Op-Ed
Solving the Republican State of Disunion
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Heartless, Not Stupid
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President Bush delivered his final State of the Union Address on Monday. In the address, the president said that making his tax cuts permanent could help to end “a period of [economic] uncertainty.” He also reiterated the administration’s wartime policy of victory before withdrawal, citing the recent success of General Petraeus’ troop surge. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius delivered a rather uninspired Democratic rebuttal, compared to Jim Webb’s 2007 response. Governor Sebelius’ speech outlined standard liberal policies with rather unexceptional rhetoric. Note to future rebuttal speakers: “Mr. President will you join us? Let’s get to work” is not as inspiring as one might think.
The White House did have the right idea when Administration officials said Monday afternoon that “the speech would look forward, not back.” With the current economic difficulties and the demanding challenges of war that the next president will have to face, it is important that we look forward. Conservatives and all Americans should really start taking a hard look at the upcoming Republican presidential primaries.
The past several months have seen Republican presidential campaigns that has inspired neither conservatives nor moderates to fall in line behind a single candidate. This left many Republicans scratching their heads, as to which candidate was best. The five-person race that began months ago could be generously described as a state of disunion.
This has not been the case on the Democratic side, as Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have electrified the Democrats in a way reminiscent of Robert Kennedy’s 1968 campaign. Yesterday The New York Times’ Robin Toner published an article entitled “High Enthusiasm Propels Democrats,” which demonstrated the uphill battle that the Republican nominee will encounter in 2008.
Toner reported that “indicators of an enthusiasm gap show up in polls, with more Democrats than Republicans reporting excitement about voting this year and a strong commitment to their candidate, according to recent New York Times/CBS News polls. Democratic presidential candidates have also regularly out-raised the Republicans in campaign cash.”
The article, while demonstrating the levels of excitement for these respective Democratic candidates, did not really address the current civil war that the Democrats are engaged in. The Clinton machine and the Obama camp are fighting very personal campaigns against one another. Accusations of racism and sexism have flown from each candidate’s camp directed at the other — accusations that the Democrats usually save for the general election. This raises questions as to whether the rift that has emerged between Billary and Barack can be repaired in time to garner the same excitement for the general election.
The aftermath of the Florida primary will see the Republican primaries evolve for the better. McCain added 57 Florida delegates, following impressive wins in South Carolina and New Hampshire, and narrowly defeated former Governor Mitt Romney yesterday in the Sunshine State. Florida may just house former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign retirement community. Giuliani’s unique strategy — staying out of the early primary states and staking his entire campaign in Florida — has proven disastrous. The former GOP frontrunner is currently finishing in third with a mere 15 percent of the vote and one delegate. It is certain that “America’s mayor” will call it quits today.
Mike Huckabee made waves in the Iowa primary with the help of the evangelical vote — and Chuck Norris. His campaign, however, has stagnated in recent weeks. Huckabee has not performed well in the last couple of primaries, including in South Carolina and Florida — states that have substantial evangelical ranks. If Florida and South Carolina demonstrate anything, it is that Mike Huckabee’s star power has burned out, despite his frequent appearances on The Colbert Report.
In the coming weeks, Mitt Romney will be reeling from his loss in Florida. Romney pushed harder in Florida than most other states, spending unknown amounts of his campaign treasure for television and radio ads across Florida. Romney’s superior fundraising skills and economic conservatism, however, have kept him close to the top, without ever quite reaching the summit. While Romney has been able to capture major endorsements from conservative landmarks like National Review, it has not seemed to really produce the enthusiasm that Senator McCain has been able to capture.
McCain’s momentum comes simultaneously as many conservatives, including the iconic radio personality Rush Limbaugh, have come down hard against his campaign. He has been attacked for his rather liberal record on the campaign reform and the economy — namely McCain-Feingold and his opposition to President Bush’s tax cuts.
This movement, however, has not been able to stymie his primary campaigning. Perhaps this is because of Senator McCain’s ability to garner the support of many trustworthy conservatives. He has surrounded himself with economic advisers and supporters like trickle-downers Phil Gramm and Jack Kemp. He has received endorsements from many of his Senate colleagues and celebrities; even Rudy Guiliani is expected to endorse McCain today. The war hero of the Senate has calmed many conservative skeptics (including this one) by surrounding himself with capable advisers. Now he must get the Republican Party excited again.
John McCain has proven he is the comeback kid. His campaign was written off after a dismal summer that saw his campaign drain its treasure and drop drastically in the polls. However, with stunning wins in the last few primaries, McCain has emerged now as the frontrunner. His momentum will definitely carry over to Feb. 5th when 20 states and over 1000 delegates will decide on the party’s potential nominee. Perhaps, he can do the same in next November. Perhaps McCain will prove to the Democrats, who have written off the GOP in 2008 that there is still room for conservatism in the White House.
Bill McMorris is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be contacted at bmcmorris@cornellsun.com. Heartless, Not Stupid appears alternate Wednesdays.