Salon: Opinion: Steve Kornacki: The GOP's Emerging Bob Dole Problem

Salon: Opinion: Steve Kornacki: The GOP's Emerging Bob Dole Problem

This post was originally posted at FRS FreeStates on WordPress

Back in 1995-96 when I was really getting into the political junky scene and when I basically didn’t know squat about politics, hopefully I know more about politics now, but you can judge for yourself, I was following things like, the brand new Republican Congress. The first one since 1953, people like Newt Gingrich, who I knew as House Minority Whip (In english, the 2nd Ranking Minority Leader) I saw this guy who looked like one of the Founding Fathers. (or Founding Liberals) Seriously, all Newt needs is a Whig and maybe bring back the Whig Party and he would fit in perfectly with the Founding Fathers. (Founding Liberals)

And people would be saying when they see the former Speaker, turned nutty presidential candidate, "look its Thomas Jefferson!" And they would tell him, "damn you look great for someone who’s, I don’t know 270 years old" at the time. I’m not Tom Jefferson’s biographer, (there’s a news flash) and people have been burned by fire. (there’s the other news flash) I also new Bob Dole the new Senate Leader, but I knew him a little bit as Senate Minority Leader with the deficit reduction debate of 1993, the healthcare reform debate of 1993-94. I was following politics a little bit in high school, but not quite the political junky yet. 

Sports was my first love growing up and paid most of my attention to that. I never saw Leader Dole as too old or not capable of the job. Or unintelligent, he was clearly a distinguished gentlemen in Congress. That term was invented for people like him, one of the most effective legislatures we’ve ever produced. But I did see him as out of touch in 1996 America that was basically happy as a country and at peace. And unless you're drowning in your own scandals, If you're the President, that benefits you.

Bob Dole probably made a mistake running for President in 1996. He wasn't too old, but he was pass his time as far as where the country was. Who was President and the situation of the country and the fact that he was leading the opposition at a time when the country liked who was in charge. But that he should’ve won in 1988 and I agree with him there. The Bush attack machine took him down in South Carolina. Just like the Romney attack machine took down Newt Gingrich in Florida this year. 

And had George H.W. Bush teams not done those things, chances are Bob Dole is the 1988 Republican nominee for president. And Mitt Romney is no longer the frontrunner this year. Mitt may be in third place right now, only ahead of a Libertarian. Leader Dole in 1996 was trying to convince the country of something they weren’t. Which was happy, unemployment 5%, high economic growth, falling budget deficit, the country was at peace. 

In 2012 what Mitt Romney is trying to do is convince the country of something that Barack Obama isn’t. Soft on defense, socialistic, dictator, anti-American, wants to make the country like Europe etc. I’m not going to layout all of the false charges, because hopefully you have better things to do with your time and I would like to keep you awake for the whole post,  but you get the idea. 

But to tell you this is exactly why the Far-Left doesn’t like President Obama, Occupy Wall Street, the so-called Progressive Caucus, MSNBC talk and company, the real socialist McGovernites in America, because Barack  Obama isn’t any of these things that the Far-Left in America wants him to be. While at the same time, Mitt has been unable to convince the country why he should be President and stand up for himself. And answer the charges that are thrown at him. What he does instead is try to change the subject, with his attack machine. And he’s paying a heavy price for it.