Impressions of GOP Field: May '07

Some impressions after watching the debate and listening to the "post-game" coverage over the past two days:

  1. It's time to weed out the non-contenders. Tommy Thompson, thank you for playing. Ron Paul, who are you? Tom Tancredo, I like your one message, but there's more to being the president than one issue. Jim Gilmore, I don't even know what to say. Sam Brownback, you, too. We know you joined the race to get the one or two messages you feel so passionately about out there, and thank you for that, but trust us, the issues will be debated. . .without you in it.

    What the Republican party, and the Conservative movement needs is not extraneous politicians muddy-ing the waters in this unbearably long election cycle but philosophical clarity and fewer names and faces for our A.D.D. public to see, identify and remember.

    In the coming months, the Democrat party machine is going to be in full force determining their nominee. Does it make sense for the Republicans to be involved in an internal struggle at the same time? Let the Democrats duke it out with all of America's attention on them. The Democrat
    This is fantasy-land, but I'd like to see a debate consisting of Mitt, Rudy,
    Fred Thompson,
    and Duncan Hunter.
    party field will be whittled down a bit by then, but consider that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (and possibly John Edwards) are not going anywhere, and their battle will be epic. Clintons don't tolerate opposition well, and the Republicans should ensure that the Drive-by/Mainstream Media has no choice but to talk about the Clinton-Obama struggle. They can do this by whittling down their own field and not attacking each other.

  2. This member of XEKE.com did not have a serious problem with Rudy Giuliani's answer to his question on abortion. XEKE.com is adamantly pro-life, and Rudy's answer didn't come out strongly for a pro-life position. However, Rudy used a term that is very, very important: strict constructionist judge. (XEKE.com has commented on Rudy's judicial advisor) Plainly stated, I'm not crazy about Rudy's social politics, but he has been very clear in the past that he believes that judges should interpret the U.S. Constitution literally as it is written. While there are other candidates that we'd be happy to see over Rudy for reasons of advancing the Conservative movement, XEKE.com will not turn on Rudy should he receive the nomination.

  3. I like Duncan Hunter and I like Mike Huckabee. Good Conservatives, both. Would I complain if they were elected? Not at all. Do I think they could be elected? No.

  4. McCain needs to go. Over and over again he sounds great, supportive of Bush, tough on the war, tough on the Democrats. . .then he steps in it and does something stupid like Campaign Finance Reform or (proposing) Immigration Reform (with Sen. Kennedy). Rudy is more of a known commodity than McCain, and the Conservative movement cannot risk a presidency on an unknown commodity.

  5. I like Mitt, and I think, of the declared field, that he'd be the best president. I have a tremendous respect for business success, and nobody has had greater business success than Mitt. Why is that important, you ask? To which I respond: Do you want someone who has been unsuccessful in business? Do you want a trial lawyer? Do you want a career politician?

    XEKE.com would prefer a personal winner, someone who has had to succeed in the marketplace, over a life-long politician. He's not as Conservative as Reagan, but who in this field is? They all claim they are. Nominating Conservative judges, restraining spending, and protecting life are all criteria of Conservatism, and Mitt has done nothing to indicate that he will fail at this. That he is a Mormon is not worth commenting on in the world of presidential politics.

  6. This is fantasy-land, but I'd like to see a debate consisting of Mitt, Rudy, Fred Thompson, and Duncan Hunter. . .and I'd like to see the debate without media spin, without stupid questions submitted by bloggers (like MSNBC pulled), and without 30-second time constraints. This would serve the Republican party and the Conservative movement very well.

Overall, I wish part of the national focus wouldn't be on an election that's a year-and-a-half away. There's plenty that needs to be discussed and covered right now, such as terrorism, the fact that there is an American political party that is seeking defeat in the present war by attempting to establish a surrender date, the gross over-spending by the federal government, the confiscatory tax structure and the good alternatives that have been proposed (Flat Tax or Fair Tax), shall I go on?

This, too, is why the Republicans need to settle their business and choose a candidate. We could settle much of this before the primaries. Then, possibly, some distractions could be put behind us so that the real issues can be debated nationally.


5/5/2007



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