Dez on Politics

I've been following the Republican race fairly closely over the last year or so. I've even watched a majority of the last 20 (20!!) Republican debates. I think that the debates have been good (would Rick Perry have been exposed as the dumbass that he is so quickly without them? Hermann Cain so clueless about foreign policy?), but they have also had some negative effects for the Republicans. There seems to be quite a bit of angst within the Republican ranks about the field, but I would argue that it is impossible to come through 20 debates looking great. These debates have driven this primary season unlike ever before. They have really been the driving force in the rise and fall of the frontrunners. Nobody is going to be on their game and gaffless over 20 debates. I argue that Obama would have some serious chinks in his armor if he had to sit for 20 debates over the last six months. So, I sympathize with and salute the four remaining candidates for having weathered an unprecedented blistering primary season so far, and we haven't even gotten to Super Tuesday.

As far as the field, Santorum is unelectable due to his outspoken comments over the years on social issues. Gingrich has many great ideas amongst many wacky ones. He is best as a thinker not in the lead. Gingrich tends to implode or become surly when he is a frontrunner, and it is telling that so many of his former colleagues in his own party who served with or under him when he was Speaker refuse to support him now. He is best as a conservative thinker proposing ideas from the sidelines for others to consider and implement. I like Newt, but he's too volatile to be president. Ron Paul has a movement, and is running to get his Libertarian ideas into the Republican agenda, not to really be president. He is unelectable. That leaves Mitt, whom I have supported most of this primary season (after Huntsman dropped out).

It is painful to watch Mitt try to act the strong conservative, when at heart he is really a moderate. But you've got to play these games in the primaries. Just as Dems have to track left in their primaries and then steer back to the middle in the general election.

I see two issues that stand out amongst many. One is Iran and the other is the deficit. Mitt, Santorum and Newt all have a much better stance on dealing with Iran than Obama (Ron Paul would be a disaster for foreign policy). But Ron Paul is right on as he passionately argues that our spending and debt will be the death of this country unless it is addressed and addressed now.

Iran must not be permitted to go nuclear, and we need to back Israel if they decide to act to defend themselves against a leadership in Iran that has proclaimed that one of its goals is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Newt was strong and right in this week's debate when he said you cannot negotiate with Iran under the assumption that they are a rational regime. We support questionable movements in Egypt and Libya (yes, both had nasty dictators, but the alternative in both countries is still not clear and may be even worse for U.S. interests), yet we did not support the protests and movements, other than with words, in Iran last year? We will look back on that as a historic lost opportunity. We should also be more actively supporting the movement against leadership in Syria, who is Iran's most important puppet state in the region. Obama's Middle Eastern policy has been horribly misguided.

The deficit is tricky. If my stats are right, when defense spending is only 17% at this point and entitlement spending is 60%, then you know what really needs to be addressed. There is no other choice. We are going to have to do things that both Democrats and Republicans don't like. Entitlements and spending will need to be cut and sacred cows will need to be on the table, and taxes are going to need to be raised. We will go the way of the Romans or the British Empire if we cannot get our financial house in order.

Out of everyone who might be elected next November, I go for Mitt.