Out of the Pack of "Top Tier" candidates: Huckabee, Palin and Trump (not pictured) yet to commit to run - image: freedomslighthouse.net
Fox News held the first GOP debate last evening in South Carolina – the debate featured Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty – absent the field of “GOP Potential Candidates: Huckabee, Romney, Palin, Bachman, Trump and Gingrich. The prevailing theory is that the Fox hosted debate was more of a loss for Fox News, rather than the GOP field, as those Top Tier “Candidates” have not yet announced. The question remains, when will these much ballyhooed candidates decide? The answer obviously is when they are ready pending current obligations and strategy.
From Politico: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee told a group of freshman congressional representations this past week that he had not yet decided one way or the other and would make his decision this summer. The prevailing theory is that with Huckabee, Palin and Trump particularly, there are media contracts in place which would prevent them from announcing sooner, unless these contracts were dissolved.
What’s the rush? The debate process a mere decade ago began in the later end of 1999 - George Bush, who went on to win the GOP nomination, skipped the first two debates which begin in October 1999, and although he announced an exploratory committee in March of that year, did not firmly commit until the summer. Bush went on to win the nomination, after announcing later than McCain, and skipping two of the first debates – he had to work harder on the ground in the primary states, but was able to raise funds and observe the other candidates, plain strategy. The early debates and announcements began in 2007 with the emergence of Barack Obama as a candidate for the Presidency, prior to that, the announcement, exploratory and debate process got off to a later start.
Does it really matter when Huckabee, Palin or Trump decide to run and formally announce? Not in the grander scheme of things. A question asked at the Fox debate of the attending candidates was (Paraphrasing): There are certain (people, groups) who feel that Barack Obama is unbeatable, do you feel that he is vulnerable in any way? The answers, resoundingly from those present were – yes, and the main reason, the economy.
It will be the economy, the lack of transparency, the appearance of indecisiveness and the inability of the administration to get any story straight, regardless of the import, or lack thereof, that has both left and right thinking American’s thinking strongly about the alternatives. There are polls which show the President’s job approval rating at all time lows, polls that contradict whether or not he got a “bounce” from the Bin Laden incident, and polls that indicate the birth certificate issue is still alive. The fact that so many are now questioning whether or not the demise of the Al Queda leader, Bin Laden was “staged” is, in a word, stunning. Therefore, it does not really matter if one announces in March or in August, it really does not matter if they have the “billions” the President is hoping to have in his “war chest” for reelection – what will matter is that the individual who breaks from the “pack” by September or October of this year, is one who is decisive, has a clear understanding of the economy and who is less “Washington” - being able to convince the general public, not just the Republican’s and Republican leaning Independents, that they are capable and additionally willing (key word) to take on the task of running the nation as the top CEO. It will be someone who comes across as Decisive, and that is, if nothing else at this point, any one of the ten or so individuals announced and unannounced.
The fact that the news organizations,ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox included, are pushing so hard for the sake of ratings, has little to do with the final choices made by the candidates and those who support them – It may be Donald Trump who ends up leading the field (he appears, despite the naysayers to be a serious candidate), it may be Mike Huckabee, or Sarah Palin, or it may be a soft-spoken, decisive Governor from Minnesota, one Tim Pawlenty, or a perennial presidential candidate Ron Paul, who takes the lead. It will, in this opinion, however, be a candidate who is decidedly not connected to Washington – which has become synonymous with greed, indecision and a quest for power, not service. Therefore, when the field of contenders finally forms this summer (and that is when all will know for certain who is in and who is out), then the debates will draw ratings, the speculation and dirt will fly, and the 2012 election season will get underway. What is hoped is that should Trump, Palin, Romney and Huckabee all enter the race, that this debate season, equal time will be given to those who, although considered by the “pollsters” to be less likely to win a nomination, be heard.
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