COMMENTARY | In Colorado in 2010, one would have thought with the way public sentiment was dramatically shifting that the state would have seen a Republican governor. It was the Republicans' election to lose. And lose it they did. After the viability of Republican candidate, Dan Maes, faltered, well-known conservative, Tom Tancredo, jumped the Republican ship for the American Constitution Party and started picking off conservative votes and endorsements. Meanwhile, Democrat John Hickenlooper sat back, vowed to run a positive campaign, reached out to conservatives and won the seat.
Watching how this year's Republican primary season is shaping out, it's like seeing Colorado 2010 all over again, but on a grander, federal scale. According to The Daily Caller, in spite of candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's great showing at the South Carolina primary election, Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume predicted that members of Congress now up for election would probably want to distance themselves from Gingrich, his past history and his current poll numbers, which show an unfavorable view of him by more than half the public.
The major problem I see with the Republican presidential prospects for this election is that none of them seems very electable. They all have serious problems -- Newt Gingrich with his ex-wives and his well known political falterings seems to lack the moral integrity that you would hope a candidate of either party would have. Mitt Romney, with all his millions, here and everywhere and taxed somewhat differently than other people's income is taxed, seems out of touch. Rick Santorum lacks the support or appeal outside the evangelist right. And Ron Paul's positions -- while quite intriguing on many things -- are too far off from the mainstream to garner a nomination.
None of the so-called front-runners has managed to inspire me at all and one of these men will ultimately go up against an incumbent who, for all his shortcomings (and there are many), has proven his ability to speak well and to inspire people.
And that's the thing: For all the money and time that is being spent dishing the dirt and trying to prove why one candidate is more distasteful than the other, there is still another candidate to face and another race to run and in that race, there will be no points for second place. In spite of some serious issues in this country that would normally spell doom for an incumbent president, I can't see any of the current herd of Republican candidates being able to beat Obama in the general election.
Which looks to me like yet another case of the Republicans beating themselves. Of them having an advantage of shifting public sentiment and just blowing it.
If Obama isn't celebrating right now, he's missing a great opportunity.
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