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Politics GOP field a gift for Obama

Don’t for a second believe that a politician is destined to lose re-election simply because he has been an unmitigated disaster. That would be unfair to your senator or your congressman, and it certainly wouldn’t be fair to two-term presidents. Any elected official can overcome self-induced failure with a little help.

And it doesn’t hurt to pray: “Dear Lord, may the contemptible swine on the other side nominate someone even less palatable than I.”

Harsanyi: GOP Field a Gift for Obama

I agree with you ... and you and you and you ...

Republicans shouldn’t fool themselves. Given the GOP’s deeply flawed slate of primary candidates, our president can win a second term — which, without doubt, would be more imperial and consequential than the first. There is no savior. No Ronald Reagan. No Chris Christie. (Or is there? Nah. … Maybe!)

But at some point, Republican voters will have to ask themselves, Do we want to win, or do we want to see the Environmental Protection Agency start fining businesses for dust bunnies? Economists talk about trade-offs — situations that involve losing one quality in return for gaining another quality elsewhere. Is there a trade-off worth making here?

The traditional media narrative is that Republicans have become too conservative. I doubt it. The backlash against bailouts, dependency programs, overregulation and deficit spending is in line with much of the Republican Party’s newfound focus. On the broad dispute over economic freedom and the role of government in our lives, President Barack Obama is losing. Polls show that Americans like him personally (though far less than before), but his presidency is, at this point, dramatically unpopular. We can infer that his policies, not his personality, are the problem. Empirical evidence demands it.

So which Republican candidate has the intelligence, the populist appeal, the charisma, a grasp of policy and fresh ideas to offer in place of the ones crippling the nation? Which candidate has the talent to convince millions of more or less apolitical voters that free market solutions and deregulatory policy are the best way to spur economic growth? Which one has the chops to convince them that reforms to Social Security or Medicare are necessary?

There isn’t one.

Herman Cain won the Florida straw poll this week. Cain is an amiable, fun and interesting guy (though he’s always trying to sell me something for $9.99). But does anyone believe he’s prepared for the presidency? Rep. Michele Bachmann embodies the uncompromising spirit of the tea party, but is she prepared to pull the rest of the country with her? Many others have various problems that we all know — Newt Gingrich, Rep. Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, et al.

When it comes down to it, there are two electable candidates.

And Mitt Romney is a racket, a man who spent a lifetime out of politics against his will. His political philosophy consists of an unwavering commitment to say whatever it is you want to hear at that very moment. At present, it’s difficult to get over his inane defense of individual mandates (it was good for my state, but it would stink for yours), his reverence for entitlement programs, his defense of federal education… It’s best not to think about it. He has also been the most articulate and informed. Nixon goes to China. Romney goes to … well, wherever Gallup tells him to go. Maybe it will tell him to do the right thing.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has also become something of an apostate for his illegal immigration policy. Yet conservatives should be far more concerned that the sum of his economic policy proposals has been to repeat “Texas” as many times as humanly possible. Though he may turn it around, when a candidate makes George W. Bush sound like Richard Burton, it is time to wonder.

Conservatives understand these problems. Polls seem to indicate indecision, and the clamoring for new blood seems to indicate that they understand the need for a candidate who has the smarts, spine and political judgment to win. If things were to stay as they are — though they probably won’t — Republicans might be left with a person who is either a phony or unfit — or both — in an election that begs for neither.
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Follow him on Twitter @davidharsanyi.

Comments (13)

  • stone2016
    Posted on September 28, 2011 at 12:18pm

    http://www.investors.com/newsandanalysis/article/586071/201109261537/Who-Says-Cain-Is-Unelectable-.aspx?ven=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed%20utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EditorialRss+%28Editorial+RSS%29

    Report Post »  
  • stone2016
    Posted on September 28, 2011 at 12:07pm

    Nice article. A great sum up of the MSNBC talking points.

    “But does anyone believe he’s prepared for the presidency?” Is that an attempt at analysis. Sounds like you’re saying “I don’t have any real criticism, so I’ll just throw this question out there to make him irrelevant.

    “though he’s always trying to sell me something for $9.99″ Is this another attempt at analysis or just ridicule his tax plan to make him irrelevant.

    Here’s an analysis for The Blase. Get someone who can actually analyze the candidates rather than just trying to make them irrelevant because you don’t see a clear cut “Ronald Reagan”. If you’re truly trying to find a leader, maybe your analysis should be more about the candidates ability to lead with forward ideas and less focused on finding the “only John McCain can beat Hillary” candidate.

    Do we want a Leader or Not Obama? There is only one true leader in the pack.

    Report Post »  
    • Frog
      Posted on September 29, 2011 at 10:24am

      stone 2016, rang a bell for me! Something has been nagging me the last year or so with everyone quoting Ronald Reagan, as if we are looking for his twin to run for pres. Know one loved him as a Pres. more than I did. I had such a strong testimony at the time he was elected, that God was pleased with the Am. people for electing the right man for the job at hand, for Am. But Am. is facing different problems at this time as well as some similar. Just as God chose Prophets with different strenghts, to lead his people,& meet the needs at hand,although they were imperfect in other areas, we to must be prayful, to not let our BIASES, keep us from making the right choice for our country as a whole at THIS TIME IN AMERICA! The way I see it anyone we have running now , are fit to be better for Am. than what we have now, with exceptions of Perry, & Huntsman. I feel they are more progressive at heart, & thrown in to cause division, in taking votes from Romney. He or Cain Have the experience we need for Am. now!!! Cain, I’d like to see as vp, till we get to know him better. I voted for Carter in my husbands college days, cause he was a peanut farmer & smiled a lot! Like Obama, He wants to change our tax system, that we don’t know if it will work or not. If he’d said, lets do a 9% tax on State, fed, sales tax., if 10% was good enough for God, Than it ought to be good enough for our Govt. I’d be okay. Fed. Govt. does have its place, for nat. purposes, same as God set up his chu

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    • Frog
      Posted on September 29, 2011 at 10:48am

      Sorry go cut off! Christ while on earth set up his church, with a prophet, apostles, seventies, priest, deacons etc. They were all accountable for there local churches & areas, & came to gather to make reports,to what was going on in their areas, what they had done, & to discuss what needed to be done as a whole for the Saints, or church & what they could do to help the non believers or the rest of the world. The problem is they all had to be accountable to someone, the Fed”s as it is has been accountable to no one! We need someone as Pres. that can delegate out to those who have more experience than he does in some area’s, that is not afraid to let others take some credit, that knows how to communicate with all people, that will tackle what is pressing now & knows he can not go in an change everthing NOW! That their are ways of things that have been done in the past, that has to be fazed out! You can’t pull the rug out from under those who know nothing else! They must be weaned & taught to do without, better ways to think, that is healthy for all. When Mose brought the Isrealites out of Eygpt, & saw they were not ready to live the full preisthood responsiblilities, that the Eygption beliefs were so imbeded in them, he broke the 1st tablets, came back with a lesser law for them to live.One that the weakest of them could live. He did not strip them of all help. He provided mana for to eat. It wasn’t steak, icecream, or cereal, but their basic needs.We must do the sam

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  • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
    Posted on September 28, 2011 at 10:25am

    I have been rooting for Cain for a while now. What I can’t wait to see is a conservative black man debate a socialist, half-black man and mop the floor with him. With Obama’s dismal failure as a President, what could he have to debate about?

    Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
  • Lone Star Forever
    Posted on September 28, 2011 at 9:50am

    “Herman Cain won the Florida straw poll this week. Cain is an amiable, fun and interesting guy (though he’s always trying to sell me something for $9.99). But does anyone believe he’s prepared for the presidency?”

    YES! I do believe he is prepared for the presidency! He was a successful CEO of a company. This prepares him more than any of the other candidates! I’d rather have a businessman in the white house than a politician any day of the week! Cain is just starting to get name recognition, but he actually has a plan that people can understand for creating jobs. Let Romney and Perry keep fighting with each other. Cain can focus on taking on Obama!! Cain/Rubio 2012!!!

    Report Post »  
    • Jaycen
      Posted on September 28, 2011 at 10:20am

      So far, Herman Cain seems to be the best candidate. He understands two critical concepts – Business and Freedom.

      None of the other Republican Progressives are in tune with either concept.

      Report Post » Jaycen  
  • libertyerdeath
    Posted on September 28, 2011 at 9:09am

    Anybody But Obama. PLEASE!!!

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  • Chuck Stein
    Posted on September 28, 2011 at 12:56am

    Herman Cain has a great deal of charisma. Instead of Obumbler’s toxic cocktail of ineptitude, arrogance, posturing, and condecension, Mr. Cain presents competence, humility, genuineness, and self-deprecating good humor.

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  • 4areason
    Posted on September 27, 2011 at 11:12pm

    Here is where our faith is all that can sustain us. Pray for that leader…each and everyone of us. America is exceptional and somewhere there is a man or woman of God that is being called – let them answer the call. Pray for them now, pray for us now. We know who wins, we just dont know how much we will each pay as we go. Pray we are not put to the test. God bless America and please Lord bring forth our leader!

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    • 4areason
      Posted on September 27, 2011 at 11:35pm

      And don’t take my post wrong…our leader may already be in the race and we just haven’t realized it yet. We need to see more of Herman before we rule him out. For the moment I am liking the idea of Herman with VP Gingrich. We will know soon enough…not our time but God’s. Peace be with you.

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  • Janc60
    Posted on September 27, 2011 at 10:43pm

    Sums it up pretty well, as usual by Harsanyi. Sad state of affairs that we should be able to have a true leader step forward and stop the Obama disaster, but we don’t.

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    • OleCrusty
      Posted on September 27, 2011 at 11:21pm

      You have underestimated the ability of Herman Cain to motivate his detractors into supporters and in his innate ability to lead – making him ideally suited for commander in chief. I for one will be glad to help him get there.

      Let me use one word however to sum up your opinion – wrong. You have taken the easy way as is typical of journalistic practice today. It’s probably not your fault – don’t worry. Rest assured a bit more objectivity about the actual ability and qualifications of many of the candidates would prove my point – you have half-assed yourself into a corner. I look forward to your next article in hopes of some more objectivity.

      On the + side, I really liked your prayer.

      Other than that – take a stand man.

      Report Post »  

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