Left at the "alter": Christie 2012 ends

Broken hearted.

That about sums up the GOP electorate these days as their hopes for a Great Savior have yet again been dashed, forcing them  to turn their attentions to the reality at hand: this year’s contest is shaping up to be a grudging and belated coronation for the oft-spurned but ever-ready Mitt Romney.

Of course, Gov. Rick Perry and his crew will declare that they’re in it to win it, that they’re prepared for a battle at the OK Corral. And coming from oil-and-gas rich Texas, they plan to have the multimillion dollar backing to finance their endeavor, despite a relatively late start.

They probably aren’t counting on Donald Trump’s money, though, since he’s taken a fancy to meeting with all of his former would-be rivals in the splendor of Trump Towers, where he can flaunt his assumed wealth and media pull. The list of the groveling not only includes Romney and Perry, but also Mr. Pepperoni himself, Herman Cain. With his spicy comments (since recanted) and, in case you were blinded by his rhetoric, dark skin, Cain has been the most exciting thing happening in the 2012 Republican contest as of late.

Until New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Christie was love unrequited. As a near John Candy double, Christie’s girth gained almost more attention during this short courtship than his policies or politics in the Garden State. But he mastered the attention, raising the adulation level.

Christie’s the tough-talking, imperfect, get-things-done governor from a super blue state. He knows and could tame the voracious New York-Philly media markets, charm those suburban soccer moms, cozy up to the beer-swilling blue-collar guys – the ones President Obama (not multinational corporations in search of dirt-cheap labor) put out of work with his “job-killing policies.” 

He could be that knight from the City on the Hill, so the thinking went. He would alter the trajectory of the race.

Still, Christie consistently told folks he wouldn’t run. That didn’t stop a draft-Christie movement from bubbling. Or keep media from tittering. Big money donors pursued him like frat boys after a vestal virgin. Really, there was more begging going on behind closed doors than at a blue-light basement party.

Bordering on foul-mouthed, brash and a self-proclaimed conservative, he was going to be that “fresh face” on the national stage for which the base has been clamoring. And they were panting by the door.

No attention was to be paid to the apparent fickle nature of this electorate, a strange amalgamation of tea party patriots, anti-abortion obsessionists, war hawks and a sprinkling of last-gasp dinosaurs known as moderates or intellectual conservatives (as opposed to the thriving John Birch Society variety). 

They were only fooling around with Sarah Palin (or, she was fooling around with them; according to former NBA star Glen Rice, she does that well).

The Donald? Just a flirtation. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann? A summer romance. Perry? A pretty face, but not who you take home to Uncle Sam. Not when he flubs debates and stumbles with that race thing.

In the end, Christie stood up (or missed, as some pundits have said) his date with destiny. That collective groan from his cheerleaders you just heard started along the Jersey Turnpike, scoured the Rust Belt, shook across the Rockies and then shivered in the Great White North.

He said simply that he wasn’t ready – a not so subtle nod to those who have assailed Obama on this charge. Even at face value, that level of candor is refreshing. It almost made folks swoon all over. Almost.

He has significant right-sided criticisms. And given a history of fairly moderate ideals – a must, actually, for any successful Northeastern Republican, which may be why so few fare well nationally – it’s likely he, too, would have been another carcass on the side of the GOP road to the White House, 2012 edition.

No, Christie opted to live to fight another day. Maybe knock some more heads in New Jersey. Maybe transform historically underperforming and under-resourced urban school districts in places like Camden and Newark. Maybe shed a few pounds. Do all of that, and maybe he comes in a winner in 2016. That was said to have been his plan all along.

That is, if he doesn’t opt for a veep slot this go ‘round.

In the meantime, the battle royal for the GOP crown continues. Stay tuned.

Searching for Dem stars amid cloudy skies

Re-election is far from assured for President Obama. But his chances are notably higher by dint of incumbency and glimmers of the magic woven so perfectly in 2008. If Democrats refrain from their usual posture of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and rally behind the notably battered and all-too human president, 2012 could be a lock, with voter registration ratios alone.

Whatever way it shapes up, one thing is abundantly clear: there’s a vast void for Dems for 2016.  

Unlike on the GOP side, the spotlight has been scant for up-and-coming Dems during the Age of Obama. His shadow so all encompassing, it’s been hard for the public to focus on a pipeline. Worse, there are fears among activists that a bench of any depth may not truly exist.

This is the flip side of incumbency, as it provides an easy and open platform for dissent – voices that are most resonant when the other side appears solidly sewn up. It’s the space that is occupied by the Chris Christies, Nikki Haleys and Paul Ryans, among others. They’ve not only drawn national spotlight, but they’ve invited viewers in for close-ups with actions that tease higher aspirations.

Even if Obama is not returned to the White House, his presence indicated a national appetite for younger leadership, more prone to innovation and not chained to the Boomer-based culture wars and pathos. That will be one of many factors voters will explore in the coming years, on both sides of the aisle.

Unless something drastic occurs, 2016 will probably produce a field and a candidate from nowhere, a la Bill Clinton circa 1992. And Dems have to hope that diamond in the rough can outshine the crew from the other side already glossing their lips, hair and talking points. 

That said, here’s a quick glance at the constellations and a few younger Dem stars – shooting and falling:

Harold Ford Jr.

The former congressman’s worked hard for most of his career to establish himself as a centrist, and presented himself in ways that would have most ignore his hint of color – including hanging at the Playboy mansion. He was savaged in a U.S. Senate race in his home state of Tennessee despite his hawkish and socially conservative Blue Dog Democrat credentials. Flirtations for a run in his adopted New York never materialized, yet despite that stumble, the 41-year-old has remained a player on the scene and handles his media appearances with confidence. But it’s been a minute since his 2000 address before the Democratic National Convention – a platform that Obama used far more effectively in 2004.

Jennifer Granholm

As a former governor of a hard-scrabble, hard-hit state, she has plenty of supporters and detractors based on her two terms of service and her earlier bid as Michigan’s attorney general. Sharp-witted and fun on the stump, she’s won over legion and continues pushing for the party. Being a woman and raised in blue-leaning California are pluses, but as she was born outside the United States (a native Canadian whose family roots trace to Norway and Sweden), this blonde’s ambition is Constitutionally short-circuited.

Amy Klobuchar

Claiming her place in the stuffy boys’ club known as the U.S. Senate, the Minnesota lawmaker routinely brings wit, humor and thoughtfulness to the table on behalf of Democrats. Part hip teacher, part subversive, her personality matches her policy and she’s been a loyal and fierce party stalwart. Her Midwest roots and authenticity give the 51-year-old a boost. Her liberal following poses to be as much of a hindrance as a benefit.

Marty O’Malley

Maryland has laid goose eggs in sending lawmakers south to occupy the White House, but this former Baltimore mayor and current governor combines urban grit with suburban language – a winning combination for him to date. His risen from assistant state attorney through the muck that is Baltimore City Council to Annapolis to chair of the Democratic Governors Association. Plus, he has his own Irish jam band for extra cool points. At 48, he has youth and the Catholic Church on his side, even if his national profile is still fairly muted.

Deval Patrick

Having run a liberal state in the Northeast for two terms, though his re-election was tight, gives the 54-year-old Massachusetts governor the executive leadership bonafides voters crave. While Obama bust open the color barrier, it’s not clear the country is ready for another black man to take the helm quite yet (despite any best-case-scenario dreams of the GOP’s Herman Cain). Still, being tight with Obama, having the requisite autobiography selling and retaining a neat public profile gives him a platform for consideration.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

This is one woman who doesn’t mind being a pit bull in the political arena. Her command of talking points and fearlessness in tearing into an opponent’s argument won her fans. Her tenacity – and the milquetoast tenure of Tim Kaine – won her the post of Democratic National Committee chair. That she is a woman and from voter-rich Florida adds to her arsenal. Her biggest detractions would be a perception that she skews too far to the left and may have scrambled Middle East priorities. One 44-year-old to watch.

Anthony Weiner

So much has been said about the former New York congressman whose hubris overtook his common sense. Shame. His vicious, vitriolic attacks on the more ridiculous, hypocritical aspects of GOP policy served his party well. Youthful enough to eventually mount a comeback in the public arena, his dreams of occupying NYC’s City Hall anytime soon vanished overnight with mounting tabloid coverage of his “sexting” affairs – much less 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

And for the wildest of wildcards . . .

George Clooney

Okay, why not? The GOP had Reagan. The Dems could recruit one the foremost Hollywood humanitarian actor/director/thinkers for a White House run. No one would take him seriously at first, much like Reagan. Then he could dazzle with his command of the topics and his eloquence. His skills would be formidable; consider all the scripts he’s had to memorize and the benefit of his relative ease in front of a camera in this media-driven age. In a populist-leaning year, he could be what ails the party – beefcake factor aside. Besides Michelle Obama, this would be the dream candidate that no one would imagine knocking on a voter's door.

GOP contenders play King of the Hill

The respect President Obama has been getting from the other side of the aisle lately is enough to make you check the calendar to see if we were still on Valentine’s Day. Nope. That was two weeks ago.

Apparently so too is all the big talk about how Obama's re-election would deflate like a balloon in a pin warehouse, replaced with seemingly coordinated heartfelt confessions from Republican camps. 
From former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) to Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.) to Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), potential 2012 opponents have been offering Obama praise on, of all things, his political prowess.

Even hardcore partisan like Karl Rove had to acknowledge the president’s favorability.

On Meet the Press last Sunday, Barbour said, “The president is one of the greatest politicians in the history of the United States.”

Huckabee recently conceded that, “The people that are sitting around saying, ‘He [Obama]’s definitely going to be a one-term president. It’s going to be easy to take him out,’ they’re obviously political illiterates – political idiots, let me be blunt.”

And Christie, the non-presidential candidate some hope to draft for the gig, analyzed it in his typical style, “[Obama] proved he could win once, so that’s one more time than anybody else who has run.”

Photo credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

Out:    Obama-as-Jimmy-Carter talk.
In:       Obama-would-be-tough-to-beat speak.

Read:  Send money, Ma!

Meanwhile, Obama’s tightening his trash talk, ready to prove that he can “throw those ‘bows” on the blacktop or from the Oval Office.

With the surefire bet of GOP union-busting looking a little shakier, the new tactic seems to ante up the ego jackpot for the man (or woman) attempting to boot Obama from the White House.

Prove your gonads! Etch your glory in history! Take down THIS president! 

Chatter aside, smart money is still on the president. And for now, so is the public. For now.