With the GOP Nomination less than five months away, three presidential candidates are fighting for the attention of the GOP voters. None of them have any key policy differences. They all have similar policies regarding health care, taxes, the budget, and the deficit. They are trying to distinguish themselves by their experience and their anti-Obama fervor. The GOP’s only hope at this stage is bringing Ronald Reagan back from the grave.
Currently, the Republican front runners are Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich. Rick Santorum is a former Senator from Pennsylvania. After finishing in a close second in the Iowa Caucus, he has captivated the Media and undecided GOP voters. He does not have a strong chance at winning the election because of his more conservative, religious views on issues, such as, abortion.
Former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, could win the GOP nomination if he does well in South Carolina and in Florida. The biggest problem for him is splitting the vote between himself and Rick Santorum. By default, Mitt Romney would defeat both him and Rick Santorum. Many people anticipate him "self-destructing". (SEE: Incident on Air Force One about 15 years ago.)
Lastly, former governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney is the leading GOP candidate. As front runner, he tries to avoid controversy and emphasizes his business experience and his tenure as chief executive of Massachusetts. Paradoxically, his current positions regarding health care and taxes are contrary to his policies as governor. By placing second in the 2008 GOP Primary, he has the experience and name-recognition to win the current primary. He may be similar to McCain who lost to Bush in 2000, and won the primary in 2008. Romney’s relatively moderate views will help him win primaries in more liberal states. His recent victories in Iowa and New Hampshire have given him momentum, the question is: can he maintain that momentum? With candidates dropping out after South Carolina and Florida, they could flock to a candidate besides Mitt Romney.
There are some other notable candidates such as Jon Hunstman and Ron Paul. Jon Hunstman is the former Governor of Utah. As the most moderate candidate and a former ambassador to China for Obama, he has low odds of winning the primary. He did not win the New Hampshire primary so he is probably not going to win the nomination because he was betting solely on New Hampshire. Ron Paul, a Congressman from Texas, ran in the 2008 election and tries to have a Libertarian stand-point. His second place finish in the New Hampshire Primary is a good sign for him. However, he is too far right.
When voters are deciding who to nominate for president, generally, they prefer a variety to choose from. In this case, the differences are superficial. The only difference among the GOP candidates is their limited experience. There is no distinguishing issue among the GOP candidates. The three front runners have no disagreement on the major issues, such as the budget, the deficit, health care, or the economy. They all want a balanced budget that would consist of no new taxes and rely solely on spending cuts. They seek deficit reduction in the next decade that relies in part on repealing Obama’s health care law. It is irrelevant that economists argue that repealing the health care law would actually decrease the deficit and eliminate its potential savings. The leading Republican candidates seek cuts in entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Intense attempts by Republican Party leaders to entice New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to enter the race, illustrate how weak the current GOP candidates are perceived to be.
The strategy of appealing to the more conservative voter on the political spectrum may be short-sighted. This group does not decide elections; they only represent a small portion of the electorate. Furthermore, this anti-incumbent fervor often does not work in the long run because the voters want to hear new ideas. The voter wants solutions to what is important to them. Right now, the GOP candidates’ policies are devoid of solutions and merely try to appeal to the typically more right wing primary voters.
Perhaps most significantly, none of the candidates are presidential. They do not have the courage to stand up to the crowd. For example, none of the candidates challenged the audience when it booed an active gay soldier who served in Iraq, cheered the number of executions in Texas under Rick Perry, or cheered someone dying because they lacked health insurance. Americans are not a blood-thirsty horde in favor of government cruelty, and vengeance, or unwilling to support its troops. If the GOP does resurrect Ronald Reagan from his grave, they should stop his turning in it first.
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