Bret Stephens, writing from November 7, 2012:
It doesn’t matter that Mr. Obama can’t get the economy out of second gear. It doesn’t matter that he cynically betrayed his core promise as a candidate to be a unifying president. It doesn’t matter that he keeps blaming Bush. It doesn’t matter that he thinks ATMs are weapons of employment destruction. It doesn’t matter that Tim Geithner remains secretary of Treasury. It doesn’t matter that the result of his “reset” with Russia is Moscow selling fighter jets to Damascus. It doesn’t matter that the Obama name is synonymous with the most unpopular law in memory. It doesn’t matter that his wife thinks America doesn’t deserve him. It doesn’t matter that the Evel Knievel theory of fiscal stimulus isn’t going to make it over the Snake River Canyon of debt.
Above all, it doesn’t matter that Americans are generally eager to send Mr. Obama packing. All they need is to be reasonably sure that the alternative won’t be another fiasco. But they can’t be reasonably sure, so it’s going to be four more years of the disappointment you already know.
It may well be the case that Gingrich is the candidate who energizes the Republican base. That won’t matter because he will energize the Democratic base as well and repulse moderates.
I don’t know whether Mr. Romney will be able to shrug off nine months of character assassination or learn to stop alienating a good portion of the electorate (or have his words misquoted so that they alienate a good portion of the electorate). I do know that any ticket with Romney at the top will be about as white bread as you can possibly get. Will white bread be enough?
There’s really only one question that needs to asked: can Romney win enough states that McCain didn’t last time around to become president? Can he win the states that McCain did?
I might ask the last question differently. I think there are two questions: Can the Republican candidate capture the same Congressional districts House Republicans will win? And will it be enough?
The previous midterm is a pretty good indication of whether the sitting President is at risk; Clinton showed a nack for bi-partisanship and pragmiticism that Obama lacks, but Congressional Republicans have not been great either. So, its Harry Truman time, but Truman’s re-election, run against a do-nothing Congress, threw out the Republicans in Congress.
Are these candidates really the best the boomer generation has to offer? I don’t think I can stomach any of them, particularly the Republicans. Gingrich and Romney seem to be battling over who is the “Grand Narcissist of the Republic.” To me these men are transparently running for office to satisfy their ego’s more than anything else. No thanks. On the other hand, I’m not sure I can vote for Obama again. This year I may return to voting for a third party candidate.
I’m afraid that’s the Baby Boomer factor. I never voted for him but I think the last president who actually wanted to be president in order to do something was Reagan. After that they just wanted to be president.
It may well be the case that Gingrich is the candidate who energizes the Republican base.
Depends on which day of the week it is. Last week Gingrich had a great debate. He stated basic principals of Republican conservatism with great elan and force. Last night he apparanently got bogged down in being candidate Newt. (I’m not watching any of them – these debates are farces to begin with, and have nothing to do with actually being President.) Later this week he may be sounding like Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore again, or the gnarly little technocrat that he is. If Romney can weather the storm, Newt is certain to sink his own ship, again.
There’s really only one question that needs to asked:
… and then you go on to ask two questions. Schuler, you need a vacation. You’re becoming increasingly cyncial in tone and sloppy in your writing, both of which are very uncharacteristic. You seem tired and frayed. Take some time off and do something to relax your brain – step away from the news as much as possible, spend more time with your dogs, spend more time with your family, something. And I haven’t even read your Path Dependence post yet!