"Oh my god, Patrick, how can you title your Rant that? You're a Republican!"
"Because, they're being idiots right now"
I'll start out by saying that I will not vote for Obama or Hilldog. They are both morons who have no business leading the most powerful country in the world. However, I'm beginning to think that Republicans in this country really don't care about keeping either of those two out of the White House in 2008.
The current primary system in this country is screwed up. Selecting party nominees through a primary election leads to both parties producing nominees who are much further to the left or right than the majority of Americans...and we're left trying to choose the lesser of two evils (see Bush v. Kerry, 2004). This is because to get the nomination, a candidate has to pander to the hardcore wings of their party, as they are the ones who control the endorsements and are also usually the only ones who are voting in the primaries (in many states, independants cannot vote in either the republican or democratic primaries...leaving the super conservatives/liberals to choose the nominees). This is fucked up. No one wants a super wacko conservative or an insane hippie liberal as their president. However, with the current primary system, thats usually what we have to choose between.
This year, the democratic primary has boiled down to two candidates: an idiot and a cold-hearted bitch. Neither, in my opinion, is equipped to lead this country, but then again, I'm a republican, they aren't trying to get my vote. This rant is about the Republican primary. Right now, there are 4 candidates who all have a shot at being the party's nominee for president: Mitt Romney, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Rudy Giuliani (Fred Thompson is done after getting stomped in SC, Duncan Hunter is a no name, and Ron Paul is a non factor). Holy crap, two of those are moderates! Awesome! Maybe Republicans are getting smart!
Nah.
If you asked me today, I'd say John McCain has the best chance to keep the Republicans in the White House in 2008. He's a moderate with a history of appealing to independants. Since independants are the key to winning the Presidential election, the Republicans should be chomping at the bit to get this man nominated, right? Sadly, this is not the case. You see, John McCain worked with uber-liberal Ted Kennedy on an immigration bill that didn't kick everyone out of the country immediately...he also voted against the Bush tax cuts (because he wanted spending cuts to go along with them...which is a republican no-no)...then there' s McCain-Feingold, the Campaign Finance Reform...you get the picture. Mr. McCain has broken ranks numerous times in the hopes of getting things accomplished in the government, and has rubbed many staunch conservatives the wrong way in doing so. Thus, the Republican Establishment is not throwing their support behind him this primary season, despite him being the best National Election Candidate.
Thus, the Republicans are being idiots. I'm going to quote some poll figures here, even though they're usually meaningless, just to illustrate a point. In hypothetical head-to-head matchups between a republican and a democrat (mock national elections), McCain is the only one who consistantly polls better than his democratic opponent. The latest RealClearPolitics poll averages shows McCain polling 4 points better than Clinton in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, and nearly 2 points better than Obama. Not a clear-cut victory, but he's the only one not trailing. Giuliani drops 8 points to Clinton and 14 to Obama. Huckabee drops 6 to Clinton and 13 to Obama. Romney drops 12 to Clinton and a staggering 21 to Obama. Even if these polls aren't entirely accurate, it still gives a decent picture as to who has the best chance to compete with a democratic nominee in the national election. And yet, many hardline Republicans would rather nominate Mitt Romney than John McCain. Unbelievable.
There's still time. McCain, with a victory in Florida next Tuesday, could get enough momentum heading into Tsunami Tuesday to win enough states to get pretty close to the nomination. Especially if Huckabee stays in the race and continues to split the hardcore conservative vote with Romney (and potentially Thompson...although I expect him to drop out this week). And the Republican Establishment may start getting the hint and throw their support behind this man. However, I fear an uprising among conservatives similar to the one that got George W. Bush nominated over McCain in 2000. And if Romney is the benefactor and gets the nomination, I hope the Republicans enjoy the at least 4-years of Madame President that they will have helped elect.
Note: I have yet to 100% decide who I'm voting for in the California Primary. Most likely it will be McCain, but I've been a big Mike Huckabee fan since this past summer...despite our obvious differences in religious beliefs. I'm also a big fan of Rudy Giuliani, and I think he would make a great president as well. Weird, I know. I just wanted to point out with this piece that primaries are stupid, the Republicans are being stupid for not supporting a moderate who can win the election, and that clearly I should be making all political decisions for this country for the rest of my life. Yeah, something like that.
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