We're getting into some odd territory. A three-way race with Cain, Romney and Newt Gingrich is upon us. All three can point to a national poll with them in the lead.
Rick Perry has done some nice damage control and seems to be looking to get back into the lead pack. He had a winning line in the SC debate with doing zero-based budgeting on foreign aid, especially with some folks like Pakistan where they are playing both sides of the fight. He also was able to make fun of his brain fart in Rochester to good effect.
I actually like Jon Huntsmann's line on waterboarding, that such low-level torture damages the American brand overseas. Not that I'm going to vote for him or toss Cain overboard for his whole-hearted support for waterboarding, but that's not a Golden Rule kind of thing. Calling it Moderate Physical Pressure or Enhanced Interview Techniques doesn't make it not-torture.
Expect Newt to get the eagle-eye from the oppo teams, especially on his more establishmentarian moments like NY-23 and that global warming ad with Princess Nancy. However, he has a track record as a solid conservative that goes back a few decades, as opposed to Romney's track record of being a solid conservative for a few years. Yes, his moral compass misfired in the past, but he seems to have settled in to a heartfelt Catholic faith that you can live with.
Cain is starting to back up a bit, as the harassment albatross is starting to weigh on him. What's interesting is that the main beneficiary of that is a guy who was cheating on wife #2 with the lady who'd become wife #3 about the same time Cain was accused of being frisky with the staff at the restaurant association. However, we've known of Newt's wandering eye and he's fessed up to it; Cain has yet to clear his name fully and might not be able to do so, even if he passes a lie detector test.
I'm leaning towards a Newt vote right now, but Cain isn't out of the mix and Perry is starting to grow on me, even if his alternative maximum tax leaves me cold.
If Cain dies at the torture of accusations( two anonymous, one tainted and the other silent to now)then Newt with multiwives goes with him. You sound like you do not like Romney a lot. He is easy to compromise on. And compromise is the way to unite the Republican Party in time to get Obama.
Posted by: Alan | November 15, 2011 at 01:51 PM
I can live with Romney as the nominee. He'll be a bit too corporate and too establishmentarian for my taste, but he'd be a distinct improvement over the current occupant of the Oval Office.
National Review has a 10-pack of unconservative Newt stands up already, so the grilling starts in Earnest... and other towns around the country.
Posted by: Mark Byron | November 15, 2011 at 07:53 PM