Who will be the hardest candidate for Obama to match up to on paper?
A short list would include several prominent points, which we label in true draft fashion, 'The Tangibles":
Against Iraq/Afghanistan involvement
Limited government involvement in peoples lives
For decriminalizing marijuana
For Woman's choice on abortion
Successful governor experience
Successful small business experience
Of course, there's the intangibles that let people define the person in their own way. As we have seen with Obama, a candidate with an interesting life story will make for an enthusiastic base.
So what if there was a pot-smoking Republican that's climbed Mt Everest, competed in triathalons, and was a governor of a state that has a 2:1 Dem-Republican ratio? What if this same person was elected twice, cut the rate of growth of government in half under his terms, eliminated 1200 state employees without a single firing, and left a $1 billion surplus without raising taxes? What if this same person wielded leadership in firm fashion - targeting both Republicans and Democrats as his vetoes alone outnumbered the other 49 governors? What if he did that without getting a reputation as a tyrant?
What if this candidate was talking and governing like a sophisticated Tea Partier already 17 years ago - before it was trendy? What if he had Ron Paul's endorsement? What if he was so direct in his communications that he made 'straight talk' seem like an outdated campaign slogan? What if his personal appearance alone screams 'I'm not a Suit even when I wear one'?
Seem like a myth? New Mexico's former governor is Gary Johnson - and on April 21 in NH he will be announcing his run for the presidency.
Does Gary (what a familiar suburbia name compared to Barack) represent Obama's worst nightmare ... while also being a both a savant to the Tea Party and a non-kooky anti-establishment change candidate to just over half of Americans?
