Half Empty, Half Full
Charles Krauthammer looks at the Republican presidential candidates and dismisses the moans from some quarters about the field. Far from being an unsatisfactory bunch, there are some fine people running. It's only a matter of picking the one to captain the ship.
Major grumbling among conservatives about the Republican field. So many candidates, so many flaws. Rudy Giuliani, abortion apostate. Mitt Romney, flip-flopper. John McCain, Mr. Amnesty. Fred Thompson, lazy boy. Where is the paragon? Where is Ronald Reagan?
Well, what about Reagan? This president, renowned for his naps, granted amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants in the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli bill. As governor of California, he signed the most liberal abortion legalization bill in America, then flip-flopped and became an abortion opponent. What did he do about it as president? Gave us Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, the two swing votes that upheld and enshrined Roe v. Wade for the last quarter-century.
The point is not to denigrate Reagan but to bring a little realism to the gauzy idol worship that fuels today's discontent. And to argue that in 2007 we have, by any reasonable historical standard, a fine Republican
field: One of the great big-city mayors of the last century; a former governor of extraordinary executive talent; a war hero, highly principled and deeply schooled in national security; and a former senator with impeccable conservative credentials.So why all the angst? If you'd like to share just a bit of my serenity, have a look at last Sunday's Republican debate in Orlando. It was a feisty affair, the candidates lustily bashing each other's ideological deficiencies — Mike Huckabee called it a "demolition derby" — and yet strangely enough, the entire field did well.
Go read it all, it is short and direct, enumerating Krauthammer's perceptions of the relative strengths of the candidates. There will never be a perfect candidate that appeals to everyone. What needs to happen is that the most acceptable candidate be settled on.
Other Links to this Post
-
Public Secrets: from the files of the Irishspy — Saturday, 27 October , 2007 @ 6:59 am
By martian, Friday, 26 October , 2007 @ 9:32 am
I think Charles Krauthammer is missing a major point. All of the moaning that he refers to is coming from the far right of the Republican party whose main complaint is that most of the candidates just aren’t far enough to the right for them and the ones that are far enough to the right have other problems. Thompson is a far righter, but he’s considered lazy and even his campaign staff says he’s lazy on the campaign trail. Mitt Romney is far enough over there but how he got there, flip-flopping on major issues, is a problem. Then there’s that pesky Mormonism that “real” Christians cinsider a cult. How can a serious voter take a cult member seriously? Huckabee is far enough to the right and he’s even fairly consistent about it. His problem is that nobody knows who he is and he can’t possibly beat the Clinton Juggernaut next November.
The far right really moans every time a new poll comes out that shows Giuliani as the front runner - he’s nowhere near conservative enough for them and they can’t stand that his position in the polls may mean that the ultra far right is losing control of the Republican Party. And that is what’s happening in a nutshell. The fact that Giuliani is the front runner reflects the fact that the real majority of Republicans aren’t that far to the right. The majority of Republicans tend to lean more towards the middle of the road and have finally become sick and tired of having the party hijacked by the far right evangelicals.
The result is Rudy Giuliani as a front runner. He’s got all of the credentials the more moderate Republicans are looking for. After 9/11, he is “America’s Mayor” - the man who stepped up to the plate in a time of crisis and hit a home run. As a Republican very close to me put it, “He’s already proven himself. The rest haven’t.” Giuliani is tough on terrorism, he’s the guy who “cleaned up” New York City (or got it as clean as it’s likely to get). He’s a fiscal conservative who has run the biggest city in America and come out of it smelling like a rose. His two divorces don’t bother moderates, divorce is the American Way these days - look at the statistics. Most moderates are pro-choice or don’t feel strongly enough about being pro-life to disqualify a candidate because of it. And most thoughtful Republicans will admit that he’s the only candidate running who has a chance to beat Hillary Clinton given the current political climate in America.
The moans from the far right are getting louder by the day and well turn into major crying before this election is done. Barring a major mis-step, I predict Rudy Giuliani will be the Republican candidate for president when the smoke clears.
By Al in St. Lou, Friday, 26 October , 2007 @ 4:55 pm
I guess it’s obvious I live on Earth since I can see that the moaning is coming from the Religious Right, and they’re about as statist as anyone can get and still get by with a label like “right-wing” or “conservative.” Go back to Mars.
The race is between Rudy and Fred. Whichever one wins will thump Hillary.