Who will step up in '08?

Now that this election is over the speculation must now turn to who the Republicans will find to run for the presidency in 2008. I have no idea who this will be, but I do know what kind of man he needs to be, and just as importantly not be.

First of all he does not need to be a sitting Senator or House member. Men from the legislature do not make good candidates for the executive branch. If you need proof just look back on John Kerry. The nominee in 2008 needs to come from a governor’s mansion or the business world. In other words he needs to be a man with executive experience who is accustomed to being the place where the buck stops.

He also does not need to be a retired general, admiral or any other career military officer. I’m sorry but the military is a giant bureaucracy and career bureaucrats do not make good presidents. For this same reason the nominee should not be someone who has spent his entire adult life filling one government post after another. For examples of this see U S Grant, Dwight D Eisenhower and George H W Bush.

Now that we know what the candidate should not be what does the Republican’s nominee need to be?

Most importantly he needs to be an excellent communicator. One of the greatest liabilities George W Bush faces is his incredibly poor communication skills. The fact is that he is not a stupid man, but he often comes across as on because of his inability to express himself. Both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton could express themselves eloquently in a way that the average person could relate to. The Republican nominee needs to be such a man.

The Republican in ’08 needs to be a true conservative. George W Bush, George H W Bush and Richard Nixon were, to one degree or another, “small C” conservatives. We need a “big C” conservative. Like Ronald Reagan the next Republican presidential candidate needs to see himself as the leader of an openly and unapologetic Conservative Movement. He needs to be seeking the presidency out of a sincere and passionate belief that conservatism represents the best way to keep the United States a free and prosperous nation. Anyone other than a true conservative ideologue will be too likely to compromise away essential elements of the conservative agenda and wind up exactly like the Presidents Bush.

Next the Republican nominee needs to be squeaky clean in the ethical and moral sense. The last thing the Party needs is another scandal. The candidate needs not only to be honest, but to be seen being honest. This is another reason not to pick someone from the legislature. Legislative bodies are by their very nature corrupting.

This ethical vetting needs to be extended to the nominee’s family and his wife and her family as well. The nation does not need another Hugh Rodam, Roger Clinton or Billy Carter floating around.

The candidate needs to be physically attractive. Sorry, but in the age of television it matters. The public will not elect someone who is obese, or who looks decrepit or is generally “funny looking”. This is a sad commentary on the American people and it has cost them dearly (Steve Forbes would have been the next Ronald Reagan, except that he was “goofy looking”), but you have to live in the real world. As the maggot said to the king of France, “we live not as we wish to, but as we can”.

The Republican candidate needs to have a clear agenda which can be accurately and clearly expressed in sound bites. In the modern age of mass media the majority of the people get their political news via the sound bite. This is sad, but true.

Finally the Republican nominee needs to be an easy going man with a good sense of humor. He needs to have the ability to let criticism roll off his back and not be seen to hold a grudge. The left will come after him with everything they have and he needs to be able to stand up to this assault with grace. It is hard to smear a man who is quick to smile and never seems to lose his temper. This was one of Ronald Reagan’s greatest strengths.

Again, I don’t know who this man is going to be. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

One more thing I know is that the Democrats are very likely to help the Republicans in ’08 by nominating Hillary Clinton. With enemies like that – well, we’ll still need friends, but. . .