The GOP Nomination

This past week has been bizzaro in the campaign for the GOP Presidential nomination.

Two candidates drop out (excuse me “suspend” their campaigns), the Blue License Plate State GOP announces that their election night vote tally was incorrect and eight precinct tallies are mysteriously missing thus upsetting campaign victory spin and momentums, and Newt Gingrich’s second wife makes an eleventh hour claim that Newt asked her for a de facto polygamist marriage.

I would be remiss not to add (this is not bizarre) that an ad hoc coalition of fundamentalist Christians coalesced in support of Rick Santorum.

In October I posted on Finding a Nominee, I am not enthralled with the current crop of candidates. My reasons essentially being I desire a fresh face and one with experience. Of course the Texan in me wanted the Texas Governor to bring it on. It wasn’t to be. Rick Perry clearly doesn’t have the intellectual chops to lead our Nation (Color me disappointed but relieved he dropped out.)

Compounding the bizarreness of the past two weeks you have several Republican candidates and their minions condemning Capitalism and Free Enterprise and many Values GOPers at least dismissing if not even acting like they support adultery and unethical behavior.

After watching the events of the past two weeks and in particular the pillaring of Governor Romney over Bain Capitol, I am following Senator Thune’s and Governor Christie’s lead and supporting Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination.

It’s pretty safe to say that I will support just about any Republican over Barack Obama who has not led, not solved any problems, and in fact delayed tough choices and created more problems – both domestically and in foreign affairs. Whoever is elected in 2012 is likely to make two if not three Supreme Court appointments which makes my anti Obama position even more of a slam dunk.

Governor Romney’s conservatism may be somewhat suspect (remember he is from Massachusetts not Wyoming) but his leadership skills are not. The foremost thing America needs now is Leadership. Romney’s career at Bain Capital was successful, his Governorship was successful, his leadership of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and his campaign is recognized as the deepest and best organized (it not successful yet – remember the results are not all in.)

Class Warfare – It appears that President Obama who cannot demonstrate any results from his tenure in office has decided to campaign on two issues. His claim (actually his just making excuses) or more accurately characterization of a Do Nothing Congress (where his Party held the Majority his first two years and still controls the U S Senate) and pitting the rich against the poor. I’ll save detailed explanation for later.

Rather than trying to water down the President’s charges that I believe actually anti American (not in a patriotic sense) but in a freedom sense, Mitt Romney who comes from the private sector (has never served in Washington, DC) and actually created jobs is a better contrast to President Obama who has never worked in the private sector. Dear Reader you can do your own analysis of the histories of the other GOP candidates.

Both the President and Romney are Harvard grads, the President from the Law School and Romney from the B School. Romney successfully went into private business and Obama into Community organizing and then teaches law school and academia (more on that – see Newt that follows).

What is ironic to me is while President Obama’s minions (his Campaign and Carney, his Press Secretary) are blasting Romney and Bain Capital they are praising the President for saving General Motors. The essential difference is that at Bain they used private money for restructuring while at GM public money was used. Remember the write offs and haircut that the bondholders took (yes GM took Bankruptcy), remember the retirees that lost their health insurance, the plants (and job losses) that were closed. Now GM is on it’s feet again. This is what Bain Capital and Romney did. Ironic and Hypocritical but that’s Politics. (And Gingrich and his Super Pac condemned Romney and Bain (and thus Capitalism too.)

Romney is far and away the best candidate to take on the President on Class Warfare that any of the other GOP hopefuls.

A word on Newt – I agree on Newt Gingrich’s position on probably 90 percent of the issues. I agree with him in particular on a Conservative Opportunity Society. I think he is a great Professor (thinker, talker, and educator) but when he had the opportunity to lead as Speaker did not cut it. When he and Bob Dole took on President Clinton over the budget they lost. It seems somehow lost today but Gingrich was forced from office for substantial ethical problems (in fact he resigned fro the House of Representatives). Then there were his marriages. It is interesting that his being from Academia that so many Republicans currently support him. (I think they just don’t trust a moderate Massachusetts Republican). If he becomes our nominee I may support him rather than vote for Obama - but we Republicans can do better.

Endbar – It’s interesting to note that when Gingrich has gotten jammed up about his problems, first he turns his anger to vilify the Media. (It seems the GOP base many actually hate the media more that they dislike Liberals). This is what I dub when you don’t want to talk about the message, “shoot the messenger.” Then he does in a very general way acknowledge the question or issue and say it is old news and / or he has covered it before and if it is important to them, the listener should go find what he said about it. Gingrich who taught many candidates at GOPAC campaign schools understands that the public has a short memory and the next issue will make them forget to check out the past.

PS – Even though Romney may get Newtered tonight in South Carolina, I will still be with him.