The first Southern Primary gave their votes to Newt Gingrich by a wide-margin. While some pundits began to speculate he might win as the election approached, most observers were stunned at the significant trouncing of Mitt Romney.
It is beginning to look like a two-person race between Gingrich and Romney and it seems unclear who will emerge as the victor today.
Unlike the Yell Leader (Rick Perry), Gingrich has consistently performed well in the multiple debates and appears to be gaining ground as a result. His bull-dog nature and ability to deftly handle questions has served him well.
While he has endured some tough scrutiny, the last week found him having to fend off allegations from his second ex-wife and defend his position as a good “Christian.” Conservatives and faith voters seem to have forgiven his indiscretions and are not holding his past behavior against him.
The race is heating up as the candidates head to Florida for their January 31st primary. Gingrich will face even more scrutiny that he has a check in the win column and Romney will most certainly increase his negative attacks.
Some Republicans are concerned that the negative campaigning will weaken their candidates when they face Obama. The truth is that they will be better off for having the dirty laundry aired now and not in the general election. By then, it will be old news.
We’ll continue to ponder the Republican candidates and analyze the outcomes. Admittedly, this ponderer is enjoying the race very much.
This entry was originally posted at Nancy Sims' blog, Ponderings.
The Legislature drew a set of maps and adopted them during the Legislative session. A San Antonio Federal Court ruled that those maps were not in compliance with the Voting Rights Act and did not accurately reflect the state’s population. They drew their own set of maps. Now, the Supreme Court will dictate to our state the best way we should be represented.
Redistricting is one of the most complex political processes. The people who are in charge tend to work in their own best interest and not the interest of the overall state. Why would they? Who among us wouldn’t fight to protect or enhance our own political power if we had the opportunity? It is the most base form of raw political politics.
In my humble opinion, it is also the root cause of the divided and dysfunctional governance that dominates our nation. Districts are drawn with such dominant populations of one party or the other that competition becomes moot. Could any Republican truly and legitimately compete against Sheila Jackson Lee? Could any Democrat truly and legitimately compete against John Culberson? The answer to both of these questions is a resounding “NO”!
Sure, they may face opponents in their primary but those folks are going to be as solidly partisan, if not more so, than the ones currently holding office. The fact is that there are very few “swing” districts left in our country. A “swing” district would be defined as one where the voters could legitimately choose between a Democrat or Republican and the voter behavior is not predictable prior to the election.
How could we possibly expect Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman John Culberson to sit at a table and work together on complex issues? The fact is that both might be punished by the people who elect them for even “cavorting with the enemy”. They have neither incentive nor direction from their constituents to work together. Thus, governing is in gridlock.
Alas, maybe those in charge of drawing the maps now will consider bringing the most core element of democracy back in to the process – competition.
One can only hope.
This entry was originally posted at Nancy Sims' blog, Ponderings.