If you haven't been watching the news lately, it looks like Mitt Romney basically has the nomination locked up. Rick Santorum will have one final shot to pull off an upset in the Wisconsin primary, but the odds look heavily stacked against him. In the past week, a flurry of big names have come out to endorse Romney: former President George H.W. Bush, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson. Getting the former President's endorsement is certainly big news for the campaign, but the Ryan endorsement may be even more significant.
For those who don't know, Ryan is probably the most instrumental person in crafting the GOP's budget and economic policy. His latest budget, released last week, proposes massive cuts in Medicare and discretionary spending. While these types of draconian cuts certainly appeal to many doctrinaire primary voters, having Romney's name associated with this type of budget may prove fatal in the general election. While entitlement spending is certainly a very real issue, the fact remains that the American public strongly supports keeping programs like Social Security and Medicare intact (according to one poll, 74% of respondents said they would oppose cutting Social Security to reduce the federal deficit).
President Obama will look to exploit this issue in the general election, and his re-election at this point looks to be in good shape. The Republican Party has pushed itself, and in particular, Mitt Romney, so far to the right that the nominee will have serious issues convincing voters that he is not a demagogue. Combine this with the appearance of Romney as a "flip-flopper" and his chances come election day look grim.
The Republican Party looks to be in crisis mode, with a nominee they don't really like and ideological cracks (the libertarian Ron Paul says he is in the race until the bitter end, the "Tea Party" movement) possibly splitting the party in the future. Long gone are the days of Bush, Cheney, and Rove getting every Republican in congress in line-- or else.
Source:
-Social Security Poll
Source:
-Social Security Poll
I think that this election will be one of the most important...EVER. Young adults have a lot to loose. I feel like every competitor besides Obama is saying everything they will not do or will not support. I honestly do not think any of the Republican representatives have anything descent to offer society or any solid plans that will boost our economy that are sensible. I personally hope Obama wins. He has my vote.
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