The race for the Republican presidential nomination has been highly contentious, with constant flipping between the “front runners.” In fact, Slate released an animation of the GOP “horse race” which is a great visual aid to see how the race has evolved over time (found here: http://goo.gl/7Xd95)
With the debate that took place in Las Vegas tonight, I feel as though only more questions have been raised among the candidates. Republicans need to ask not only who they like, but who can beat Obama in the 2012 election. How can this decision be made? Whether or not you have been following the race so far, below I highlight some of the key points that I think should be considered for the Republican bid, as well as some personal insight into the debate. Some are political, some are not. I welcome any feedback.
The Economy
I would be remiss if I did not first focus on the largest issue at play here – the economy. In September 2011, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was reported as being 9.1%. U.S. foreclosures increased 14% in the third quarter, according to the Chicago Tribune. Huge cities are filing for bankruptcy. Let’s face it…things aren’t great.
In fact, some cities are going to extreme measures to balance the budget. Topeka, Kansas, for instance, decriminalized domestic violence earlier this month in order to cut legal costs tied up in these cases. The county prosecutor will still handle these cases, but with less staff and no city support.
Clearly something has to give…so how are Republican presidential hopefuls planning to balance the budget?
One of the current front-runners Herman Cain totes his 9-9-9 plan. Cain, who has no prior government experience, proposes that there be a 9% business flat tax, 9% individual flat tax, and 9% national sales tax. What does this mean? Everyone gets taxed the same, whether you’re Joe the Plumber or Bill Gates. This plan (found at http://www.hermaincain.com/999plan) is described as being “fair, simple, efficient, neutral, and transparent.”
Personally, I think Rep. Ron Paul’s plan has the most to discuss, but I’ll keep it brief. Paul’s economic plan (“Restore America”) would cut spending by $1 trillion…in ONE YEAR. His plan would completely remove troops from overseas, eliminate foreign aid, and would include a HUGE presidential salary cut (from $400,000 to $39,336). Additionally, Paul’s plan would decrease corporate tax and he says he would like to abolish personal income tax. Paul also will eliminate the Departments of Education, Commerce, Energy, Interior and Housing, and Urban Development. Among other problems, I see no way in the world that the American people could get behind eliminating the Department of Education. A nice try, sir, but I think it’s just a bit too extreme.
Stable in the polls, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has also laid out an economic proposal with 59 different ideas for to move the economy forward. Romney plans to repeal ObamaCare, put constraints on the Energy Department that would refocus it on doing basic research, and cut corporate taxes. Frankly, Romney’s plan is a long and a little confusing. He shies away from some big fights in his plan, and doesn’t look that far into his potential presidency.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has released an economic plan, but it focuses mostly on offshore drilling, oil, and gas. Even Perry’s website (http://www.rickperry.org) focuses mainly on his record, and not on his plan for the future.
Religion
In the debate tonight, moderator Anderson Cooper brought up a comment made by Dallas minister Robert Jeffress that Romney’s Mormon faith was a “cult.” A number of the candidates commented on the fact that religion should not matter, but instead you should be judged on your values and your character. Perry told Romney that he did not agree with the comment that was made, and Romney said he was “not going to lose sleep over that.”
The audience whole heartedly applauded the idea that religion was not as important as character, and that our founding fathers gave us the freedom of religion. It was one of the very few “feel good” moments of the evening’s debate. Everyone seemed to stand behind Romney and offer him their support that something so rude would be directed at him. So can I just pause here and note the hypocrisy of this moment?
In August of 2010, RNC Committeewoman Kim Lehman went on record saying that she believed President Obama is a Muslim. Factcheck.org also states “Another e-mail claims that Obama "is a Muslim," attended a "Wahabi" school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S.”
On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I was blown away by the number of posts on Facebook and Twitter saying that they were sickened by Obama being at the WTC memorial because he was a Muslim and supported the terrorists.
The fact that so many Republicans and, frankly, Americans in general, would condemn Obama as being a Muslim, a terrorist, and a terrible human being is very sad to me. Where is the “religion doesn’t matter” talk there? Or is it simply that religion doesn’t matter…but only so long as you’re Christian.
For the record, the truth is that Obama is a Christian. If you don’t believe me, feel free to do some searching around.
Demeanor
Perhaps this is silly, but I want a President that I could bring home to my mother. I look for someone who is kind and respectful of others. Perhaps this is naïve. Politicians (generally…Dems and Reps alike) have become these rude, interrupting, name-calling….jerks! Especially in debates, it seems. Gore’s 2000 audible sigh during one debate comes to mind. Or what about President George H. W. Bush in 1992 looking at his watch near the end of the debate? These seem like child’s play compared to debates today.
When asked a question about the 14th Amendment, Perry instead decided to respond to a prior comment made. When Cooper tried to steer Perry back on course, the Governor shot “you ask the questions, I'll answer them how I want to.”
Perry also repeatedly interrupted others while talking (let’s be honest…everyone does that these days). I understand that everyone wants to have a say, but they are certainly allotted time to respond.
Is rudeness the “given” now? Are we expected to simply accept this of our candidates? Do we sit at home, sighing and checking our watches while candidates argue like children with each other?
Let me just say, if I said something like that to my mother (or, frankly, anyone), I’d get a pretty stern talking-to. You just can’t treat people how Perry treated Cooper. It’s disrespectful, childish, and extremely inappropriate for a man who wants to run for office. If his cabinet members made a suggestion to him, would he respond by saying “Whatever! I do what I want”
Conclusion
There is still some time before the Republican nominee is announced and I have to say that I have no idea who it’s going to be. I mean, in 2008 I thought it was going to be Hillary Clinton v. Rudy Giuliani. Boy, was I wrong. Making picks for elections was never my strong suit, but I hope that I can give you something to ponder while you make YOUR picks.
I know that this post seems extremely partisan, and it very well may be. But just know that as soon as debates begin between Obama and Republican candidate X…you can expect my full run-down of THOSE debates as well.
So… what are you thinking about when you pick the next president? What issues matter most to you? And who do you think it’ll be on the ballot next to Obama?
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