Who Will be The Republican Nominee?

The field is consolidating. Most observers say Romney is a shoo-in at this point. It seems likely, but you never know this early. There are enough Republicans unhappy with Romney that someone else could pass him, as Herman Cain has in many polls.

To be clear, Herman Cain would probably be my 3rd choice for Republican nominee. I mostly like him for the entertainment value the election would have. However, if he surrounded himself with the right advisers, he could be a fine President.

Interestingly, Newt Gingrich is moving up as people are giving him a 2nd look. I have always liked Newt. He is clearly the smartest and most knowledgeable man in the field. I would love to see him debate Obama. However, if he became the nominee, we would draw Palinesque hate from Left and the media, probably making him unelectable. I could be wrong. I hope I am wrong. He would be our best nominee, on the basis of qualifications, in my opinion.

Perry is a joke. Cooked. Done. He excited many early because they were looking for anybody but Romney.

Romney is an interesting case. Many in the Republican base see him as too moderate. In 2008 he was the conservative choice instead of moderate McCain. His moderate/liberal past doesn't bother me a lot. I seem to recall we once elected a former Democrat and someone who was once pro-choice, but Reagan seemed to have made Republicans happy anyway. Romney has been running a very effective, nearly flawless campaign. That says good things about him. All he needs to do to win the base is select a VP the base loves. Newt would do the trick nicely.