The GOP continues to grasp for a candidate who might have a serious chance to win in 2012 as opposed to the loonies who are the darlings of the far right and Tea Party. Yesterday Mitch Daniels said no to a 2012 run for the presidency even as Tim Pawlenty threw his hat into the contest. The New York Times has coverage on Daniels' decision to bail. Here are some highlights:Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana said early Sunday that he would not become a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, telling supporters in an e-mail message that concerns from his family were the overriding factor in deciding to stay out of the race.
*“In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one,” Mr. Daniels wrote. “The interests and wishes of my family is the most important consideration of all. If I have disappointed you, I will always be sorry.”
*His announcement answers one of the most highly anticipated questions about the 2012 Republican campaign, but introduces new uncertainty into the race. He is the latest in a string of prominent Republicans to decline a presidential bid, leaving the field without a clear front-runner less than eight months before the first voting could begin.
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Mr. Daniels, a former budget director in the White House under President George W. Bush, had secured the fund-raising commitments and political support from a large contingent of alumni from the Bush network. In recent days, aides said, several contributors sent word to Mr. Daniels that they needed an answer soon. The message from Mr. Daniels early Sunday indicated that he appreciated the support.
*As for Pawlenty, the guy is an anti-gay bigot who would like to reinstate DADT. The Washington Post looks at his decision to join the fracas largely populated by crack pots of the far right and Mitt Romney who continues to try to be all things to all people. As with other GOP candidates, it will be interesting to watch and see just how much Pawlenty is willing to prostitute himself to the Christianists and Tea Party elements that now largely control the GOP primary process in far too many states. Here are highlights from this story and this story in the Washington Post:
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Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty released a video Sunday previewing his announcement for president, which is set for Monday. The video, titled “A Time for Truth,” aims to be the anti-campaign announcement, shunning the usual pomp and circumstance for a somber message that Pawlenty says is more important than balloons and idealistic speeches.
“The truth is, our country’s in big trouble,” Pawlenty says. “We have far too much debt, too much government spending, and too few jobs. We need a president who understands that our problems are deep and has the courage to face them. President Obama doesn’t; I do.”
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And then there's this:
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GOP strategists say that the removal of Daniels as a factor has made it even more obvious that the contest is becoming one between presumed front-runner Mitt Romney and a pack of underdogs hoping to emerge as the alternative to the former Massachusetts governor. * And the dismay that some influential Republicans are feeling over Daniels’s refusal to run may well spark a renewal of their efforts to coax such conservative stars as ex-Florida governor Jeb Bush and current New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie into the race.
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But for all of Romney’s assets, including fundraising firepower demonstrated earlier this month by a phone bank that raised more than $10 million in a single day, his uneven performance in his unsuccessful 2008 bid has left many Republicans doubtful that he has the political skills it will take to beat President Obama.
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Another camp buoyed by Daniels’s announcement was that of the freshest face in the field, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr., a potential candidate who will wrap up a five-day swing through New Hampshire on Monday. Like Pawlenty, he is trying to sell himself as someone who has crossover appeal outside the GOP base.
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For all the Republican hand-wringing over the state of the race, there is one place where the strength of the potential field is not being discounted: the Obama White House. Strategists there note the country is so divided that any credible contender is likely to emerge from the nominating contest with a strong, energized base of support and adequate financial resources.
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Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty released a video Sunday previewing his announcement for president, which is set for Monday. The video, titled “A Time for Truth,” aims to be the anti-campaign announcement, shunning the usual pomp and circumstance for a somber message that Pawlenty says is more important than balloons and idealistic speeches.
“The truth is, our country’s in big trouble,” Pawlenty says. “We have far too much debt, too much government spending, and too few jobs. We need a president who understands that our problems are deep and has the courage to face them. President Obama doesn’t; I do.”
*
And then there's this:
*
GOP strategists say that the removal of Daniels as a factor has made it even more obvious that the contest is becoming one between presumed front-runner Mitt Romney and a pack of underdogs hoping to emerge as the alternative to the former Massachusetts governor. * And the dismay that some influential Republicans are feeling over Daniels’s refusal to run may well spark a renewal of their efforts to coax such conservative stars as ex-Florida governor Jeb Bush and current New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie into the race.
*
But for all of Romney’s assets, including fundraising firepower demonstrated earlier this month by a phone bank that raised more than $10 million in a single day, his uneven performance in his unsuccessful 2008 bid has left many Republicans doubtful that he has the political skills it will take to beat President Obama.
*
Another camp buoyed by Daniels’s announcement was that of the freshest face in the field, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr., a potential candidate who will wrap up a five-day swing through New Hampshire on Monday. Like Pawlenty, he is trying to sell himself as someone who has crossover appeal outside the GOP base.
*
For all the Republican hand-wringing over the state of the race, there is one place where the strength of the potential field is not being discounted: the Obama White House. Strategists there note the country is so divided that any credible contender is likely to emerge from the nominating contest with a strong, energized base of support and adequate financial resources.
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