Chris Christie to Run in 2012?

News reports for the past week are that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may run for President in 2012.  He has gone back and forth on this issue since January of this year.  At one time he actually stated he was not ready to be President of the United States.  I tend to agree with him on that.  Of course, a community organizer isn't really qualified to be President either.  Maybe that is the reason we are in the mess we're in right now.  Regardless, it would add another participant to the race for the Republican Nomination.  If I am correct, that makes ten people running for the nomination.  That is simply too many.  At some point, the debates will have to cut off the second and third tier candidates like Rick Santorum who had a good night at the debate in Orlando last week.  Of course, we still don't know if the favorite punching bag of the Left, Sarah Palin, will run or not.  I honestly hope and pray neither candidate run.

Orlando GOP Debate

 
Thursday night Fox News held the latest GOP debate among Republican Presidential candidates.  I had some lasting impressions that I came away with after watching this debate.  The first and foremost impression I had was Rick Perry mortally wounding himself in defending illegal aliens in Texas.  When Perry stated "You don't have a heart" if you don't want to help children of illegal aliens in this country, he was roundly booed by the crowd.  That is a rather simple indictment on Rick Perry's immigration policy (or lack thereof).  Perry also stated, "We need to be educating these children, because they will become a drag on our society."  Here's a news flash for you, Governor Perry;  Illegals are already a drag on our society.  The notion they take jobs Americans won't do is no longer accepted.  They take up slots in public schools which in turn creates classroom crowding.  They do take social services such as Social Security and Medicare.  If you don't believe it, let me know.  I'll be glad to explain it in more detail.

Michelle Bachmann, I'm sorry to say, is probably finished.  Her poor performance was only made worse when she tried to explain away her remarks  on vaccinations.  She seemed exasperated at times.  Herman Cain made good points, especailly how Obamacare would have killed him when he stated, "Getting treatment on my timetable, not the government’s timetable, saved my life."  Herman Cain is a good man and someone I would feel no hesitation to support if he could possibly win the nomination.  Unfortunately, presidential nominating processes are all about personality and not substance.  Witness the clueless wonder we have as president right now.  His greatest appeal (and still is) is his personality.  Rick Santorum  did well, especially when he was nailing Perry on instate tuition for children of illegal aliens.  He had a good night.  But, again, he just doesn't have the personality that people are searching for in this era of political horse and pony shows.  Ron Paul did well and I personally felt was the winner of the debate.  The problem is that Paul doesn't get many questions in the debates.  He seems a flake and a bit weird at times.  But, overall, he has some good points, especially about supporting the Tenth Amendment.  I was not aware previously he was a states rights supporter.  Romney performed well at times.  But, he spent most of the night on just two issues, social security and illegal immigration.  I might just have to hold my nose and vote for him some day.

Overall, there was nothing earth shattering that came out of the debate.  I do think Perry continued his recent downward trend.  Did he hurt himself enough to lose the Florida primary?  Last reports were that he held a nine-point lead over Romney.  If Romney cuts that in half, after this debate, it spells serious problems for Governor Perry.  

Obama Withdraw for 2012?

In what has to be one of the more incredible columns to date on President Obama, columnist Steve Chapman of the Chicago (yep, Obama's hometown) Tribune brought forth a simple point;  Why Obama should withdraw (for 2012).  Mr. Chapman brought forth some salient points in his Sunday column.  Nothing he said was earth shattering.  He talked about the high unemployment numbers, the economy about to go under for another recession, a jobs plan that has virtually no chance to make it through Congress.  Mr. Chapman, like so many liberals today, brought up the House seat of former Congressman Henry Weiner going Republican (after being in Democratic hands for 88 years).  That last point has brought cataclysmic upheaval in the Democratic Party.  Even James Carville, quite possibly the most antagonistic Democrat in many years, is telling Obama it's time to "panic."  You get the feeling things are spiraling out of control within the Democratic Party these days.  A columnist in President Obama's hometown suggesting he should withdraw from the Democratic Nomination for President?  Would you have believed that possible even three months ago?  I certainly would not have ever considered it.

I think the above amply demonstrates just how chaotic things are right now in the Obama Campaign and the Democratic Party itself.  The loss of that seat in New York has set off a chain of events that Democrats find totally unacceptable.  The Democratic Party is facing the possibility of not only seeing additional gains by Republicans in the House, but they face the possibility of losing the Senate.  The idea of losing the White House is a very real possibility.  The latter is becoming more of a reality with each passing day.  So, who is to blame for this sudden change of events?  You could point the finger at a multitude of people from the Democratic Party Chairman to House and Senate Democrat leaders.  But, the person who is receiving the blame is the guy at the top, President Obama.  The President never accepts blame for anything bad that happens.  The buck always stops elsewhere, not in the Obama Oval Office.  This is part of the Obama problem.  His nature is to not accept responsibility if something that goes wrong.  His lapdogs are, of course, still blaming George W. Bush.  The American people are tired of this.  Even some Democrats are tired of Obama.  No, make that a lot of Democrats are tired of Obama. 

All this said, I simply don't see Obama withdrawing his name from the campaign for the Democratic nominee.  To do so would be to place someone or something before himself. He will never do that.   Obama has always placed himself first above what is best for his party, and/or his country.

Hillary Clinton Running for President in 2012?

There is something I have to say now.  It is something I never, ever thought I would say.  I wish Hillary Clinton was President.  Yes, as much as I have dissed her over the years, as much as I have called her a European style Socialist, I would vastly prefer Hillary Clinton as president far more than I ever would Barack Obama.  President Obama has proven time after time he is in over his head.  His disastrous Middle East policy, his policy of isolating our friends and placating our enemies, his fruitless and wildly unsuccessful economic policy has made me wax longingly at a Hillary Clinton Administration.  But, then I always wake up.  Hillary, while she would be more successful than Obama ever thought about, is in the same mode of believing big government is the cure-all for all of the ills of society.  The only difference, that I can see, between her and Obama is that Hillary would be slightly more competent as president.  The reason I bring this up, many people who voted for Obama over Hillary are suffering from buyer's remorse today.  No one, not even the Democrats, are buying into Obama's latest jobs plan.  At what point do you stop and realize that simply throwing money at a problem will not solve it?  None of the Democrats will ever admit to that.  Certainly not Obama and certainly not Hillary Clinton.

Of course, there is a lot of speculation that Hillary Clinton will resign as Secretary of State and run for President in 2012.   That would be the biggest shocker in U.S. politics since Truman beat Dewey. President Obama is a deeply unpopular president.  It has nothing to do with race despite his supporters trying to make it all about race.  It is about a man who seemingly always gets in his own way in his attempt to run this country.  Hillary Clinton, if she did choose to run, would absolutely divide the Democratic Party.  A divided Democratic Party would almost surely mean a Republican win in November of 2012.  While I believe Hillary Clinton has never given up her designs on the Oval Office (despite her protestations to the contrary), she abhors the idea of helping Republicans win the presidential nomination.  Still, the specter of a Hillary Clinton run for the 2012 Democratic nomination should not be swept aside.  Even feminists, who have long supported Obama, are wistfully hoping Hillary will run.  This should give some idea of just how unhappy the Democratic Socialists are today.

I do believe President Obama is in deep trouble for the 2012 Presidential election.  I do believe he is capable of pulling the proverbial rabbit out of the hat between now and November 2012.  I learned a long time ago to never underestimate liberals when it comes to something they really want (such as Obamacare for example).  Liberals will pull out every underhanded trick, legal or illegal, to get what they want.  The ends justifies the means with these people.  President Obama desperately wants to be reelected. He's going to do everything possible to see this happen.  But, a Hillary Clinton run for the Democratic Party's nomination would most assuredly end his chances of reelection.  For that reason alone, I see a run by Hillary Clinton for President in 2012, as just wishful thinking by disgruntled liberals. 

Rick Perry on Illegal Immigration

 
Like many conservatives (and liberals as well, most likely), I watched the debate among the Republican Presidential candidates Monday night in Tampa, Florida.  As expected, Rick Perry was catching heat from all sides.  That is what happens to a front-runner.  But, some revealing things came out in that debate that caught my attention..  Rick Perry is becoming more and more a  cardboard box cut-out.  Meaning, he is all fluff and no substance.  I had been leaning heavily toward voting for Governor Perry prior to that debate.

The 800 Pound Gorilla in the Room: Unemployment

President Obama made another speech on Thursday night.  It was another jobs plan to bring the unemployment numbers down before the November 2012 Presidential Election.  There was no one that said it that way, of course.  But, the latest speech by President Obama was just another campaign speech.  I think even the most zealous Obama Cult Member would agree to that.  Just like any initiative under this President, it would cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

Jimmy Hoffa Threatens Again

Well, the title is a bit misleading, I suppose.  Jimmy Hoffa Jr. appears to be taking over from where his daddy left off.  Hoffa Jr.  made vulgar, threatening remarks toward Republicans and Tea Partiers while waiting on President Obama to come on stage in Detroit, Michigan.  Hoffa called Republicans and the Tea Party  "sons of bitches" and called for them to be "taken out."