Even in Iowa, of all places, where the Republican candidates have had a very strong campaigning presence recently, they are all trailing President Obama in approval ratings. Mind you, Obama’s ratings are quite low. The problem for the Republicans is that theirs are even lower:
Iowa: President Obama vs. Republicans
Obama 49%, Mitt Romney 39% (+10%)
Obama 51%, Rick Perry 38% (+13%)
Obama 51%, Michele Bachmann 34% (+17%)
Obama 51%, Herman Cain 33% (+18%)
Obama 54%, Sarah Palin 33% (+21%)
As I said before, Obama is set to win the upcoming elections. He isn’t going to win because citizens love him and approve of the job he’s been doing. To the contrary, the disappointment with his actions has been growing among his base, while the anti-Obama propaganda has been virulent and unflagging among his detractors. The reason why he will win is that the GOP hasn’t been able to come up with a viable candidate.
Now, my question is: why hasn’t it?
Does the party really have only this bunch of freaks and unelectables to offer? Or is the answer that it isn’t interested in winning at this time?
Today’s balance of power is pretty much a win-win for the GOP. A Republican Congress that frustrates the Democratic President’s every move. The President who is seen as impotent by his own base and is blamed for the tanking economy by everybody. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to tell the Americans, “Oh, you wanted change and progress? Now you can have your Socialist President and see how much you like it.”
A Republican President coming to power in 2012 would mean that the GOP would have to do something to repair the economy. Isn’t it easier to just sit back and allow the second Democratic presidency in a row to fail day after day at getting the country out of the recession? Is there a better way of discrediting the progressive agenda for a long time to come?
Clarissa's Blog 
My theory is that the lack of interesting Republican candidates is because the Republicans don’t have anything interesting to say about the economic crisis. It is by now quite apparent that a major cause behind the economic crisis was an overly conservative economic policy — two wars, excessive deregulation of the financial industry, tax cuts for the rich, for example. Adopting more of such policies, which is really the party line, is not going to fix the problem, and I think any sensible Republican kinda knows it.
Under the circumstances there are really two things that a party can do. One is to bitterly criticize and oppose the current incumbent and get in the way of an economic recovery, which is what they have been doing. The other is to distract the public from the real issues at hand; which is how we have these extremely nutty, overly religious candidates.
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So, how much do you think will be left to govern for the reps if they keep blocking obama from doing anything for another period ?
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Obama hasn’t managed to overcome the recession. However, it hasn’t deepened. The country isn’t falling apart in any way. I don’t envision any major cataclysms for Obama’s second term. The worst that can happen is that things remain how they are right now.
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I wish I were as sanguine as you, Clarissa. I like to operate with a reserve and we wasted ours over the last decade. Now, if something bad happens, we will have difficulty responding. It’s sort of like going through life with no savings account and living paycheck to paycheck.
People need to remember that it was not just Graham, Leach and Bliley that cooked up the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. Bill Clinton was involved also. Somehow Clinton has developed a reputation as a liberal. I have always said that he was the best Republican President that we have had since Eisenhower.
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Frankly, I am not impressed with any of the Democrat or Republican leaders
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It’s a true pity Jon Huntsman isn’t doing better in the Republican polls. In a race between him and Obama, I would vote for Obama, but Huntsman is categorically rational, reasonable, and refreshing compared to the other Republicans. I read a profile of him in a magazine on my clipper trip, and he actually comes across as something I never thought I would assign to any conservative in this race: Intelligent and moderate.
And that is, of course, why he is trailing last in the polls and gets almost no press coverage compared to right-wing thugs like Bachmann.
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These things go in cycles – for years Conservatives were wondering the same thing about Democrats (Carter? Mondale? Dukakis? Hart? Jackson? Is that the best you’ve got?)
Where are the good conservatives hiding? Perhaps in their offices, trying to save their business. Perhaps they just don’t want to endure the unmitigated and irrational hatred from the left. Perhaps they haven’t mastered the new-age media necessary to dominate the discussion. Or maybe there just aren’t any good leaders left.
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