R’s vs. Obama

Mark my words, the sudden exit of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour from
the Republican presidential nomination race will be followed by many
more. The prospects will either bow out before they ever catch any fire
(Rick Santorum) or never enter the race at all because of the writing on
the wall (Michele Bachmann).

Put simply, these candidates lack the fire to stir men’s souls. They
can’t mobilize the voter base across the wide swath they know they’ll
need to win the White House. It’s more than just the entire Republican
“base,” and more than even some disgruntled, out-of-work independent
voters. And it’s certainly more than the Tea Party faction.

The winning Republican candidate will need all of these blocs. But can it be done? Of course. Yet I don’t believe that candidate has emerged.

Even if the person who defeats President Obama is among the crowded field today in the form of a Romney or Daniels or even Pawlenty, the 2012 election won’t even be about him. I’m serious.

This race is all about Obama. He’s weak politically, and if current trends continue, his brand and stock will only fall. $4/gallon gas prices? A plummeting dollar? Borrowing 47 cents on every dollar we spend? That’s only the beginning, folks, unless this White House can put some significant punch back into this economy.

I’m not saying it won’t be a fistfight. Obama’s campaign is gearing up for one helluva contest. Media buyers are already predicting this election cycle to tip the $2 billion scale in terms of ad buys and placements in the next 18 months. Yep, that’s “billion” with a “B.”

A GOP candidate will emerge, and he will be battle-hardened from a rigorous primary that will force him all over the Republican spectrum. You can bet on that. But the less this is about personalities and the more it’s about the direction of the country and the principles that the Obama White House has made clear it owns (larger government, paternalistic nannyism), then the voters will send a clear message.

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.