So far in this election campaign, for the first time in my life, there isn’t a single candidate that I really like for president. On the Democrat side, Obama seems to be the media darling at the moment. He speaks in simple platitudes that perhaps seems impressive and grandiose to Democrats, but they contain little substance. That—coupled with his complete lack of experience in anything but campaigning, makes him pretty shaky as a potential president. He is promising to “fix” health care. That means socialized medicine. The government is so good at managing things. Imagine what they will do with our health care.

 Miz Clinton has made replacing capitalism with socialism her goal. It’s clear that she wants to dismantle our health care system and replace it with socialized medicine, patterned on the Canadian and British models, systems that have been dismal failures. Her TV ads now running on local stations are full of lies. Both candidates have promised to raise our taxes immediately upon inauguration—that’s their fix for a faltering economy. The people most likely to vote for either one of them are those who don’t pay any taxes in the first place.

 Over the past week or so, after the Florida primary, the Republicans seem to have anointed John McCain. He won handily in both South Carolina and Florida. Apart from Ron Paul, McCain would be my last choice for the nomination.

 I don’t care what McCain did in the war—back in the 70s and I don’t care what he is saying now. What’s important is what he has done during his tenure in the United States Senate.  Everyone knows he was a Navy pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam and taken prisoner. We all know he spent 5½ years in a POW camp. Nobody questions his patriotism.  But that doesn’t qualify him to be president. My problem with him is his legislative record, his arrogance and his temper.

 His McCain-Feingold bill was supposed to take money out of the campaigns. It doesn’t do that, but rather stifles political speech within 60 days of an election. In addition, it has engendered Move-On.org and similar political groups that have pumped millions into campaign politics, precisely the opposite of the bill’s stated purpose. 

 The McCain-Kennedy Immigration Reform Bill was touted as a solution to the millions of illegal aliens that have swam, walked and crawled over our southern border and who are currently sponging off our education and health care systems, while remitting an estimated $40 billion annually to their home countries, but contributing little or nothing in taxes. The bill proposed a $1500 fine per illegal and bestowed what is little more than amnesty in return. This bill is the kind of thing one would expect from a Democrat like Kennedy, but not a presidential grade Republican.

 Mitt Romney has been governor of Massachusetts and looks presidential. He is rich and made his pile in business. His dad, George Romney was Chairman of American Motors, Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969 and presidential candidate in 1968.

The younger Romney is also credited with saving the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. Some find Romney’s Mormonism a minus; I don’t think it should be a factor. I don’t have a problem with him. It’s only that I don’t know enough about his record. He might be okay.

 Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucus but has trailed since. He’s good in front of a microphone and has a pleasing personality. He has executive experience as a state Governor. He’s also a former preacher and that brands him as some sort of religious nut. I haven’t seen anything that remotely confirms that. His record of raising taxes and his previous stand on immigration is troubling. Since then he’s signed a pledge to do his durnedest to support building a fence along the border.  

A friend of mine, Jim Pinkerton, quit two jobs to go to work as a senior campaign advisor for Huckabee, so at least he’s sold on him. In fact, he told me, “He’s the real deal, and you can quote me on that.”  I’m going to take another look at him.

 Oh yes, Ron Paul is also running.