The next presidential election is quickly becoming one that is the Republican Party's to lose. Dissatisfaction with the administration coupled with the tone-deaf operation of the Democratic majority in the legislature is bringing a return to tradtional conservative principles reflected in the Tea Party movement. There is a strong feeling of toss the incumbents rising across the country.
The Tea Party is not a political party and not likely to become one. There are too many structural obstacles in place for them to emerge as a ballot entry other than as write-ins. But, the return to the awareness of traditional conservatism as dominant rather than social conservative agenda issues is fueling not only Republicans but moderates and unaffiliated voters as well.
The ideas of low taxes, minimal government, strong defense, and robust free-market opportunities are attractive for a population tired of increasing debt, the rising welfare culture and oppressive government regulation. It's time.
That's why the straw poll at the CPAC gathering this week is a bit disturbing:
Young Voting Cohort Grabs at Strange Standard-Bearer
Ron Paul is controversial at best and certifiably strange at worst. He performed dismally during the primary season leading up to the 2008 elections. He isn't a dynamic leadership figure and his ideology is a mix of strict libertarianism and international isolationism. Those concepts have a perverse attractiveness to people who are simply tired of the current situation and don't really go into too much depth about what needs to be done to govern America in the 21st century. He epitomizes the "anti" concept of voting.
The slate of potential candidates being weighed in the poll is sparse and there isn't much to guide a choice beyond personalities and fleeting glimpses. Mitt Romney fits the traditional mold of long time pol who is first in line for his turn at the nomination. That old-style method of Republican choice is reminiscent of the system that gave us McCain, Dole, Bush 41, Nixon, etc. Something different needs to happen this cycle.
Palin, Pawlenty and Pence are new on the scene and beyond being young, attractive and a current focus of horse-race handicappers there isn't much to base a choice on policy-wise.
Top that off with the passing comment in that news item that 54% of the participants were in the 18-25 age cohort and I've got to say that the poll outcome doesn't rise to the barest bottom rung of the significance ladder.
1 comment:
Faux News Channel and the CPAC Poll
Posted by Thomas DiLorenzo on February 22, 2010 05:32 PM
I noticed this morning that Faux News was reporting Ron Paul’s landslide victory in the CPAC poll of presidential preferences in the moving words at the bottom of the screen. But the next sentence was, “54% of CPAC attendees were between the ages of 18-25.”
Rather than recognizing that Ron Paul has the youth vote wrapped up among “conservatives,” the clear message here was “they’re just a bunch of kids, pay no attention to the poll.”
Funny, last year, when 57% of CPAC attendees were between 18-25, and neocon Massachusetts statist Mitt Romney won the CPAC poll, I don’t recall any such caveats.
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