Pursuit of the Presidency: "Uncle Sugar", Mike Huckabee, Rises To The Top Of GOP Race

Political prognostication is an evolving industry.  Back in the day, cable networks across the nation were flooded with mystical offerings like the famous Miss Cleo.  Sure, there are those who like the fun and intrigue of a good reading, but most people find it to be nothing more than entertainment, much like what we do everyday in professional sports.  The Miss Cleo's of modern political punditry are finding a similar demand to this mystical mayhem of old.

And what does Miss Cleo say about the prospects for the next republican presidential candidate?

Right now Uncle Sugar has taken a lead in the conservative run at the presidency.  Miss Cleo reserves the right to change her visionary prediction (as poll numbers change), but right now, Mike "Uncle Sugar" Huckabee has taken the lead.

Few would have expected him to even gain support for the presidency after failed attempts in the past.  In a recent speech, Huckabee denounces women who can't control their libido enough to pay for their own birth control without the help from Uncle Sugar. This statement got as much notice from those who support his thoughts as it did from those who never met their uncle named sugar.

For the laymen who did not catch his coin of phrase, Uncle is a reference to Uncle Sam and Sugar is a reference to the term Sugar Daddy, a man who pays a woman (non-prostitute) for her time and wares. What he did not quite realize is that whoever takes over the role of president becomes the embodiment of this mythical "Uncle Sugar" that he speaks of.  If Huckabee seeks to become president, he will also become Uncle Sugar.

Since those who actually respond to polls will segment their support from the list of the most likely's, no one candidate has gained a larger percentage than the 14% support that Uncle Sugar possesses.  I have seen polls that show Mitt Romney at or near the top (14%-15%), but no one yet believes that Ann Romney will let him run again. However, the mere notion that Uncle Sugar is leading the pre-preseason race speaks to the most resounding force in the republican party right now.

The religious right is ready to place its fingerprint on this race.  They are tired of losing with left leaning candidates because invariably, you will look back on your failures and always wonder if the compromise was the cause.  A moderate candidate might just make it through again, simply because prudence dictates these things, but this will be a bruising battle to win the party nomination.

Uncle Sugar might appeal to Tea Party religiosity, but he does not seem equipped to raise the money it takes to give more bruising then you take in a primary battle, and comes off as a bit too sour to become that sweet uncle we depend on to support our pleasures.

Next Post:  Pursuit of the Presidency: Rand Paul, The Libertarian Champion

Ann Romney: "You know, we lost, but truly the country lost by not having Mitt as president.”

Not that I'm saying I told you so, but I told you so.

America has it's own party of dissent, and anything that feels like government (or government as usual) brings these folks out of the woodwork._______

The cover picture to the movie "Mitt" is one of him fresh after Ann scrambles his hair up at the end of a tough debate.  The caption reads "Whatever side you're on, see another side".  Why? 

If the answer is to sell the Netflix movie to the masses then I would understand the caption.  Since I watched that movie days ago when Mitt gave it away for free on YouTube, I am left asking why.  Either Mitt is in collaboration with the release of this movie, or he is in breach of some copyright law.  

When you finish watching this film you are left with a certainty that Ann Romney could never endure another run. Now Ann Romney seems ready to publicly lament the failure of America to make the correct choice. In the film, his family seemed happier that he lost than Barack himself. However, his consistent need to remain relevant since the defeat is not being driven by financial reason's.  The only thing that compels Romney or Palin or Cain or any of those political mouthpieces that keep  swallowing microphones is the vision of another chance, or appearance checks.  Romney is so wealthy that he probably loses appearance checks in route to the bank, so its becoming harder and harder to disregard his constant pursuit of relevancy. 

According to Mitt, the person that was hired to capture this video was given the freedom to use it as he pleased just as long as he waited until after Romney's presidency, which didn't happen.  Are we suppose to assume that this was pro bono filming with the payment being the ownership of the film? Most people would hire him to document your story, pay him for his effort and keep your home movie to yourself.  Some of this footage goes all the way back to the first run at the presidency.  It shows a few interesting self deprecating moments in which he describes himself as the flipping Mormon, but if you look carefully his is not really attacking himself but deeply contemplating on how to destroy the notion.

Mitt Romney has been called the flipping Mormon from way back when he ran and won the governors race in Massachusetts.  To a business man, every obstacle is nothing more than a brainstorming session and a coordinated plan away from becoming forgotten history.  This business man has accomplished so much in the world of profit generation that he simply turns voters into a monetary achievement and stacks them up like gold.  

What Romney is missing is that it he is trying to make his story history, which is the only story that can get him elected.  He is treating America like the next  business deal in which you simply need to clarify the assets from the liabilities more clearly than the opposition.  Most importantly, Mitt Romney is doing one of the most dangerous versions of Monday morning quarterbacking.  Mitt is listening to the discontent with Obama to sooth his own campaign failures.  

Mitt is becoming so utterly confused by the voices of  Obama dissent, he hardly recognizes that many of them are the same one's who did not like George Bush either.  America has it's own party of dissent, and anything that feels like government (or government as usual) brings these folks out of the woodwork.  They are the one's who uncovered Area 51 even if they were wrong about what is in it.  Right now they are researching 9-11 conspiracy theories.

Mitt Romney has allowed that same crowd to trick him into thinking that he simply miscalculated his corporate takeover plan a bit.  

As for Ann?  

You know what ride or die wives do.  They complain, and then they jump in the car.

Is Mitt Romney Still Campaigning? Romney Reveals Inside View Of Presidential Campaigns

The Mitt Romney documentary was posted free to YouTube by Mitt Romney himself.


The freedom he exhibited in giving this film away on YouTube pales to the free access to his life that we enjoy from the intimate view represented in this documentary.

I initially only watched the trailer and still felt the pain and anguish from Mitt and his family as they endured the process of fighting, and ultimately losing the battle.  While he exposed some real vulnerability in the making of this film, it has only reignited the question about who is Mitt Romney, and is he electable for the highest post in the land?

My knee jerk reaction to this expose was that it was simply too much.  Gravitas typically demands restraint from overly intense moments of sensitivity, nor can you be overly revealing of personal insecurities.  After all, you are  the head of the free world. In further consideration, I see exactly who Romney is attempting to appeal to with this film and I sense that it is not by chance that we are seeing it now.

According to Mitt Romney and the filmmaker who created the documentary, he could do anything that he wanted with the film footage just as long as he did not release it during a Romney presidency.  The assumption of such an agreement was that Romney would win and this would be a really cool inside look at an over achieving man earnestly pursuing a new goal.  Since he did not win, the filmmaker was free to use the footage as he saw fit.  Are we buying this story, or is there more than meets the eye.

Personally, I am not really sure whether this film ruins his chance at future office or benefits him.  In the eyes of those who don't see the strength in being vulnerable, this may have hurt him, but in the eyes of those who appreciate vulnerability, he has gained some image points.  Is it pure coincidence that a film that could improve Mitt's "binder full of women" image came along just in time for 2016?  Doesn't giving this film out for free on YouTube undermine the filmmakers profit, or has Mitt compensated the film maker to do what he hired him to do all along; get rid of those binders and improve his image among women?

If there is one thing that you learn from this documentary, it should be that campaigning is hard.  Hard on the candidate and harder on those who love them.  You should also learn that Mitt's family never seemed in favor of what he wanted to do, they are simply in favor of Mitt.  The stress that exudes from the camera in the eyes of Mrs. Ann Romney is palpable to say the least.  Mrs. Romney suffers from MS and has to maintain a strict medical regimen to keep the disease at bay. When Mitt jokes about using pills to stay calm on the stump, I immediately had visions of where he could get such pills.  Yet, in the end I was most convinced about one really noticeable Mitt Romney trait.

Mitt Romney really, really, really hates to lose.  No, really.

Enough to run again?  Maybe!


Related Post:  

Romney Film Exposes Washington D.C.'s Taste For Roasted Duck...(especially lame duck)

Romney Film Exposes Washington D.C.'s Taste For Roasted Duck...(especially lame duck)

The Netflix documentary on the Romney campaign came out and offered a revealing exposure to a strong man enduring a trying process (full video).  Some have said this film could have bridged the gap in offering the humanity that Romney lacked.  Others believe it was way too revealing of his vulnerabilities and makes him unable to ever run for president again.  While I have yet to see the film (see link above), I keep thinking about Romney as a candidate when I stretch my mind towards who will be our next president.

If not Romney or Christie or Ryan or Rubio, than who?  Republicans are not tingling over any candidate because they are terrified about the fantastic four, Bill and Hillary, Barack and Michelle.  Obama has already handed over his campaign engine to the Hillary for president prospect team even though she has yet to announce.

Obamacare is more than a signature piece of legislation, it is an historical marker.  It's success will return credibility to the president that was lost during the ACA roll out.  Its failure will return the republicans to the white house with little demand for an opposing agenda outside of a repeal.  No matter what opposing idea that conservatives offer over the next two years, they will still have the demand of getting it to the office of the president for approval.  Way too much of the republican agenda has been attached to deficit reduction anyway. Deficit reduction is always reasonable in theory but does not gain much bi-partisan support in the midst of a sputtering economy.

Despite the screams from the masses for a solution to the healthcare crises, republicans must double down on the destruction of Obamacare and put a little more heat on Obama in the process.  The botched roll out put this duck on the fire and those who crave roasted lame duck are determined to throw every log they have at this fire to make sure Obama's goose gets fully cooked. A powerful president in any election has the risk of overwhelming republicans in every election, including the upcoming elections of 2014 and 2016.

The house will remain in the hands of republicans, but the senate and the white house are up for grabs.  Grab them all and the game changes for republicans.  Lose any two and the republican goose will be cooked and  feasted on by democrats for a few years.

In Washington D.C., roasted foul is the rave, especially from the hind quarters of the opposition.