mycatharsis.com

It’s something I’ve been wondering about, and there is some reason to think there’s something to it.  He has been the most positive voice in these debates,  and has sounded the most moderate as Giuliani and Romney have been racing to the right. Huckabee, meanwhile, has stated that while he’s conservative, he’s not ‘angry’ about it, has sounded very moderate and positive in the debates, even defending compassion towards illegal immigrants.  At the same time, he has surged to front-runner status, while all others, Ron Paul excepted, have faltered or languished in the polls.  Going off topic for a moment, even to someone like me that believes the immigration issue is not nearly as important as people think, I’ve really found it surprising that Tom Tancredo can’t muster more than 1 or 2% support in polls.  And that is 1 or 2% of the populace MOST likely to support his nativist views, GOP primary voters.  As Tancredo said in the last debate, the candidates are trying to ‘out-Tancredo’ Tancredo, and that is pretty baffling to me when Tancredo has not ever been out of the GOP basement, poll-wise.

It will be interesting to see if Huckabee’s new found support lasts.  He has not handled the increased scrutiny particularly well, at least to me.  Refusing to back down from his 1992 statement that AIDS patients be essentially quarantined, and now throwing out the first attacks at an opponent’s religion sure have not endeared himself to me personally.  If his support continues to grow, he may be on to something, but if his boom does not last, it may well be that his bump may come from a strongly moderate part of the GOP electorate, who, while conservative economically, feel left out of the process with the current crop of candidates and are looking for someone who has a positive and traditionally American message, something Huckabee has excelled at in the debates.

The one candidate that still intriques me is Mitt Romney,  GOVERNOR Romney, I spose I should say, as opposed to presidential candidate Romney.  His remarks about doubling the size of Gitmo and his recent strident nativism have really turned me off to him, as does his support for ‘three-strikes’ and a national ID system.   As does his seeming complete lack of political principles, opting for political expediency instead.  On the other hand, extreme adherence to principles turns me off as well, as that only displays an unwillingness to acknowledge reality.  But Romney does seem to go too far the other direction,  making it hard to see what principles he really has.  But he does have a strong track record of success, including in the private sector, and seems willing to listen to others and the public in making the right decision.  I think back to his debate statement that he’d consult with his lawyers before deciding to declare war.  While completely wrong constitutionally, as Ron Paul correctly pointed out, I think he was trying to convey a willingness to listen to advisors and not make a decision to plunge us into war willy-nilly.  Perhaps that’s wishful think and I should just admit how little I have in common with these GOP candidates, again Paul excluded.  But I REALLY don’t want another 4 (or god forbid, 8)  years of a Clinton in office, and all the self-centered policy positions, scandals, focus group tested responses, and lack of conviction that comes with it.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and Obama’s poll surge will continue,  I can barely describe how sweet a sight that would be.  I can’t say I agree with all his views, but he is by far the most refreshing candidate in the field, and simply eliminating the possibility of four more years of the Clinton/Bush dynasty would elevate him to near-sainthood in my book!