Posted on 07/14/2009 9:06:35 AM PDT by Graybeard58
So, are you tired of the permanent campaign yet? Here in Connecticut, it's all Chris Dodd, all the time, as he runs one ad after another and scurrying around the state in his struggle to rebuild his shattered image ahead of his 2010 day of reckoning. But the 2012 presidential campaign, which one anticipates Sen. Dodd will sit out in favor of fellow Democrat Barack Obama, is also well under way.
At least six likely Republican presidential challengers have visited Iowa, site of the caucuses that presumably will mark the formal opening of the 2012 proceedings. Others have been on the pre-hustings elsewhere. Overshadowing them all are the doings of soon-to-be-former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose long-term intentions remain obscure. "The Republican Party has finally turned into a big tent," joked Gail Collins recently in a New York Times op-ed. "Everybody's a presidential contender!"
That Republicans are making national jokes of themselves with their premature electioneering is just the lesser of two problems they're making for themselves going forward. Like a football team looking past its next opponent, the GOP is neglecting duties and opportunities now at hand. The candidates are giving the impression the future of their party and the health of the nation hinge on ousting Mr. Obama in 2012. This is madness.
In Connecticut and other states, the emphasis should be on promoting policy ideas that compete with the dominant Democratic principles. Republicans should be educating voters on the issues, from energy to health care to foreign policy, and explaining why their policy prescriptions represent a better way. Instead, they're giving the impression nothing can be accomplished as long as Mr. Obama is in office.
Connecticut, California, New York, New Jersey and other states historically dominated by Democrats are in steep social, fiscal and economic decline, not because of anything Mr. Obama has done, but because of long-standing policies that manifestly have failed. Republicans should be explaining why their approach is better and recruiting candidates who will campaign on those principles in the 2010 state and congressional elections.
Jockeying for position in the next presidential campaign is a distraction at best, an exercise in futility at worst, because the political landscape in 2012 almost certainly will be far different from anything leading Republicans can imagine now.
After getting punked in 2008, the GOP should consider a new approach to the primary system. Letting Iowa and the North East dictate our candidate doesn’t work.
Letting the MSM choose all of the Demcocrat activists (even the “youtube” debate was stacked with activists) who will ask the debate questions doesn’t work.
Letting Democrats “eliminate” their presidential primaries in Michigan and Florida (and encouraging Democrats to cross over to foul up the GOP primaries) doesn’t work.
The editorial is exactly right. I believe Obama is destined to be a one term president. Historically, the last and only time America has had three consecutive two-termers was Jefferson-Madison-Monroe. More importantly, he’s demonstrated time and again that he just does not have a clue and we’re in too deep a financial hole for him to buy one.
But that doesn’t make a hill of beans if we don’t start building a power base in Congress for the next president to push his (or her) agenda through. We’re in too deep a hole in Congress for the next president to pull in enough conservatives to gain a governing majority in 2012 alone. We need some pickups to 2010 to get us within scoring distance.
Great post.
‘Russ Feingold of Wisconsin’
If our current AG (JB Van Hollen) doesn’t run for Governor, he should tackle Feingold’s job.
There hasn’t been a PEEP from the lame-o, impotent, panty-waste Republican GOP on ANYTHING other than the Governor’s race in 2010.
Wish I could say that I’d think Wisconsin could help the cause, but it’s not looking that way right now from mid-2009...
One can only hope that Conservative planners are, as we speak, very carefully, plotting and scheming a winning strategy for 2010 in each Congressional race and each Senate race.
Every race should/must be contested!
Another thing that Republicans should focus on is that libDems will try to make illegals LEGAL, and the Dems will win elections for decades. We must work to stop this.
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