Here We Go Again

Thank you, Westsista, for a special "Meet the Sass" report on the Republican primaries!

 Although it may seem like just yesterday for those who lack the stamina of true political junkies like me, it was actually four years ago that we watched both parties duke it out for the presidential nomination.  As Barack Obama is eligible to run for another term as president, this primary is all about the Republicans. 

What a wild ride it has been!  Ever since April of 2011, many different candidates have surged ahead in the polls.

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention (aka those with lives), here’s the quick wrap-up of the race so far:

• Trump – although he never officially declared, voters seemed to like his aggressive attitude and proven track record of making money.   The fall:  Turned out he was just boring after Hawaii released Barack Obama’s long-form birth certificate.
• Bachmann – attractive and able to memorize and deliver humorous talking points, for awhile she looked like the real deal.  The fall:  She was forgiven for mixing up John Wayne with John Wayne Gacy, but she finally made one crazy statement too many, repeating a mother’s lament that the HPV vaccine had caused her daughter’s mental retardation 
• Perry – also attractive and bringing that same Texas machismo which apparently never gets old.  The fall:  revealed himself to not be as good at memorization as Bachmann, not very mentally agile on his feet, and I forget the third thing.
• Cain – able to craft a catchy tagline that people could easily remember – NINE NINE NINE.  The fall:  curiously enough, not when it was revealed that at least two sexual harassment lawsuits against him had been settled out of court amid several more allegations, but when an affair surfaced where he had given his mistress money (apparently it was okay for him to screw women financially regarding sex, but not okay when they return the favor).  He also couldn’t remember what he disliked about Obama’s actions regarding Libya, but he was pretty much done by then anyway. 
• Gingrich – name recognition and perceived to be intelligent enough to do well in debates against the president.  The fall: thanks to the Supreme Court Decision (Citizens United), Romney’s Super PAC has been running negative Gingrich ads 24/7 in Iowa. In an ironic twist, Gingrich is now against the conservative Supreme Court decision and has become a believer in more transparency in campaign finance.
• Paul – consistent on issues and has a thought-out position on all the issues.  The fall:  The Ron Paul newsletters have been re-hashed again by the press, and there is some ugly stuff there – homophobic, racist and also anti-semitic.  Although he has given it a good try, it is not easy to distance yourself from the newsletters that bear your name and that have brought in millions in fund-raising.
• Santorum – may have surged at exactly the right time to have a good showing in Iowa.  His greatest weakness is that he is mostly known for his strong stance on social issues and that is generally not at the top of the voters’ list this season.

Last but not least, at some point Mitt Romney decided to seriously compete in Iowa.  Although he has never gotten over 25% in the polls, he may just be the tortoise in this race that ends up on top on the only night that counts – when the votes are actually counted.

Speaking of votes, some primaries are caucuses instead of elections.  Approximately a third of states hold caucuses for nominating presidential candidates instead of primary elections.

What’s the difference:

• Caucus – a meeting of members of a political party to nominate candidates for political offices.  This normally happens in small precincts (Iowa has 1,774).  Winner is determined from a majority of these small meetings. 
• Election – voters go in the voting booth and choose someone.  Winner is determined by votes.

Watching the primary arena is the most political fun that I’m going to have this year, so I’m riveted, waiting to see who Republicans in Iowa choose to go up against Barack Obama in November.  

 

 

Comments

[Flannista]

Damn, how I've missed Westsista's political commentary! Thank you so much, West!

Your summary of each candidate is spot-on, but my favorite one is your summary of Perry.

[Flannista]

Any assessment of Jon Huntsman, Westsista?

[nowayasista]

Good post, West. As a long standing republican I have watched zero minutes of any of the so called "debates". My party and I are having a tiff. Seems like just a bunch of crapola and the press is waiting to pounce on the first mistake of any kind. Huntsman is the kind of candidate we always say we want. Smart, independent, not tied to party politics. So, of course he is unknown by most. This will be a long year. I sure wish the politicos would do their job and govern, but I am afraid that 2012 will once again be a year of non-decision, easy way out politics. We have already extended an idiotic payroll tax cut, continued an out of control unemployment benefit program and once again put off the proverbial medicare fixes. Pushing the bar tab to the next generation so we can drink up and not pay the price. And I find it mostly disgusting.

[Westsista]

Thank YOU, Flann! As always, I enjoyed writing it.

Jon Huntsman has two fatal flaws - chosen by Obama to be the Ambassador to China and also a Mormon. I think if he had only one of the flaws he might be the nominee. Republicans are desperate to find the non-Romney, but Huntsman still has that pesky Mormonism thing. Evangelicals will never embrace him, just like they will never truly embrace Romney.

[Flannista]

I appreciate your assessment that we are "pushing the bar tab to the next generation", nowayasista. I'm ashamed to confess that I have not paid much attention at all to this election season because honestly, I find it too depressing. More of the same -- from both parties. Further, budget cuts are destroying elementary and secondary art programs all over the country. No one can kill the arts, of course, but not having access to them can kill so many souls.

Thanks for your take on Huntsman, West.

[Flannista]

West -- what's your opinion about Sarah Palin's influence?

In yesterday's Washington Post, several Republicans who ran or who considered running for President this year were asked what the remaining contenders should focus on. Palin suggested that they read her book, "Going Rogue". "Do you realize what is at stake? What is at stake is our republic."

Uh-huh. And reading your book is precisely what will save it, Sarah.

[Flannista]

Interesting point about evangelicals and Mormans, Westsista.

TRM -- as conservative and as evangelical as they come -- has donated thousands of dollars to Romney's campaign. Capitalism trumps Christianity in a heart beat.

[Flannista]

FYI -- this special edition of "Meet the Sass" will be up through tomorrow so Westsista (and the rest of us) can share our opinions about the Iowa outcome.

[Westsista]

nowayasista, I agree about the idiotic payroll tax. It bugs the crap out of me. The whole debate made me want to slap someone.

[PEACEsista]

Thank you, West, for your excellent and concise summary of the candidates. Someone should be paying you to write political commentary. Really.

I am hopeful that Obama will be re-elected, so I have not paid very close attention to the Republican candidates to date. We will see. Many pressing issues demand the full attention of our elected officials and this year especially the campaign season feels like a dangerous and costly distraction. I know it is the "price" of democracy ... but how deep are we going to dig this hole we are in before we begin to climb out?

[Westsista]

I don't entirely count out Sarah Palin. I think it's possible she makes a move on Republican delegates once its clear that Romney is headed toward the nomination.

Although I can't imagine such happiness, its possible.

[Westsista]

I have sat in church and listened to more than one minister tell me that Mormonism is a cult. I think that's pretty widespread in evangelical churches but I don't have hard statistics.

[Danielle Masursky]

Great summary, but I also wondered why you didn't mention Huntsman. But I don't agree than being Mormon is the deal breaker for him - he's too *moderate* for many primary voters, who tend to be more conservative than the average Republican. This year, political philosophy is carrying more weight than social issues - Newt Gingrich is hardly the poster boy for family values, but evangelicals don't seem to have any trouble voting for him. Another thought - if the Republicans think Obama is so easy to beat, why haven't bigger names in the Republican party come out to run this year? Things that make you go hmmm . . .

[babysis]

Thanks West, that is the most I have paid attention to what's going on in politics in months. I will go back to ignoring it and living life now.

Obama should easily win re-election against this lineup. I'm not happy about that, but it seems pretty obvious.

[Matissta]

Good to have you back, West.

Personally, I'm already tired of the field, because there were so many debates. I think I watched one or two, but from what I've read nothing new has come out of them. The election season seems to drag out so long that I think most people get tired of it. I know, you're just the opposite.

I'm not that familiar with Huntsman, but I find it disturbing that religion can still bring a candidate down rather than deciding on his ability.

[Chryso]

West, so glad to read your political commentary here - perfectly timed for Iowa. Laughed out loud when I read your review of Perry. It is a damned shame that the most extreme of both parties are what's generally moving the commentary and the elections. The silent moderate majority lives and is just too busy trying to stay afloat to rave at each other.

[Matissta]

Why do we put so much emphasis on this caucus or any caucus for that matter? Remember Huckabee won this one the last go-around. Like Huckabee, Santorum could win this and it wouldn't even matter.

[Flannista]

Westsista -- just got back from an eight-mile walk.

Help me, but I'm fed up with politics. Only you, Obi Wan Westsista, can save me. Why should I give a rat's ass?

[Westsista]

Danielle, I think Huntsman is great! But I'm not a Republican, so I try to get into the mind of a GOP voter. He matches Perry's credentials as governor (exceeds them, in my opinion), Bachmann's attractiveness, Romney's presidential serious appearance, Newt's intelligence and command of the issues, and Santorum's conservative voting record. So I have to ask why is the Republican primary poll answerer leaving him out, just as I did?

And don't forget, no one has voted for Newt yet or anyone else. Its all been polling until today, which is what makes it exciting and fun for me. People lie to pollsters all the time but sometimes they tell the truth about who they'll actually caucus (or vote) for. There's very little you can know for sure ahead of time.

[Westsista]

ha babysis - yes, return to your regular daily life programming. I hope you are right about Obama winning.

Good question, Danielle, about why stronger Republican candidates aren't running. I hope their internal polling is telling them the same thing that babysis opined and they'd rather wait until 2016.

[Westsista]

Matissta, I've gotten several personal emails from people who are also disturbed at the idea that religion could bring down a candidate.

My opinion is that there should be no barriers to running for office or serving for office based on religion. But voting is an individual right, rooted in personal preference. If I hate people who cheat on their spouses, I am free to vote against those candidates that I perceive to be cheaters. Same goes for sexual identity, ethnicity, gender, religion, etc. Humans will be humans, and we like what we like. We will always vote our prejudices but should not allow them to be institutionalized in our government.

[Westsista]

thanks Chryso and PEACE.

excellent point, Matissta, about why we care about Iowa's caucus so much. As Jon Huntsman said a couple of days ago, Iowa picks corn, not presidents. But sometimes they do. Iowa picked both George W. Bush and Obama. And also Pat Robertson and Mike Huckabee.

[Flannista]

Love Huntsman's line about Iowa picking corn, not presidents. That's clever. The more I read about Huntsman in your comments, West, the more I like him.

He'll never win now.

[half-a-sista]

West, you and I discussed the possibility that the Republicans didn't want to win the presidency in 2008 so that's why they saddled McCain with that Alaskan twit. They didn't want to win because they knew the house of cards built by Bush and his cronies would collapse and they wanted to be able to blame someone else for the collapse. Thank you, McCain/Palin in 2008.

So this time they've dug deeply in the nut barrel and emerged with Paul, Perry, Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, and Santorum to make sure that no one except the other nuts vote for the Republicans. I'm embarrasssed that Huntsman who is thoughtful and intelligent and Romney who might make a good president if he abandoned the evangelical Christians appear on stage with their far-right, reactionary competition. Talk about political suicide. The Republicans don't want the presidency in 2012 because they know the house of cards hasn't completely fallen apart.

[Flannista]

"They've dug deeply in the nut barrel" -- always makes me feel better to read words I wish I had written.