And The GOP Presidential Nominee Is....

I don't know about you, but I received about 6-9 phone calls a day from the GOP Presidential candidates before the Ohio Primary on March 6th. At first it was entertaining and somewhat educational... later it just became down right annoying. Much like the current tug-of-war between the GOP Presidential candidates.

I've been watching the talking heads on FoxNews and CNN, and I've read the articles in the papers about the political strategy involved in the fight for the nomination. I've heard that Newt should step down so Santorum can sweep Romney. I've heard Santorum should step down so Newt could do the same. I've heard Romney should step down and let Newt and Santorum duke it out. Yada yada yada.

What I'm most concerned about is whether this extended battle for the nomination is hurting the eventual winner's chances against Obama in November. The longer this nomination process goes on (the last state Presidential primary is in June), the less time the winning candidate has to raise funds for the more important race in November, not to mention all the money they'll be spending just to win the nomination.

I'm also worried that by the time the GOP nominates a contender for the White House, the contender and his staff will be so exhausted from the extended fight for the nomination that they'll make a poor showing against the charismatic Obama in debates, speeches and news conferences. Hard Dems and GOPers will vote along party lines for President - it's the unaffiliated and soft party members the candidates have to target to win the White House. An exhausted or worn out candidate going against a charming, well spoken Obama faces a huge challenge.

I hope the voters in states who have yet to vote for a GOP candidate for President think of two things when they enter the polls: 1) which GOP candidate has the best chance of reaching out to the soft party members and unaffiliated voters; and 2) which GOP candidate has the best shot at beating Obama.

I suggest you turn the ringer down on your phone too... it looks like we'll all be getting a lot of phone calls until November.

(Picture of Mitt Romney from www.americaneedsmitt.com; Picture of Rick Santorum from www.inquisitr.com; Picture of Newt Gingrich from www.inquisitr.com; Picture of President Barack Obama from www.whitehouse.gov)