Crouching Moderate, Hidden Romney Killer?

Gingrich's meteoric rise in the polls is a flash in the pan. With the New Hampshire primary only a month away, serious consideration must be given to whom right-leaning students should cast their ballots for. Since the up-close look students were able to get last October, Herman Cain has dropped out, Rick Perry has faded, and while Mitt Romney still clings to a lead in the Granite State, his road to the nomination is looking increasingly evitable.

Somehow, through the bizarre churning process that is the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary, Newt Gingrich has battled his way to the top of the heap, just a few months after being abandoned by most of his staffers. The cause of his rise is straightforward: Conservatives do not trust Mitt Romney’s conservative credentials and keep looking for an alternative, but each has come up wanting. Bachmann was judged too loony, Perry was a lackluster debater, and Herman Cain was dogged by a few too many allegations of both sexual indiscretion and political cluelessness. With all of them flaming out, Gingrich has neatly slipped in as the next anointed one.

It will not last.

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So Crazy That It Just Might Work

So crazy that even Democrats voted for it...

Politicians are wont to make sweeping proposals during campaign season, only to renege in a dramatic fashion once in office.  In 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama pledged to create a net “spending cut” his first year in office. That certainly didn’t happen. Dozens of Republican congressional, senatorial, and gubernatorial candidates pledged to conduct an immediate and comprehensive review of existing and proposed rules, regulations, and statutes in 2010. Even though many are now in office, we’re still waiting.  And let us not forget that the American public did indeed read George H.W. Bush’s lips when he pledged not to instate new taxes, only to make him a one-term president when he did the opposite.

It seems that no matter how far back you chose to look, every election cycle is full of the unrealistic commitments and the euphoric aspirations of candidates who are trying to prod a populace into the polling place. Once elected and forced to confront the realities of office, these same individuals retreat from their promises to pursue a politically more expedient path. With such a track record, what makes us think that the promises of this election cycle will be any different? How feasible is Ron Paul’s pledge to abolish the Federal Reserve? How realistic is it to assume that Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan will be implemented? And what is the likelihood of Rick Perry’s economic agenda passing?

Very. At least on the last count.

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Cain Atop the New CBS News/New York Times Poll

According to a CBS News/New York Times poll released yesterday, October 25th, Herman Cain has passed Mitt Romney has the favorite in the Republican Presidential Primary, with 25% of registered Republican primary voters backing him and only 21% backing Romney. This surge seems to have all come within the past few weeks and seems to be driven by supporters who jumped off the Rick Perry train and onto the much more lyrical Cain train.

In mid-September, Perry led the poll with 23% support and an astounding 30% support from Tea Partiers, while Cain remained an afterthought with 5% general support and a meager 7% support from Tea Partiers. Yet, in the past few weeks, the charismatic former pizza chain CEO-turned Federal Reserve Bank official has garnered real support in his pursuit of the nomination for the Republican Party. Based on the poll, much of his ascension has been driven by increased support from the Tea Party; he now has 32% of the conservative group in his corner. Perry, on the other hand, has seen his political free-fall take place because the 30% support he had from Tea Partiers in mid-September is now 7%.

Also yesterday, Rick Perry announced his "Cut, Balance, and Grow" plan in the Wall Street Journal in an effort to combat Herman Cain's all-popular "9-9-9" plan. Additionally, Herman Cain and fellow Republican candidate Newt Gingrich confirmed their intent to attend a traditional Lincoln-Douglas Debate hosted by the Texas Tea Party Patriots. This debate will give Tea Partiers all across the nation a more direct insight to each of the candidates and their policies. If this poll is actually indicative of national sentiment, especially within the Tea Party, Rick Perry should think about joining the field and using his home-field advantage to win back some Tea Party support.

--David Eads

The Daily Beast Thinks Perry is Beastly

Okay, I'm a little late to the party on this one, but apparently The Daily Beast found out that Rick Perry swung by Beta after the debate instead of by Leede Arena. No surprise; Beta is known as one of the more conservative, southern fraternities on campus (exhibit A: conservative rap duo and Review staffers The Young Cons are brothers). Professor Greg Slayton from the Tuck School of Business hosted a debate watch party there earlier in the evening. It's hardly surprising that a candidate would want a friendly environment after a debate.

The Daily Beast apparently doesn't think like that, and instead preferred to play the Sins of the Past game. For those of you who aren't aware, Beta used to have a hellraiser reputation back in the early-to-mid '90s. A particularly ugly incident led to derecognition in 1996. The frat was only allowed to return a few years ago and his since gained a reputation as one of the least rowdy on campus. 

Take a step back a moment. Though the Beast article is factual, is it really necessary? What does Beta's history have to do with anything? The answer, of course, is nothing, though the Beast would like you to think otherwise.

For a man who’s been getting shellacked for his association with a controversial hunting camp, you’d think Perry’s advance team would take special care to keep him from sticky spots. But his choice of venue Tuesday night was a frat house that had been kicked off campus for its own bad behavior.

Yes, and? The Beast wants to indict Perry for picking a frat house--which for all intents and purposes is not the same organization it was fifteen years ago--to prove that Perry is...what, exactly? Racist? Homophobic? If not, why even bother mentioning Beta's history at all? Of course, The Daily Beast can't outright call him that, so it's best to prove it by insinuation. Good grief, does the Beast think that the Perry camp deliberately went out of its way to find a frat that had issues over a decade ago?

This wouldn't even be an issue if Perry hadn't hunted in an area with a racially charged name. Poor judgment on his part? Sure, but it's not like he named the place, either.

There are many, many legitimate criticisms to be made of Rick Perry, but this is not one of them, especially as it unfairly casts a pall over Beta's current brotherhood. 

--Sterling C. Beard

H/T William Bishop '12