Primary Season has started in New Hampshire. The events so far are party events - fundraisers and/or talks to rally the troops. The open events like town halls and house parties haven’t really begun. Those are the events that show off whether a candidate is a real contender or not. The potential candidates I’m most interested in seeing are Mitch Daniels, Mitt Romney & Tim Pawlenty. I’d like to see Ron Paul too, but doubt he really will be a candidate.
Readers of this blog that know I was and avid McCain supporter last election may be surprised to find out that it is possible for President Obama to win my vote. I am undecided, though I do have specific concerns about both sides of the aisle and their candidates. My big problem with President Obama is simply spending and the size of government. The health care bill is too invasive, too expensive, and appears to be largely ineffectual at addressing the issue of cost. The other part is not just the spending that came with the stimulus package, but the thinking behind it that spending ones way out of economic difficulty is either wise or effective.
On the other hand, I am impressed with President Obama’s foreign policy. While he hasn’t been perfect, he does seem to have learned from mistakes and corrected them as he’s gone along. Don’t think one can ask much more than that out of a politician. He’s receiving a lot of heat from both sides about the intervention in Libya. The left doesn’t want any military commitments made. The right seems to be split in there opinion. Some are upset about the cost of intervention; others think more should have been faster with a stated goal of removing Gadhafi.
While there isn’t too much doubt that quicker would have been better, the basic decisions were solid. Gadhafi stated he was about to slaughter his own people (again). Obama worked with the international community (as he said he would during the 2008 election) to prevent that slaughter. That group of participating countries found that seeking the removal of Gadhafi was not an appropriate goal for their group - a completely reasonable decision. Having Secretary Gates, and Secretary Clinton on his side is a big advantage to him, and surrounding oneself with good people is part of what makes for a President good.
On the flip side of the aisle, the type of candidate that is most likely to win me over is one that is focused on the economy and being fiscally responsible. Also, he/she would need to demonstrate that they have the capacity to handle the difficult foreign policy decisions that are bound to arise. A candidate like Governor Romney has a very good chance of winning my vote as he is smart enough, knows the economy, and seems like someone who makes things work. There are likely other Republican candidates that could win my vote too. However, some Republican candidates have no shot of winning my vote. Those are the candidates that are full of rhetoric and short of substance. Both parties have this type of candidate. They are often very popular with the party faithful, and gain momentum after a big win like the Republicans had last year. While I hope that isn’t the type of candidate that Republicans nominate, we can only wait and see. So welcome to New Hampshire - it’s game on.