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As chastened Republicans cast a hopeful gaze toward 2008, many are wondering who will be their next presidential nominee. The Democratic takeover of both congressional chambers, coupled with a retreating President Bush, gives campaigners an opportunity to run against Washington. But marketing one’s self as anti-establishment will not be enough to propel a candidate beyond partisan politics and into the consciousness of the United States. There are three men likely to seek the Republican nomination who can offer distinct visions for the GOP and the entire country.
Emboldened moderates believe that the party’s best chance to regain the White House can be found in the offices of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. For people looking for a person able to work across party lines, who better to lead than a self-styled political maverick? A decorated Naval Academy graduate best known for his five-year stint in a Vietnamese torture prison, McCain is a strong supporter of the Iraq war. However he also champions campaign finance reform and is not afraid to regulate in the name of progress. Restricting contribution amounts and electoral speech may delight liberals, but it enrages conservatives. Such contra-base thinking is McCain’s stock-in-trade, and it may come back to haunt him.
McCain’s biggest liability as a Republican candidate is his stance on illegal immigration. He is the most well-known Republican, other than Bush, to push for “comprehensive reform.” Unfortunately, his Guest Worker Program looks a lot like blanket amnesty for lawbreaking foreign nationals. The problem facing McCain is that his maverick status works against him when it comes to building a constituency. The more he tries to woo either moderates or conservatives, the more suspicious the other becomes about his true loyalties.
Thankfully, Republicans do not have to choose between a McCain candidacy and a Democratic presidency. Success for the 2008 GOP candidate means crafting a message that both rallies conservatives while appealing to a broader swath of less ideological voters. It might seem too much to ask for even one such man. Luckily, there are two.
You may remember Newt Gingrich as the architect of the 1994 Republican Revolution that took control of Congress and gave him the Speaker’s gavel. Although he left office in 1998 after his abrasive leadership earned him the ire of fellow Republicans, Gingrich stayed committed to public affairs. He helped chair a bipartisan commission on terrorism, founded a healthcare think tank, and wrote a fascinating series of policy proposals in the book “Winning the Future.” Some of these include: expanding the use of Health Savings Accounts to reduce the cost of medical insurance and “making the Pentagon into a triangle” by curbing the military’s bureaucracy. Not bad for a man who has a doctorate in European history from Tulane.
Mitt Romney’s record of achievement is nothing short of presidential. After earning degrees at Harvard’s law and business schools, he co-founded Bain Capital where he helped get companies like Staples, Domino’s and The Sports Authority off the ground. He went on to save the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics from corruption and insolvency, and followed that up with a successful bid to become governor of Massachusetts.
Once in the Statehouse, he gained national recognition among conservatives with his strong opposition to the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage. He also helped craft a bill making medical insurance like auto insurance, mandatory and affordable. Like Gingrich’s welfare reform measure, Romney found bipartisan success by achieving a liberal end with conservative means.
For Republicans weary of prolonged defeat, take heart. Greatness is not far off; Gingrich and Romney are just around the corner.
Submitted 11-16-2006
MALIBU, CA
