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Posts Tagged ‘Huntsman’

We are in the middle of local elections and my thoughts turn to the days when preachers, barbers and funeral directors were the community leaders because “the man” couldn’t quiet them since their money came for us.   Today, retirees should be added to that list because those on pensions are free to speak their minds and have plenty of free time to do it.

A friend from high school who is a vocal leader of the Tea Party Movement gave me the Beatles greatest hits cd a few years ago.  While listening to the lads sing “get back to where you once belonged” the other day, I thought about getting back to what my community was the 60s and before the mean-spirited approach of the ultra conservatives.

My community before the 1970s was a place of proud, deliberate people.  While we need the federal government to enforce basic human rights and to end Jim Crow, the well-intended assistance of the government when from temporary help to something debilitating.  The next crop of leaders, whose who come after the “I marched with MLK” ones, should be more life coaches than cheerleading politicians.  After elected leaders ensure that essential governmental services are functioning, they should get about the business of explaining to the people what the people should do to help themselves.  It starts with personal responsibility because “the man” and the Klan aren’t damaging my block as much as the people in the mirror.

Stats in the Albany Georgia newspaper blew me away the other day.  The president of the local technical college says that only 62% of people in my region are functionally literate.  Huh?  We spend millions on schools and teachers’ salaries but the folks can’t read.  Wait a dam minute!  We aren’t talking about advance subjects from high school like trig, chemistry and Lit.  We are talking about reading, writing and arithmetic; stuff that was supposed to be taught in the first few grades.  Of course, educators will say that home isn’t supporting the learning process and I agree on some level.  Once and for all: you can’t be the parents of K-12 kids speaking poor English around them all day. Double negatives, ending sentences with prepositions and leaving the “g” off of “ing” are simply the tip of the iceberg.

http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/sep/17/parker-says-adult-literacy-is-key-to-area8217s/

The governor should fund a program I designed while working with a welfare to work project.  The program refreshed grammar skills for adults in a few days because education is a lifelong endeavor.  Oh, there is no money for such programs but get ready for the second alarming statistic.  The new head of the Georgia department of juvenile justice says that a youth offender cost the state $91,000 a year.  What the blank!  We are spending money on the wrong people at the wrong times.

http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/sep/17/new-law-to-alter-juvenile-justice/

I took my nieces to a Black college football game last week.  One of the girls is a high school cheerleader who doesn’t understand football.  Let me get this right: you are cheering for an activity you don’t understand.  By the end of the game, she understood first downs, passing, rushing and the fundamentals of the sport.  We have all attended games when the cheer was “defense” while we had the ball.

Some of these elected officials are like those confused cheerleaders; they are cheering without fully understanding the situation and goals.  To me, President Obama never had a stomach for the older members of the Congressional Black Caucus for this reason.  If conservatives spent time getting to know Obama rather than tripping about Kenya, they would have learned that his conservative roots are in the Midwest.  Obama is a moderate with equal distain for the far left and the far right but most importantly, he feels that leaders should tell the people that change begins with them.

So, local elections should be the selection of those who would help Barrack Obama, Jon Huntsman, Colin Powell and Cory Booker turn the nation around with positive energy.  You hear the saying “speak truth to power” use frequently these days.  Well, the people are the power and someone need to tell them the truth about why their situation isn’t what it should be and what can be done to address it—again, the mirror.

Since football and cheering are themes in this blog post, I want to end with them.  If you can sit in a stadium for hours watching football, you can take ten minutes to go vote—vote for whomever but vote.

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Elected officials and public employees have official responsibilities and also have unofficial duties.  These duties aren’t on paper but are sometimes as important as the items on the official job descriptions.  For example, Hillary Clinton would have been and still will be a fine president; she knows presidential stuff as well as Bill Clinton, Barrack Obama and the second George Bush did on the day they were sworn into office.

 

But, there was something special about Obama becoming president; something related to healing.  Also, my community needed to have someone who looks like them in office so he could once and for all tell them that a person who is like you isn’t going to give you everything.  Obama said that from the first day of his campaign and people get it now.

 

Those unofficial duties therefore explaining the limited role of government to hardhead people who only listen to people from their circle.  In my hometown, we recently had an issue with flooding.  A city councilman was on the local T.V. news broadcast saying that the city government wasn’t the problem with certain flooding.  Water wasn’t flowing properly because locals were tossing bottles and trash into ditches and that debris clogged the pipes.  I love it; dude basically said, “The problem is you.”  We need more of that.

 

While it might sound racial, I want more Black clean cut guys in lower grades teaching positions because some kids don’t see positive brothers during their development.  Non-Black students need to see that also because they’re formulating their opinions of us on rap videos and the fools on the Maury Povich Show.  If I had Oprah/Bill Gates type money, I would give a grant or supplement to Black male teachers in lower grades.  Hey, two students at my black college told me that Senator Saxby Chambliss’ wife was one of the sweetest and most loving people in their lives.  Seeing her at school was the high point of their day and a positive light in an otherwise tough childhood.

 

Hillary Clinton is going to be president and little girls can be proud of the fact that women make the world go around.  If I had my choice, I would still like to see Republican Jon Huntsman in the White House one day because part of his unofficial duties would be being a conservative who isn’t angry and dismissive. He drives the far right crazies more crazy with his cool approach.  I am uniquely qualified to say vote for the right person in the right situation because I am a moderate Democrat who has voted for both of Georgia’s current U.S. Senators a few times.  I voted for them because they support the economic engines of this region: agriculture and the military.

 

Of course, it’s not cool for reasonable members of a group to remain quiet as other members of that group say ugly things about others.  I wouldn’t be quiet if someone was talking about all White people being this or that when I know that isn’t true.  That would be ugly by association.  What about those rich kids who had “the help” as second mothers but who grow up to say the ugliness things about all of “those people.”

 

I tell you what, I am not voting for anyone who doesn’t have a comfort level and functioning relationship with people in every community.  Coni Rice, Jon Huntsman, Colin Powell, Rep. Sanford Bishop and Rep, Jack Kingston come to mind as public servants who can dialog with anyone—disagree without being disagreeable.  The most important unofficial duty might be the ability to reasonably explain public policy to those who disagree with you.

 

America is at it’s worst when supporters of a public official dare him or her to talk with the other side.  People who don’t make much money and people who have had it rough (by their own creation) are still Americans.  Any person, political parties or group that wants to suppress their voting are un-American to me.  This whole blog post isn’t race-based because the last time I checked most of the people in my community have as much affection for the presidential service of Bill Clinton as for Barrack Obama.  As quiet as it is kept, that southerner White dude knows more about these piney woods in Georgia than any president other than James Earl Carter.

 

With unofficial duties in mind, Michelle Nunn and Karen Handel get a certain amount of consideration for U.S. Senate because they have that lady logic working.  Yes, the Georgia congressional delegation needs a woman’s touch and I would look seriously at a sista from the GOP running for the U.S. House.  Sisters in my community are now and have always been relatively conservative and they know that our community has become too reliant on the government.  It’s a shame that the Tea Party will force Handel to act hardcore to win their primary.  Rep. Jack Kingston is in that senate primary and that cat will talk with anyone anywhere because that is part of his official duties.

 

Unofficial duties include telling it like it “tiz.” If you don’t know that that adage, you might not be ready to represent both sides of the tracks down here.

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To me, Alicia  Keys has written the political song of the decade unbeknownst to her.   She was writing about love or whatever but the lyrics capture my feelings and concerns for the troubled environment in the political/policy arena.

The arena stinks out loud these days.  People are more interested in fighting the opposition than building solutions which improve our great nation.   Is the tail wagging the dog because people in official Washington are battling and giggling while the rest of the nation scratches our heads.

Look, I don’t hate members of any political party and hope that leaders can constructively dialog with each other.   While television fuels intramural conflicts among Americans, I personal believe (like General Colin Powell) that a silent majority of people in the political center and seeks healthy communication at the policy-making table.

I feel sorry for those who live for negativity and thrive on angst.  My life is too short to spend it bitter—that takes too much energy.   We should look at A. Keyes words as if they were written to ugly-acting political folks on both sides.

To be hopefully, I personally feel that we have many good-hearted Americans in the arena.   To start, I like the spirit of Barrack Obama, Jon Huntsman, Condi Rice, Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush.   Also, the guys at No Labels are on the right track.  As readers of this blog know, I am a moderate Dem who votes for good people with secondary regard for party.   I am more interested in solutions, peace and regional issues.   Plus, good old plain talk is music to my ears.

In my community, the leaders that get us back to self-reliance and away from governmental preoccupation will be golden.   Politically, I am a brand new kind of me and I feel better than I did during my hyper-partisan college years.   Is anyone with me?   I know that rural southerners generally seek the good in people and situations.

Alicia Keys — Brand New Me

It’s been a while, I’m not who I was before
You look surprised, your words don’t burn me anymore
Been meaning to tell you, but I guess it’s clear to see
Don’t be mad, it’s just the brand new kind of me
Can’t be bad, I found a brand new kind of free
Careful with your ego, he’s the one that we should blame
Had to grab my heart back
God know something had to change
I thought that you’d be happy
I found the one thing I need, why you mad
It’s just the brand new kind of me

It took a long long time to get here
It took a brave, brave girl to try
It took one too many excuses, one too many lies
Don’t be surprised, don’t be surprised

If I talk a little louder
If I speak up when you’re wrong
If I walk a little taller
I’ve been on to you too long
If you noticed that I’m different
Don’t take it personally
Don’t be mad, it’s just the brand new kind of me
And it ain’t bad, I found a brand new kind of free

Oh, it took a long long road to get here
It took a brave brave girl to try
I’ve taken one too many excuses, one too many lies
Don’t be surprised, oh see you look surprised

Hey, if you were a friend, you want to get know me again
If you were worth a while
You’d be happy to see me smile
I’m not expecting sorry
I’m too busy finding myself
I got this
I found me, I found me, yeah
I don’t need your opinion
I’m not waiting for your ok
I’ll never be perfect, but at least now i’m brave
Now, my heart is open
And I can finally breathe
Don’t be mad, it’s just the brand new kind of free
That ain’t bad, I found a brand new kind of me
Don’t be mad, it’s a brand new time for me, yeah

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Moderates need to use the coming Georgia U.S. Senate race as an opportunity to flex our “king making, scale tipping” muscles. Sen. Saxby Chambliss is an old school pro-business Republican rather than a new school pro-crazy drama starter. The far Right wants him gone and they want him to take any member of congress who talks with the other side with him.  No.

The extreme radical element of the GOP shouldn’t run Georgia or America. They are small in numbers yet vocal and crafty. Well, the reasonable center is huge and somewhat homeless regarding political parties. Since Georgia is a red state because the Democratic Party is poorly organized, Saxby’s replacement will likely be decided in a July primary rather than a November general election. Rep. Sanford Bishop, Rep. John Barrow or Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed could beat a Tea Party candidate but that is too risky.

Moderate Democrats must consider the possibility of swaying the Republican primary to a Saxby-like conservative. This move keeps a zealot out Georgia’s Senate office. Personally, I would pick Rep. Austin Scott or Rep. Jack Kingston because I want one of the two Senators to come from south Georgia and have a history of serving agriculture and military areas.

Since rural Georgia Democrats are as conservative as California Republicans, we can dig the whole no labels approach to governing—voting for a less bitter conservative would be easy.  We need solutions; we need peaceful dialog.  We need someone who will join with the Blue Dogs, Jon Huntsman, Barrack Obama, Condi Rice, Jeb Bush and Colin Powell to get about the business of fixing what is broken with our government and our mindsets.

Furthermore, candidacies for this Senate seat will likely open up U.S. House seats and I want to see some variety in the Georgia congressional delegation. A minority or woman in the Georgia congressional delegation from the GOP side would be peachy keen because someone should be at the table to say “enough with the silliness…let’s do the people’s work and govern.”

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The buzz around Georgia politics is that Eric Erickson of CNN and Red State might challenge Sen. Saxby Chambliss.  Saxby (he told us to call him that) was nice to me once a long time ago during a congressional ag staffers visit to Taylor County, Georgia, and I will never forget that.  He leaves when he is ready to go and if the far Right wants to push him for rebuffing his 20 year old tax pledge, their primary numbers can be replace by crossover moderates. 

Perhaps, Erickson of Bibb County could get the House of Representatives seat when Austin Scott exits for the U.S. Senate.  The polarization of the electorate that we have experienced in the last few years could be seen coming from a mile away.  I have always thought of Austin as a trendsetter who might be a great national leader and we are at a pivotal time when such leaders should emerge. 

Actually, the conservative movement would look better in my community if the recent election results moved them to listen to Republicans like Jeb Bush and Jon Huntsman.

The Democrats should start developing future Senate candidates closer to the middle modeled after Rep. Sanford Bishop and the Republicans should do the same with Austin in mind.

 Isakson and Chambliss are more statesmen at this point than politicians and that is a good thing.  I was thinking about the past, present and future Georgia congressional delegation while watching the legislative maneuvering in the movie Lincoln.  Austin Scott has that House seat on lock but he should function like a person who wants to win statewide in the future based on relationships and connections cultivated now.   What would old Abe do?

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For those just taking notice of the presidential election, the headlines should currently read “Jon Huntsman and President Obama in vigorous yet civic debate on ideas.”  See, the GOP selected Governor Romney out of a cast of characters and the least amount of interest went to the former Governor of Utah Jon Huntman, a man President Obama appointed Ambassador to China.

Team Obama had the foresight to embrace Huntsman because that sullied him with the conservative movement.  Chicago knew that Huntsman was a candidate who could win the political center.

Chicago and wherever Romney is based has also decided that the election will be won in a few swing states.  Horse feathers!  If most of the south is off the table, the state and local organizational structure isn’t active on the Democrat side.  To me the Red Team is a small, well organized army with weak generals while the Blue Team is a large, unorganized team with better generals. 

Despite the wisdom of Fox News and MSNBC, Georgia can be won by the Democrats.  The  untapped potential for Dems might be motivated the ugliness of the GOP primary–“let’s go to the video tape.”  So, people need to stop this “call your cousins in Florida and North Carolina” talk.  If the people Democrats care about actually voted, the election would be over.  The election might be over if Team Romney doesn’t start producing some plans and ideas.  Romney looks like presidential material; while Obama and Huntsman are presidential material.   

The sweet thing about blogging is that it serves as a record of who wrote what and when it was written.  My friends in the conservative movement know that Michael Steele, Jon Huntsman and I have been begging them to create a moderate wing of their team.  But, they let the crazy 15% drive their bus…off the cliff.

I declare Georgia to be on the table and Romney, a decent fellow, should explain why he doesn’t say anything when the far Right zany talk starts.  Also, I don’t give a dizz-am about party once a candidate wins an election.  If the people are paying your salary, you should visit, listen and explain in every community.  It’s called “forming a more perfect union.”

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If I could wave a magic wand on New Year’s Eve, the notations I would place in southern voters’ minds as we enter the election year would involve understanding.  Kandi from the Real Housewives of Atlanta was in a hip hop group with T.I.’s lady Tiny back in the day and they had a hit called “Understanding.”     

Xcape’s “Understanding” had a line that said, “You don’t really know me… you just want’a do what you want’a do… that’s not the way it is baby…you gotta listen to me.”  That line applies to elections, politics and policy because the South has a history of leaders and parties who arrogantly want to make desicisions for everyone without input from or understanding of everyone else.  

I am an American who is concerned that the so-called developing world could blow past our nation in this century because those hungry people are driven liked we once were.  Simply put, we might get out hustled by Latin America, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia because their young people aren’t playing when it comes to education and training while too many of our youth are soft whiners.  We must understand that the entire nation must be striving collectively.

Anyway, the following points are the ideas I would put in voters’ heads:

1.President Obama can’t improve your life alone.  He can only foster an environment conducive for your personal development.  That’s what he said from the moment he stepped onto the national stage but folks don’t know how to listen.

2. Newt Gingrich as president could actually be good for my community.  While we never know which version of Newt will show up, Speaker Gingrich from the Clinton era was a great ideas person who sincerely wanted to change the cultural mindset of Americans in a positive way.  Look: the government doesn’t now nor has it ever cared about the average person.  With Newt as president we would know that fact without a doubt and get about the business of personal responsibility.

3.  Jon Huntsman is the most Obama-like Republican and moderate Democrats should vote for him to encourage the GOP nominee to make him their VP candidate.  As quiet as it is kept, Obama respects Huntsman more than he does most of the Congressional Black Caucus.  If the GOP takes the White House, moderates will wish level-headed Huntsman was at the table.

4. A small percentage of Democrats could sway the GOP presidential primary.  “Ted, is right..we should vote for Huntsman just in case Obama doesn’t win or Newt to help Obama win.”  Of course, no one understands my points until after the fact.

5.  In South Georgia, running someone against Sanford Bishop will crank up Bishop’s campaign apparatus and organize Democrat GOTV efforts in Albany, Columbus and Macon.  If President Obama wins reelection by a slim margin and by surprisingly winning Georgia, Bishop’s opponents can be thanked.  By the same logic, Democrats can’t beat Austin Scott so we shouldn’t run anyone against him.  That energy would be better spent developing a functional relationship with the young lawmaker. 

Bottomline: Using the “Understanding” song in a blog post is recycling a past post.  Another past post is my notes from “The Art of War.”  That Chinese warfare manual is like a blueprint for politics and modern business.  A central theme in the book is respect for and understanding of the other side. If the GOP understood Democrats, they would select Huntsman as their nom but the hardheaded never learn.  If the Dems understood the Tea Party, they would vote for Huntsman in the GOP primaries in droves to keep them out of the White House.  But, we are more concerned about the NFL playoffs. 

https://projectlogicga.com/2009/06/07/the-art-of-war/

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My thoughts today turn to Genesis 4:15, the original Cain, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman and surprisingly Charlie Ward, Jr.  From Sunday School, we remember that Cain killed his brother Abel and we joked “what did Eve do after Abel died…she raised Cain.”  Seriously, I asked the Sunday school teacher (a high school student) “who was Cain concerned about killing him if Adam, Eve and Cain were the only people on earth and who in time did Cain marry?”

Genesis 4:15 And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.  And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

Herman Cain shouldn’t feel the wrath of the GOP if this mess about him is true.  As quiet as it is kept,  they should have vetted him better and he served his purpose.  In 1988, Senator Al Gore ran for president to increase awareness on global warming.  Herman Cain’s chief reasons for entering the presidential race were to highlight problems with the arcane tax code and anti-business governmental policies.  He did that. 

If half of the allegations about Cain are true, Reverend Cain should reread Genesis 4:13 where Cain said to God “my punishment is greater than I can bear.”  Well, the original Cain should have thought about that before he killed his brother and Herman Cain should have thought about that before he stepped onto the presidential stage.  Why do you think those other fellows chose not to run? 

I see parallels between Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward and Jon Huntsman.  Ward was the best college football player in the nation and a Christian athlete who was undrafted by the N.F.L.  Pro scouts didn’t think he was tall enough at quarterback to see receivers over tall linemen.  Jon Huntsman could receive half of the centrist vote if his fellow conservatives could see pass their primary season.  Charlie Ward wasn’t vengeful about his slighting as he resorted to Plan B by having a successful career in the N.B.A.

Jon Huntsman should have a similar Plan B that involves using open state primaries as mini-general elections.  He could show GOP voters that he is the Republican who Democrats find most reasonable.  Of course, red meat Republicans are vengeful at Huntsman because he was patriotic enough to accept President Obama’s request for him to serve as our nation’s ambassador to China. 

Huntsman’s plan to put it all on the line in New Hampshire would be better if he spent some time courting moderate and centrist voters in South Carolina and other southern states.  If Newt Gingrich is the GOP nominee, Huntsman’s coolness could be the perfect counterbalance.  So, maybe  Huntsman’s Plan B is the vice presidency.  I know he would be better received on southern college campuses than any other GOP candidate and he could actually get more votes for non-GOPers than GOPers–that would be wild.

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On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Michael Steele stated that the majority of GOP primaries are open primaries.  Jon Huntsman and Herman Cain aren’t exploring Democrats as a vast pool of curious voters.  Polls indicate that Huntsman is the Republican who most non-Republicans actually would consider in the general election.  (Watch Steele on this video link from the 1:00 mark.)

#45336039

I am ticked off that GOP voters automatically turn up their noses at Huntsman because he accepted President Obama’s request for him to serve as U.S. ambassador to China.  For that reason alone, Huntsman deserves some Obamacrats’ votes and his cool demeanor on the GOP debate stage creates a contrast from red-meat conservatives.  I was surprised to learn that Huntsman’s record as Utah’s governor was more conservative than Mitt Romney’s governor record in Massachusetts. 

A primary vote for President Obama is basically a “feel good” gesture because he is only person on the Dem ballot.  Democrats who vote this one time in the GOP primary would be seriously messing with their heads and their statistical research.  They flirt with Huntsman, Cain, Paul and Bachman but we could actually make one of them the winner of the South.  

Jon Huntsman and Herman Cain could pack Black college meeting facilities from Orangeburg, SC, to Dallas, TX but their handlers don’t know the potential as well Michael Steele.   Moderate Democrats could be their Hail Mary pass and mixing things up would be so much fun.

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If the GOP presidential primary process continues deep into the winter, all candidates will benefit in some way (including President Obama.)  We should pause to think about Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels—good guys that most voters never got to know as presidential candidates because they exited too early.  Those exits should be a lesson for current candidates who don’t see much of a lifeline at this point.  Your lifeline might be open primary states Democrats, a pool of voters rarely mentioned but prime for the taking.

http://unlikelyalliesproject.com/

President Obama will be the Democrat nominee, so most southern Democrats are free to vote in the GOP primary and change the game.  In my opinion, the following presidential campaigns should support our Hear Me Out/ “Unlikely Allies Project.com” effort for these reasons:

President Obama: The GOP candidates’ fighting among themselves shortens the coming barrage against Obama/Biden 2012.  Smooth, reasonable GOP candidates being ignored on the national stage bodes well for the president’s effort because voters wonder why these quality candidates aren’t doing better.

Herman Cain: The best crowd-pumper-upper in the GOP field; has Black Democrats looking seriously at conservatism; fundraising master. The GOP nominee will need him everywhere (if he isn’t the nom.)  

Jon Huntsman: Reasonable guy who Obama appointed ambassador to China; having him in the GOP field makes moderates wonder why the Republicans are looking elsewhere.  Huntsman might get more primary votes from moderates and centrist Democrats than Republicans.  The GOP nominee will need him to campaign for moderate voters; might be U.S. ambassador to U.N. or Secretary of State; the GOP candidate Democrats don’t want in the general election.  

Rick Perry: Despite recent events, Perry could get a support boost from blue –collar southern Democrats; governs a state with an economy larger some nations.

Newt Gingrich: Southerners remember his speakership and Contract With America; ideas guy who needs a little more time to get back in it; some Georgians support Gingrich and Cain for regional reasons.

Ron Paul:  Many Independents, Libertarians and politically homeless people love this guy’s straight talk ; GOP polls don’t reflect his true potential.   

Michelle Bachman: Might do big numbers with Democrat women.  

Like college football 2011: President Obama is like L.S.U. and that would make Mitt Romney one-loss Alabama and Rick Perry maybe Arkansas.  Well, brainy Huntsman (Sanford) and undefeated, unchallenged Cain (U of  Houston) are who Obama/L.S.U. wants to face in the general election/national championship game.  “To be the best you beat the best” sounds great in theory but in reality you want an easier opponent at the end.  LSU/Obama fans are cheering for Houston/Cain and Sanford/Huntsman.    

Summary: We think every presidential campaign (except maybe Romney) should support and promote our UnlikelyAlliesProject.com effort to education open primary states Democrats about their options.  These campaigns should get their folks to “like” our facebook page then come to public forums to speak up.  With the importance of the issues, we must all be engaged every step of the way.

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To hear experts talk, the next presidential election will be decided in a few swing states.  Democrats in red states must sit back, donate and watch.  The only say many moderates have during the process is the primary elections. 

President Obama will be the Democrat nominee but should Dems hedge our bets by voting in the GOP Primary for the most moderate Republican or the candidate we would like to see faceoff against the president.

When told to fall in line in 2008, Hillary Clinton’s supporters created the moniker PUMAs (Party Unity My Ass.)  They felt it was her turn and that she was better prepared to be POTUS.  Eventually, they got behind the Dem nominee and without them it would be President McCain and yes Vice President Palin.

In 2012, the passionate, committed conservatives won’t compile with party bosses so easily if their guy/gal doesn’t make the final cut.  They talk a good game but must make a PUMA-like decision between selecting a nominee who is most like them (Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman) or selecting someone who can appeal to political moderates and independents (Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman.)

Did I mention that Red State Democrats have nothing but time on our mischievous hands?  

Red State Democrats should consider these GOP Primary options:

Those Who Love Obama’s vibe: vote Huntsman.

Those Who Love An Economic/Jobs focus: vote Cain, Romney or Gingrich.

Those Who Want to See a Georgian In the Oval Office: vote Cain or Gingrich.

Those Who Want to See the GOP nominee be Just Like the Average Far Right Conservative and therefore Unappealing to the Political Center thus Improving Obama Chances: vote Cain or Perry.

Summary: Red State Democrats are consequential after all but can they be organized to make such crafty, cunning poll move.  “Hell Naw” is the likely answer.

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When looking at presidential possibilities, two questions should come to a voter’s mind: who do you want to be president and who ensures that the other team’s guy isn’t president.  As a centrist Democrat, I want Obama and if someone from the other side became president with a snap of my fingers, it would be Jon Huntsman.  Note: I don’t have magic fingers.

From my standpoint, the nuttiest GOP candidate would help make Obama a second term president and hardhead far Right conservatives are careening down that path.  Thanks.   Gov. Mitt Romney is presidential and decent enough to centrists and that is the reason the GOP doesn’t want to pick him. 

The GOP candidates who could easily take the White House are Jon Huntsman and Herman Cain.  Really.  Huntsman is a GOP version of President Obama and therefore is polling two points above Ron Artest and me.

If Herman Cain gets all of the conservative voters in November 2012, he goes over the top with your mamma’s vote.  Some older Blacks quietly feel that President Obama, a wonderful person, isn’t scarred and hard enough to hang in the rough and tumble world of politics.  It’s painful from them to see such a nice young man get punched day in and day out.  “Lord, get that fellow out of there before his heart grows dark like Jimmy Carter.”  Others feel that the nation doesn’t deserve Obama and I understand their point.

If we look at Herman Cain, we see someone who is self-made, older and rich—old rich dudes can cut loose because they are already paid. Cain is a southerner and a Morehouse product.  He can say anything he wants but down inside Cain is a Baptist brother from the dirty South.  Obama was raised in nice places by nice people but Cain and every Black son of the old South is seasoned and hard on some level. I can’t believe that Cain recently said that he is American first, Black second and conservative third.  

If Cain adjusted his message a bit by getting Shay and some of the other Black moderates and conservatives who write on the Booker Rising blog in his ear, he should secure 20% of the Black vote—half from those who want him in the White House and half from those who want Obama bashing to end.  Hell, the First Lady might vote for Cain because she is tired of folks dumping on her man.

How do you balance a Cain ticket with Obama-like smoothness, public executive experience and international knowledge?  Cain/Huntsman sounds mighty interesting.   Black Georgians should vote in the GOP primary with this post in mind.

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Jon Huntsman’s candidacy helps the political arena because he serves as foil to the other GOPers in the race for the White House.  If I remember correctly from junior high lit class, foil is a character who contrasts with another character to highlight features of that character’s personality…i.e. Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes…Morris Day to Prince….Dirk to LeBron.

Huntsman, President Obama’s former ambassador to China,  is smart and level-headed has little chance of coming out of the GOP primary.  Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels or Huntman could secure a sizeable part of the Center voting bloc but my friends on the far Right don’t want to vote for anyone who the Middle find acceptable.    

To be honest, cool Huntsman puts me in the mind of Barrack Obama–they might be cousins.  If President Obama wins reelection, the GOP should know that they could have had a reasonable, non-pissed candidate that centrists could have supported but they looked elsewhere.  Many Democrats thought it was Hillary’s turn and that she was the type tough leader that the nation needed but we knew that the Clinton legacy was a two-edged sword that might motivate some to support the GOP nominee.  Senator Ted Kennedy often said a half a loaf is better than no loaf.  Well, some folks want the whole loaf or nothing.  Huntsman’s demeanor on the debate stage is welcome by some Democrats and if he happens to win the White House, the nation could have done worst.

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