Hokey Pokey

Jumping in and out of the presidential race.  All the cool kids are doing it.  I can't even keep it all straight.

Officially announced:
Herman Cain -- businessman, untainted by DC
Pawlenty -- I forget what he looks like moments after looking away from him
Newt -- Is he officially running or just considering it?  Either way, "President Newt" is never gonna happen.
Huckabee -- out
Trump -- out, but maybe considering joining later
Bachman -- likely to announce soon
Palin -- likely to run, hasn't announced
Ron Paul -- in, never gonna get it.
Gary Johnson -- in, never gonna get it
Daniels -- nope
Christie -- emphatically denies interest in running
Ryan -- wants to focus on $ for now

Who did I miss?  Romney, has he announced anything?  I don't know why, but I try not to pay attention to him.  Ditto Santorum.  That probably says something about me, but I'm not sure what that is.

I hope the shmoes fully understand that this isn't about their dream candidate.  This is about the Republican candidate that the independents will most respond to.  And who is hardest to rip apart in the press.  And who has charisma that can withstand Obama's sparkle. The other way to go is to give up on winning POTUS, focus on winning both the House and Senate, and pick a presidential candidate like Palin, whose major priority would be to expose that the emperor is nekkid.


ADDED:  As the possibilities dwindle, people are now speculating about Paul Ryan.  Krauthammer says it's his time.  That phrase -- IT'S HIS TIME! -- has gotten me all dreamy, moony, political fantasying.

My favorite prof in undergrad told a story about when Bobby Kennedy was shot.  She got on her bike, started pedaling furiously, and swore she'd never fall in love with another politician.  I've never really understood what that's like.  It's not that she had a crush on a celebrity or a politician.  She was in love with him the way Dagney loves John Galt in Atlas Shrugged.  The whole package.  The mind.  She truly believed that he could change the world.  There's some sort of Cinderella fantasy layered in there, too....  The gallant knight who swoops in and saves us from the current American mess.  I could see myself falling for Paul Ryan in that way.  I suppose that's how a lot of people feel about Obama.  So strange.

I read Atlas Shrugged a few weeks ago.  The parallels were daunting.  It made me yearn for John Galt.  It's not even that I want a certain party to win or lose in 2012.  I want someone who can somehow make people understand that the current way leads to failure.  Like Galt's speech on the radio.  This country ain't right.  The system is broken.

I wonder if anyone, regardless of party, would be able to steer the ship right now.  Both sides of the tax argument (cuts vs hikes) need time to grow and develop for us to see where they could actually go.  Like, more than eight years.  Ahem.  Given the mess of the Middle East and the Mess of our ME obligations & oil needs, I don't see how we could fix that in eight years, either.

Maybe we have to hit rock bottom before we are able to fix the mess.  Gawd, that's depressing.