By Michael O’Connor
New Rochelle, NY - The United States lives in a constant state of election season. Virtually moments after the results of the 2010 midterm elections were announced, attention and speculation turned to the 2012 presidential election. With the success yet division of the Republican Party, who will they nominate to run against incumbent Barack Obama? And that's assuming he runs again, and assumptions are dangerous, particularly in politics.
At this point, much of what is being said about the 2012 presidential election is speculation, and it will remain that way for some time. Insiders say that nominees will announce their candidacy later than ever before, so they can avoid the media questioning and attacking and quietly raise money for their campaigns.
While the list of possible Republican candidates is wide open (there are at least 20 individuals who have been discussed), there are about five that have captured the most amount of media attention and speculation. And many of them are familiar faces from the 2008 presidential election.
• According to a New York Times article, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and is seen as one of the strongest candidates, is quietly courting top-shelf contributors and trying to keep his old team together.
• Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who also ran in the 2008 presidential election, is believed to be a likely candidate. He appeals to Christians and social conservatives. He won the caucuses in Iowa in 2008 and is planning on returning there soon for appearances and speeches.
• Former New York governor George Pataki has openly admitted that he is considering running. He has visited early-voting states and said in an interview that he was waiting to see who else was running, though he added that he was watching the field with an eye on whether he could support any of the other potential contenders for the nomination. “I don’t have any time frame,” Pataki said. “I’m looking at those others who have expressed an interest and who may or may not become more active, and I suspect I will be talking to them and seeing what their ideas are.”
Other names being floated around as possible candidates for the Republican nomination are:
• former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
• Senator John Thune of South Dakota
• Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota
• Governor Hayley Barbour of Minnesota
• Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana
• Former governor of Florida Jeb Bush
But no discussion of the 2012 presidential election would be complete without the ever-so-polarizing Sarah Palin. She has been seen as a possible candidate since John McCain’s loss in the 2008 presidential election. She serves as the biggest question mark for the Republican candidacy. She has hinted at the idea of running many times, and insiders say she is leaning towards a run. But she is no longer an active politician; she has become more of an activist, speaker, media figure, and the face of the Tea Party movement.
And these qualities about her raise questions that began to be asked in this year’s midterm elections. Would it be better or worse for the Republican Party to nominate a Tea Party candidate?
They have strong, ardent supporters, but there are questions as to whether or not their base is wide enough. Some Democrats have even gone so far as to say they hope Palin runs because it would mean an easy win for Obama.
Palin will continue to remain mum, in the months and possibly even year ahead. She has a strong fundraising ability so even with a late announcement campaign funds would likely not be an issue. And as a paid contributor to Fox News, like Huckabee, she will not want to have to give up her paycheck from them any earlier than she needs to.
Not to be outdone, the Democrats are not forgotten. While most of the attention has focused on the Republican Party, since they are the challengers, the Democratic Party has not escaped media speculation about the 2012 presidential election. While it is virtually a given that Barack Obama will run for re-election, a Time.com article suggested that Obama may switch the jobs of Joe Biden and Hilary Clinton and choose Clinton as his running mate.
The article says that his reasoning would be to win back the favor of middle-class independent voters. But others have argued that both Biden and Clinton are doing good jobs where they are and that ditching his original running mate could be seen as a sign of disloyalty and desperation.
While a good deal attention has already been paid to the 2012 presidential election, it will only increase as it gets closer and closer. All Americans can do is let the cards fall where they may and wait for speculation to turn into reality.
Expand your knowledge:
nyt
0 comments:
Post a Comment