The Tempest in Texas- Confessions from a Conflicted and Committed Conservative

The Tempest in Texas- Confessions from a Conflicted and Committed Conservative

It was a debate like none other, in the history of presidential debates. The three Republican front-runners descended into a verbal shout-fest and insult-a-thon that, at times, seemed capable of making the three stooges look civilized, by comparison. Unlike the previous nine Republican debates, the tenth debate, hosted by CNN at the University of Houston, Thursday night, was truly one for the ages. Whereas previous debates have had their fair share of pettiness and petulance, this one descended to a new low for the three front-runners, as all three of these men tried to outdo one another in trading insults and displaying boorish behavior which, in all likelihood, was the overall intent of CNN going into the debate.

Retrospectively, it appears that Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz were acting out a performance based on their respective desperation, because they have come to realize that their perilous paths to the nomination have grown steeper and narrower with every passing day. While it was generally agreed that Marco Rubio got the best of Ted Cruz, and to a greater extent, Donald Trump, any bounce that he might have otherwise attained was completely obliterated the following afternoon, when New Jersey Governor and former candidate Chris Christie came out and formally endorsed Donald Trump.

Perhaps this endorsement now fully explains why Christie went into full attack mode on Rubio, in the New Hampshire debate just days before he, himself, pulled out of the race. Donald Trump, author of “The Art of the Deal,” who prides himself on being a master of negotiation, may well have arranged the New Hampshire takedown of Rubio by Christie, before that debate even took place. If true, then it is also true that Trump is a master of strategy and a manipulator of media, who has systematically taken down every single one of the former contestants who brought his candidacy into question. Trump appears to be on the verge of doing the same to both Rubio and Cruz, as the country enters into the Super Tuesday contests that will indicate, once and for all, who will likely become the nominees in each of the two major political parties.

Taken separately, there is no reason why any of the five remaining candidates would not become a good president, for each of them is blessed with particular gifts that lend themselves to such an endeavor. Dr. Ben Carson has an innate goodness and gentility of bearing that sets him apart from most politicians. Governor John Kasich is, by all accounts, a successful governor who has shown a can-do approach to the challenges he has faced, both as a legislator and a chief executive of a large and populous state. Senator Marco Rubio has an undoubtable charisma and proficiency in communication that hasn’t been seen in the ranks of Republicans, since Ronald Reagan in 1980. Senator Ted Cruz has a level of intelligence, a constitutional conviction and an overall understanding of the “big picture,” rarely seen in the opportunistic and pragmatic world of professional politics. Businessman Donald Trump has the singleness of purpose and clarity of mission that is the sine qua non of a great leader.

In the end, it’s just all-too-bad that all five of these men cannot be president, all-too-bad that each of their peculiar strengths cannot be extracted to create a master candidate like a Ronald Reagan, who both can win the election handily and use such a mandate to redirect the direction of a country headed in the wrong direction, as it has been in these last eight years. Such is the confession of a committed, albeit conflicted conservative who finds himself caught up in the consternation of deciding who to support, as his Virginia primary looms large on Tuesday, the first of March, 2016.

Perhaps someone reading this, who knows fully-well the peril this country faces with the prospect of a President Hillary Clinton, might be able to help this poor soul, as he struggles with such a dilemma in deciding for whom to cast his vote.

 

-Drew Nickell, 27 February 2016

© 2016 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved.