Curmudgeon's Corner

Voting For Someone vs. Voting Against Someone

Posted by Al Campbell on April 20, 2011

U.S., Political

Presidential candidates on the Republican side of the equation have begun to line up for caucuses, are beginning to form their ‘exploratory committees’ and are making the rounds of the talk shows.

President Obama has formally started his run for his second term.  It seems all this just ended and here we are at the start of the next race.  We are in a virtual permanent campaign mode.

For all that, I wonder who it will be that faces off with President Obama?  It doesn’t appear, now at least, that he will have any serious competition for the Democrat nomination…unless his ratings begin to erode further and then we might see a fight on the Democrat side.  Is he or is he not likely to be a one-term president?

Now, for the Republican candidates.  Is there one among the people most likely to run that turns you on?  Romney still doesn’t do it for me after RomneyCare in Massachusetts and the poor showing in his first outing.  I fear that Huckabee is not being forthright about his positions in the attempt to win by default; I don’t recall that he governed as a conservative as governor of Arkansas.  I have no idea if Sarah Palin will form an exploratory committee or not.  I fear she may still be too much a lightning rod to make it a serious race, although she might pull it off if President Obama continues with his mediocre manner of leadership.  Gingrich still has way too much baggage.  Haley Barbour is probably burdened with the Deep South stigma and some of his earlier remarks.  Santorum might prove interesting. 

Will either Paul, the father, or Paul, the son, decide to throw their hat in the Libertarian ring?  Son Paul has said that he won’t run against Father Paul so it will likely be one or the other.

I have to say that I am, so far, underwhelmed by those people who might present themselves as candidates against President Obama.  He might still manage to lose the election but I don’t see anyone on the other side yet who might win the election.  I really hope that changes because I’d much rather vote for someone than against someone.