politics, re duex

i used to write here about u.s. politics, then i joined a couple of guys on a bigger blog, then that parlayed into a much bigger blog.  i played at the national scene for a few years ... but am feeling much better now.  i haven't written or discussed politics for the better part of a year.  i keep up with it, but am out of the game.

so allow me to jump back in if even only for a moment.

romney was going to be the nominee before the first vote was cast.  his warchest was too big, organization too broad.  santorum was nothing but the anti-romney, although rick's a very good man.  solid christian.  newt never had a chance.  he pissed off too many people on every front.  the tea party folks despised him as an rnc goon; the rnc despised him as an unreliable company man.  romney's tough road was because he's somewhere between scott brown and george w. - both flavors of moderation.

but romney will unite the republicans (of which i am not) because he's the anti-obama.  obama, as all first-term presidents, has done little more than lift his skirt to show his knees.  if he wins a 2d term, all liberal hell will break lose.  there's only so much congress can do to curtail the agency-heavy executive branch.

romney's big moment is now his veep choice.  a friend tells me the sitting governor of puerto rico presents well.  i'm very curious about him.  i think one variable is a given - the choice must be a minority, which can be hispanic, cuban, or indian.  gender is not important.  personally, i like lt. col. (and house rep) allen west (fl-22).  i've meet him a few times and had the chance to talk.  incredible focus, very well-read; a true student of american history.  picking him would also result in the obama campaign having to trash the military - dumb, but they'll do it.  i'd record the veep debate to watch over and over again ... "biden, you ignorant slut," west would rejoin.

the pubs will hold the house and take over the senate.  obama is sucking all the oxygen out of the fundraising for the dnc to put up any kind of fight in the battleground races.  and various states have, by design or otherwise, lured the unions into spending tons of money on recall initiatives to save their own skins as their contracts have been attacks - drawing precious dollars forward in time and out of the coffers otherwise set aside for the general election.  in short, the pubs will take complete control of the legislative branch for the same reason romney took the pub nomination - money and focused organization.

will romney win?  i believe it is his to lose.  he has to attack like a junkyard dog but not like a junkyard dog.  he needs to be vicious yet have a deep enough organization to clean up his messes.  he needs to come across as the elder, much as reagan did with carter.  he can get there through exhibiting competence.  he must force obama to run on his record, time and again slamming him for what he did.  there needs to be blood in the water, but not chum tossed from a bucket - it needs to be from surgical strikes piercing arteries.  i think he can do it.