Mitt Romney

Jon Huntsman: Winner Of The New Hampshire Republican Presidential Debates!

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Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman came across in this weekend’s Republican Presidential debates as the winner by far, among all six candidates, particularly in the Sunday NBC debate.

The fact that he was willing to ignore partisanship and serve his country as Ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, which should be seen as a positive, has been attacked by Mitt Romney and others, but Huntsman gave a strong defense of his decision to serve the President of the United States.

Huntsman has moved up in the New Hampshire polls, and has a shot at ending second behind Romney, and if one uses the reaction of the audience at today’s debate, extremely supportive, more than any other candidate, one might wonder if a surprise is in the offing.

The problem is that Jon Huntsman is, in comparison to all other candidates, too centrist and moderate by comparison, but that is what is needed to overcome extreme partisanship and division, as Huntsman himself pointed out.

The real problem, ultimately, is that Jon Huntsman is too smart, too intelligent, too principled, to be the Republican Presidential nominee. He is a person who is NOT a career politician, and has done better serving his country in trade negotiations and in ambassadorships to Singapore and China.

To reject a man who can speak Mandarin and other foreign languages, and is very skilled and talented in more ways than all of his opponents combined, is a sign of just how the Republican Party has declined, a sad chapter in the history of a political party going back to the time of Abraham Lincoln!

The new American Research Group poll just out shows Huntsman with 17 percent, ahead of Ron Paul with 16 percent, with both behind Romney with 40 percent. If Huntsman continues to surge, it may be closer than that on Tuesday, and we know any poll could be wrong, so it will be exciting to watch what happens between now and Tuesday evening.

Two New Hampshire Republican Debates In 13 Hours!

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With the Iowa Caucuses results starting to sink in, and with the New Hampshire Primary now about two and a half days away, the six remaining GOP candidates for President square off tonight at 9 pm EST, televised on ABC, and at 9 AM EST tomorrow morning on NBC and MSNBC as part of MEET THE PRESS.

To have two debates over a period of 13 hours is in itself amazing, and a real test of ability to hold one’s composure, answer in an appropriate way without obvious mistakes, and make an impression on New Hampshire and national voters.

Mitt Romney is heavily favored, but needs to keep his wide lead over the field, or else it will be considered a defeat by many media sources. He also needs to keep his calm demeanor, and not overreact temperamentally to any attacks by his opponents, of which there are likely to be many, particularly by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, his closest challengers in the long run.

Newt Gingrich needs to demonstrate that he can be strong, assertive, but not obnoxious or condescending against his opponents, never easy for him, and to stop being a “cry baby” about strong attacks by his opponents, since he was the master of such tactics in his years in the House of Representatives.

Rick Santorum needs to show that he is concerned about other issues than social conservatism, and that he has the ability to draw independent support, which seems unlikely.

Ron Paul is Ron Paul, and is not going to worry about any impressions he makes, as he goes by a different drummer, as the saying goes.

Rick Perry needs to prove he has any legitimacy left, and not stumble as he has so often done in earlier debates, and convince people that he is the better choice for social conservatives, than Gingrich or Santorum, not a likely scenario.

Finally, Jon Huntsman needs to win New Hampshire, or end up a competitive second, as he has built his campaign so much on New Hampshire, ignoring Iowa altogether. If he wins or end up a close second, he can move on to Florida and other states. Otherwise, he is done for 2012!

So that is the summary of what must be accomplished or perceived about each of the six finalists for the nomination, and there will be lots of analysis after the joint debates, with the primary just two days away by their end!

Mitt Romney The 3,140th Wealthiest Person In America: Does He Understand Average Americans?

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney turns out to be the 3,140th wealthiest person in America, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Unlike his dad, former Michigan Governor George Romney, who was born poor, Mitt Romney was born into a family of great wealth, and never had to struggle for anything.

His public postures have shown that he does not understand what it is to be poor or middle class, and he seems awkward when dealing with ordinary citizens, and very uptight about his wealth.

Face the facts: Just about all American politicians have wealth, whether gained in one’s lifetime or inherited. It is NOT an issue of how much wealth one has, but his or her attitude toward the 99 plus percent who are not as fortunate as he or she is!

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Senator Ted Kennedy were very rich people, as examples, but they truly CARED about the average American, and pursued goals and legislation to make life better for the common man and woman.

On the other hand, MOST Republicans who are wealthy, including Mitt Romney but not exclusively him, do not give a damn about average Americans and pursue goals and legislation to protect their own privileged class, without any regard for the plight of the poor and the middle class.

This is the ultimate test of CHARACTER and MORALS, and Mitt Romney, no matter how religious he is, no matter how good a family man he is, no matter how pleasant a person he may seem to be, is NOT interested in helping anyone other than his own aristocratic class, and therefore, does not deserve to be elected our President in 2012!

The Multi Headed Monster: The Republican Party “Bloodshed” Ahead!

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Now that the Iowa Caucuses are over, any semblance of peace and compromise in the battle for the Republican Presidential nomination is a distant dream.

With Rick Santorum ending up ONLY EIGHT votes behind Mitt Romney; Romney gaining SIX FEWER votes than in 2008; Newt Gingrich furious at his so called mistreatment by Romney related PACs bad mouthing him and his record; Rick Perry strangely deciding to reverse himself and fight on in South Carolina; Jon Huntsman ridiculing Iowa and continuing his quest to turn things in his favor in New Hampshire; and Ron Paul continuing his quixotic quest to turn America and the Republican Party against “big” government and “interventionist” foreign policy, we are far from any resolution of the struggle, and lots of “bloodshed” is ahead of us!

The “Establishment” Republicans and Wall Street Republicans want Mitt Romney.

The “Social Conservatives” can choose between Rick Santorum, likely to gain their mantle due to his success, but also Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich competing for their support.

The “Tea Party Movement” Republicans still believe in Ron Paul.

The more moderate and foreign policy oriented Republicans realize that Jon Huntsman is superior to all others in foreign affairs knowledge, but many want a more aggressive attitude on foreign policy, a la the “neoconservatives”, preferring the hard line of Santorum, Perry or Gingrich.

The Republican Party is a multi headed monster which is looking for its “soul”, but it may NOT have one!

The “Bible Belt”, Religion, And The Republican Presidential Race

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After Mitt Romney won the Iowa Caucuses by EIGHT votes over Rick Santorum, some saw it as a victory.

But others pointed out that Romney actually received SIX fewer total votes than he did in 2008 in the Iowa Caucuses!

And Romney did not do well among evangelical Christians, which are a very large portion of the Republican vote in Iowa. Considering also that he received just 25 percent of the vote, the same percentage as in 2008, brought to mind that his Mormon faith MAY have an effect in the Southern primaries and other Midwest primaries where evangelical Christians still look at Mormonism as a religious cult, in areas considered the “Bible Belt”!

So Mitt Romney is not seen as overcoming the religion question as John F. Kennedy did in 1960.

But the problem is that Jon Huntsman is also a Mormon, and Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are Catholic, the problem that existed for Kennedy. Only Rick Perry and Ron Paul are evangelical Christians or Baptists, which is predominant in the South.

The question is whether Rick Santorum, who shares the religious and family values of many Southerners, but is a Catholic, can win them over and have an impact in future primaries. He is already trying to appeal to blue collar whites who are often rural in environment and religious more than the rest of the country. Will Perry and Paul have a better shot, particularly in the South, and can Gingrich, who converted to Catholicism, overcome that fact?

The point is that religion COULD be a factor in the final decision as to who the GOP Presidential nominee will be!

Further Proof Of The Importance Of Every Single Vote: Eight Vote Win For Romney In Iowa

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There are many Americans who think it is not important to vote, that no one person can have an impact or change a result of an election.

That falsehood was proved to be inaccurate again last night when Mitt Romney won the Iowa Caucuses over Rick Santorum by the closest margin of any Republican Presidential nomination contest in its entire history–EIGHT VOTES statewide!

The win is better than a loss, of course, but realistically, Rick Santorum gained a lot more by losing by eight votes than Romney did by squeaking out such a tiny margin, and proving that he still has a problem with conservative and Tea Party Republicans, winning only one out of four votes in a state he has campaigned in since 2007, and doing no better in percentage than he did in the 2008 caucuses.

It looks more than ever that the battle is down to Romney vs the “Anti Romney”, who appears to be Santorum, plus the possibility of Jon Huntsman, but only if he is able to win New Hampshire or end up a very close second.

Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are, thankfully, no longer factors in the race, even if they decide to remain in the competition.

Ron Paul will continue to compete, but will not be the nominee, and likely will not do as well as third place anywhere else but Iowa.

Newt Gingrich will do his usual “slash and burn” strategy against Romney, copying his entire career in the House of Representatives, but a poor fourth gives him almost no chance to move on into serious competition.

So we are down to three candidates in realistic terms, and possibly only two after New Hampshire next Tuesday!

The Demise Of Michele Bachmann And Rick Perry: Good Riddance!

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Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Texas Governor Rick Perry have effectively been eliminated from the Republican Presidential race by their poor sixth and fifth place finish in the Iowa Caucuses.

There should be no tears shed over this, as both candidates were absolutely horrible in their performance, and showed high levels of stupidity and dangerous views in their quest for the Presidency!

Never has anyone finishing lower than fourth in Iowa gone on to victory, and only John McCain in 2008 went from fourth to the nomination, but realistically, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich would have to rise magically to first in New Hampshire as McCain did in 2008, and that is NOT going to occur!

Ron Paul ended up, considering his young and naive supporters, a disappointing third, so the race should be seen as down to three candidates: Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and IF he can produce a miracle in New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman, who did not compete in Iowa, but MUST win New Hampshire to have a chance to move on.

So the Iowa Caucuses have done what they are designed to do–winnow the field of candidates, which is now down to, at most, four or five candidates.

The Sudden Rise of Senator Rick Santorum As Possible GOP Presidential Nominee!

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With the Iowa Caucuses 24 hours away, it is very clear that with all of the public opinion polls that have taken place in the past six months, that again, while they are interesting and good discussion pieces, it does not guarantee that what these polls claim are the views of the voters will actually work out in practice.

Who would have thought that former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, long regarded as insignificant and having no chance to win, is now in a position of possibly ending up winning the Iowa Caucuses? His surge the past week has come at precisely the right time with the actual vote about to occur!

But when one hears that possibly 41 percent of those who intend to vote are not settled on who to back, it proves once again the fickle and confused nature of many voters, possibly more so in a tough time economically as we are experiencing, due to the collapse of the economy in 2008 and since.

So a good looking, friendly, warm candidate who comes across as genuine and real, as Rick Santorum does, suddenly has a real shot at winning the GOP Presidential nomination.

This does not mean that progressives should be happy at Santorum being the possible winner in Iowa, and having a good chance to be the candidate of the Republican Party. He appeals to social conservatives, highly religious voters, due to his stand against gay rights in all forms and details; his total anti abortion stands from the beginning of his political career; and his decision to home school his seven children.

The point is that Santorum might come across on the surface as a “nice” guy who is accessible, does not dodge questions from voters, looks at people he is speaking to with a direct eye on them, and appears more sincere in his views than anyone, and far less of a “flip flopper” than possibly anyone in the race.

But not only Mitt Romney, the supposed GOP front runner, but also Barack Obama, needs to be aware that a Santorum candidacy is a threat to the mainstream of the nation and the Republican Party!

If he is nominated, he should, in theory, with his extreme right wing views, the most since Barry Goldwater in 1964, be easy for Barack Obama to defeat.

To believe, however, that Santorum would be easy to defeat, could be a fatal error on the part of the Democratic Party and President Obama!

Instead, a possible Rick Santorum Presidency MUST be seen as a “clear and present danger” to the achievements of the New Deal, the Great Society, and the reforms in the 20th century brought about by both Democratic and Republican Presidents!

Rick Santorum would be a danger to women, African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, immigrants of all backgrounds, gays and lesbians, the environment, government regulation of business, a fair tax system, labor rights, a fair balance in the federal courts including the Supreme Court, and American foreign policy with the threat of more foreign wars in the name of fighting what Santorum would call “Islamofascism”!

So no one should take the possible candidacy of Rick Santorum for President as something to dismiss or ignore. That would be at the threat and danger to too many groups and issues!

Historical Reality Of Iowa (Top Three) And New Hampshire (Top Two) Are The Only Choices For Presidential Nomination Of Either Party

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All of the candidates for the Republican Presidential nomination contend they will go on, even if they perform poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire.

But the historical reality is that unless one ends up in the top three in Iowa AND the top two in New Hampshire, there is no future for such a candidate.

The only exceptions are Bill Clinton in 1992 in Iowa in 4th place behind “favorite son” Tom Harkin, “Uncommitted”, and Paul Tsongas, but Harkin winning 76 percent of the vote; and John McCain, who in 2008 in Iowa ran behind Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, but lost to Thompson for third place only by a total of 424 votes. NEVER has anyone in either party ending up lower than second place in New Hampshire won the Presidential nomination of either political party!

Thus, only five Iowa third or fourth place finishers have ended up winning New Hampshire and being the nominee: Bill Clinton fourth in 1992, Michael Dukakis third in 1988, George McGovern third in 1972, John McCain fourth in 2008, and George H W Bush third in 1988.

So, assuming the polls are correct, Jon Huntsman (not really competing in Iowa), Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and probably Newt Gingrich, are “toast”, with Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and probably Rick Santorum (due to a late surge at the proper time), the real contenders in New Hampshire.

That would mean that Rick Santorum would become the candidate of the “social conservatives”, but the odds are that Mitt Romney will win New Hampshire and go on to become the GOP nominee for President in 2012 against President Obama!

The Collapse Of Newt Gingrich And Surge Of Rick Santorum As Iowa Caucuses Near!

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The Republican Presidential nomination race has gone through amazing changes of fortune, if one considers public opinion polls reliable.

Newt Gingrich has become the newest candidate to rise and collapse, as indicated by the CNN-Time poll released today. He follows Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain in the ups, and then the downs, of public opinion polling.

Ron Paul has surged, but is now under heavy attack and may be starting to wear down as a result, although with the power of libertarianism in Iowa, he might still win the state in the caucuses or end a close second.

But the sudden surge of Rick Santorum is the newest surprise, although it must be pointed out that Iowa has 60 percent of Republicans who call themselves social conservatives, and Santorum has visited every county of the state, and more often been in Iowa than any other Republican candidate, and definitely appeals to social conservatives. He now shows up as third behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

To believe that Rick Santorum could actually win the GOP nomination is, however, to believe in the tooth fairy! But he could win Iowa in a close finish!

What is clear is that there is great dissatisfaction with the Republican candidates for President, and the constantly changing fortunes of the candidates is, therefore, a danger sign for the Presidential Election of 2012.