2012 Outlook

Last Thursday in class we talked about ways to help motivate us to get our blog posts done on time. One of the ways we decided we were going to do this is open up what we could write about. So that's what I'm going to do with this post so bear with me.

The Presidential election is 8 months away and things are still murky to right of the spectrum. The Republican field has 4 candidates left, but to be honest only 2 serious contenders. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are set to be the prime candidates going into the summer. With Newt Gingrech doing what he has always done and Ron Paul just trying to stay relevant these 2 have separated themselves. Meanwhile in Washington, President Obama has already raised 150 million dollars in campaign contributions. Romney and Santorum have raised only a combined 71 million (Compare Fundraising Totals Here). With this information we have to wonder, do the Republicans have a chance come November at all? With the Obama Political Machine raking in the donations and the Republicans recent hard turn to the right on social issues, one has to wonder. The candidate making the most noise most recently is Santorum. He is the most socially conservative of the bunch. With rhetoric like, America is under attack by Satan and advocating for the removal of ultrasound for a pregnant woman from coverage under Medicaid; because, as he put it, "they increase the risk of abortion." If he wins the primary, are undecided voters that aren't participating in primary season going to vote for this guy? Romney to me is the one that the Republicans should put up against Obama. But, as they do in every election, the Republican base is flocking to the candidate that falls the closest in line with their values. And since Romney is a Mormon there are plenty of people in the “anyone but Romney" camp on the right to sabotage their own chances in November. Mitt Romney is the only one of them that has a chance. The right needs to get their act together before they lose the election in March. Personally, I'm enjoying it, there's nothing I'd want more than to see Santorum nominated. It's pretty much just giving us the election. But I tried to keep this post as neutral as possible. If the Republicans are smart, they will get over the fact that Romney is a Mormon and nominate him. However, they have proven in the past that they do not always use best judgment.