Potential 2012 GOP Candidates

Published in the Lynchburg Ledger on June 10, 2011

While the Obama Administration tries to convince the American people we are in an economic recovery, the rest of us know better.   A visit to the gas station or the supermarket is all you need to see we are far from a recovery.

It was the housing market, with all of those sub-prime mortgages the liberals forced banks to make and Fannie Mae to buy, that tanked the economy in 2008.  The housing market is still in the doldrums and if and when it turns around, only then can we say we are in a period of recovery.

Meanwhile, the liberals keep spending money we don’t have and doing everything they possibly can to hinder the economy.  It is almost as if that is exactly what they want to happen, as many believe.

One of the latest outrages is the shutdown of the 1300-mile long Keystone pipeline delivering oil from Alberta, Canada, to US refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma.  This 11-month old pipeline system handles about 591,000 barrels a day.

Since beginning operation, there have been eleven small leaks, with two in May. The first leak in May was about 400 barrels and the second of about 10 barrels.  The leaks came from failures at two different pumping stations. 

In an unprecedented action, the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ordered the shut-down of the entire pipeline, indefinitely.  They are requiring TransCanada to perform metallurgical testing and root-cause failure analysis, and review other parts of the 1,300-mile pipeline system for similar conditions that led to the two small leaks, depriving us of the much needed 591,000 barrels of crude per day. 

Meanwhile the price at the pump is still north of $3.50 a gallon.

I recently had the opportunity to tour the Williams Pipeline facility in Appomattox, which pumps 2 million cubic feet of natural gas northward per day at 800 pounds per square feet.  It is quite an impressive facility with massive 5,000 horsepower engines (gas fed) driving a number of pumps.

But it is moves like these by the Obama Administration that are strangling the economy.  That is why our attention is being directed to the list of potential GOP hopefuls who will be seeking the Republican nomination in a year from now.  Let us take a quick look at the list so far.

Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts made it official last week when he made his formal announcement in New Hampshire.  Romney had extensive executive experience but had flip flopped on key social issues, and RomneyCare in Massachusetts hangs like a mill stone around his neck.

Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota has also announced.  He has solid conservative credentials as far as I can see and I like what I am hearing so far.

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House is in the race.  I used to be a big admirer of Newt as an astute political operative.  However, his messy personal life and the suspected liberal influences of his third wife Callista give me great concern.

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Ron Paul, Congressman from Texas has announced once again.  His libertarian and isolationist views will attract a small number of extremists but he is not a serious contender.

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Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania has solid conservative credentials.  His book, “It Takes a Family” is the counter to Hillary Clinton’s book, “It Takes a Village.”

Herman Cain, is the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, is a talk show host in Atlanta and fills in occasionally for Neil Boortz on his syndicated show.  Herman is a solid conservative and is black.  He is the only candidate the liberal media cannot call a racist for criticizing Obama.

Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor and U.S. Ambassador to China, is someone I had never heard of before until the liberal media started talking about him.  The Associated Press particularly had run a number of stories on his.  They are trying to convince some of us he would be the strongest candidate against Obama.  I think that is reason enough to write him off right now.

Then, there are the gals.  Neither Sarah Palin nor Michele Bachmann,

Congresswoman from Minnesota, has formally announced.

Sarah Palin is conducting a bus tour of the U.S. to draw attention to our nation’s heritage.  She ended up garnering the New Hampshire headlines the day Romney announced in New Hampshire.  She told Chris Wallace on Fox News last Sunday she was 50/50 on running.

 

Michele Bachmann is expected to announce some time in June.  She has strong Tea Party support and is a solid conservative.  I told Robert Hurt’s office he needs to listen more to her and less to Eric Cantor.

The liberal media is terrified of both Palin and Bachmann and that is why they will continue to personally attack both of them.

Also mentioned as potential candidates are Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III, former Governor of Louisiana, and John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Bowing out early were Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana; Donald Trump,

real estate mogul and reality TV show host; and  Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and Fox News Network program host, although Huckabee has left the door slightly ajar.

There are a number of very talented people running  and it is going to be a long campaign.  I plan to watch, listen and keep my powder dry for now; keeping in mind that if we do not defeat Obama in 2012, our nation as we know it is lost.