Republican Choices

Well, the inevitable is transpiring. The Republican Party's choice for the nominee of the 2012 run against President Obama is narrowing. Each man that has presented himself for selection (notice there is no woman) has his attributes and vices. Mitt Romney, was once a governor who helped the people of Massachusetts obtain a form of universal health care (whether you agree with it or not, it was a pragmatic decision as the majority  is forced to pay for the care of the poor in some form or another), he worked in the free market economy, and is morally upstanding-regardless of his religion. Romney, however is not quick witted as evidenced by the debates, he does seem to waver at times, and to some, being a moderate is just not good enough. Ron Paul has some very good ideas on reforming the government. He is honest, and that would be considered any person's-especially a politician's finest attribute. Yet, Dr. Paul's desire to gut the government would be a disaster should he be given the ability to do it. He would put many people out of work permanently. There would be no means or ability to hold polluters and scammers accountable. Most of all, the laws that are meant for the public good of the entire nation would devolve to the states as Dr. Paul would strictly adhere to the 10th Amendment. This would tie the courts up in knots. Newt Gingrich is a good speaker, he is knowledgeable to a fault, he seems to offer a return to Reaganism-an illusive dream that many who live in the past yearn for. His biggest failings are his egocentricity, his bombastic style, and his failure to remember the outcomes of his tenure as Speaker of the House where he and his cohorts needlessly shut down the government, passed NAFTA, and raised taxes to pay down the deficit. Finally, there is Rick Santorum. Santorum is an honest and decent enough man with some good ideas, but his orthodox Catholicism gets in the way-even for many of his fellow Catholics. So, who is the final choice to be? Some combination of the four would be good, but nobody on the Republican side exhibits such traits. That is why the nomination has turned into a tug of war. Eventually, all but one will slip, lose his grip, and fall into the mud. Some may fall with a curse or a feigned smile, but whoever is the last man standing, he'd better get a grip on the rope of reality, get his facts straight, and practice the art of debating without falling into worn out cliches and sound bite rhetoric.