Chan Lowe: The Florida Primary is upon us
While the Florida Republican primary is a spectator sport for many of us here in the Sunshine State, there’s a sense that we all may be witnessing history in the making.
If Mitt Romney clinches it, which, as of this writing, it looks like he will, it could represent the high water mark for tea party influence in the GOP. Yes, he won it dirty by outspending Newt Gingrich five-to-one, but winning by stuffing obscene amounts of money into the system has an honorable history here.
Romney’s victory will be a triumph of blandness, and a late-in-the-game spasm of muscle flexing by what is left of the Republican establishment⎯a group of old bulls that still has trouble accepting that their dalliance with the tea party was a Faustian pact.
It’s a shame that Newt could not have taken Florida; a big prize from such a diverse electorate could have accorded him the credibility to slingshot to the nomination. In the end, the nation would have benefited from a clear-cut matchup between the creed of the social/fiscal conservatives and the forces of progressivism. In the general election, we could have hashed out which philosophy we as a people wished to be our guiding star and defining principle for the next few years.
Instead, we will get tapioca pudding out of the pragmatic, timid wing of the Republican Party. The presidential election will be a “clash” between two moderates who agree on more than they disagree. It will devolve into a meaningless slugfest based on personality, and the hackneyed old “who would you rather have a beer with?” poll. It will bore us to death.
We’ll miss you, Newt. We’ll miss your overarching ego, your shoot-from-the-lip inanities, and your half-baked intellectualism. Most of all, we’ll miss your passion.
CHAN LOWE has been the Sun Sentinel’s first and only editorial cartoonist for the past twenty-six years. Before that, he worked as cartoonist and writer for the Oklahoma City Times and the Shawnee (OK) News-Star.
Comments
When Governor Romney debates our President he will be the only adult in the room. Since Obama cannot run on any accomplishments (nary a peep about hugely unpopular Obamacare, $ trillion stimulus, Dodd/Frank (both soon to be gone from office in embarassment), he will instead run on 'fairness'.
That's right. Fairness. 2008 was about Hope. Now it's about Fairness.
And he will malign Governor Romney about wealth and success, conveniently forgetting about his pal Corzine who has disappeared in disgrace.
Vote for Obama, vote for Fairness. That ought to make a real dent in 8+% unemployment.
Posted by: QED | January 30, 2012 5:39 PM
I will not vote for a guy that wants to send the country back 4 years and open the door to another 2008 economic collapse.
Posted by: Bob | January 31, 2012 9:04 AM
QED--oh, how you complain about 8% unemployment that was 12% four years ago. Obama has acheved that IN SPITE of our do-nothing Congress and cranks like you who want him to fail, but are left with the bitter disappointment of BEING WRONG ON ALL COUNTS! Oh, btw, Obamacare is just Romneycare in Massachusetts adopted for the whole country. Not every Republican is an idiot shill. Most of you just have no imagination, vision, or decency.
OBAMA 2012!!!
Posted by: STAN | January 31, 2012 9:20 AM
QED-
You mad.
hahaha
Posted by: C. Saiz | January 31, 2012 10:41 AM
QED, if you need help finding Obama's accomplishments, do a Google search for "Republicans for Obama" and read their First Term tab. Enjoy!
Posted by: bgansel9 | January 31, 2012 11:20 AM