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Friday, June 3, 2011

2012 Presidential Prognostication

The 2012 Presidential race is beginning to take shape. Some candidates are in, some are out, and some are still thinking about it. Some of us have already decided about whether Obama should be re-elected. Others have already decided which of the Republican challengers they will support. Personally, I've only decided on who I will NOT support and that includes Obama, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich. The reasons why follow. I do think, however, that there is one name that we have not heard much of in a while that could be "the wild-card" in the race. I think this person could sneak in and win the race easily if they play their cards right.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of Barack Obama. Maybe he's a nice guy and fun to be around, but I don't know because I've never met him. The problem I have with him is his liberal progressive agenda. His stance on issues important to me are the opposite of mine. For instance, he's o.k. with abortion. I'm not because I believe all human life is precious. I like guns and support the right to keep and bear them, and he doesn't. He believes in redistribution of wealth, and I don't. I think that if you work hard and earn your wealth that you should get to keep it and not be forced to share. If you want to share it, that should be your decision not the "gubmint's." Obama likes higher taxes, and I don't. I think socialized medicine sucks, and he wants to force everyone onto it. He has insulted and turned his back on our allies while befriending and apologizing to our enemies for "America's sins." He has spent billions of dollars to bailout failing car companies that should have been allowed to go under due to their failed business plan. Obama sent our military into Libya when that country had not attacked or threatened us in a long time. I could go on and on, but the fact is that me and Mr. Obama agree on pretty much nothing. Oh, and before I forget - his wife said she has only been proud of her country once. Mine is always proud of hers. Her husband, me, is still alive because of American ingenuity. I didn't vote for Obama in 2008 and won't in 2012 either.

The GOP has a number of candidates that will try to defeat Obummer next year. I think it's a lackluster crop at best. Not one of their current declared candidates makes me want to walk into the voting booth today and vote for them. For instance :
  • Mitt Romney - While governor of Massachusetts, he raised numerous taxes and fees. His socialized medicine scheme, "RomneyCare," has left the state broke and scores of people have had to be kicked off it's rolls. It's rationing at it's finest. When criticized about the failed system, he stands by it. A leader would admit the mistake and learn from it. Romney's not presidential material.
  • Newt Gingrich - The Newt is the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is on record as supporting the ObamaCare individual mandate requiring Americans to purchase health insurance. Gingrich is also a womanizer having not one, but two marriages fail due to his extramarital affairs. Newt is unfit to be president because the affairs show he has a lack of integrity, no loyalty, and can't be trusted.
  • Herman Cain - Cain is a newcomer to presidential politics. Many conservatives like him. I have concerns about his ideas to replace the income tax with a national sales tax. In my opinion, a national sales tax, or consumption tax, would be devastating to the frail national economy. It's a bad idea that I doubt he could get passed into law.
  • Tim Pawlenty - Pawlenty was for Obama's Cap and Trade, a.k.a. Cap and Tax, proposal before he was against it. Obama said that it would cause energy prices to "necessarily skyrocket." Cap and Trade would hurt the economy further. Pawlenty ain't the guy either.
  • Ron Paul - I'll admit that Paul does bring a lot of energy to the table. I like his idea about auditing the Fed. However, he has a tendency to come off as a little nutty. He has recently made some rather "off the wall" comments about the operation in Libya and about Bin Laden's death. I'm not expecting his candidacy to get much traction or last very long.
There are also still a number of Republicans who have not made up their minds about whether they will run or not. Donald Trump was in then out. Now, there's a rumor that he might get back in as an Independent. If he does, perhaps Brett Favre would be a good running mate. Rumors are also floating around that Rudy Guiliani and Texas Governor Rick Perry may enter the race. And of course, we're still waiting on Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann to make an announcement one way or the other. Personally, of all the ones mentioned, only Perry, Palin, or Bachmann interest me.

Official portrait of Secretary of State Hillar...So, by now you're probably thinking, "Alright Sheepdog, who is this 'wild-card' candidate you mentioned earlier ?" It's simple - Hillary Clinton (pictured right). And yes, I know she's already said she wasn't going to run and has no interest in being president (see Politico.com article below). However, I think she might change her mind. Usually, such a political flip-flop would hurt a campaign. However, if there's anyone who could sell it and get the American people to overlook it and buy it, it's the Clintons. They got the American people to overlook Slick Willy's womanizing and Whitewater, didn't they ? So, just hear me out.

My reasons for thinking Hillary might enter the race are :
  1. Obama promised to turn the economy around. He hasn't done it. He said the Stimilus Bill would keep unemployment from going over 8%. It's at 9% now and has been over 8% since the Spring of 2009. No president since FDR has been re-elected with unemployment over 7%. Obama attacked Bush for the high gas prices. Gas prices are now double what they were at the time of Obama's inauguration.
  2. Obama promised to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Not only has he not gotten out of those two conflicts, he's now began a military operation in Libya. The lefty anti-war crowd is not happy about it. Many of them supported Obama in 2008 because he promised to get out of Iraq / Afghanistan.
  3. Obama promised the anti-gunners more gun control. These folks have deep pockets and aren't happy about him not keeping his promise. Sarah Brady recently had a meeting with him "to discuss it."
  4. There have been reports that George Soros and other wealthy supporters of liberal causes don't feel like Obama has given them their money's worth. These folks poured millions of dollars into Obama's campaign and expected a little payback. They haven't got it. Hillary Clinton is tight with many in that crowd and likely wouldn't have any trouble getting financing for her campaign from them.
  5. Hillary has already announced that she will be leaving the Obama Administration if there is a second term. Could this be her way of transitioning off and planning a presidential run for 2012 ?
  6. The Clinton's like power. Hillary will be 64 late this year. She's running out of time if she is ever gonna run. It could be now or never.
Furthermore, you could throw out the six reasons I've listed above as to why Hillary Clinton will run for president, and there's one that's more important that trumps them all. I'll call it the "George Washington Card." Now, before you conservatives jump on me for comparing Hillary Clinton to George Washington, let me explain. First of all, she is not George Washington. No way, no how - period. Second, by using that term, I am referring to George Washington's reaction to being asked to be president. He did not want to. After leading the Colonial Army, he was ready to retire from public life. He felt he had done his duty and enough for his country. It was time for somebody else to step up. However, he gave in and became the first president.

Times are not good in this country. The economy is in shambles and Obama's on the ropes. Here's the way I see Hillary successfully playing "The George Washington Card." She calls a surprise press conference. The press will jump all over it, and she'll get tons of exposure because they love the Clintons. Her speech would go something like, "Bill and I love our country dearly. We've both given 100% to serving it through the years. We are concerned and saddened by the fact that millions of our fellow Americans are out of work and hurting financially. The last two administrations have done nothing to ease the suffering. That is why after much prayer, soul searching, and talking it over between ourselves, our family, and our dear friends, we have decided that I will run for the presidency in 2012. It is not something that I particularly want to do, and I realize that I have previously said that I had no desire to run and would not run. I would prefer to spend time with my family. However, I love my country too much to stand by and watch it suffer and crumble. I have enjoyed many blessings and much success in my lifetime. Things that could only be experienced in America. My goal is to be part of the solution that gets America back on her feet so that the generations to come will have the opportunity to enjoy America's greatness as Bill and I have. We ask for your support as we begin this journey to put America back on the right track. Help us make America strong again." Game, set, and match. Stick a fork in Obummer because he would be done. Hillary could even shed a few tears or get choked up while giving the speech. Democrats and Independents would flock to her and Soros and others would pour money into her campaign coffers.

I did not vote for Bill Clinton either time and would not vote for Hillary. Like Obama, the Clinton's political views and mine are polar opposites. Even though Bill was a slimeball, he was an extremely popular slimeball for one reason - the economy was in pretty good shape when he was in office. The Clinton's are still very influential in Democratic circles. If Hillary were to get in the race with a gameplan similar to what I just laid out, she'd smoke Obama in the Democratic Primary. I could even see him pulling out early. Furthermore, I don't see any of the GOP'ers that have officially declared or still exploring their options beating her if she plays her cards as I have laid out. In fact, if the Republicans make the mistake of nominating a liberal such as Romney or Gingrich, Hillary wins the presidency easily. The only way a Republican even makes it close is if they nominate a constitutional and social conservative.

The question is, will she run ? Who knows, but I think it's possible especially if something bad were to happen in the near future, such as the economy take another nosedive. I think she holds a winning hand. However, if Hillary sticks to her guns and doesn't run and the Republicans nominate a liberal, Obama wins re-election. The Republicans are going to have to nominate a constitutional conservative in order to win back the presidency.
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