Mitt Romney – Hillsborough 'Bridge to Nowhere"

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Third Party Profiles

The past few weeks I've caught up with third party presidential candidates passing through New York City.

Gary Johnson, Buddy Roemer, and Jerry White all see a place for themselves in the contemporary political dialogue, but unique obstacles stand between each man and the exposure they feel their movement deserves.

Excluded from televised debates, working outside the corporate fund raising model, and culturally ostracized, third party candidates articulate the strengths and weaknesses of American politics.

Here's a clip of a recent Fox appearance in which I introduce my third party footage. An HD version of my 3:00 minute segment can be found at the bottom of the post, while an extended cut of all three interviews will be posted next week.

Santorum's Delayed Defeat

Rick Santorum suspended his campaign today. In the hunt to produce something along the lines of an obituary I reread my own impressions of the candidate after spending two days with him in Iowa before the Caucus this January:

The sea of assembled supporters frequently nodded along with Santorum's talking points and responses to audience questions. "Amens" could be heard regularly in both private whispers and proud public agreement with the candidate's statements. Just when it seemed like the mid-December Iowa field would avoid resembling the 2008 contest, the parallels between Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum are emerging.

In the words of Ms. LaFrancis, having treated Iowans with respect and dedication throughout the year, Rick Santorum has a reason to be proud of his efforts.

Indeed, the Rick Santorum supporters I met in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and across the Deep South all echoed that precise pride that would distinguish Santorum's campaign from the more subdued and cautious effort of his rival, Mitt Romney. The same was characteristic of Mike Huckabee's campaign, which was similarly popular among the conservative television-watching audience until its suspension.

As in 2008, the Republican Party and influential figures within it did acknowledge the impassioned sentiments of staunch conservatives supporting Santorum, but they stopped short of making Santorum's job of overthrowing Romney any easier. In the interest of presenting a more 'mainstream' candidate capable of carrying a carefully-branded political message, the political capital lined up behind Mitt Romney was always hesitant to defect to Santorum, and with Santorum's withdrawal today that unlikely door has finally closed.



At the end of the day, Romney's capacity to change his political tune (despite the downsides of this "skill") made him a more viable candidate than Santorum ever showed himself capable of being. When faced with uncertain results in close primary contests in Ohio, Michigan, and further South around Super Tuesday, Santorum doubled down on the language of social conservatism. This strategy had fallen short of derailing Romney, and in the process, Santorum harmed his national appeal by  harping on issues of birth control and faith-based prescriptions for family values that would never catch on among swing voters in November.

By the middle of last month, Santorum's weaknesses as a general election candidate had become as glaring to the Republicans with the ability to influence the course of the nominating contest as they had been to many outside observers for some time.

Santorum stuck around for longer than expected, but to quote from my observations of the race in November:

Rick Santorum is the most solidly social-conservative candidate in a year when even the most disheartened Obama-supporter couldn't see themselves voting for him.

With today's news, that final word on Santorum is as true ever.

 

Shocked by the Humanity

The public cannot believe it has glimpsed the delicate and personal underpinnings of international relations.

Russia and America may not be entirely honest and open allies, but the reality of a globalized world is the inevitable cohabitation of relatives forces of suspected malice and purported sanctimony as determined by each of nearly 200 nations. This is complex stuff.

If Americans are truly concerned about Russia, it should be as an model of how not to prioritize free speech within society. Instead of fearing an outdated nuclear threat, Americans should look to the circumstances surrounding Putin's recent election and constitutional 'maneuvering' as a warning about misuse of power and its ability to silence public opinion.

The supposition that Obama's exchange is shocking behavior on the part of the President reveals the public's petty sensitivity to being excluded from the procedures of setting policy, and says little of its collective understanding of historical perspective. As evidenced by the tone of forum comments and blog posts criticizing Obama's leaked comments (a term I prefer to "gaffe"), there's a reason the vast majority of Americans are not consulted in foreign policy matters.

Setting a civil tone in domestic politics is a necessary place to start in sustaining this country's health. The feigned bafflement by politicians at the notion that the President conducts business of importance behind closed doors for the presumed benefit of our nation is a step in the wrong direction.

Santorum Upstages Gingrich, Romney in Southern Contests