by J Michael Nelson

Created on: November 29, 2010   Last Updated: November 30, 2010

Mitt Romney – John Bolton: 2012 Winning Republican Presidential Ticket

The battle amongst a host of Republican candidates with varying degrees of ideology is heating up for the nomination to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012. Powerhouse names such as Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and Mitt Romney are dominating the media.

But as Republicans begin side up and decide who stands the best chance to beat President Obama in 2012, they must keep in mind that the recent sweep into power was not a Republican referendum, but a rejection of the socialist policies of the Obama administration.

Popular Republican candidates such as Jeb Bush and Chris Christie have already emphatically ruled themselves out as challengers in 2012. Of course this has never meant much in politics, but in the case of Bush and Christie, it stands to reason that it is just not the right time for either of them to run.

Chris Christie is undoubtedly a rising Republican star and his time is sure to come, but that time is not now. It is too early in his career and the country is not ready for another untested President. Jeb Bush simply has the wrong last name. It is just too soon for most Americans to stomach another Bush in the White House, and despite being one of the most qualified candidates, would lose on name recognition alone.

Newt Gingrich has been a workhorse in the Republican Party for decades. Sarah Palin is currently the face of Republicans, and the face of everyday Americans. Either one of these two candidates could easily carry the Republican base in the primaries and win the nomination. But winning over the base of conservatives is not going to beat president Obama in 2012.

Newt Gingrich defines what it means to be a conservative and is the leading voice for traditional values with a resemblance to Reagan conservatism. Sarah Palin is a rockstar in the Republican Party and draws crowds by the thousands, but is nationally polarizing to a fault. The problem is the regular folks are just not going to vote for candidates this far to the conservative right.

In addition to attracting new and young voters in 2008, Barack Obama owes his victory in large part to the independent voters who found something in his platitudes of hope and change that they themselves could believe in. If Republicans are going to take the White House back in 2012, they are going to have to focus a message of truth towards the disillusioned independent voter and earn back their

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