So Mitt Romney beat out Rick Santorum last night by an 8-vote margin, with each candidate taking home 25% of the vote, and Ron Paul coming in third with 20% of the votes. Bachmann bowed out of the race entirely, while Newt Gingrich came in fourth with 13% and Rick Perry came in fifth with 10% of the votes. So far so good: we had seven candidates for the Republican nomination going into last night, and now we have six. Presumably to be narrowed down to three in the next few weeks.
I've heard it said that the point of the Iowa caucus is to weed out the small-fry candidates... looks like that was the case with Bachmann. Rick Perry says he will stay in the race and attend the next Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire this Saturday. That's fine by me: he can try to redeem himself for all the gaffes he made in previous debates, or he can go down in a blaze of glory like someone we know from past elections.
The good news for all of the remaining candidates is that voters in New Hampshire and South Carolina aren't likely to take the electoral cues coming from Iowa: Perry can make a comeback, same as Gingrich, or Santorum or Paul could take the lead.
In all seriousness, though, it seems we've come down to the final three. Romney has proven himself as an electable man, and unlike Santorum or Paul, he has the GOP backing to pull it off. Yes, folks, according to the Boston Globe, former presidential hopeful John Mccain announced his endorsement for Mitt Romney today in New Hampshire. I cannot say i'm all that surprised, though it does put some pressure on the other candidates to find their celebrity backing.
I'm looking forward to the debate on Saturday, because not only will it help clarify who has a feasible, long-term plan to fix our economy, it will also give voters some insight on which candidates really care about their message. You don't want to vote for a candidate just because he can give a good speech; that's what got both Nixon and Obama elected into office, and both presidents promptly trashed America's international image.
I don't care who's the most 'electable' candidate. I care about which candidates are honest, trustworthy Americans who will uphold their office, and the duties that go with it, to the best of their abilities. I care about which candidate is going to take seriously their role as a public servant - not a politician. I need to re-emphasize that, because to my memory there hasn't been a single President since John F. Kennedy who cared about the public they served more than they cared about themselves. No... since the 1980's, it's been money-hungry politician after politician, each of whom thought that they could become a king. And to see any of today's candidates, especially Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, act like they're entitled to this job, is sickening.
Avoid anyone in this life who feels entitled to anything they have. Either they are right, and are incapable of earning what they have, or they're wrong, and their attitude will be their downfall.
I've heard it said that the point of the Iowa caucus is to weed out the small-fry candidates... looks like that was the case with Bachmann. Rick Perry says he will stay in the race and attend the next Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire this Saturday. That's fine by me: he can try to redeem himself for all the gaffes he made in previous debates, or he can go down in a blaze of glory like someone we know from past elections.
The good news for all of the remaining candidates is that voters in New Hampshire and South Carolina aren't likely to take the electoral cues coming from Iowa: Perry can make a comeback, same as Gingrich, or Santorum or Paul could take the lead.
In all seriousness, though, it seems we've come down to the final three. Romney has proven himself as an electable man, and unlike Santorum or Paul, he has the GOP backing to pull it off. Yes, folks, according to the Boston Globe, former presidential hopeful John Mccain announced his endorsement for Mitt Romney today in New Hampshire. I cannot say i'm all that surprised, though it does put some pressure on the other candidates to find their celebrity backing.
I'm looking forward to the debate on Saturday, because not only will it help clarify who has a feasible, long-term plan to fix our economy, it will also give voters some insight on which candidates really care about their message. You don't want to vote for a candidate just because he can give a good speech; that's what got both Nixon and Obama elected into office, and both presidents promptly trashed America's international image.
I don't care who's the most 'electable' candidate. I care about which candidates are honest, trustworthy Americans who will uphold their office, and the duties that go with it, to the best of their abilities. I care about which candidate is going to take seriously their role as a public servant - not a politician. I need to re-emphasize that, because to my memory there hasn't been a single President since John F. Kennedy who cared about the public they served more than they cared about themselves. No... since the 1980's, it's been money-hungry politician after politician, each of whom thought that they could become a king. And to see any of today's candidates, especially Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, act like they're entitled to this job, is sickening.
Avoid anyone in this life who feels entitled to anything they have. Either they are right, and are incapable of earning what they have, or they're wrong, and their attitude will be their downfall.
I really don't like any of the republican candidates, especially Romney and Perry. Mitt Romney and Rick Perry seem like such typical businessmen who don't care about anything but making money. They would be the same type of crappy presidents that we've had in the past, and no real change would come from them. Also, I hate how both of them boast about how they have a perfect plan to fix the economy and create jobs and how on day one they'll be passing bills left and right to fix America. That's bullshit; you cannot just snap your fingers and fix the economy.. You cannot just snap your fingers and create all the jobs lost in the past 3 years. That's what nobody wants to admit; the economy fixes itself over time, nothing the government does will instantly heal America's debt, and it will take some time for unemployment to go down. It's economics, not magic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely about Perry - though he isn't a businessman so much as a politician. And you're right; both Romney and Perry, and most of these candidates, are liable to pass a LOT of bills that do nothing to fix the economy.
DeleteI'm voting for Ron Paul because he's the opposite of that. He is against 'spam' legislating, against unnecessary spending, and (most importantly for you and I, and for the kids who come after us), he wants to eliminate the department of education. Nobody else even TOUCHES the issue of education right now, even though it's the most important issue besides the economy. I would even argue that our economic problems stem in part from the fact that Americans are NOT as educated as the rest of the world right now. We have to fix that.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Hopefully you have time to contribute on a semi-regular basis - and I made you an editor so that you can post on here whenever you want.