality except two. Both of which have had their share and both need to have a down before we can have a winner. The biggest problem is that most of America has had a chance to learn about global politics. We have responded with the Tea Party on the Right and the Occupy movement on the left. Both movements have been co opted by the politicians to get them to say what they want them to say. That leads to a real problem when we vote for people because we believe they are one way on the campaign trail and they turn into something else in office. Some of it is their fault and some of it is ours. I think the election of all of the last few presidents show us that it is our fault on all of them. Getting back to the current field of presidents let's look at them and their baggage and see who if anyone is worth getting our vote.
The Front runner is Mick Romney. A conservative Mormon who was the governor of a liberal state. Massachusetts. Most people in America look at conservative and say that is enough for me but they fail to look at the persons religion or record. As a governor he brought a state health insurance bill to Massachusetts know colloquially as Romneycare. Very similar to Obama care and Teddy Kennedy used it to draft the national version of the law. Romney said in a recent interview that he did a lot of things in Massachusetts that he wouldn't do as president because of the demography of the country. Is that true? If you are willing to do something different in Texas then you do in Massachusetts, it says that you are not true to your principles but flow with the waves of public opinion. Can you say where is Reagan when you need him? Also his religion. The Mormon church is preparing a Temple in Washington for the prophesied Mormon president. If you don't like Muslims in government now under Obama, you will not like Mormons in government under Romney.
The next consistent polling person is Ron Paul. Ron Paul has done much to spread the idea of End the Fed. His ideas on cutting taxes and spending need to be adopted by all republicans. The big problem is that most of the other candidates are so dependent on corporate money to run for office that they cannot run on his principles. The big issue with Ron Paul is his foreign policies. They are a throwback to the 1910's when we were debating joining the first world war. I am afraid that the world is now too dangerous to do that. We will have an attack on US soil if we do. If you believe that all the terrorist are run by the CIA, you would also have to agree that the CIA would attack America to get us back into foreign conflicts. So we are playing a dicey game with foreign policy. Also, Ron is also considering running as a third party candidate, Independent or Libertarian., based on how the early states go. He will have to make that decision rather early. Before the Texas primary in March. He cannot be on the Republican primary ballot in March and the Libertarian in November in his home state.
Right now the third runner is Newt Gingrich. Probably the most intellectually smart man in the race. Don't let this catholic fool you. He is a communitarian. That is a Democratic socialist. He was the one that brought us NAFTA. He Promoted the book Third Way to his colleagues as speaker of the House and set us in a course as a do nothing congress. I heard someone say, he could work with the democrats better then any other candidate. I don't think that is a good thing always. Also, as a look at his home life shows that he is not stable. Having gone through three marriages. I wouldn't want to be his current wife.
The last one rising high in the poles was Herman Cain. An articulate black man who has run his own business and a few other peoples business. He is know as the Godfather of the republicans. Haveing been president of Godfather's pizza. His big baggage comes in one of those great jobs he had. Chairman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve. If you are a Ron Pauler and want to End the Fed then Herman Cain is not the person you want there. His big push is for the 9 9 9 tax plan. 9% income tax, 9% capital Gains and 9% sales tax. Sounds like a good plan if you are used to paying 35% tax but let's look at that again. Right now over 50% of Americans pay no Income tax and get a rebate on their taxes. That will not bod well for them. Adding a sales tax on top of what we are already paying will not work either because that will drive up the cost of purchasing and we will buy less. Not good for jobs. On Foreign policy, I have not seen anything on that. He is an unknown.
The greatest rise and fall in the polls goes to Rick Perry. The third term Republican governor of Texas. His main campaign strength has been the economy of Texas. But then as people started looking at Perry and who was backing him, he fell off. The first strike was his 2010 visit to the Bilderberg meeting in Switzerland. The Bilderbergs are an American European government conference where leaders try to understand each other's government. At least that is the benign way of saying it. Others think they are running the world. His second strike is that a lot of his support is from the new Religious right. This is not your Jerry Falwell's. This would be your Dominionist thinking Christians. The ones that think that it is our job to take over government and the other seven mountains of the seven mountain mandate which Glen Beck, a Mormon also endorses. Non Christians and most Christians are not keen on that idea. Then people started looking at his Texas record. That became very disturbing. Yes Texas has high job growth but low in insured workers. What that is saying is that most of the jobs in Texas are low wage. Also, Texas is good in the Amount of money on hand. The thanks to that is not our government, but our constitution. The constitution of Texas requires a balanced budget over two years and does not allow for an income tax. What was done this year to accomplish that was pretty bad. A lot of spending cuts that were not popular. Rick Perry has done much to stand up for state rights. But has he gone too far is some of those stands?
Michelle Bauchman is one who has done well in polls. She is an interesting character representing the sentiments of the Tea Party. Her big problem is she is so to the right that she can't reach to the left. The one debate that I saw her in left me thinking is she going to sit their and argue with people or is she going to get down to business and get something done? Her personality seems like it lends itself well to being a congresswoman but not towards being POTUS.
Their are others, but these are the leading candidates. On the democratic side, no one has stepped forward to challenge our current president whom I see a vulnerable. The big problem is that the best candidates all work in the Administration. It would take a governor or a congressman to challenge him. I don't think any of the current congressmen have what it takes to win outside of their own state.
Where does this leave us in America. Not good. I really don't see any good leadership out their. Prophetically, there has been a prophecy of a Mormon president and one of a Pretty woman as president in the end. Those prophecies are contradictory in my opinion. If Ron Paul runs third party will that hurt the Republicans in November? I think that depends on who is the Republican candidate.
So in conclusion. I am not going to indorse any one candidate. What I am going to say is that they all need to be carefully vetted and you need to come to your own conclusion. You need to look at all issues, foreign, economy, social issues, and make up your own mind. Here in Texas I don't have to vote until March. I will use that time to make up my own mind.
