This is CPAC week, and even though some potential 2012 candidates are not speaking, other lesser potentials are using the CPAC event as a continued institution for networking and furthering the political dialogue. Huckabee and Palin are not scheduled to attend or to speak, but the likes of Bachmann, Ron Paul, and Luis Fortuño are expected to take a moment on stage.
We are one year away from the Iowa caucuses, and I believe that the usual attendees at these events do so in hopes to stay current, maintain or gain name recognition, and wait for their chance to jump into the race (or at least receive a draft movement on their behalf).
The 2008 campaign was changed by two dark horse candidates - Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee. They both could now enter the 2012 race as established figures in the party with a clear direction and message. 2012 still leaves much room for a dark horse candidate... for someone with a message or movement that could unite the country and fix this economic, foreign, and otherwise general disaster we have in there now...
Keep an eye on Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rican governor. He just got a Bob Barr endorsement in the Atlanta Journal, and the Associated Press just interviewed me for a story they are going to run about a potential Puerto Rican President of the United States. Like I said, there is plenty of room for a dark horse candidate to establish himself over the next year... with the rate of progress in Puerto Rico, and their rebounding economy, one has to wonder how much longer before Fortuño becomes a household name...
Shouldn't Puerto Rico become a state?
ReplyDeleteYes. PR should become a state. They already take a significant chunk of federal funding and return nothing by way of taxes. So they get "representation without taxation", even though their members of congress don't vote... but they sure do bring home bacon. Puerto Ricans should make the choice between statehood and sovereignty. If they choose statehood, great. If not, you can count on a protectorate treaty with the US that will look pretty much like it is today...
ReplyDeleteBased solely on percentages of Puerto Ricans in the armed forces, one could assume that PR would choose not to part ways with the US. They have more to gain by becoming a state.