Who’s the Best for the GOP in 2012?

I don’t go out looking for trouble but with 40 years of teaching at Iowa State I have many, MANY politically very connected former students in all the parties and all over the USA. So trouble comes looking for me almost every week.

I mentioned on my radio show on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 that a bug was put in my ear by several politically well connected people I have known for years about the 2012 presidential race.
Here is how the story goes.

The GOP is frantically searching for a potential candidate for president in 2012. The party has been decimated by two consecutive electoral losses in 2006 and 2008 and their numbers in Congress have been badly slipping.

Second, the party finds it self with very risky demographics. It is losing younger voters, women voters, minority voters, moderate voters, independent voters, and suburban and city voters.
Third, it’s national base is slipping further South and for a national election such as the 2012 race for the White House there are not enough electoral votes in the South to win.

Fifth, Republican politicians in unacceptable numbers have been falling to sexual and financial scandals and the party itself is hurt badly by these.

Sixth, there is no national, leader to pull the GOP together around any focused philosophy.
Seventh, after eight years of President Bush, VP Cheney and a majority in the US Congress the party has lost its ideological way. Huge budget deficits in the eight years of Bush, several long and disastrous wars, serious lost battles to reform Social Security and develop a cost-effective and wide-coverage health care policy have damaged the “brand name” of the Republican Party.

As a result of these difficult conditions, there is a yearning among GOP voters and especially among the top bananas of the party inner sanctums for a “serious adult” as one of my former students now a big enchilada on the national scene put it. This person would have an impeccable personal record. “He or she must never have taken a trip to Argentina,” is how it was put. He or she must have the support of the GOP establishment, conservative voters and the party base but also needs to be admired and respected “across the aisle” by Democrats and appeal to Independent voters. The person must be fiscally prudent and “sensible.” They cannot have any baggage. "We want no more surprises," one of my contacts said.

It would be great if this person were a defender of the taxpayers hard earned dollars against fraud and abuse by the government. It would help if this individual were folksy and could connect with ordinary folks and yet be very experienced and sharp as pin on the key issues of the day.

Well, that’s a tall order for either party and so far the feeling is that the GOP has failed to finger that candidate. Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee are ahead of the game so far. Mitt Romney is definitely in the running. Sarah Palin is a great temptation and she has lots of buzz and zing but of course, also a lot of negatives.

But there is one dark horse lurking in the background and it’s not Colin Powell although his name pops up as well.

It’s Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley.

No one knows if he’s interested or could be drafted into presidential service. In fact, until yesterday I had not heard this but I made some phone calls and BOY, to my surprise, his name apparently has popped up all around the country. I asked if his age is not a factor. The answer was “we need an adult as candidate and besides, Ronald Reagan and then John McCain broke that barrier.” Another person said “Voters judge books by their cover and Grassley looks 10 years younger than he is and seems in excellent health.”

But what about the Iowa “First in the Nation Presidential caucuses? They’ll be ruined like Tom Harkin did when he ran!”

One of my Republican friends said “Don’t worry. Sen. Grassley would graciously not run in the caucuses but he would run in the New Hampshire primary where he would easily win because he reaches out and appeals to independent voters.”

Now that I’ve shared this with you I’m goanna take the phone off then hook and go take a nap. Don’t you LOVE to fall asleep when the rain is drumming on your bedroom roof?