I have come to the uncomfortable yet inevitable conclusion:
The four remaining contenders for the GOP nomination are a very weak field, and no matter how much I attempt to skew the view or inject their perception with something desirable or admirable, none of them measure up. Whether they fail in viability or inevitability or electability, none of these candidates has captured a sizable or meaningful majority of voters.
None of these candidates have managed to coalesce the three main strains of conservatism -- social, fiscal, national. Neither can any one of them appeal to these diverse interests without alienating swing voters in the general election.
Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has the most consistent resume for social conservatives, but his big support of Big Government has distanced him from the fired-up Tea Party, who demands a strong candidate who will attack the profligate economic dangers that are threatening this country. We need demonstrable leadership that will tackle entitlements and bring our country back from the brink of financial collapse.
Ron Paul is the most ardent of fiscal conservatives, the only Presidential candidate who has offered a suitable and substantial plan to reign in government spending. His libertarian views, however, have offended many, or have distanced many potential supporters who are convinced that he cannot gather enough primary support or even compete competitively or competently during the general election against Barack Obama. Furthermore, his marginal views on foreign policy, aside from the the grand retrenchment of American Armed Forces from over one hundred different countries., has alienated many. Frankly, his view that open dealings and free trade will transform Iran from a hostile state to a national player has disturbed many. Granted, Iran may not pose a substantial threat at the moment, yet no one with any wisdom would want a nuclear Iran capable of bulling nation-states in the region and intimidating governments around the world.
Newt Gingrich is too much of everything. He is loud to the point of brash. He is knowledgeable to the point of cashing in on his insider status before and after his stint in national politics. He has a celebrated resume, marred by a disgraceful exit from power and a tumultuous personal life. He has bold ideas, but a blunt and broken character, both unstable and uneasy with GOP establishment and committed conservative voters.
Mitt Romney has been the Establishment, though hardly established, favorite. More than seventy percent of eligible primary voters want someone else to run. For the past seven years, the former Massachusetts governor has failed to persuade the majority of voters that he his more than a middling moderate who will change his mission statement to appease or appeal to prospective voters. We need integrity and consistency in this race. Not his wealth, but his worth, not his cash, but his character are in question. Worst of all, he remains the proud sponsor of a medical insurance mandate which has failed his adopted New England state. Far from disavowing RomneyCare, he has championed his fudged effort to bring down medical costs. A token example of statism, RomneyCare served as the blueprint for the vastly unpopular ObamaCare mandate, one which threatens the freedom of the individual, the state, and the market system.
Let's just put in plainly: these four candidates are simply unacceptable. No wonder that Senator Santorum received a receptive and recognizable surge in three previous caucuses. Not so much a show of enthusiasm as repudiation of the weak front-runner, these stunning and upsetting victories for Santorum have only spelled out that GOP voters are not happy with the current crop. Perhaps subconsciously frustrated voters and delegates are attempting to force a brokered convention, one in which not one of the four remaining candidates will be able to command a simple majority of delegates. This moment may be tailor-made for a Presidential contender who wanted to avoid the unnecessary roughness and humiliation of the media-stoked primary fights which have all but decimated the current contenders while propping up the progressive incumbents chances at staying in office for another term.
Whatever the outcomes may be in the Summer in Tampa, a lower voter turn-out coupled with a mixed reaction to the candidates who insist on staying on until the bitter end are indicating that a compromise dark horse candidate may be able to step in, coalesce the disparate and desperate elements of the GOP, and promote a Presidential candidate candid and capable enough to take on and take down President Obama in November.
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