Tonight's Western Republican Presidential Debate

Tonight's CNN hosted Western Republican Presidential Debate in Nevada was supposed to be a game changer for certain candidates like Rick Perry of Texas and Michele Bachmann of Minnesota but unfortunately, in my opinion, it was not. Rick Perry was feisty as expected especially towards Mitt Romney but his feistiness seemed to have come short of puncturing Mitt Romney's momentum. Michele Backman's hackneyed slogan that "President Obama is a one-term president" will do little or nothing to put her back in contention for the top slot. The comedian (no pun intended) of the Pack, Herman Cain proved once again that he is actually in the race to win it no wonder his momentous surge in all national polls. He (Herman Cain) approached every question with tact, articulateness, and a convincing sincerity even admitting errors where he made one in the past. That was so un-politician-like. However, the size of his campaign organization, as well as his naivety in foreign policy may ultimately be his undoing in the long run. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul look(ed) like the jokers among the pack but hey, Ron Paul has managed to keep a large following and is not far behind in the polls. Newt Gingrich seemed tonight as he always does as the intellectual in the room but his past sins have continuously put a clog in his wheel. However, he managed to be a bridge-builder candidate by cautioning his counterparts against promoting bickering in keeping with Ronald Reagan's commandment that "No Republican should speak ill of another republican." The back-and-forth between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney almost overshadowed the whole debate with an eye-popping revelation that Mitt Romney many years ago hired illegal immigrants to work on his private property. It was very obvious that there exists a bitter animosity between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney and the way they attacked and handled attack from each other contrasted heavily with the more mature way Herman Cain for instance approached attacks targeted at him. Overall, I strongly think Michele Backmann's White House dream remains an elusive mirage; Ron Paul's, an unrealistic one; Rick Santorum's, a joke; Newt Gingrich's, a wild goose chase; Rick Perry's, a hope almost dashed; Herman Cain's, full of realistic prospects; and Mitt Romney's, an almost done deal. This Republican presidential race will remain an enigmatic spectacle that will continue to unravel as long as it lasts even as we learn new damaging facts about individual candidates and the devils in their individual plans and proposals. Establishment Republicans believe Mitt Romney is the guy that can give President Obama a run for his money but hard-core conservatives simply do not like his "flip-flop" positions on divers issues, his (past) record, and his Mormon religion. Could Herman Cain be the eventual winner of this fiery battle? His demeanor and attitude in the face of criticisms and aggression as well as his steady rise in the polls suggest so. Could anyone of them actually cause Obama sleepless nights? Only time will tell.

The Dilemma of the Republican Party

It is rather interesting that in virtually all the polls, a generic Republican presidential candidate beats President Obama but when they put a real name on the candidate, President Obama wins. What this means is that the Republican Party is yet to field a candidate that can win in the November 2012 Presidential Election. President Obama's efforts to give a boost to the ailing economy have been met with stiff resistance from the GOP dominated House of Representatives. They claim to have a better jobs plan but a critical look at their plan reveals that it only consists of bills targeted at cutting financial regulations, repealing the Healthcare Law (Obama-Care), and tax cuts for millionaires and corporations. Given these ridiculous, pro-rich positions that the GOP members have taken with regard to creating jobs and boosting the economy, the American people still have doubts about their sincerity when it comes to helping the Middle Class and the poor. The American people still believe that making Obama a one-term president is more paramount to the GOP than lifting the economy out of the quagmire of recession. Their jobs plan when juxtaposed with President Obama's is a caricature. The dilemma of the Republican Party at the moment is that none of its presidential candidates currently in the race is capable of defeating President Obama in a general election but the unnamed, generic candidate who is likely to defeat the incumbent president is imaginary and faceless and at this juncture in the race, that generic candidate is unlikely to emerge.

Unnecessary Partisanship

The problem in Washington D.C is not that it is difficult for the parties (Democratic and Republican) to come together for the good of the American people, the problem is that their re-elections and party ideologies are more important to them than the welfare of the American people. The Democrats live in a world where they think we can spend our way to prosperity. They believe in government creating jobs rather than the private sector. They believe in a nanny, welfare state and believe the government is the solution to all economic problems. On the other hand, the Republicans are too hypocritical. What they say in public is different from what they do in the legislative chamber. They will rather have the economy crash so they can campaign and win elections on those premises than compromise to get the job done or create jobs. Their single goal in the coming year is to make sure President Obama is a single-term president and they are willing to shoot down any proposal from the Obama White House no matter how noble it is in other to accomplish that selfish, partisan goal. It is surprising the Republicans no longer believe in tax cuts just because the proposal is from Obama. Several elements in the Jobs Bill are proposals they traditionally uphold but because they want to see Obama fail, they were willing to vote along party lines in order to defeat the bill. The question remains: Who has the interest of the Middle Class and the country at heart? Who has the interest of the American economy at heart? The answer is NONE. Neither the President nor the Congress has the interest of suffering Americans at heart. The President is busy chasing shadows - gay rights, his re-election, etc. while the Republicans are busy protecting Wall Street which caused the collapse of the economy. It is obvious now that while Democrats are looking out for people who depend on welfare, the Republicans are looking out for the super-rich but sadly enough, no one is looking out for the Middle Class. It is high time our elected officials jettisoned partisan politics in the interest of America and Americans!