Your essential (and hopefully humourous) guide to the American presidential election all in one place. Beginning in the invisible primary, throughout the GOP primary season and into the general election proper
Current hot-shot Newt Gingrich says he would name former U.S. Permanent Representative to United Nations, under G.W. Bush from 2005-2006, John R. Bolton as his Secretary of State. I don't know what is scarier. The possibility that a neo-con's neo-con could perhaps run the most important governmental department or that Newt is now considered current and contemporary. Holy cow!
John Bolton is well known globally for his forthright views regarding issues of national security. Photo: Gage Skidmore (Flickr)
Whilst Gary Johnson and Fred Karger remain the only 2 legitimate politicians to declare their candidacy for the Republican nomination the following are prospective nominees that we can expect decisions from in the coming weeks:
Michele Bachmann - Minnesota Representative, prominent Tea Party member
John Bolton - former UN aambassador, considered a neo-conservative
Mitch Daniels - Governor of Indiana, more of a fiscal conservative
Newt Gingrich - former Speaker, orchestrated 1994 Contract with America
Rudy Giuliani - Mayor of New York during 9/11, failed 2008 candidate
Mike Huckabee - former Governor of Arkansas, social conservative
Jon Huntsman, Jr. - former Governor of Utah. former ambassador to China
Sarah Palin - running mate in 2008, social conservative, grassroots darling
Ron Paul - iconic libertarian Republican, fiscal conservative, evergreen
Tim Pawlenty - former 1-term Governor of Minnesota, social conservative
Buddy Roemer - former Governor of Louisiana, was a Democrat
Mitt Romney - former Governor of Massachusetts, health-care reformer
Rick Santorum - former Pennsylvania Senator, social conservative
Donald Trump, Sr. - multi-millionaire businessman, quasi-celebrity, PR stunt?
This is not a comprehensive list of all the possible nominees but it is a list of all those who have any kind of legitimate shot at the nomination that have either expressed intention to run or are widely speculated to do so. (Bold type constitutes the widely regarded heavyweights within the party.) Santorum could be added to this list because much of his career has been prolific except for the fact that he suffered a humiliating and colossal defeat in his 2006 Senate campaign. Since then his career has somewhat stalled whilst Gingrich was one of the most high profile Speakers in American history because of his famous bust-ups with Bill Clinton but since his resignation in 1999 he has yet to recapture those previous heights.
Gingrich is expected to announce as early as the start of next week whilst Bachmann and Trump have said they will make their minds up by June. However, it is Mike Huckabee whose nomination will be followed most closely as he is no doubt a heavy-weight contender that has done everything expected of a nominee except promptly declare. Pawlenty and Romney are heavyweights that are certain to run whilst the smart money would be on Palin not to and wait 4 years.
The Republican field is slowly taking shape but at the moment what we are seeing is a really big game of chicken. Once a heavyweight candidate declares the rest will promptly follow suit but until then the prospective candidates jostle for pole position. Think of it in terms of the start of the Grand National at Aintree, although only the first 30 seconds of the video are relevant, it was a good race anyway.
