Two Parties - One Dance (The GOP)

Romney sounded like Kerry, McCain sounded presidential, Huckabee avoided making gaffs, Thompson acted well, Giuliani articulated his losing message with style and Ron Paul was, well…Ron Paul!

The polls suggest that John McCain is the leader in the New Hampshire race, engaged in a tight battle with Mitt Romney for the hearts and souls of independent voters, who can vote in whichever party primary they please. McCain displayed all the attributes of a good president last night. He was forceful, exuded conviction, was articulate in the explanation of his ideas and opinions and, most importantly, voiced a recognition of the necessity for and willingness to bridge ideological gaps with Democrats to achieve real change in the lives of ordinary Americans. McCain made good points on the need to attack wasteful spending on prescription drugs by importing cheaper drugs from Canada and he spoke eloquently regarding the need to eliminate foreign oil and fight global warming as a joint project. Whether that message resonates with G.O.P. voters outside New Hampshire remains to be seen, but McCain offered a clear picture of the kind of leader he would be.

Romney appeared flat, so much so that one has to wonder whether the “Liberal from Massachusetts” label the demagogues like Huckabee like to sling has actually started to tarnish his normally polished exterior. Little of Romney’s usual campaign charm made its way into the debate, and without that charm, Romney appeared like John Kerry in a Swift Boat attach ad. Yes, Romney landed a few blows on the competition, but he took more than his fair share too. More importantly, Romney showed once again how out of touch he is with the problems of real working American. Romney said he’d rely on the free market to take care of the economy’s woes and was the first to rush to the defense of oil and pharmaceutical companies. All he’s really proposing is another term of Bush economics.

Huckabee displayed the charm that Romney lacked, which explains why his numbers among diehard GOP Evangelicals are rising and Romney’s are not. Like McCain, Huckabee comes across as a highly likeable guy, but Huckabee offers the same qualities that George W. Bush offered in 2000 and 2004, and a message virtually identical. If you love George W. Bush, you’ll love Huckabee. Unfortunately, the country can’t afford 4 more years of George Bush and a Huckabee win would mean exactly that! Huckabee offered nothing new to the debate, but he can afford that luxury because he’s a likeable guy. Hopefully, GOP voters, and if not the rest of America, will soon recognize we can’t afford a Bush clone before it’s too late.

Fred Thompson remained on script, every bit the wise District Attorney we know him to be on Law and Order. When queried about Barack Obama, Thompson deftly managed to slip the words, “Liberal” and “Welfare State” into a single descriptive sentence with the ease Brutus slipped a dagger into Caesar, but Thompson can’t escape the fact that everybody knows he’s a skillful actor. In an election season where seeming authenticity is fetching a fair premium, Thompson can’t make headway because folks don’t know when he’s acting and when he’s not. Also, Thompson can’t draw a distinction between the views he holds and those of his GOP opponent, Mike Huckabee. Given the choice, most voters will go with the more likeable guy, which explains why Huckabee, and not Thompson is rising in polls among GOP voters..

Rudi Giuliani, the only true centrist on the GOP stage, spoke eloquently regarding his treatment of immigrants and immigration-related issues in New York City during his term as mayor. He passionately defended his actions on humanitarian grounds, and his explanations were succinct and to the point. Unfortunately, humanitarianism doesn’t resonate well with Christian Evangelicals who are more interested in the concept of Christ, the sword-wielding marauder of the Left Behind series than the concept of Christ, the peace-loving champion of the poor and the oppressed. Rudi’s heart was in the right place, but he’ll have to save his policies for another Kingdom. The GOP is the ‘Party of God’ in name only. One response worth noting though, was Rudi’s retort to charges that he supports amnesty. Rudi said that Reagan…the hero of the GOP, game immigrants amnesty. And then Rudi said “Reagan would have been in a Romney attach ad too”. You got that right, Rudi!

And then, there was Ron Paul. Ron got to weigh in on a few issues, but never really had the chance to illuminate the electorate about the bulk of his platform or why they should vote for him over the other men on the podium. For those who don’t know Ron…he’s the libertarian candidate of the GOP. It’s a lonely spot he occupies and last night was a good example why.