New Hampshire Primary

The Full Scale Assault On Gay Rights By GOP Presidential Candidates

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As we get closer to the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary, we are witnessing a full scale assault on the rights of Gay Americans.

The effect of the Religious Right on the Republican Party is revealing itself as candidates take pledges from extremist Christian groups to fight tooth and nail against gay marriage, gay adoption, gays in the military, and every other move to equalize rights for those who are a minority of the American people.

So we see Rick Perry speaking out against gays in the military. Rick Santorum condemning families with gay parents. Michele Bachmann continuing to advocate, through her husband, that gays can be transformed into straight; Mitt Romney confronting a gay veteran who is married and tells him it is against the Constitution; and Newt Gingrich speaking out about the historic tradition of a man and a woman in a traditional marriage.

Only Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman avoid speaking out on the subject in a discriminatory manner, and focus on other issues.

Hard to believe that the original party of civil rights in the Abraham Lincoln era has become the party of hate, discrimination, prejudice on the subject of gay rights in the 21st century!

It makes one really wonder how the “Log Cabin” Republicans can remain supportive of their party which kicks them in the rear end constantly. How much disrespect and insult can one take and be loyal to a party that denies them equality and human rights?

The “Last Stand” Of Jon Huntsman: New Hampshire Primary

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Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, seen by many political experts as easily the best candidate the Republican Party has to offer for President, has been languishing all along in the polls since his announcement in June of this year, usually with no more than three percent.

It is clear that he has little hope of doing well in Iowa or South Carolina, and is unlikely at this point to do well in Florida, but that reality COULD change IF Huntsman can follow through and win the New Hampshire primary on January 10, one month from now.

However, at present, in the latest polls from CNN, Huntsman scores only eight percent in New Hampshire, behind front runner Mitt Romney having 35 percent, Newt Gingrich having 26 percent, and Ron Paul 17 percent, meaning 78 percent of the voters are locked up at this point by Huntsman’s opponents.

It looks highly unlikely that Huntsman can recover, but if he does, it could affect Florida. If neither happens, Huntsman may as well look ahead to 2016, with him being the only candidate in the present race who could be seen as legitimate in 2016.

Ron Paul: The Wild Card Against Newt Gingrich

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Texas Congressman Ron Paul was very effective in last night’s Iowa ABC debate, going on the attack against Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House.

Paul was more effective than Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts Governor, who for the first time seemed on the defensive as his poll numbers decline, and Gingrich surges in polls in Iowa, South Carolina and Florida.

While Michele Bachmann made strong attacks against Gingrich as well, it seems inevitable that Ron Paul, with his libertarian support and many young people behind him, is the “wild card” in Iowa, and could actually win that state, complicating Gingrich’s surge toward the nomination.

And there is always the thought that even if Gingrich is the party nominee, Ron Paul could run as a third party candidate, and effectively, re-elect Barack Obama.

One other thought: It was disappointing that former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman did not participate, because he is not competing in the Iowa caucuses and hedging his bets on the New Hampshire primary, where he is spending most of his time and money, hoping to stage an upset victory over Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich might just destroy that possibility, plus Ron Paul’s followers! The exposure to the voters might have been preferable to staying away from the debate.

Des Moines, Iowa, Republican Presidential Debate On ABC Most Crucial Debate Yet!

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Saturday night, there will be another in a long line of Republican Presidential debates, sponsored by ABC News, taking place in Des Moines, Iowa.

This is the most crucial debate yet, as it comes three weeks before the Iowa Caucuses, and at a time when the Republican Party is demonstrating its internal conflicts more than ever.

Former Speaker of The House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, surging in the polls, is receiving lots of opposition from “Establishment” Republicans and former House colleagues, and many conservative journalists, such as Peggy Noonan, see him as a horror for the party and the nation,

But there is no love lost for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor, in many ways reminding those old enough to remember, what the feeling was for Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1964, when the right wing was able to control the Republican convention, and nominate Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona for President, but leading to a total electoral disaster in the Presidential Election of 1964.

In many ways, the Gingrich-Romney battle is a replay of that election, except that Romney is trying to make himself LOOK more conservative than he really is, while Rockefeller made no attempt to declare himself a conservative.

The only person who still, if he does well in New Hampshire, might have a shot at the nomination, is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who in many ways reminds us of Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton, seen as an alternative to Rockefeller and Goldwater in 1964, but unable to overcome Goldwater.

The result was a total disaster for the Republican Party, and the promotion of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs. Hopefully, the country will be so disgusted with the Republican move to the far right, and the obstructionism of the House Republicans, and the anti labor Republican Governors and legislatures, and give Barack Obama the re-election victory he deserves in 2012!

The Negatives Of Mitt Romney Growing, Making His Nomination For President Less Likely Scenario!

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has long been thought to be the frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination, but as we get closer to the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary, about a month from now, his problems and challenges are growing rapidly!

Romney is now seen as very vulnerable in many different ways, including:

1. Romney may be respected, but is not loved, as Time Magazine reports this week.

2. Romney, being a Mormon, a subject he tries to avoid discussing, is becoming a growing issue to many evangelical Christians and other Protestant religious groups, who feel that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a cult, and not Christian, but instead a phony religion.

3. Romney, being extremely wealthy (estimated $250 million minimum) comes across as part of the elite, the one percent, as one of “them” against the rest of us, and with his comments advocating the destruction of the auto industry in Michigan and elsewhere, his support of accelerating home foreclosures, and his bad joke about being “unemployed” , that image is hard to overcome.

4. Romney, being from the Northeast, and specifically Massachusetts, a Democratic state, is unappealing to a party which gets its major support from the South, Midwest and Mountain West.

5. Romney has an image of being a moderate, in fact to some as liberal, due to his support of a state health care plan in Massachusetts, which became a model for Barack Obama’s push for health care reform, and Romney cannot escape that image and advocacy no matter how hard he tries.

6. Having moved from liberal to moderate viewpoints when first running against Senator Ted Kennedy unsuccessfully in 1994, and then successfully for Governor in 2002, and now claiming to be a conservative who has completely transformed himself and his views, he comes across as a massive “flip flopper”, possibly one of the greatest such cases in American history, and therefore, is seen as not genuine, not honest, not believable, not reliable that he will keep the views he now professes.

7. Romney comes across as arrogant, haughty, not liking to be challenged, snobby, and seemingly believing he is “entitled” to be the next Repubiican nominee as the so called “next in waiting” runner up candidate in the past, just like John McCain in 2008 and Bob Dole in 1996.

So Mitt Romney is in deep trouble, and many are starting to think he may not be the GOP nominee for President in 2012!

Ron Paul: The “Secret Weapon” Of Barack Obama In 2012!

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Texas Congressman Ron Paul is Barack Obama’s “Secret Weapon” in the Presidential Election of 2012.

Ron Paul is the steady candidate, constantly improving his standing in the public opinion polls nationally, and in Iowa and New Hampshire polls.

He is the burr in everyone’s back, including Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, and was an annoyance earlier to Rick Perry, critical of his home state governor in GOP debates when Perry was soaring.

He could take away the chance of Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney to win Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively, without himself winning the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary.

He could be the “bridesmaid”, instead of the “bride”. He is like someone’s uncle who is always present to annoy, but not able to take the number one spot.

With his libertarian economic and social viewpoints, and his anti interventionist (some say isolationist) foreign policy, Ron Paul CANNOT win the Republican nomination or win the Presidency, but he can decide, by being the annoyance in the race, who does win the nomination.

And then, it is clear that a repudiated Ron Paul could very well run a third party candidacy, as he did as the Libertarian Party candidate for President way back in 1988. Ron Paul is NOT a typical politician, never has been, but has a very loyal following among his supporters, many of whom are young and fanatical about him. He brings a different image to the race, totally different in so many ways from all of the other Republican candidates for the White House.

If Paul runs on a third party, he has the potential to take 5 to 7 percent of the vote, and be a spoiler for the Republican nominee.

No matter how one looks at it, Barack Obama is the ultimate beneficiary of a Ron Paul second or third place finish in Iowa and New Hampshire, and of an independent candidacy!

Third Party Speculation Multiplying: Donald Trump, Ron Paul, Buddy Roemer, Jon Huntsman, Michael Bloomberg!

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It is now eleven months to the Presidential Election Of 2012, and one month to the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary.

We are now facing great dissatisfaction with the Republican candidates for President, and at the same time, unhappiness with President Barack Obama.

So speculation is rampant about THIRD PARTY candidates, and the number of possible candidates keeps on growing!

Donald Trump has hinted that if he is not happy with the GOP nominee, he might run as an Independent!

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who has been dismissed by many in the party but is still running, has also hinted he might go a third party route, which he actually did for the Libertarian Party in 1988.

Buddy Roemer, former Democratic Governor Of Louisiana and Congressman as well, switched parties, but was not allowed to participate in any Republican debates. Now he suggests he might run as an Independent on the AmericansElect organization line, which wants the people online to choose a President-Vice President team which consists of a Republican and Democrat running together.

Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, also past Ambassador to China, is being promoted to go a third party route by former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman, who deplores what is happening to the Republican Party, and Huntsman has indicated that he is unwilling to rule out a possible run. Without saying it, Huntsman, running on the AmericansElect party line with a Democrat for Vice President could be a formidable challenger!

And then, there is NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who claims he is not interested, wants to finish out his third term which ends at the close of the first year of the next Presidential term, and yet keeps on popping up in criticism of the party deadlock in Washington, DC, As an Independent with unlimited funds, he could be a formidable challenger, as much as Huntsman, and might be considered by the AmericansElect group online!

So the likelihood of one or more third party or independent runs for President in 2012 is great, but at the end, it will help Barack Obama if it occurs!

The GOP Race Down To Four Candidates: Bachmann, Perry, Romney, Huntsman!

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So the 2012 Republican Presidential race is down to FOUR candidates in the real world: Establishment Republicans Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, both happening to be Mormons: and Tea Party Republicans Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, born evangelical Christians who promote combination of church and state and have followers who believe Mormons are a cult and not truly Christians!

What a mess the Republicans are in, and it should make Barack Obama feel very comforted after the rough times he has had lately with the Debt Ceiling debate, the lowering of the credit rating from Triple A to Double A Plus by Standard and Poor’s, and the stock market gyrations of the past week!

The Republican Party may boast that they are on the way to defeat of Barack Obama, but instead they are on the way to a bloodletting in the caucuses and primaries, with the Iowa caucus likely to be a battle between Perry and Bachmann, and the New Hampshire primary likely to be a battle between Romney and Huntsman. The South Carolina primary will likely be a battle between the survivor of Iowa and the winner in New Hampshire, and then Florida will play a major role, as the fourth largest state, in determining who the leading candidate will be.

But likely, the battle will go on into the other caucus and primary states and could drag out to June, and severely weaken the party, and strengthen Obama.

So forget Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich completely, and Tim Pawlenty has already bowed out ot the race!

And realize, after the bloodletting that will go on in the GOP, the only real hope that will exist for the Republicans to defeat Barack Obama will be IF they nominate either Romney or Huntsman, with the hope by Establishment Republicans that neither will have been fatally wounded during the caucuses and primaries!

If either Perry nor Bachmann end up as the nominee, the election will be a “cakewalk” for Barack Obama.

The upcoming battle can only benefit Barack Obama, as it demonstrates the right wing extremism prevalent in the Republican Party!

The Iowa GOP Presidential Caucus Will Likely Have No Effect On The Nomination

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A lot of attention is being paid to the Iowa Presidential caucuses due on February 6, 2012.

A lot of the GOP candidates are partaking in that series of caucuses as the first time to measure popular support of their candidacies.

But the fact is that the Iowa caucuses for the Republicans are unlikely to affect the ultimate nomination next year, as Mitt Romney seems unlikely to participate, much like 2008, and Jon Huntsman has announced he will not be part of the process.

In both cases, it is because of the Mormon faith of Romney and Huntsman, which is unlikely to go over well with Iowa social conservatives, a majority of whom are evangelical Christians.

The real race in Iowa is likely among Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, and Herman Cain, with Sarah Palin also a possibility to influence what happens if she runs, which still seems unlikely.

But Pawlenty, the most most legitimate of the four above, has to compete with Iowa born Bachmann, who would have to be favored. And if Palin enters the race, it makes it all the more difficult for Pawlenty, who knows that his whole strategy is to win Iowa, and use that to overcome Romney, who now lives in New Hampshire and is from neighboring Massachusetts, a tall order for Pawlenty to accomplish!

The real battle will be between Romney and Huntsman, both Mormons and actually cousins, with Huntsman seeing the New Hampshire primary as the necessary first step to overcome Romney, and then to triumph over Romney and others in Florida, where he is setting up headquarters, evidence that the Sunshine State will be crucial to him if he is to take off at all after New Hampshire!