GOP Field Is NOT Weak, Regardless of What MSM Tells Us

It's the latest Drive-By Media line that the Republican 2012 field isn't "serious" or that it's a "weak field."  As usual, I don't believe a word that comes out of the Lamestreamers, and this is no different.  This is yet another attempt by the Media to tell us how "unbeatable" Obama will be.  In true Biblical Conservatism fashion, time to dive into the truth.

Before we consider how legitimately strong the Republican field is, let's first discuss the ultimate nominee's opponent, Barrack Obama.  This will give us a sense of what the Lamestream Media's definition of a political heavyweight:

Barrack Obama

Barrack Obama served as a "community organizer" for just under three years (which is a Liberal term which means "professional protester.")  He then went to Harvard Law school, was an associate with a law firm for a whopping 3 years before spending the following eight years as "of counsel" for the firm.  For those of you unfamiliar with that particular term, "of counsel" is usually a position reserved for people who aren't actually doing anything for the firm but that the firm wants to claim as part of their organization.  (Usually it's an emeritus position given to those who have retired.)  During those eight years Obama also lectured at Harvard Law School. He then ran for the state senate in Illinois, winning by getting his opponent kicked off the ballot on a technicality. He then served seven years in the Illinois State Legislator, where he spent his time voting present and not actually sponsoring any legislation.  Then he ran for the US Senate, winning after his opponent had to quit due to a scandal.  He spent two years there voting present before running for President.

So THAT'S what a political heavyweight looks like according to Liberals?  Now let's look at the declared and potential candidates in the GOP Field.  Please note, I am not endorsing anyone in particular here, but I do contend every single one of them are more qualified to be President than Obama was in 2012:

Mitt Romney

Romney was the co-founder and President of a the investment firm Bain Capital, an offshoot of Bain and Company, for whom he had previously worked. He returned to Bain and Company, as it's CEO, for two years to help dig that company out of financial straights.  In two years, when the company was again fiscally strong, he returned to Bain Capital.  He remained there for nine years, until 2002, when he served as the CEO and President of 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee.  In 2003, he was elected governor of Massachusetts, serving until 2007.  He chose not to run for a second term, instead choosing to run for President in 2008.

In short, Romney has several years of experience running a business as a President and CEO, along with executive governing experience.

Newt Gingrich

Gingrich spent 20 years in the House of Representatives, serving Georgia's 6th Congressional District.  From 1989-1993, Gingrich served as the House Minority Whip (the #2 Republican in the House). In 1994, as the Republican Party was swept to power in that historic election, Gingrich was elected Speaker of the House, a role he served in until he resigned from the House in 1998.

As Speaker, he lead the charge for Welfare Reform, the balanced budget, and other parts of the Contract with America, which included $152 Billion in tax cuts.  He also lead Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 which slashed Capital Gains Taxes from 28% to 20% and lowered the lowest marginal tax rate from 15% to 10%.

So Gingrich has 20 years of legislative experience (more than double Obama's) including five years as the second most powerful man in the Federal government (that'd be Speaker of the House, for those of you from Palm Beach County, FL).  He has a real track record on the issues, instead of Obama's record of voting present.

Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty served a term as a city councilman in Egan Minnesota, before serving six terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives.  That included serving for four years as the Minnesota House Majority Leader. From 2002 to 2010, Pawlenty served as Governor of Minnesota.  His notable achievements include a mandatory 24 hour waiting period before receiving an abortion and putting Minnesota on the track to a balanced budget, which was achieved, without raising taxes. 

So Pawlenty has several years more state legislative experience than Obama and eight years of executive experience as a governor.

Rick Santorum

Santorum served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990-1994.  Among his other legislative successes, Santorum was part of the Gang of Seven, a group of seven Republicans who took down the House Banking Scandal by correcting those misuses of taxpayer money. In 1994, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he served two terms.  

So, Santorum has six times the Senatorial experience that Obama had before becoming President plus an additional four years in the House of Representatives.  That means he has ten times the Federal governing experience that Obama had when he was elected President.  (He still has more than twice Obama's experience on the national level when you include Obama's 2 plus years as President.)

Michelle Bachmann

Bachmann served from 2000-2006 in the Minnesota State Senate, standing up for traditional marriage, including co-sponsoring an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution to legally define marriage as between one man and one woman.  She also served as the Senate Miniority Leader for Minnesota.

In 2006, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she is now serving her third term.  She has stood up against the ban on incandecent light bulbs (a favorite move of the environmentalist nanny-state) and opposed Obama's 2008 Bailout.  In 2009 she introduced a Constitutional Amendment to bar the United States from recognizing any foreign currency.  She also opposed Obamacare.  She is currently the head of the House of Representative's Tea Party Caucus.

Sarah Palin

Palin served as a city council member in Wasilla, AK for four years.  She was then elected Mayor of Wasilla, serving two three-year terms from 1996-2002.  From 2003-04, Palin was Chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, where she rooted out corruption in that organization.  In 2006, Palin was elected Governor of Alaska, where she oversaw tremendous growth in the Alaksan economy, in addition to cutting spending and taxes. Throughout all this time, Palin and her husband Todd have run a small  business, a commercial salmon fishing operation, in Bristol Bay, AK.

Herman Cain

Herman Cain's career began as a Ballstics Specialist for the Department of the Navy.  He then served as a business analyst for Coca-Cola, then as a Vice President with Pilsbury, then leaving to work for Burger King, which was then a Pilsbury subsidy.  He lead Burger King from being one of Pilsbury's least profitable ventures to it's most profitable venture in three years.  At that point, Pilsbury appointed him CEO of another of their subsidaries, Godfather's Pizza, in 1986.  In eighteen months, Cain and other investors purchased Godfather's Pizza.  He continued to serve as CEO until 1996, when he resigned to become CEO of the National Restaurant Association.  He was a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992-1996, serving as Chairman from 1995-1996.

In addition, Cain has hosted a syndicated radio show out of Atlanta, so you know he can communicate the message of Conservatism effectively. In this role, Cain was one of the biggest influences in defeating Clinton's Health Care initiative in 1993-94. 

In short, Cain has military experience, albeit as a civilian, which is more than Obama has, years of business experience as a CEO and Chairman.

So What Does it Mean?

The GOP field, which currently includes or may soon include three former governors, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, three people with CEO experience who have run businesses, three people with more experience in elected office as a legislature than Obama had in 2012, and five people who have had more influence on national policy than Obama had before becoming President (and that includes Cain, who hasn't been elected to national office before).

On the other hand, we have Obama, who had been a professional protester, an attorney for a mere three years, then spent a handful of years as a legislator voting present and sponsoring no major legislation.  As President he has presided over 10% unemployment, $4 per gallon gas, did nothing of note politically before being elected President, has done nothing helpful domestically, and whose biggest victory to date was achieved by continuing the same policies of his predecessor that he lambasted as a candidate. 

If you want to see a political lightweight, look at Obama.  The GOP field, on the other hand, is complete with executive experience, legislative experience, and business experience.  Any one of them would make an infinitely better President than Obama.  They may not give prettier speeches, but speeches never grew an economy.  The real weak candidate is the incumbent, Pesident Barrack Obama.