There are still some people that don't like any of the Republicans that are running. Or, at least, don't like the ones polling the best.
Currently leading the pack is Atlanta businessman Herman Cain. He's the guy who has no chance whatsoever, despite leading the polls. Some people don't like him because he has no experience in politics, except for losing a Senate race (2nd in a 3-man primary). He's too conservative for moderates. He's too black (color) for some liberals and not black (racial stereotype) enough for other liberals. And he has too much testosterone for Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann fans. He's trending up.
Then there's Mitt Romney, who everybody hates and the media and GOP establishment has declared the frontrunner, even though he currently polls in second place. Front-runner must not mean what I thought it meant. He's too liberal for anyone who's not a liberal. He's trending neither up nor down.
Rick Perry was the great hope before he ran. Once he declared he was running, suddenly nobody liked him any more. His being a former Democrat hurts him with conservatives. Supporting some benefits for illegals hurts him too. After briefly leading the polls, he's now third or fourth, depending on the poll. But he's trending down.
There's Newt Gingrich, who was written off months ago but is in 3rd or 4th place, depending on the poll, and trending up. He lead the conservative takeover of Congress back in the Clinton years, but committed the unforgivable sins of sitting on a couch with Nancy Pelosi and supporting a RINO over a TEA Party candidate in New York in 2010. Plus, he pisses people off by being smarter than them. I can relate.
Then there's Ron Paul, who's been nuts for years and keeps getting nuts following him. Including two children that share my DNA. Kids. What are you gonna do? Anyway, Ron Paul has really crazy followers who either take too much drugs or not enough medication. He's got like 3 really good ideas and 800 really nutty ones. His followers focus on the 3 good ones when they argue, then slip up and tell you how evil Jews are and how the Twin Towers were blown up by George Bush. Like I said, crazy. He's trending up.
Michele Bachmann is trending down. She's like the hot chick you wanted to date, then while sitting in the restaurant, you realize that she talks to the silverware. She's still hot, but you keep thinking she's going to go all Glenn Close on you and you'll find your rabbit in the kitchen.
Jon Huntsman is still hanging around because some libertarians -- and a bunch of liberaltarians -- like him. Probably because he thinks pot should be given out instead of condoms. Or something. I was never quite sure what he was saying. Philosophically, he's what you get if you cross Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Now, go get that image out of your head.
Sarah Palin and Chris Christie aren't running this year, though they still have fans thinking they will.
Now, despite the things I listed about the candidates that different people don't like, there are groups that like each of these candidates, and like them a lot. Way too much, for some.
There are some Ron Paul or Rick Perry or Sarah Palin or Michele Bachman fans that say they won't vote for anyone but their candidate. They focus on the things about the candidates that they don't like (can you count to 999?) and say how unqualified that makes that candidate.
"I'll never vote for Newt Gingrich!" or "If they nominate Herman Cain, I won't vote" or "RONPAUL!!!1!!!" or the like.
Honestly, there are things about each candidate that I don't like. Been that way since the 1976 election, the first where I was old enough to vote.
There are some candidates I really like (though, like I said, not everything they say), some I like okay, and some that I really don't like. But, come November 2012, I'm going to vote.
Over the last several months, and again Thursday, someone said to me that if the election came down to a certain candidate (rhymes with Sherman Payne) against Obama, he wouldn't vote. Others have said something similar in the past.
I couldn't do that. I couldn't not vote.
You see, if we end up with a candidate that we don't really like -- I won't name names, but say his name rhymes with Ritt Momney -- I still can't sit the election out.
Think about it. Who will vote for those candidates? People that really like them. What kind of people would really like Barack Obama or some polarizing Republican? You already think the people that support those candidates are nuts. Well, yeah, they might be. And they'll vote.
I may have two crazy candidates from which to choose, but I would rather choose than let a bunch of crazies choose between the crazies. I'll vote for the least worst, and I'm responsible if that candidate wins. Plus, I'll know I did everything I could to prevent the most worst candidate from winning.
I can't not vote. I may not like the final choices, but I'm not going to go off crying like a little tittie baby who got his toy took from him.
I can deal with it.