Primaries, Caucuses, and the GOP...
 As many of you know, I am in working to get a well on line for our farm in Tlacolula, Oaxaca. I got here in mid-January and will not return to the states until well after the Nevada Caucus dates. That means I will not be getting a chance to participate in, or read all of the breathless blather that will try and tell folks that anyone else other than Mitt Romney has a shot at the Republican nomination. Folks, here is what the GOP needs to understand. The nomination is going to Mitt Romney barring an 11th hour move by the party big-wigs to choose a different type of candidate. No matter what their supporters think, the reality is that Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul have absolutely no chance to actually capture the nomination. Santorum has no money and is too far to the right on social issues for the average GOP voter. Paul is too old and not enough of a military hawk to appeal to the military industrial wing of the party. And Gingrich, well he’s Newt. In spite of all of the money Las Vegas zillionaire Sheldon Adelson is pumping into his campaign, Newt can’t out run the facts... he makes Bill Clinton look like a paragon of moral virtue. And so that leaves Mitt. And a bunch of questions as we move achingly slow to the Republican Convention in Tampa later this year. Why are these folks still in the race? In 2008, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battled all the way through June. Why? Because there was a conceivable path to victory for both of them. Not a single partisan supporter of the three GOP losers can give a reasonable explanation of how their candidate will get the nomination. So I ask again, why are they still in the race? It must be because while they believe Mitt will be wrong for America if he wins and that he cannot beat President Obama, they are hoping to get something out of staying. Is it a nice book deal? Is it the Vice Presidency? Is it a cabinet spot? Or is it front runner status in the 2016 presidential elections after Obama wins reelection this year? There has got to be reason, or maybe these guys are all just folks with oversized egos who can’t understand that they have already lost the election to a man named Mitt. You tell me. PS... the postcard is in honor of Dmarks, a big post card guy and another blogger who occasionally checks in here at the mission... Labels: Elections, GOP, Mitt Romney, Nevada, Nevada Caucus, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Sheldon Adelson |
posted by Dave Miller at 6:47 AM
Comments on "Primaries, Caucuses, and the GOP..."
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Tim said ... (9:01 AM) :
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dmarks said ... (9:25 AM) :
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BB-Idaho said ... (11:45 AM) :
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Dave Miller said ... (6:38 PM) :
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dmarks said ... (8:54 AM) :
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Z said ... (3:27 PM) :
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Dave Miller said ... (2:24 PM) :
post a comment"Maybe these guys are all just folks with oversized egos who can’t understand that they have already lost the election to a man named Mitt."
In a nutshell (pun intended).
I think you are spot on with everything, except your characterization of Ron Paul:
"Paul is ... not enough of a military hawk to appeal to the military industrial wing of the party."
Not being a "hawk" has nothing to do with it. He simply does not want the US to fight back when attacked, and he opposes US intervention even in significant humanitarian crises (having gone on record as saying that what Germany did to the Jews in the mid 20th century was none of our business). This puts him out of touch not only with with the supposed "military industrial wing" (honestly, I have yet to meet a military industrial Republican), but with the mainstream of both Democrats and Republicans.
He's an ugly jingoist of the type that believes American lives matter, but not the lives of foreigners.
He's also antisemitic, and wishes the Israelis did not exist at all, and supports efforts to get rid of the Israelis.
See paragraph 7 of this page. Note that the Paul staffer who wrote this attempts to make Paul's hatred of Israeli Jews OK by saying "Again, American Jews, Ron Paul has no problem with". And that Paul can't be an antisemite because he has a few Jewish friends.
He claims to be standing up for the Constitution, but his proposal to strip native-born Americans of their citizenship because of supposed crimes of their parents destroys both the 5th and 14th Amendments of the Constitution.
As for Ron Paul's campaign, he has started "I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal" Perhaps he can use this as justification for getting Barack Obama out of the White House.
I'm curious if the rural Mexicans
have any opinion about US politics?
Dmarks, I think you are making a better general election argument... I was only saying that for the primaries, Paul is out because he does support a muscular military outside of the US and a majority of primary voters in that party desire this.
Interesting question BB... I remember in 2008 riding in the back of a truck/taxi and a great discussion we all had about Obama and his chances to win. There were people who spoke Zapotec, English, and Spanish and everyone was bi-lingual.
I might blog on your suggestion... I like it..
I would imagine his antisemit.... *cough* antizionism might rub many the wrong way, considering his statements in support of getting rid of Israel.
Who is it saying Romney can't beat Obama when the polls have shown them almost neck and neck several times?
Z, no one said that here, unless I am missing something...