wenBLOG

As a follow-up to last night’s initial thoughts about the Republican CPC (Competitive Press Conference), I wanted to offer a more constructive analysis to what occurred last night at the Reagan library.

First and foremost, was there a clear winner?

Yes, FRED Thompson - and he wasn’t even there. The former Watergate lawyer, Tennessee senator, gravy-voiced actor and non-declared candidate for president exudes the one thing that each of the people on the stage last night (with perhaps the exception of Ron Paul - more on him later… much later) tried desperately to exhibit - GRAVITAS. Look for last night’s performance as one more reason why the FRED will enter the race this summer.

That’s not to say that the candidates didn’t do there own share of acting tough. The first 30 minutes was like a lesbian butch-a-thon with each one trying to demonstrate “quien es mas macho?” (for those of you who don’t live in areas teeming with illegal aliens or not old enough to remember the old SNL skit, that means ‘who is more manly’) and establishing that Republicans are a bunch of old angry white men (while last week Democrats showed that they are women, African Americans, men in touch with their feminine side, aliens and certifiably crazy people). Nonetheless, the red meat that the candidates threw out in response to the questions about Iraq and Iran will play well with the GOP base.

As for the candidates that were actually on stage, I don’t know if there was a clear-cut winner. I do believe that the battle for “quien es mas REAGAN” should go to John McCain. During the CPC I was struck by how it seemed like when McCain was on camera he was speaking from another venue. He was looking right at the camera and talking to me, you and anybody else watching. As far as I was concerned, he could have been speaking to me from the stage of the local VFW Hall. Then this morning it hit me - he was pulling a Reagan. He was talking over the heads of the collected candidates, the moderator and the entire audience,

and he was speaking directly to the American people delivering lines like, “My friends, I don’t want to be the president of a sad America.” The only thing that was missing was the Reagan self-deprecating shake of the head.

Who didn’t hurt themselves? Rudy Giuliani and Jim Gilmore. Gilmore is already dead on arrival (but if he had money he could be a good candidate, but he won’t so…) and Giuliani’s answers helped to maintain and support his position as the social moderate in the race without being too offensive to Republican christofacists.

Guy who will say anything to win - Mitt Romney. He was for his health insurance plan in Massachusetts before he was against it and now he’s for it again (truly a John Kerry moment when asked what he thought about the plan he enacted as Governor which now gets no mention by him along the campaign trail because it is compared to Hillary-care; last night called the plan - “Fantastic!” and then quickly changed gears to another issue). He is the Stepford Candidate.

The caveman club - Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee, and Tom Tancredo. When asked by a show of hands who did not believe in evolution - the Catholic, the minister and the crazy guy demonstrated their scientific ignorance. Look for a remake of Inherit the Wind with Brownback reprising the William Jennings Bryan- inspired role of Matthew Harrison Brady.

The candidate that the moderator, Chris Matthews, forgot - Duncan Hunter (and the rest of us might as well join Matthews) and the candidate that was the most forgettable - tommy thompson.

Looney Tunes candidate - Tom Tancredo. He stumbled on so many answers that he reminded me more of Elmer Fudd than someone who should be running for president.

Candidate who stands for something - Ron Paul. Too bad he comes off like a total weenie and his ideas are too firm for the national stage.

Finally, I was disappointed by what I saw from the candidates as a whole. Last night could have been an important first step toward helping the GOP improve its standing with the average voter, and they did nothing but pander to the base.