[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]SK: I’ll preface what I’m about to say by admitting I’m not so hot at political prognostications, but I’d be frankly stunned if Obama fails to win re-election. Paradoxically, the GOP noise machine has done an excellent job of laying the groundwork for a Republican presidency in 2012, but the putative nominees have completely squandered any chance of this happening as they’ve self-immolated on national TV.
So Obama gets another bite at the apple, and I believe we’ll experience more of the same (2nd terms rarely outperform 1st terms, as measured by results), hopefully leading back to a more moderate stance within the GOP. The key word is “hopefully” and I’ll freely admit to being somewhat Pollyanna about this. I’d also like to see someone like Huntsman win election in 2016, but let’s not go crazy, right?[/quote]
Someone like Huntsman? I hope someone like him emerges over the next 4 years. I like the guy. I disagree with him on a whole lot, but I think he’s pragmatic and has his eye on the right target. I never got the sense from him that it was party over policy. He added a bit of campaign rhetoric the last month he was still in it that I’m willing to give him a pass on. (I think he really does believe in science, but the constituency he was going after doesn’t, so he had to adapt.)
The problem he has is lack of spark. I’m not sure that can be learned. So I doubt it will be him. Maybe another governor. Congress tends to warp people that are there too long.
I have a friend who’s a producer for Fox radio in NY. Very conservative guy. Kind of a logical modern conservative. Has no problem with gay marriage. Thinks the republican war on women is stupid. His life is politics. I’ve asked him a few times what an electable republican presidential candidate looks like. He can’t even describe one. He would have loved Huntsman, but freely admits that the current party dynamics make it impossible for someone like Huntsman to ever get any broad support. He thought Romney was electable a month ago, but no longer. And pretty much like me, he has no idea what President Romney would look like, so he wasn’t all that keen on the idea.
So his wishful thinking is pretty much the same as yours, though he hasn’t a clue how his party can get from here to there. Unlike the Dems, the fringe, from the religious right to the tea party, to the Koch brothers/Karl Rove wing, can’t acknowledge real politics and continue to carry too much influence. The dems are too disorganized to get anything done, and the republicans too organized to adapt. No matter what your perception of progress, it may be an impossible goal.
