Thanking His Lucky/(Lack of) Republican Stars

Because GOP primary voters bemoan a lack of political superstars in the presidential field this go-‘round, President Obama is thanking his lucky stars this Thanksgiving for having a better shot for re-election in 2012 … despite the economy.

When President Obama expressed his gratitude over Thanksgiving dinner, it’s likely that he didn’t just give thanks to the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he put out a few shout outs to Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and businessman Herman Cain for their efforts these past few months.

Still, with the state of the economy shaky at best, the unemployment rate emulating Cain’s “9-9-9” theme and failures to unite sparring members of Congress over the national debt by way of “super-committee”, President Obama is not wearing a coat of confidence as he walks into 2012.

Recent polls show that potential Republican nominee Mitt Romney would pose a highly formidable challenge to the historic incumbent who faces a possible historic collapse of political capital and support in a short period of time. And, although polls suggest that others such as former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich would lose to President Obama in battleground states at this point, this comes before the Contract with America author ever has a chance to battle wits with the president in a series of debates. Just as Herman Cain lost some of his lead due to the contrast between himself and Gingrich during the November 5 “Lincoln-Douglas”-style debate, President Obama could be in trouble if a Gingrich nomination forces him to face the other “smartest person in the room”.

That is why – at least for now – he is thankful for the performance of the current Republican presidential field and the aftermath.

Despite my best efforts stating that many of the former front-runners such as Congresswoman Bachmann and Mr. Cain were best suited for the GOP’s vice-presidential nomination (if all played out well for them), many GOP primary voters have dealt with the field as if they are looking for the perfect one to beat President Obama in 2012, not the best one to take the nation back in the right direction. Instead, the conservative base has taken turns bashing candidates for not being conservative enough, tossing candidates out of the race hastily, or for disagreements on one or two topics (such as what the latest new front-runner Gingrich is experiencing after Tuesday’s CNN Debate.)   The subsequent fickleness benefits only one person constantly: President Barack Obama.

Through the back-and-forth volatility of the GOP polls and the apparent, on-going de facto rejection of Mitt Romney comes a huge opportunity for the incumbent, a president that has overseen missteps in the economy  and embarrassing controversies on both personal and business fronts.  Despite the worst that the Obama Administration has had to endure, there is comfort in watching the Republican Party field collapse on the campaign trail. From campaign appearances to speeches, each dangerously takes turns focusing on theory and pop politics instead of directing their efforts towards highlight specifics that will sway voters away from Obama/Biden 2012. To the delight of the Obama re-election team, the Republican voters fixate on the “American Idol” aspect of this primary process instead of the meat-and-potatoes build-up to 2012. There is only a small set of people on the national GOP stage capable of winning the nomination and beating the president as the better leader in 2012. Many voting in the GOP primaries seem to have not come to that reality yet.

Conservatives may choose not to admit this, but their refusal to anoint or acknowledge a superstar for much longer than a few weeks only provides their political nemesis the solace of knowing that his popularity will likely never waver below the level of his eventual Republican competitor.

This is not good for Republicans, especially since their brand still languishes nationally. The conservative chase to find “The Perfect One” has left the conservative base blinded by its obsession with picking the right one for victory in 2012 – especially since they refuse to acknowledge someone as being “right” enough.

And who is saying “right on” throughout it all? President Obama.

Granted, Republicans are not able to bury President Obama’s reelection odds this early in the season. However, whereas some Republicans are thankful for their many options in the primary, President Obama is extremely thankful that collective GOP indecision buys him time to mount a surge in 2012.

Lenny McAllister is a political commentator found this upcoming Friday on “CNN Newsroom” at 1:30 PM Eastern (12:30 PM Central / 10:30 AM Pacific), every Saturday with host TJ Holmes and fellow pundit Maria Cardona on “CNN Saturday Morning” at 10:30 AM Eastern (9:30 Central / 7:30 AM Pacific), and “CNN Newsroom” Sunday at 6:15 PM Eastern (5:15 PM Central.) His “Saturday Remix” can be found at 12 noon Eastern exclusively on Politic365 after “CNN Saturday Morning.”

Lenny McAllister is the host of the radio show “Get Right with Lenny McAllister” found on LMGILIVE.com and often re-broadcast on Politic365. He appears weekly on “CNN Saturday Morning” with host Randi Kaye and former DNC Communications Director Maria Cardona at 10:30 AM Eastern Time. He also regularly appears weekdays on CNN's "Early Start" at 5am - 7am and "CNN Newsroom" at 12:30pm Eastern. He also appears as a political commentator on multiple outlets including Sirius-XM Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC Radio in Australia, and Chicago Public Radio. Lenny has written previously for a number of publications including Rushmore Drive, Global Grind, and The Chicago Defender. In 2009, McAllister was a panelist at the 10th Annual State of the Black Union and the CNN panel discussion Young & Black In America: Empowering the Next Generation of African American Leaders. In 2010, Lenny was featured in the Studio 360 series “American Icons” in the episode, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. He was also featured in the November 2010 Essence Magazine roundtable discussion “Race (Still) Matters” that featured the Rev. Al Sharpton, NAACP President Ben Jealous, and CNN’s Soledad O’Brien.

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2 Responses to Thanking His Lucky/(Lack of) Republican Stars

1. stanchaz says:

   9:12am November 26, 2011 at 9:12 am

   I am thankful this Thanksgiving for the fact that we have Barack Obama as President of the United States -and- as a viable candidate for re-election (as opposed to the sorry sorry set of rivals on the other side). Thank you Mr. President : your heart, your values, and your basic decency are all in the right place. But… your hands are tied. Unfortunately they were tied by us, the electorate…..by not providing you with a Congress that you can work with. Instead, you have a don’t-tax-the-1%-do-nothing Congress that battles you at every turn, while the people suffer.  God, they don't EVEN let you pass your own appointments. It's not Tea-publican gridlock, it's Tea-publican sabotage. Heck, it's Tea-publican TREASON. And then they try to pin the blame on Mr. Obama. These people have no shame…or else its been purchased by those who can afford to do so. Thankfully, Occupy Wall Street is part of an emerging grass-roots evolution…a down-to-to-earth change …a change that will help us to re-elect the President AND to give him a more progressive Congress. Therefore, this Thanksgiving I am thankful and grateful that you are the President Mr. Obama! And I wish you well. You STILL give me hope.

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