In only a few weeks in office, President Obama has resurrected U.S. taxpayer support for overseas abortion, selected Cabinet nominees who apparently don’t think they should pay taxes and pushed a nearly trillion-dollar spending package in Congress, and now GOP members of a younger generation are being lined up as possible opponents for the White House in 2012.
Actually, talk about Obama’s 2012 opponent started even before his election and moved into high gear while ballots still were being counted. Among the top names being discussed is 2008 vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who recently formed a political action committee.
Other names bandied about by no less influential a person than GOP chairman Michael Steele include Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Steele told Fox’s Chris Wallace recently that the new generation is ready to push the party, which sustained devastating losses in Congress and the White House in the 2006 and 2008 elections, back on track.
“We have a whole host of folks out there who are beginning to emerge on the scene and will over the next couple of years I think redefine this party in a way that will be very good for us long term,” Steele said.
 Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal |
Among Steele’s picks so far, Jindal is the youngest at 37. The Louisiana governor, up for re-election in 2011, is a rising star in the party, tapped as speaker for the National Republican Congressional Committee’s fundraising dinner.
The former Rhodes Scholar and assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has worked to lower taxes and raise government transparency as governor.
Jindal is in his first term after winning the 2007 election in 60 of 64 parishes.
He immediately summoned the legislature into a special session to discuss ethics reform, resulting in new ethics laws statewide.
His website states: “Governor Jindal led the historic response to Hurricane Gustav by successfully moving 1.9 million people out of harm’s way, the largest evacuation of citizens in the history of the United States, including the largest medical evacuation in history moving more than 10,400 people from hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities out of the path of the storm.
Jindal served the state’s First District in Congress starting in 2004 and was re-elected in 2006 with 88 percent of the vote.
 South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford |
The 48-year-old Sanford has blamed the GOP’s recent losses on factions who have abandoned conservatism.
“America didn’t turn away from conservatism, they turned away from many who faked it,” he said in a report on an ABC News blog.
In a commentary for CNN, he criticized the concept that things will improve by having the government borrow more money.
“Borrowing from Medicare, Social Security, our grandkids and the Chinese to remedy a problem created by too much borrowing strikes me as odd, and hardly the ‘change’ Americans really want,” he said.
 Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty |
Pawlenty, also 48, was considered a front-runner as a potential vice president for 2008 GOP candidate Sen. John McCain. The governor, how serves as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, says, “We want to be the party of Sam’s Club, not just the country club.”
He supported the bailout of the financial industry but now criticizes Obama’s recovery plan.
“In Washington, they’re sending billions of dollars to Wall Street. Here in Minnesota, I want us committed to helping Main Street,” he has said.
Pawlenty, in his second term, has balanced the state budget three times without raising taxes. He signed into law new benefits for veterans and enacted a property tax cap.
His website states: “Under Governor Pawlenty’s leadership, Minnesota leads the nation in a variety of measures. Minnesota ranks first among states in Fortune 500 companies per capita, first in overall quality of life, first in homeownership, first in percentage of residents with a high school diploma, and first in residents over 25 with a bachelors degree. Minnesota has the highest average ACT scores in the nation and is among the ‘Healthiest States in America.'”
 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin |
Palin, 44, became the star of the party during her run as vice president with McCain.
She routinely drew larger crowds than McCain on the campaign trail and has a brand new political action committee that predicts, “America’s best days are ahead.”
It continues, “SarahPAC believes the Republican Party is at the threshold of an historic renaissance that will build a better future for all. Health care, education, and reform of government are among our key goals.”
The PAC says its supporters “are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and those unaffiliated with any political party.”
Palin made instant connection with many families during the 2008 campaipgn with a special needs child and defused opponents who sought a scandal by affirming the pro-life position adopted by her pregnant daughter during the race.
She repeatedly bypassed her media interviewers to speak directly to American people about her positions.
Gallup’s question on the issue of who should be running for the GOP in 2012 included Palin and Jindal but also added many of the contenders in the 2008 race: Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Also thrown into the mix in the Gallup report were Gen. David Petraeus, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The ABC blog attracted a wide range of reader comments, including a verdict that the Republican Party is dying: “The mediocrity they are spewing is astounding.”
On the other end was the sentiment that anyone would be better than the current Democratic power structure in Washington.
“George Washington felt that ordinary people should be the ones that lead the country as they would understand the needs of the people. I look at our new administration and it’s like a pit of snakes slithering around with each other,” said one person.
“I say give the GOP another chance – it’s obvious that the Dems are not working for the ordinary people in this country,” added another.
And the lobbying already was under way.
“As for the 4 rising stars, give me Sanford any day! As a resident of SC, I can personally vouch for this guy. He is a rock-hard conservative that stands up for his principles and will fight for them against anyone no matter what party the opponent is from,” added yet another.
Still another offered this advice to the GOP: “What the Republican party needs is a real conservative regardless of age. I have done an enormous amount of research and concluded that the man we needed to be president at this time was Mr. Ron Paul. He didn’t stand a chance because all the media but especially in my opinion talk radio made him out to be a ‘nut.'”
“I am very interested in finding out just what Sarah Palin has done to cause the anti-Palin bloggers to come out in droves? Wouldn’t be that she was a distinct, viable threat to B.Obama? Oh no – couldn’t be that. Had the McCain campaign pulled her in 2 months earlier, we would not be having the problems in Washington that we have today,” said another.
Politico.com has reported that some of the possible candidates are playing down any activism right now.
For Huckabee, 2012 is “way too far away.”
“The most important thing I can do is be the best governor of Louisiana,” said Jindal.
My day job is an honor and a privilege, and my focus is here,” Pawlenty said.
At the same time, the report advised voters to watch what the potential candidates do. Huckabee, for example, won the 2008 Iowa caucuses and has been back in the state promoting his book “Do the Right Thing.”
Jindal appeared before the Iowa Family Policy Center and Pawlenty has been visiting Miami, as have additional options Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has advised a low profile for now.
“One of the worst things that can happen to the Republican Party in our effort to rebuild is for a bunch of people to start running for president,” he’s said. “Anybody harboring that ambition needs to squelch it until after 2010.”
But the most significant factor may be one that none of the GOP leaders can control: what happens in Washington under Obama.
Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler says a lot will depend on “what Barack Obama does.”
Then there are literally dozens of weblogs, such as JaneQRepublican, citing their favorites for the election.
