The Major Contenders:
Rudy Giuliani jumped into the national spotlight as Mayor of New York City during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Giuliani's persona as the energetic, resolute, optimistic leader directing the city's recovery response endeared him to millions of Americans and earned him the nickname "America's Mayor." It is this effort and image that forms the foundation of his standing and run for the White House. But there is much more to this native Brooklynite. He has a long record of driven success, decisiveness, scandal and temperamental vendettas. He is also a very different kind of Republican, embracing its tax, crime and business platform but departing sharply from the social agenda that has energized the core of its support since 1980. Like the city he governed, he is in many ways paradoxical.
Giuliani came to national attention in the 1980s as a crusading federal prosecutor, securing numerous convictions of top Mafia figures. His political style is to bull his way straight ahead. As mayor he adopted the "broken windows" approach, moving rapidly to eliminate blight and unleash the police. He is given credit for economic progress, budgetary prudence and making areas such as Times Square safe for families again, though the zealous police tactics also gave rise to heightened charges of racial profiling and police brutality during his tenure. Headstrong and confident, Giuliani showed little inclination to compromise and engaged in bitter public feuds with his opponents. He also had a high profile affair with his current (third) wife while still married to his second. Breaking the typical Republican mould, he championed abortion rights and gun control, and roomed with a gay couple when he was between wives. Several of his close associates, most notably his former police commissioner, have fallen afoul of the law on corruption charges.
As president Giuliani would make a major effort on terrorism and strengthening the military. He has not gone into detail on other domestic plans, but he could be expected to avoid tax hikes and favor business-friendly policies. Relations with congress could be very confrontational if the Democrats retain control; Rudy does not like to be opposed or contradicted. In order to better appeal to his party's base he has softened his rhetoric on gun control and promised to appoint "strict constructionist" judges to the federal bench, i.e. those who could be expected to limit abortion rights. Giuliani has little foreign policy experience and would need to do a good job of picking advisors. He has taken the unusual stance of avoiding the early caucus and primary states to focus on bigger urban states, where he is presumably more popular, later in the race. This could prove wise in saving his resources for the winnable battles, or foolish if other candidates gather momentum while Giuliani sits on the sidelines.
Mike Huckabee emerged from the second tier of Republican hopefuls to capture Iowa and vault himself into contention for the nomination. Huckabee graduated from theological seminary and served as a Baptist minister for 16 years. He ascribed his ascension in the polls to the will of God. Interestingly, Huckabee was born in Hope, the same small town as that other Arkansas governor, Bill Clinton. Huckabee's greatest appeal is to fellow evangelicals; he shares their social positions and runs as a "Christian leader" who is defined by his faith. As governor for 11 years he proved flexible in working with the legislature and was able to get things done on the budget and education through compromise, even including raising taxes at times. While he hews to firm Republican positions on issues like immigration and abortion, he does so while evidencing a tolerance and empathy for those who disagree to a far greater extent than the other Republican candidates. His soft-spoken affability, leavened by humor, is effective on the stump.
As president Huckabee would work to reduce inflammatory partisanship. Based on his record as governor he could be expected to compromise where necessary. He has promised to continue President Bush's Iraq policy, though he has criticized the current president's conduct of foreign affairs as "arrogant" and having a "bunker mentality." In probably his most radical proposal, Huckabee favors eliminating income taxes and the IRS and raising all federal revenues from a national sales tax. This is a crackpot idea that fuels questions about his grasp of economics. Yet Huckabee's demeanor might serve to turn down the volume of the partisan noise machines in Washington.
John McCain is a conservative Arizona senator with a pronounced independent streak. At 71 he would make history as the oldest candidate elected to his first term. As a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years McCain suffered torture and is justifiably regarded as a hero. He has tremendous experience in Washington, having served a total of 24 years in congress, the last 20 of that in the senate. McCain is extremely well informed on practically any subject, especially foreign and defense policy. Investigated in a savings and loan scandal in the late eighties due to his close association and advocacy for one of the convicted criminals, McCain has ever since supported reducing the influence of money in politics and angered many in his own party by teaming with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) to pass a landmark campaign finance reform law. McCain says what he thinks and is known to have a hot temper.
McCain is a conventional conservative in that he doesn't like taxes, supports most of the "family values" agenda, likes market solutions to problems and is a wholehearted advocate of military expenditure in general and the Iraq War in particular. But he is famous as a "maverick" for refusing to toe the party line when he feels it doesn't make sense. He opposed the Bush tax cuts, fearing they would balloon the deficit. (They have.) He helped put together a bipartisan comprehensive immigration plan that combined border enforcement with a path to citizenship. It was excoriated by conservatives and defeated, at political cost to him. He supports nuclear power generation but is unusual among Republicans for acknowledging global warming and considering it a serious priority. McCain's independent streak tends to make him annoying to loyal Republicans but attractive to independents. It often stands as an impediment to his presidential ambitions within his party but could make him an effective candidate in the general election should he get the nomination.
As president, McCain would vigorously prosecute the Iraq War and the war on terror as a whole. He would beef up border security against illegal immigration. He would look for ways to cut the nonmilitary budget, but given the realities of Republican primary politics is now committed to the Bush tax cuts and would not rescind them. He would appoint conservative judges who might overturn Roe v. Wade. On the other hand he would end the use of torture on detainees, propose sweeping carbon reductions and try to find more money for the national parks. He likes to make deals and would be more than open to them on things he agreed with. When challenged with things he does not agree with he would tend to be quite stubborn and even irascible at times. One thing is for certain--he would always see things from his own perspective, regardless of the party orthodoxies. That could either make him a popular change agent or turn everyone against him, depending on how things played out.
Mitt Romney is an accomplished executive, venture capitalist and former Massachusetts governor who did a great deal to salvage the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics as they headed toward scandal and financial collapse. Romney would make history by being the first Mormon president. As son of a former governor of Michigan who ran for president in 1968, Romney knows politics, though he likes to run as an outsider. Displaying outstanding aptitude for business and investment, Romney founded his own company and built a fortune estimated in the high tens of millions of dollars. He has never suffered the slightest hint of scandal or appearance of impropriety. Romney showed considerable skill in getting elected governor of the overwhelmingly liberal Democratic state of Massachusetts, using $6 million of his own funds to bankroll his campaign and air a slew of negative ads against his opponent. As governor he sought to administer the state in the businesslike fashion of a CEO. His most important accomplishment was to team with Ted Kennedy to introduce mandated health insurance in the state (everyone is required to buy it.) He did not raise taxes but did raise fees and transfer some expenditures to local government.
Romney was already reasonably well known nationally from the Olympics and as governor when he entered the public eye in a big way following the Massachusetts Supreme Court's 2004 ruling in favor of gay marriage. Romney strongly spoke out against the court decision and became a favorite of social conservatives. Though this appeal catapulted his entry into national Republican politics it has exposed his candidacy to charges of blatant flip-flopping on the gamut of conservative social issues. In his Massachusetts campaigns Romney came out for gay rights, stem cell research, permissive immigration policies and choice on abortion. To make headway with Republican primary voters Romney has reversed all these positions and comes across as a political chameleon. Romney is handsome and articulate but lacks spontaneity, has a patrician air and has trouble connecting with an audience emotionally. He has detailed proposals on government reorganization and most issues, favoring market solutions and strongly backing the Iraq War.
If he is elected the Romney White House would likely hum with efficiency and produce a spate of business-friendly initiatives. He has shown plenty of willingness to compromise with legislators to get things done. Depending on what he might try to do with the social issues platform, he could either antagonize a Democratic-majority congress by pushing the conservative line or the Republican base by not doing so. He's painted himself into a corner in this aspect.
Fred Thompson is a former Tennessee senator, lobbyist, and movie and television actor who got into the race as a Bush conservative when it seemed Republicans were unenthusiastic about their candidate field. A draft movement created a bit of a groundswell that finally tempted him into the race. Thompson is a big man with a fetching drawl and a homey sense of humor. He had a solid conservative record in the Senate and usually adheres to the party line, though he angered some Republicans by supporting the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. In terms of policy, if you like Bush you will love Thompson. Thompson has conducted a lackluster campaign that has disappointed many of his early backers. He hangs around in third or fourth place in most state polls.
As president Thompson would continue the initiatives of the current Administration with few changes. He is not as polarizing as Bush but seems bereft of original ideas and would accomplish little without Republican control of congress. He has a reputation for laziness, a view hardly dispelled by the manner in which he has conducted his campaign. His Administration would probably be a dull one aside from his press conferences, which would be peppered with down home aphorisms and self-deprecating humor.
The longshots:
Duncan Hunter is a hardline conservative California congressman who has garnered scant support in the campaign. He appeals almost entirely to fear: of terrorists, illegal immigrants, homosexuals and liberal ideas. Any administration of his would be rife with acrimonious dispute.
Dr. Ron Paul is far and away the most unusual Republican running for president. This Texas congressman is a former obstetrician and Libertarian presidential candidate. He is 72 years old and would make history as the oldest president elected for a first term. Paul takes pride in voting against any measure that he feels is not explicitly permitted by the Constitution. He wants to drastically curtail taxes and government and sharply reduce the American presence around the world. Alone among the Republican hopefuls he favors a rapid withdrawal from Iraq and has come out strongly against warrantless surveillance and the use of torture. He opposes abortion but otherwise feels government should avoid meddling in people's lives. He has developed a small (high single digits) but highly devoted and generous coterie of followers who have set single-day internet fundraising records. Paul has zero chance of securing the Republican nomination and would preside over complete gridlock if he were somehow to be elected. That's because he could be expected to veto practically any budget congress would pass.
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