I Don’t Give a Mitt

By Ryan Stevens
SC Contributor

I long have considered myself to be a member of the Republican party and it seems every year I am being alienated in the center while the entire party shifts to the right. This certainly is not a good shift and I cannot see myself supporting any of the current candidates who are running for the Republican 2012 nomination, except for Ron Paul. Unfortunately some close-minded voters would rather support Newt Gingrich. Let’s focus however on the guy who will most likely to be nominated to run against Barack Obama later this year.

It is a fact that none of them will stand any chance against President Obama in the November election and everyone seems to be gathering around Mitt Romney as the supposed front-runner. But why? Who supports Mitt Romney? I certainly don’t. And I don’t see him gaining enough support within his own party to complete a successful bid for presidency.

Let us step back a few years to 2008. Out of all the candidates running for the Democratic nomination it came down to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. After Clinton conceded to Obama, there was such a widespread support system for him. It was something we as a country have never seen before from a presidential candidate. The Democrats all rallied behind their leader and were determined to take the country back after George Bush’s eight year presidency.

But the key question is: can Republicans rally around Romney the way in which Democrats rallied around Obama in 2008? The answer is a resounding no. After all, why would they do so now, when they never have before? Romney is simply one of those candidates who have no chance against the incumbent in office. Romney will be criticized for various things, including his notorious flip-flopping and “Romneycare” being the basis for “Obamacare,” among other issues.

Nominating Romney is cause for concern, but there really are not many other options for the GOP. Who else would you support? Rick Santorum? Newt Gingrich? The Republicans need to get a candidate who is actually an attractive candidate, and no, that is not you, Mitt, no matter how good looking you think you are. Candidates who the Republicans can rally around all decided not to enter this election race, and the answer is simple: They do not want to run against Barack Obama. Obama has the access to such a large amount of money and the support he has from citizens is unlike anything seen before in history.

In the next election, the Republicans need someone who can take out the Democratic machine. No, not you, Mitt. Or you, Rick (Perry and Santorum). And definitely not you, Mr. Gingrich. Even though he has the toxic last name of Bush, Jeb should definitely be in the running come 2016, along with Bobby Jindal, or perhaps Jon Huntsman, and maybe even the ghost of Eisenhower. Anything is better than the current selection of candidates.

Email Ryan at:
rjs9706@live.esu.edu