First I thought all the candidates did pretty well and personal attacks were kept to a minimum.
I am going to try to put them in order of how they stack up. The candidate with the least chance of winning given the higher number or the first to drop out if you will.
Number 7
Jon Huntsman
Seems like a nice guy but kind of shallow, afraid to jump in with both feet. I question if his heart is really in it for the long haul. Has tons of money probably helped by his father who is a billionaire. Comes across as a little to plain vanilla and is someone who would be hard to rally around. When he kicked off his campaign it had all the flare of opening a bottle of flat ginger-ale.
Number 6
Michelle Bachmann
Very attractive candidate in more ways then one. Teaparty favorite. Yet sometimes it's as though she's a little mouse crying for attention in the back of the room. Unfortunately she was the only bomb thrower at the debate. Lobbed a few at Paul and Newt. It was a desperate attempt to score some poll numbers and I understand why she did it. She is so far down in the polls she had to roll the dice. I like her and would support her if I thought she had a chance. Sadly it is not to be.
Number 5
Rick Santorum
I truly feel bad for Rick a former senator. He looks good, speaks well, and I agree with his postions. No one has worked their ass off campaigning more then Rick Santorum. What is there not to like? The poor guy just can't get any traction which is a mystery to me.
Number 4
Ron Paul
This may come as a surprise to some but if Ron Paul became a two term president, under a Republican congress, I bet he could slash the national debt by 80%. That is his strong point. On the negative side he projects someone who is weak on national defense. When he makes remarks like.. I'm paraphrasing here..."I don't care if Iran builds a nuclear bomb or not." Scary to say the least.
We should elect a president predicated on substance. The reality is, unconsciously or not, appearance has a lot to do with winning the White House. Can you visualize him as president; his wife as first lady? Paul comes across to me as a Barney Fife-like character. On top of that (unless he changed his tune recently) he said if he didn't get the nod he would not support the Republican nominee. He may attempt a third party run which would probably divert just enough votes for the Messiah to get a second term. In other words, he may do for the Republicans what Ralph Nader did for Democrats.
Number 3
Rick Perry
Rick Perry jumped into the campaign like God's gift to America. It was reminiscent of Hillary's campaign... preordained to become the next president... until the Messiah came along. He was totally unprepared entering the race and stated some rather half-baked views on illegals which shot him in the foot early and has still not recovered. The little...Have a heart lecture comes to mind.
That said this last debate I thought he did quite well. His credentials speak for themselves. Probably the most successful governor in the United States. Just sometimes he comes across as a little dumb which would be ok if he was a Democrat running for the VP spot. Bottom line. He admits he's not a great debater which will kill him against the Messiah. For some reason I still like this guy and he has no problem with campaign contributions. Maybe he's diamond in the rough.
Number 2
Newt Gingrich
Hands down the smartest person on the stage. An historian extrodinaire. He could tell you what color tie FDR wore when he made his famous...A date which will live in infamy speech before congress. The MSM is beginning to realize he is a serious threat and are readying themselves for an all out attack. Newt's got a lot of dirty laundry which has been washed by the years but still shows some stains here and there. Married three times, admitted extramarital affairs, the Fannie and Freddie incident, $500,000 shopping spree at Tiffany's, etc. The commercial with Pelosi on Global Warming (climate change back then) was particularly revolting. He suffers from the O'Reilly syndrome. Smart, dead on with the issues, but do you really like him? That is the big issue with Newt, like-ability-electability. Can he go the distance? Can America overlook some personality traits and say...hell with liking him we need someone who can fix America? Oh...and one more thing. I would pay to see Newt debate the Messiah. He would mob the floor with him. We'll just have to wait and see it play out.
Number 1
Mitt Romney
No candidate is perfect. Some conservatives are still waiting for their night in shining armor to ride in and save the day. We must work with what we have and in Mitt Romney we have a damn good viable candidate unlike 2008. For starters Romney has the look, the air of a president. I can visualize him in the White House. I can see his wife as first lady bringing back the dignity to the White House once exemplified by Laura Bush .
Does Romney have his share of faults ? Yes. But you have to put it in proper context. Romney was a Republican Governor in the bluest state in the union Massachusetts, that is a big difference from lets say Perry coming out of Texas. Romney-Care and his flip-flop on abortion is his Achilles heel. But this much I can assure you. There will be no dirt, no matter how many rocks the MSM tries to turn over. There will be no shady business dealings, no mistresses coming out of the woodwork claiming 13 year affairs. Surely the onslaught of being a Mormon will continue. I can only say this... isn't a Mormon better then the Muslim, or whatever religion he is currently practicing?
Romney has character and a great track record in the private sector. He is a uniter not a divider. If I could give him some advice I would like to see a little more...fire in the belly..from him but I guess it's just not his style.
I hope and pray Mitt Romney is the next president of the United States.
That said I will support 100% any of the candidates above if they become the nominee.
Good luck to all of them and may God give them guidance.
The country is in such a mess they sure as hell are going to need it.
