Newark, U.S.A. – Today’s Presidential primary election is meaningless for citizens living in New Jersey, California, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota. “This creates an alienated and cynical electorate that is becoming more disenfranchised with every election cycle,” says Jim Lynch, author of “The 2020 Players: A Futuristic View of the 2020 Presidential Election.”

Lynch asks, “Can you blame Americans for tuning out? This is not democracy; in fact, it just may be as bad as the backroom politics back in the old days of bosses and political machines.”

“As a result, millions of Americans had absolutely no voice in the Presidential selection process. Let’s face it; the primary system is broken,” says Lynch.

After today’s vote, which involves some 299 uncontested electoral votes, only Utah has yet to weigh in and they’ll hold off until June 26.

“Voting in America should be cherished as a sacred right, as a meaningful experience to every American. But voting has become totally meaningless for almost a third of the states participating in 2012 Republican primary balloting,” says Lynch.

“This flawed process is a ringing endorsement of the reform proposal to have a National One Day Primary on the same day in all 50 states for all presidential candidates. The single day primary would bring an end to local pandering to voters – like Newt Gingrich telling the people in Cape Canaveral ‘We should build a moon base’ – and to months of negative campaigning on TV and radio, one harmful and nauseating attack after another, without end.  And it would be far easier for both parties to unite behind the winners who emerge from the one day balloting,” says Lynch.

Lynch believes Americans must overhaul the political process and the insidious role that media advocacy plays in this process. “In my novel, The 2020 Players, I also advocate a viable three-party system, a single six-year term for President, and a ban on any political campaigning while in office.”

Jim Lynch is a native New Yorker, married with eight children and four grandchildren. His parents worked for the FBI. He spent eight years as an investigator and was an executive for AT&T. Lynch is a full time novelist.

Image Courtesy of  Jim Lynch

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Republican convention organizers have announced that AT&T has been named the “Official Wireless Provider of the 2012 Republican National Convention” and will provide an array of products and services to support and enhance carrier-provided wireless communications in and around key convention venues in the Tampa Bay area.

Under an agreement with the convention, AT&T will support convention planners’ overall mobility efforts by providing voice and data communication services and a variety of mobile devices to help maintain fully integrated communications throughout the convention process.

In addition, AT&T is helping the convention expand its outreach and communications through the development of mobile applications and other services.

As part of the official provider announcement, the Republican National Convention announced a text messaging campaign, supported by AT&T technologies, that allows interested parties to sign up to be among the first to receive breaking news about the August event, including convention speakers and a schedule of daily events.

To sign up for these alerts, text “convention” to 99000 from your mobile device.

“This will be the first national political convention of the social networking era, with unprecedented demand for carrier-provided wireless broadband and AT&T is working to making sure that the convention is more than up to the task,” said convention Chief Executive Officer William Harris.

“Thanks to the improvements we envision, Tampa Bay will be the envy of the world,” said Harris. “This will help ensure convention-goers are able to share the sights, sounds and excitement as we nominate the next president of the United States.”

“We are delighted to be working with the Republic National Convention to provide wireless service and support at this summer’s convention,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility.

“AT&T is privileged to offer the technical expertise of our employees and the capabilities of our wireless network to serve the 50,000 visitors expected in the Tampa Bay region. We look forward to continuing to invest and providing Floridians with superior service long after the convention is over.”

Image Courtesy of   Gage Skidmore

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States are now clamoring to move the Republican primary up early, leaving the traditional first states left in the dust. Florida Republican presidential primary is likely going to be held five weeks earlier than normal, moving the primary to January 31, 2012 instead of early March.

The Florida GOP has selected the early date by a vote of 7 to 2, according to GOP insiders. This move is in violation of Republican National Committee guidelines. It also upsets the traditional standards that allows the states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina to be the first primary states in every presidential election.

Although Florida may be sanctioned by the RNC, Florida’s Republican officials seem to be looking past any punishment. They believe by moving up their primary, they will be the fifth and deciding primary of the season. Early primary states are upset by Florida and other states leapfrogging moves.

Arizona had previously announced that they were moving their primary up to the same day as South Carolina’s primary. South Carolina has asked that the Republican National Convention be moved out of Florida where it is scheduled. New Hampshire is also unhappy since they have a state law mandating that the state have the first primary in the nation.

Officials in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada have already said that they will be moving their contests. When Chuck Todd played this out on MSNBC last week, he anticipated that the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the season , would be moved to Jan. 5. But by the time this all shakes out, it could end up being worse.

As CNN’s Peter Hamby tweets this morning: “NH Sec of State does not rule out holding New Hampshire primary this year. As in, 2011.” This means those potential candidates that are still lingering in the dust better start to announce their candidacy if they are interested. Yes, I am talking to you Sarah Palin, Chris Christie or even Mr. Huckabee.

The chance to build up a campaign was just shortened by a month.
R. Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock.com

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Paul, who recently moved up as one of the leading GOP presidential candidates of the 2012 election, has had previous experience with the roller coaster of campaigning in his run in 2008.

Paul has the same views he did four years ago, but they are attracting attention this time around and setting his campaign apart from other candidates.

Paul could have an advantage in the race, because he knows what to expect during his early stages of campaigning. He knows what the people want because many of the issues he built his campaign on in 2008 are more crucial from four years ago and are vital in the 2012 election.

He stated in Iowa, “I believe there are literally millions of more people now concerned about the very things I talked about four years ago. The excessive spending, the entitlement system, the foreign policy, as well as the monetary system.”

People who are fed up with the government’s excessive spending and involvement in our daily lives will most likely turn to a candidate who promotes more freedom and small government along with other libertarian views. Paul is answering the tough questions that some other candidates haven’t focused much attention on, which may be beneficial in the end.

Taking second place in the Ames straw poll may have been because of his bold statements that set him apart from other candidates.

In one response he stated, “I believe in a very limited role for government. But the prime reason that government exists in a free society is to protect liberty, but also to protect life. And I mean all life.”

In response to the second place win at the straw poll, Ron Paul’s campaign chairman Jesse Benton stated, “Our message was the same in 2007 as it is now in 2011, but this time we have quadrupled our support. That means our message is spreading, our support is surging and people are taking notice.”

Paul is gaining support from college students, libertarians, as well as other conservatives that have seen many of his predictions become realities.  He is sparking a new movement and attracting not just followers, but dedicated supporters who believe in his vision.

Even though Ron Paul’s ideology is not always the most mainstream or agreeable, such as his views on military spending and the federal reserve, he has been a candidate who has stayed true to his remarks. He has had a continuous message that has resonated not only in this election but also for the past four years since his campaign in 2008.

It will be interesting to see if Paul’s libertarian ideals will continue to gain support, or if they will distract voters into voting for a more mainstream candidate such as Bachmann, Perry, or Romney.

Image Courtesy of  R. DeYoung [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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A spokesman for Texas governor Rick Perry confirmed on Thursday that the governor is running for president in 2012, adding more drama to the already overcrowded field of candidates on the GOP side.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner said the governor would formally announce his candidacy on Saturday while visiting South Carolina and New Hampshire just as most of his presidential rivals compete in a test vote in Iowa.

Although the news isn’t much of a surprise, the timing is crucial. Just hours before the Republican debate and two days before the all-important Ames straw poll in Iowa, Perry decides to make if official.

Perry has appeal for many different factions of the GOP’s primary electorate. He is strongly pro-business fiscal conservative. He also has ties to the nation’s Christian leaders and is a social conservative.

But, Perry is not without problems. His views are extreme, even among the Tea Party. He will likely face opposition from secular groups that believe his religious rhetoric violates the separation of church and state. He has suggested that Texas secedes from the country if “governmental overreach” continues.

Perry supports states rights over federal government, angering members of his party when he believes that states should decide things like gay marriage and legalization of marijuana. However, Perry is very pro-guns which will help him appeal to his base.

Perry last year told an Associated Press reporter that he carries a laser-sighted pistol while jogging, and that he used it to shoot a coyote that threatened his daughter’s dog that came along one day for a run.

Texans touted what they called a heroic act, and gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. issued a “Coyote Special” edition of its Ruger .380-caliber pistol complete with “A True Texan” emblazoned on the side.

In a recent interview with Time magazine, Perry said that former President George W. Bush — who preceded Perry as Texas governor — has been advising him on the decision.

“He said, ‘You’ll do what’s right,’” Perry said, of a June conversation with the former president. “He said, you don’t want to wake up when you’re 70 and go, ‘I wish I had tried that. I wish I had done that.’”

Questioned about the strength of his conservative credentials, Perry said he didn’t think there was “any doubt” that he was at least as conservative as every other candidate in the race – if not more so.

“I’ve got a record. And that record, particularly when it comes to the most important issues in this campaign, which is creating the climate of America that gives incentives to job creators to risk their capital and create jobs for our citizens, I will put that up against anybody who’s running and particularly against this President we have today, whose jobs record is abysmal,” he said.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

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Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney spoke at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday, making a classic Freudian slip that was immediately pounced on by his opposition. Speaking to a rowdy crowd on the afternoon of the Republican debate, Romney declared that “corporations are people.”

An audience member asked Romney why he was focusing on entitlement reforms to reduce the deficit instead of asking corporations to share part of the burden. Romney shot back, “Corporations are people, my friend… of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people. Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? Whose pockets? People’s pockets. Human beings my friend.”

The Democrats wasted no time slamming Romney over the comments. “This is what Mitt Romney is going to run on? Corporations are people? Really?” said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. “There’s a great message for people struggling to get by and trying to make ends meet. Don’t complain — corporations are people too!”

Speaking at the Des Moines Register soapbox, Romney was also interrupted by a heckler who asked if he supported “scrapping the Social Security payroll cap so that rich people pay their fair share into the trust fund?”

Romney responded, “There was a time in this country where we didn’t celebrate attacking people based on their success. We didn’t go after people because they were successful. I’ve watched this president go across the country attacking people, and I… and I am… if you want to speak, you can speak. But right now it’s my turn, so let me continue.”

Romney, clearly flustered, continued. “If you don’t like my answer, you can vote for someone else,” he said.

Romney’s attack comes just two days before the Ames straw poll in the state, an important indicator for the primary next year. Although Romney will appear on the ballot in Iowa, he has not been actively campaigning in the conservative state.

“As you know I participated in a major way in a straw poll four years ago,” Romney said in addressing his decision to forego the straw poll during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Wednesday night.

“Some of the benefit I already was able to accrue based upon what happened last time around… I want to use my financial resources and my time this time to actually get delegates, not the straw polls — they are nice but don’t get you delegates — I’m not going to participate in the straw polls anywhere in the country.”

Image of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/wacphiladelphia/

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You may or may not be aware that Michele Bachmann has officially jumped into the Republican presidential primary. The folks at the beltway press covered this fact like it was news. Even though everyone knew Bachmann was going to enter the race. She even provided the date she was going to make the announcement. But, somehow her announcement was still big news. Even more troubling are the new poll numbers. Again, the beltway press has been all over Bachmann’s poll numbers. She is leading in Iowa. And this is somehow big news.

The real big news is how Bachmann cannot even get American history correct. First she made a big deal about her announcement being in John Wayne’s hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. Oops, wrong John Wayne, Congresswoman. The John Wayne that grew up in Waterloo is John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer. So, be proud that you share a hometown with a serial killer. Before the ink had even dried on that story, Bachmann said something stupid again.

Bachmann made an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday and was given an opportunity to try to correct her comments that she made earlier in the year about the nation’s founding fathers and the abolishment of slavery. Instead of correcting any errors, Bachmann simply made more idiotic remarks. And this is who is leading the polls in Iowa?  Really? George Stephanopoulos asked the congresswoman about her comments where she stated that the founding fathers worked “tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States.”  He pointed out that many early leaders, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, in fact had slaves and that slavery wasn’t abolished until the Civil War.

Bachmann: Well you know what’s marvelous is that in this country and under our constitution, we have the ability when we recognize that something is wrong to change it. And that’s what we did in our country. We changed it. We no longer have slavery. That’s a good thing. And what our Constitution has done for our nation is to give us the basis of freedom unparalleled in the rest of the world.

Stephanopoulos: I agree with that…

Bachmann: That’s what people want…they realize our government is taking away our freedom.

Stephanopoulos: But that’s not what you said. You said that the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery.

Bachmann: Well if you look at one of our Founding Fathers, John Quincy Adams, that’s absolutely true. He was a very young boy when he was with his father serving essentially as his father’s secretary. He tirelessly worked throughout his life to make sure that we did in fact one day eradicate slavery…

Stephanopoulos: He wasn’t one of the Founding Fathers – he was a president, he was a Secretary of State, he was a member of Congress, you’re right he did work to end slavery decades later. But so you are standing by this comment that the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery?

Despite all of her flubs, Bachmann still honestly told CNN on Tuesday morning that she is a serious candidate and that Barack Obama fears her.  “I’m introducing myself now to the American people so that they can know that I have a strong academic scholarly background, more important I have a real life background.”

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Newt Gingrich’s epic campaign implosion is not entirely unexpected, but is delightful to watch. Gingrich attempted to explain the mass exodus surrounding his campaign after several key aides resigned. Speaking outside of his house in Virginia, Gingrich said the differences involved campaign strategy. He told reporters, in his words, “There is a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting community and the kind of campaign I want to run.” He also said that “we’ll find out over the next year who’s right.”

The Republican hopeful said in an interview with ABC News, “I’m prepared to go out and to campaign very intensely but I want a campaign on ideas and on solutions and I want to do it in a way that brings Americans together into a large movement.” Despite Gingrich’s assurances, the other GOP hopefuls took advantage of the chaos in the Gingrich campaign.  Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced that some of Gingrich’s supporters, including big name supporters, have thrown their support behind the T-Paw campaign now.

In a statement, Gingrich maintained he’s still in the contest. “I am committed to running the substantive, solutions-oriented campaign I set out to run earlier this spring,” he said shortly after word broke of the mass staff exit. “The campaign begins anew Sunday in Los Angeles.”

In addition to losing his campaign manager, senior adviser and longtime press aide, he also saw key staff in the pivotal early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina head for the exits. Gingrich’s campaign has been besieged by problem after problem since it began. The latest controversies came as Gingrich continues to try to be some down home common candidate.  The media reported that the Gingrich’s have a $500,000 line of credit at the upscale jeweler Tiffany’s creating a public relations nightmare for the campaign. And then, inexplicably, Gingrich suspends the campaign to embark on a long-planned cruise in the Greek Isles with his wife, Callista, aboard a luxury ship where former supermodel Twiggy reportedly was among the passengers. Doesn’t seem much like someone who knows how to cut spending, eh?

Many insiders believe that Gingrich was never serious about the campaign to begin with, instead using it ala Donald Trump as a way to promote his books and DVDs.  His promotional appearances often seem to time with some new product that his wife and he are promoting.  If that is the case, then these controversies and gaffes will not diminish the Gingrich Empire at all.  His name will become more relevant and sell more books.  Meanwhile, though, Republicans have yet to find a candidate that can even sort of stand toe to toe with President Obama. Seems like it may be a rough season for the GOP.

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No major candidate has publicly announced his or her decision to seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. However, there are plenty of folks that have been hinting at a possible run, so many in fact that it has turned into a series of articles just to discuss the options.  In part one, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Mike Huckabee, and Newt Gingrich were all featured.  In the second part, we focused on Gov. Haley Barbour, Gov. Mitch Daniels, and Jon Huntsman.  Article three was about Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, and Donald Trump.  Here are some more possibilities.

Former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is almost certainly going to run for the GOP nomination.  Since 2009, he has made 32 visits to the three states that hold the first votes during the primary–Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.    Santorum has also been busy criticizing the president and possible other contenders, such as Mitt Romney.  The former Senator was suspended from his gig at Fox News, along with Gingrich, because the brass there feel he is going to make a run at challenging President Obama.  Santorum is a social conservative, loudly outspoken on his anti-abortion and anti-gay stance.  He sparked controversy in 2003 when he told an interviewer that he had “a problem with homosexual acts” and seemed to compare homosexuality to incest and polygamy.  But, compared with the other possible contenders, it is unlikely that Santorum has much chance.  He is not as boring as Tim Pawlenty but he does not have the star power of Palin or Donald Trump either.

Rep. Ron Paul from Texas is a fan favorite, but has never been taken seriously from the Republican leadership.  Paul made a bid during 2008 and the libertarian leaning congressman was all but laughed out of the race by the other contenders and the media.  But, Paul began the real Tea Party—not the one being orchestrated by the Koch brothers.  Paul also won the straw poll during the Conservative Political Action Conference this year.  Paul is raising tons of cash.  His Liberty PAC raised $1.1 million just in the last month.  Rep. Paul may not be taken seriously by the establishment but he has a huge fan base and it is way too early to count this dark horse out yet.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani also might just take a stab at the GOP nomination again.  He holds the record for using Sept. 11^th for his own personal gain the most often and is looking to beat his own record.  According to Republicans close to him, the former mayor is seriously considering another try at the highest office.  Giuliani made a trip up to New Hampshire mid-March but denied that it was “a presidential consideration fact-finding mission.”  He said he has no timetable to make up his mind.  So, in the meantime, we will all wonder if Rudy will say 9/11 over and over if again involved in the debates, or will we have to find a different drinking game?

Stay tuned, there are still more.  The unknowns, the dark horses, the surprises…

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As of now, no major candidate has publicly decided to challenge Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States.  However, there is buzz surrounding numerous GOP hard hitters, suggesting that they may try to capture the GOP nomination in 2012.  There are so many possibilities, that this has turned into a series of articles.  In part one, we discussed Palin, Bachmann, Huckabee, and Gingrich.  In the second part, we focused on Gov. Haley Barbour, Gov. Mitch Daniels, and Jon Huntsman.  In part three, there are even more possibilities.

Would it be a real list without mentioning Mitt Romney?  The former Governor of Massachusetts may be the front runner in the list of potential candidates.  He is part of the establishment, sure, but many Republican voters are still fans.  He has a better track record, keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t embarrass himself the way most of the other likely GOP contenders do.  But, Romney has one large problem.  The Commonwealth Care reform that gave the state of Massachusetts health care for practically all is very similar to the Affordable Care Act that Republicans hate.   That will pose the biggest hurdle for Romney.  Other problems could be that he is too “elite,” he is from New England, and he is Mormon—all things that the Republican base doesn’t really like.

Also, the list must include Donald Trump.  That is right, The Donald is pretending he might run.  Trump recently spoke at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference suggesting that if he ran and won, “America would be respected again.”  Trump, like so many others in this wide open field, says he will make his decision in June. In a March WSJ/NBC poll, Trump had “an approval rating higher than better-known political quantities Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.”  That makes two reality stars possible GOP contenders.

Speaking of Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota is also on the long list of possible presidential GOP nominations.  Pawlenty, like the others, has given no indication either way whether he will run or not, but he may be closer than most.  Just this week, he announced his intention to form an exploratory committee.  His website also has Pawlenty for 2012 all over it. He did not seek a third term for governor of Minnesota, leading many to speculate that he will mount a presidential bid.  In January 2011, Pawlenty told the College Republicans group at The George Washington University “If I decide to run it would be for president, not vice president.”  Pawlenty has been making some trips to Iowa, also leading more to believe he will likely run for president.  Pawlenty, like Romney, is good at not making headlines.  The biggest problem with Pawlenty is that he is boring.  No one is excited about him.  The party may settle for him, but no one is enthusiastic about his candidacy.  That doesn’t count him out though.  No one was very excited about McCain either.

There are still even more possible candidates.  Check out part four in this series for other primary potentials.

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Although no major candidate has declared their intention to run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, there are plenty of possible contenders to speculate over.  Numerous Republican heavy hitters and outsiders have expressed some interest in possibility challenging Barack Obama in 2012.  Here are some of the potential candidates.

First, we have Sarah Palin.  She is the leader of the pack because other likely candidates appear to be waiting to see if she will throw her hat in the ring or not.  The former Alaska Governor seems to know that others are waiting and she enjoys it.  Palin has huge star power, a strong fan base, and an ability to fundraise like no other.  But, she hasn’t spent much time courting the all-important Iowa vote, her likability rating in polls have been tanking, and she makes boatloads of money which she would have to give up if she were to be president.  She also scheduled a speaking engagement on the day of the first scheduled primary debate.  I am convinced that she may never officially announce one way or another leaving the Republican Party in complete confusion and chaos right up to the Republican convention.

Next up is Newt Gingrich.  The former Speaker of the House announced last month that he will begin raising money to test whether he should try to run for the GOP presidential nomination.  He also set up a website for the potential run.   Gingrich was suspended from his gig at Fox News because they clearly expect him to run.  Gingrich, who continues to be indecisive about entering the presidential race, is giving signs that he is serious this time.  Talking about his past affairs and disconnecting himself from various side projects in order to be compliant with campaign law suggest he really might do it.

Rep. Michele Bachmann may be the most surprising “maybe candidate”.  But, she is increasingly giving signs that she is considering a run.  The Tea Party darling has made recent trips to early primary states and has more travels scheduled.  Sources close to the Minnesota Congresswoman also suggest that she is feeling pretty confident after visiting the states and talking to potential voters.  Bachmann said she would make her decision in spring or early summer and that she would use prayer to help guide her in the decision.  She also has huge fundraising abilities and if Palin didn’t enter, Bachmann could garner would-be Palin voters because they have similar styles.

Mike Huckabee is also a name mentioned as a likely candidate.  Recently, Huckabee has been everywhere to promote his book.  Whether his press run also means he will attempt a presidential bid is not clear.  He has said it is “stupid” to enter the race too early.  The former Arkansas governor has suggested that he will run, but more speculation points to a non-existent campaign.  Huckabee is still insisting that people take the campaign very seriously, and is bragging about being an early season front-runner. “Virtually every poll in America has me leading,” Huckabee claims.

There are more possible candidates.  Check out our other parts to this growing series.

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The GOP playing field is wide open.  There is plenty of speculation and many Republicans have provided hints or expressed the possibility of running against Barack Obama in 2012, but no one has officially made any type of announcement yet.  In Part I, we discussed possible candidates, Palin, Bachmann, Gingrich, and Huckabee.  Here are some more of the potential candidates.

The beltway press has speculated that Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour would run for president days after Obama was sworn in.  And Barbour has never denied his ambitions.  In March, Barbour’s political action committee made an important hire– former RNC communications director Jim Dyke.  Dyke will serve in an adviser role on communications for the PAC and many experts believe this hire is a clear intention of Barbour’s ambition.  Barbour has also long told reporters to judge his political ambitions by his weight.  Unsure of exactly what that means, it is interesting to note that Barbour appears to be losing weight.  Good or bad, I am not sure.  Barbour has made some controversial remarks about growing up during the civil rights era, which he described as “not that bad.”  Although most minorities don’t vote for Republicans, his comments still could pose a problem.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has also been flirting with the idea of a potential presidential run.  Daniels has stated he is considering a bid for the GOP presidential nomination and will announce his decision before the end of April unless he has to call the Indiana General Assembly back for a special session.  A poll of “political insiders” has suggested that Daniels is the frontrunner.  Maybe the insiders think he is awesome, but many people in his own state want him out.  Thousands of workers have gathered at the Indiana capital to protest Indiana’s version of a union busting bill, chanting catchy slogans like “Ditch Mitch.”  Does anyone really believe this man has a shot at the White House?

Finally, we have Jon Huntsman—the man you have likely never heard of.  Huntsman, a former Utah governor and current U.S. ambassador to China, is leaving his ambassador role on April 30^th.  Huntsman has hinted about a possible presidential bid earlier in the year and many feel he could be a strong challenger to Obama if he got past the primaries.  Of course, Huntsman would have a huge uphill climb if he were to mount a presidential bid.  He served under the enemy—the Obama administration.  President Obama has also sung Huntsman’s praises, which would not look good to the hard core right.  And Obama knows that.  “I’m sure that him having worked so well with me will be a great asset in any Republican primary,” Obama joked in January during a joint news conference with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

We still have more.  Check out the next part in our series for even more possible Republican challengers.

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Sarah Palin and Donald Trump are starting to share more similarities than differences.  They are both reality show stars, for one.  But, now they are both mounting ‘pretend’ presidential campaigns, even though, in all likelihood, neither of them will actually run.

The former Alaska governor told Fox News last week she is “still thinking about” running for president in 2012, and she feels “tempted” to do so because she questions the other potential Republican candidates’ motives.  “I’m still wondering who the heck is going to be out there with a servant’s heart willing to serve the American people for the right reason, not for ego, not for special interests, not with obsessive partisanship,” Palin, a paid Fox contributor, told the network’s Greta Van Susteren in a lengthy interview.

However, evidence is mounting that Palin will not enter the fray in the next election.  She has not begun to build any campaign organization or visit the crucial early primary states.  Palin has not hired additional staff; instead her staff is shrinking.  She recently parted ways with two of her most experienced political operatives, Jason Recher and Doug McMarlin, both veterans of the Bush administration.  Sources suggest that the parting was not sudden and that Palin is simply downsizing.

The polls also indicate that Palin should not mount any political bid.  Her popularity has been decreasing in the past few months.  Even pundits on the conservative end of the spectrum have begun to criticize Palin.  Her reality television series and her daughter’s stint on Dancing with the Stars have made it difficult for some to take her seriously.

Palin, who often complains about the ‘lamestream media,’ told Van Susteren that she didn’t care about the media any longer.  “I’m through whining about a liberal press that holds particularly conservative women to a different standard, because it doesn’t do any good to whine about it,” she said. “Nobody ever promised life was going to be fair. And politics really isn’t fair, the scrutiny, the double standards, and all that.”

In all likelihood, Palin will continue to dangle the “will I or won’t I run” carrot for a little longer.  She seems to really like being in the media spotlight but I think her mind has been made up for a while.

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It has been my belief for the past two years that most prominent Republicans simply assume the opposite position of President Obama.  This was clearly displayed during the health care debate.  The individual mandate that so many Republicans claim is unconstitutional was once something Republicans really liked.  But last week, Newt Gingrich took the flip-flopping to a whole new level.

Earlier this month, the former Speaker of the House attacked Obama for not intervening in Libya.  Gingrich was on Fox News on March 7^th with Greta Van Susteren.  Van Susteren asked Gingrich what he would do about the Libya situation.  “Exercise a no-fly zone this evening. … It’s also an ideological problem. The United States doesn’t need anybody’s permission. We don’t need to have NATO, who frankly, won’t bring much to the fight. We don’t need to have the United Nations,” Gingrich responded. “All we have to say is that we think that slaughtering your own citizens is unacceptable and that we’re intervening. And we don’t have to send troops. All we have to do is suppress his air force, which we could do in minutes.”

During appearances that same day, Gingrich also said that he would provide help to the Libyan rebels on top of the no-fly zone: “This is a moment to get rid of him. Do it. Get it over with.”

Inexplicably, Gingrich switched positions less than 24 hours after Obama initiated a no-fly zone.  He told Politico, very shortly after Obama announced the plan, that “it is impossible to make sense of the standard for intervention in Libya except opportunism and news media publicity.”

On March 23^rd, Gingrich went on the Today Show to further his new position.  “I would not have intervened. I think there were a lot of other ways to affect Qaddafi. I think there are a lot of other allies in the region we could have worked with. I would not have used American and European forces,” Gingrich announced on the show.  And of course, typical of the media, Gingrich’s abrupt switch of positions went unchecked by host Matt Lauer.

Gingrich halfheartedly attempted to explain his changing positions on his Facebook page but it really didn’t work.  This flip-flopping is especially troublesome for Newt. In 2004, Newt repeatedly criticized then Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, saying his flip-flop on Iraq war funding disqualified him from being president.  So, I guess Newt’s flip flopping disqualifies him?  We could only hope.  This is just the tip of the ever changing positions of Newt.  There are plenty more.

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Sarah Palin is back on the attack against her nemesis, the “lamestream media.”  Only a day after she announced that she was done complaining about the unfair media, she talked about the media again.  And this time she used her slogan that got her into so much trouble following the Tucson shooting-she said she was ready to “reload.”  In a Facebook post entitled, “Lamestream Media:  Reload or White Flag?” Palin, or really her aide that writes her Facebook notes for her, begins the war with the media again.

“Friends, too often conservatives or Republicans in general come across as having the fighting instinct of sheep. I don’t,” Palin wrote last Thursday. “I was raised to believe that you don’t retreat when you’re on solid ground; so even though it often seems like I’m armed with just a few stones and a sling against a media giant, I’ll use those small resources to do what I can to set the record straight. The truth is always worth fighting for. Doing so isn’t whining or ‘playing the victim card’; it’s defending the truth in fairness to those who seek accurate information. I’ll keep attempting to correct misinformation and falsehoods about myself and my record, and I will certainly never shy from defending others who are unfairly attacked. This is in the name of justice.”

She went on to try to clarify her position and reframe her battle with the “liberal’ media.

“We must always remember the big picture. The media has always been biased. Conservatives – and especially conservative women – have always been held to a different standard and attacked,” Palin said. “Let’s just acknowledge that commonsense conservatives must be stronger and work that much harder because of the obvious bias. And let’s be encouraged with a sense of poetic justice by knowing that the ‘mainstream’ media isn’t mainstream anymore. That’s why I call it ‘lamestream,’ and the LSM is becoming quite irrelevant, as it is no longer the sole gatekeeper of information.”

Palin also addressed, somewhat indirectly, an insult directed at her by Bill Maher over the weekend, in which the comedian called her a “dumb twat.”  When asked on Fox News about the incident, Palin declined to comment and instead said she was done whining about the media.  However, on her Facebook page, she could not resist.  “I won’t bother responding to it though, because it was made by he who reminds me of an annoying little mosquito found zipped up in your tent; he can’t do any harm, but buzzes around annoyingly until it’s time to give him the proverbial slap.”

Again, I ask—does Palin realize she is employed by the media??

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