Jasper Journal

A  good friend asked the following question today: ” Whose hand do you want on the tiller of the ship of state?”  A great question considering the state of the country and the bloody political primaries in the Republican party. The  many coments on the last blog item indicate that there is a great deal of passion here.

Tonight we see the current captain of the ship of state try to tell us that things are getting better and that he needs more time to finish his mission. Does anyone really accept that? Okay, what about contenders for his job. Do we want Mitt or Newt at the helm? This is a critical question and has to be looked at without the passion of the debate spectacles. I just read that Newt is threatening to pull out of debates if cheering and applauding are not allowed. That concerns me. Actually, these so called “debates” are not really debates at all. I wonder why they even exist and  why people participate. I think it is time to revamp the entire process on how we get to know candidates. It is now a circus or a hatchet job, or both. What do we really learn?

But to get back to the original question, whose hand do you want on the tiller of the ship of state? A mercurial unpredictable Newt or a lacklustre bland Mitt?  It is hard to put passion aside as there really is a visceral dislike for the president: but we must. What is your opinion?

This is your humble correspondent writing tonight from Sumter South Carolina, a day after the stunning Republican primary. Wow!  I am absolutely amazed by the margin of Gingrich’s victory. Some commentators are opining that Gingrich would be an easier candidate for Obama to beat. What I take away from this is the visceral disdain so many people have with the current president, that they don’t want a  “nice guy- moderate” to run against him.  They want to eviscerate him. People are so angry and fed up that they are  boiling  like South Carolina peanuts.

Who is really taking it to the president and the media? Who seems the most outraged? Who seems the most concerned for the future of the country?  It appears to be Gingrich.  South Carolinians were even willing to overlook marital infidelities, character flaws, and incredible hubris just to get back at the president who many, including me, feel is taking the country in the wrong direction on multiple fronts. Say what you might about Gingrich, but if South Carolina is a yardstick, which it regularly is, then the passion against this president has to be taken seriously. Don’t write Newt off yet. Lets see what happens in the coming states.

 In that regard, I beg Rick Santorum to get out of the race. He is acting as Governor Huckabee did in 2008. He has no chance and is as marginalized as can be. Why is he continuing to do this? Is he a stalking horse for someone? Please leave with your dignity. The same goes for Ron Paul, although his constituency is unique  and they will always follow him.

So on to Florida for the republicans. It’s up to you guys to help winnow this field.  So go Sunshine Staters!    Can’t wait to see what happens next.