In the war of ideas, it was all Newt Gingrich, Gary Johnson, Herman Cain and Ron Paul. In the battle of personalities, it was Mitt versus Rick.The news networks will remember the battle, not the war.
Rep. Bachmann doesn't make his summation at all, which is sadly appropriate. She did very well in the early phase, but given her unfortunate performance over the vaccine issue this week, in which she has taken the time I wished to give her to first double down on the assertion, and then to deny responsibility for the claim -- she was only passing on the word of a distraught mother -- I suppose I can no longer support her candidacy. She is a good woman, I am sure, but she does not have the quality of command.
The long campaigns have the benefit of showing such flaws in time for us to make an informed decision. Unfortunately, at this time there is no clear choice to whom I might transfer my support. When I stop to think about whom I might want to be President -- if I could choose anyone at all -- I can think of no one. Certainly I do not see anyone to support among the frontrunners of our two parties: but I can think of no one at all. The office is so heavy that I know no one who could bear it. I don't want another President, not any other one. Not until the office is smaller, better fit for a man or a woman.
A good reason to support Rep. Bachmann was that she seemed to understand the importance of sliding the power out of the Federal government, and letting it fall to the states or back to the People. That is the one big idea that we need to advance. Who shall carry it?
4 comments:
Well, Perry did say he wanted to make Washington basically irrelevant to the average citizen, (or something to that effect).
So maybe he's on to something there.
Gov Perry said something that was very telling to me. In defending himself against Romney's thrust regarding in-state tuition for illegal aliens, he said something along the lines of "if you oppose educating children who are in the state through no fault of their own, you have no heart."
There are two major issues I have with this. One, no child is in the state through any choice of their own. Were my niece to apply to Texas A&M or Texas Tech, she'd be required to pay out of state tuition. Why is it reasonable for her to, but not for an illegal alien?
Second, it is not the job of the government to "have a heart". Compassion is for the people to practice. Justice is for the government. It's why we shouldn't take the law into our own hands, and why the government shouldn't try to "have a heart".
When I stop to think about whom I might want to be President -- if I could choose anyone at all -- I can think of no one.
and
...the importance of sliding the power out of the Federal government, and letting it fall to the states or back to the People. That is the one big idea that we need to advance. Who shall carry it?
There's this (there's one point with which I vehemently disagree, but on the whole, I entirely agree with his words): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=D-nj2H7ALzg
So: I could go with a Rubio/Christie ticket. But for 2012, if either stepped in (they've both repeatedly refused), they'd lose my vote. But in 2016, they'd be very good.
MikeD's remarks notwithstanding (I agree with them), I like Perry from among the currently most nominatable. I like Gingrich, but he's also said some things with which I vehemently disagree (and when I recall them, I'll say so), and Santorum is making a lot of sense. I wish Johnson had been in this campaign sooner; I like what he's saying, too, and he seems a more practical Libertarian than Paul--but that may be only because he hasn't been in my attention for as long.
Eric Hines
Mostly, I think we need someone who can keep the ship afloat until we prepare someone who can sail her properly. With guys like Ryan, Rubio, Christie, Jindal, etc., we're building up people who could potentially do the job in the future. If someone can keep the deck above water for the next 8 years, we'll be in a better position to get a good captain up there.
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