Republican Idol: 2012

Were it not for the struggling American economy, President Barack Obama would be in a commanding position in his campaign for re-election in 2012. But the current field of Republican presidential candidates is doing all they can to help President Obama win a second term.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has pretty much been the GOP frontrunner since he announced his candidacy. But Romney has been stuck at about 23% in national polls of those who say they are Republicans. The fact is that many conservatives don't believe he is one of them because Romney has flip-flopped on several of their key issues, like abortion.

Just this week Romney sidestepped a question on whether he supported Republican Gov. John Kasich's restrictions on public sector employee bargaining in Ohio. State polls show that the restrictions are overwhelmingly unpopular among Ohioans. One day later Romney clarified his position by saying he supported the initiative "110 percent." But both Democrats and Republicans criticized Romney for his handling of the issue.

Texas Governor Rick Perry briefly shot past Romney when he declared his candidacy, but he crashed back to earth following a series of poor debate performances. In an effort to regain momentum, Perry announced a "flat tax" that, upon careful examination, benefits the rich at the expense of the middle class. He then raised questions about the authenticity of President Obama's birth certificate, a move that has been denounced by many leading Republicans. Now the Perry campaign has suggested that he may not participate in some future Republican debates.

Businessman Herman Cain charmed the American public with his smooth and likeable style, whether on the campaign stump or in debates. He surged to the top of the polls after he announced his "9-9-9" plan as a "bold and simple" way to turn the economy around. When critics charged that his plan was regressive for low and middle income taxpayers, he then came up with the "9-0-9" plan. Some observers suggest he is making it up as he goes. Now his position on abortion has been attacked as too liberal. Meanwhile, Cain has not yet put together a serious campaign organization. Instead, he has been on a nationwide book tour.

Representative Michele Bachmann, leader of the Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives, started strong but quickly sank in the polls. Now a tea party group is calling for her to end her presidential quest. A tea party executive told CNN, "I think it's pretty obvious that Michele Bachmann is about Michele Bachmann."

For the most part, the other Republican candidates have languished in the polls. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman has been too centrist. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich is too unpredictable. And former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has consistently trailed the others.

Meanwhile, President Obama has taken to the campaign trail to sell parts of his jobs bill that failed to pass Congress intact. He got some good news on Thursday when the House passed one small portion of that bill which would repeal a 3% withholding tax on payments the government makes to contractors. The president also got some encouraging economic growth numbers for the U.S. as Europe announced a major agreement to deal with their economic crisis.

With the 2012 election one year away, it is unlikely that the nation's unemployment rate will significantly decline or that the economy will take off in the next twelve months. Despite his string of national security successes, President Obama will almost certainly be on the defensive during the fall campaign for his handling of the economy.

However, he is no doubt grateful to the Republicans for their brutal primary process. It has shown that the GOP is bereft of any good ideas to turn the economy around -- other than cutting taxes for the rich and reducing entitlements. More importantly, it has exposed the enormous flaws each of the Republican candidates has, beginning with the serial flip-flopper, Mitt Romney. It is like the worst season of American Idol -- call it Republican Idol.

President Barack Obama should be feeling a little better these days about his re-election chances in 2012.

 

 

 

Follow Joe Peyronnin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joepeyronnin

Comments

[TwinX]

12:31 PM on 10/29/2011

"The fact is that many conservatives don't believe he is one of them because Romney has flip-flopped on several of their key issues, like abortion."

Regardless of this, they will vote for him if he's the nominee.

Obama Derangement Syndrome is strong in these people.

[Nancianne Chastain]

10:30 AM on 10/29/2011

Here is a vidoe that shows how much $$$ was wasted on the war and what it could have been used. This is very powerful . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vROjZm_bPB4

[maspring]

02:14 AM on 10/29/2011

The Republican primary is the best show on television.

All it's missing is a laugh track.

[laurieanichols]

08:24 PM on 10/28/2011

Aside from the presidency which I think and hope President Obama will get to keep, I hope that the present makeup of the house will substantially change back to the democratic majority and that the senate will get stronger. Perhaps the second term will not be as contentious as the. First because the GOP will finally realize that if you can't beat them join them.

[supratroll]

07:47 PM on 10/28/2011

barak is america's candidate. the GOP is on life support and doesn't even have a 'top tier' candidate among the bunch. their serious thinkers are very few and far between and decided they had no chance against barak, hence none entered the race. america has lost it's taste for religion, war-mongering, bigotry, division and intolerance. we here in reality know that money does not equal happiness and should not rule our lives. this GOP offering is their farewell wave to the electorate. they are toast.

[Aarron Burr]

03:57 PM on 10/28/2011

Where it not for President Barack Obama, and Progressive economics in general, America's economy would not be so mightily struggling, and we wouldn't have to worry about is re-election.

[ekstatik]

07:23 PM on 10/28/2011

Yeah, everything was going great until he came along.

[Aarron Burr]

11:35 AM on 10/29/2011

Both Bushes, and Clinton were Progressives. The difference is a question of degree. Progressives have controlled most of the federal gov't for most of the time since 1928. We had a booming economy after WWII because we were the only store in town. We had a booming economy in the 80s. Every thing else has been bubble or bust, thanks in large part to the federal reserve, a Progressive creation.

[Cecil Cain]

06:15 PM on 10/31/2011

If it weren't for President Barack Obama, we would be in another great depression

http://www.obamaftw.com/blog/obama-stimulus-package-fail

[Aarron Burr]

10:18 PM on 10/31/2011

Yes, I am sure we what he has done will be equal to what FDR did. In other words, take a recession and turn it into a depression that lasts 10-15 years.

[Gestas]

01:29 PM on 10/28/2011

The Republicans should call of the remaining debates...Obama has been the winner in all of them so far.

[ReasonableViews]

12:32 PM on 10/28/2011

I see candidates running in the opposite direction. Romney and Perry are running to hide. Cain and Gingrich can't get enough debates, so they are hosting their own. And, Cain is on Fox twice a day. They are waging a modern campaign, doing talk shows and debates as often as they can find them, but not hiring scads of "operatives" in small towns of small states. Seems like Perry is fighting the last war. http://bit.ly/tasQw4

[Transverseangle]

12:13 PM on 10/28/2011

IMHO, the two party system is flawed to the maximum at this point. The republicans aren't producing any ideas, because their support is coming from those who want less regulations across the board, and as for the dems they are stagnant, they to aren't producing anything in the form of ideas, but am assuming at this juncture at as heart wrenching this is the dems are the less of the two evils, and that is a sad state for our democracy. If they get a majority, they to get wall street support, less of it but they also get their monies, my guess big huge money is going to the republicans, and if it does, hope the money is gambled away because if these people spend big bucks on the frivolous when we have a real unemployment rate of over 20%, they deserve to lose their money.

[Parylinereturns]

12:06 PM on 10/28/2011

You forgot about O's massive spending and the awful HC bill. O is one and done.

[ewldest]

12:24 PM on 10/28/2011

Your remark manages to demonstrate both that you didn't read the article and that you know nothing about politics. Well done!

[GreenDragon]

12:36 PM on 10/28/2011

O's "massive" spending doesn't look much different (or worse) than his predecessor's spending, including the spending he did on an obviously illegal war. Awful HC bill? Are you an amateur propagandist, or can you elaborate on the specific "awfulness" of the bill?

[JudgeCCrater]

09:15 AM on 10/28/2011

"Were it not for the struggling American economy, President Barack Obama would be in a commanding position in his campaign for re-election in 2012. But the current field of Republican presidential candidates is doing all they can to help President Obama win a second term."

'Course, they are also doing all they can to ensure that the economy continues to struggle aided and abetted by their R colleagues in Congress who are going to debate abortion yet again for the 8th time this year rather than even think about trying to improve the jobs situation.

[The Ugly Pauper]

08:05 AM on 10/28/2011

Also, Republicans in Congress taught voters to associate NO with the word Republican.