Vegas Sculptor’s Blog

I promised you my take on the Republican candidates. For what it’s worth, here goes.

This looks, according to the latest polls, to be a two way race between McCain and Huckabee. The latest CNN poll showed McCain with 34 percent and Huckabee with 21 percent. Of course it is probably too early to count out Giuliani, with 19 percent, or Romney with 14 percent.

In my opinion, the problems these candidates face, in a nutshell, are Romney is Mormon, Huckabee is a Baptist minister, Giuliani has been married and divorced too many times, and McCain is too loyal to Bush’s war.

Since the Republicans spent 8 years trying to prove Clinton was unfaithful, it will be difficult for Giuliani escape his past when it come to issues of marital fidelity.

Up to this point Giuliani has been running on his handling of the 9/11 attacks in New York. This can go both ways for him. On the one hand, he can be seen as the only candidate with experience in handling a disaster of this magnitude. On the other hand, he is the only candidate who was in charge when his citizens were attacked. I think he would do well to put this issue on the back burner and focus on issues that are of more concern to the average citizen.

Religion is playing a big part in the public perception of both Romney and Huckabee. Unfortunately for Romney, it seems to be having a negative impact on his campaign.

I remember in 1960 when Kennedy was running, there was a fear among voters that the Catholic Church would be running America if he won. Romney has the same problem with voters leery of his connection with the Mormon Church. He has said publicly that the Church would be involved, in no way, in his running of the country, but could this be possible? I mean, whatever your faith, if you truly believe what your church teaches, it has to be reflected in your daily life. Romney’s religion will play a part in his running of the country just the same as Huckabee’s Baptist faith will impact how he runs things. The difference of course is that a large percentage of the Republican base is Baptist and they don’t have a problem with this.

Huckabee has the added problem of being an ordained minister. I think a lot of people might be uncomfortable with bringing Church and State into such close ties. But again, since most religious fundamentalist are attracted to the Republican party, this is probably not a problem for those voters. The problem might come in the general election where people who are uncomfortable with religious fundamentalism might vote against him because of this issue.

McCain’s problem, in my opinion, it that he is perceived as somewhat of a hothead. I’ve heard many say this, and the fear seems to be that McCain might act on impulse and get America involved in more wars. He seems to be the only candidate who is in favor of the war in Iraq, and has said that troop levels should not be cut. He has stated his support for Bush and his handling of the war. Since Bush’s approval ratings are so low, it seems to me that McCain would do well to distance himself from the President.

Strengths? Well, of course, McCain is a war hero. Today in the United States, there is an emphasis on patriotism so this will help McCain. Romney’s family has been involved in politics for a long time, so he can be perceived as having a good knowledge of the system. Giuliani has served as the mayor of a city that is larger than some states, he has proven his ability to run things. Huckabee has served as governor of Arkansas, so he too has a proven track record.

Last Friday I talked about the upcoming “Super Tuesday” primaries. Just for kicks I thought I would share my opinions on the various candidates. It’s just my opinion, I don’t really expect anyone to care, so don’t get your panties in a wad over it.

First the Democrats. I think you can narrow it down to three candidates with any chance of winning the nomination. Clinton, Obama, and Edwards.

The problems I see with these choices are the obvious, Clinton is a woman, Obama is black, and Edwards is just a little to “pretty” for lack of any other term for it.

Now I know that probably three quarters of you just got offended by that statement, so please let me explain. Racism still exist in America, there’s no denying it. If Obama were to win the nomination I don’t believe he could win the election based on this fact alone. Plus, he has the problem of a Muslim background to deal with. Sexism still exists also and this has to be a major factor in Clinton’s ability to win. Finally, most Americans see politicians as smooth talking crooks and I’m afraid that Edwards might be perceived this way.

Now as far as strengths go, Clinton has already spent eight years in the White House and clearly has the knowledge of the office. Obama, while he doesn’t have the experience, has lofty goals and ideas for the office and this will appeal to a lot of people who are tired of politics being the “same old, same old”. Edwards doesn’t have the problems of race or sex to deal with, he’s a relative newcomer to politics having been elected to the senate in 1998, and has participated in a presidential campaign as the vice-presidential candidate in 2004. He, like Obama, stresses the need for change in Washington and this appeals to the young first time voters.

Obama might be a good choice for the nomination in that he would bring a lot of new voters into the system, voters who, because of their disenchantment with the system, have never voted before. Edwards might be a good choice because he might be able to keep the party from splitting over race/sex. Clinton would be a good choice because, I believe, along with her comes Bill’s eight years of experience.

Next time I’ll see if I can offend the Republicans!