Will someone please find us a candidate!

To say 2012 is a crucial election is an understatement.  Every four years, the aphorism, “this is the most important election of our lifetime” pops up.  While such statements are generally true, this time it is really true.  If we do not stop Obama, we cannot stop the slide to socialism.  We desperately need a candidate.

That is a shocking statement given the number of Republicans in the field, but it is true.  We need a good candidate and right now, things are not looking so good. 

Let’s do a quick breakdown of the field:

Mitt Romney.  Romney has more flip-flops than John Kerry.  Just wait for the debate against Obama when Romney tries to come out against Obamacare, when he created Romneycare in Massachusetts.

Gary Johnson. He is a former New Mexico governor who is left on every issue out there, including drug legalization.  Looks like he picked the wrong week to quit smoking Marijuana.

Jon Huntsman.  Former Utah governor who wrote letters to Obama telling him how great he thought Obama was.   He was the ambassador to China and needs to take a slow boat back to China.

Roy Moore.  Alabama’s former Supreme Court Chief Justice who was removed for disobeying a Federal Court order to remove a display of the Ten Commandments from the Court House.  Roy who?

Tim Pawlenty.  He is a former Minnesota governor.  His only campaign point seems to be that he wants the job.  He supported cap and trade in the past, so he has almost as many flip-flops as Romney.  If we are going to have a Minnesota candidate, it isn’t going to be Tim.

Buddy Roemer.  Former Louisiana Governor and Congressman in the eighties. Haven’t we all had a dog named Buddy at one point in our lives?

Ron Paul.  Now on his third Presidential run.  He is now the Republican version of Ralph Nader.

Donald Trump. Trump is managing to say the right things but that hides his long record of being a liberal and supporting liberal causes.  Donald Trump could sell the Brooklyn Bridge and that may be what he is selling Tea Party members right now.

Mitch Daniels.  The RINO governor of Indiana.   He has done a few good things, but not many.   Most Tea Party people in Indiana do not have a high opinion of him.

Mike Huckabee.  Huckabee can’t seem to make up his mind if he is going to run or not.  He has a new house he is building on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  His poll numbers are not high enough to force him to run, nor low enough to force him out.  He is a cross between George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.  Obama would kill him.

Rudy Giuliani. Rudy, the former Mayor of New York, is the quintessential RINO.   He is pretty much opposite of the mainstream conservative movement.   Rudy would be a second Obama term.

John Bolton.  The former UN ambassador has an impressive foreign affairs resume.  Unfortunately, he is almost unknown and his positions on domestic affairs are equally unknown.

Herman Cain.  Herman Cain has come out with some very good statements.  He sounds like he would be a killer president.  He is the former CEO and Chairman of Godfather’s pizza so he has some good business experience.  The one thing he lacks is a track record.

Michele Bachmann.  Bachmann is a Tea Party and conservative favorite.  She brings everything to the table.   She has a great track record.  She has courage and has real life experience.   Perhaps best of all, she is underestimated by the left.

Thad McCotter.  Congressman from Michigan.  He may be the best potential candidate you have never heard of.

Sarah Palin.  Looks like her Iditarod may not run through the White House.  Every day it looks more and more like she is not running. 

Rick Santorum.  Former Senator from Pennsylvania.  He had a reputation as a conservative but looking at his record, he was much more of a big government conservative.   Fortunately, he is not polling well.

Of that list of people who are either running or who may run, when you start getting down to the actual conservatives, the list gets small.  When you take out those who probably are not running, like Sarah Palin, the list gets even smaller.

Unfortunately, the only potential candidate who seems to be getting any attention is Donald Trump.  I’ve been a conservative all of my life.  I have known conservatives.  Mr. Trump, you are no conservative. 

There are some good people on that list.  Michele Bachmann has all but disappeared in the last few weeks.  Thad McCotter is a congressman from Michigan.  His name has been circulated as a possible candidate, though he has made no statement about running.  He is a great conservative, who if he ran would be a very good candidate for conservatives.    Herman Cain has been out there saying some good things, but he does not seem to be gaining any traction and he has no track record in elected office.  Some say that is a good thing, because they are tired of the career politicians.  However, in 2008, America elected someone with almost no track record and we do have to ask, “How’s that working out for us?”

There is a silver lining to our dark cloud.  In many elections, we have seen the conservatives split our votes among several conservative candidates and then let a RINO pull out a win.  If we can get conservatives united behind one of the candidates, there are enough RINOs out there so that we can split the RINO vote.

Our ideal candidate is a solid conservative, with a solid track record, who supports a conservative agenda, who can gain traction and is electable.    We cannot wait.  The election season is already upon us and if anyone does not believe the presidential elections are already underway does not understand politics. 

If we do not get behind and start pushing a conservative candidate, we will end up with a Romney or a Trump and we will have lost the war against socialism.