Where is my candidate?

My candidate must

• deny creationism in its extreme forms
• allow for immigration at least in some moderate form
• be at least supportive of civil unions, if not gay marriage
• be a capitalist
• be NOT anti-war
• recognize that the president has no power concerning abortion
• recognize the 2nd Amendment means an individual right
• recognize that religion is a private, not a national, public matter
• adhere to a religion that allows it to be a private not a national, public matter
• recognize that the death penalty is appropriate in some circumstances

Where is my candidate?

Rudy Guiliani fits best according to all the online polls, but now well enough.

Am I so different from mainstream America?

Does a secular society exclude religion?

No. Does not "secular" basically mean "not religious" rather than "atheist"? A secular society has a place for everyone, from the most faithfully religious (of any creed) to the most unreligious atheist.

A secular society is the one I want to live in.

Whether I believe in a Supreme Being of the Jewish, Christian, or Islamic types matters not, it is the human organization and interpretation of religion that I distrust. I certainly do not want that human organization or interpretation of religion to inform my government.

I agree with Roger Cohen. "Where Kennedy said he believed in a “president whose religious views are his own private affair,” Romney pledged not to “separate us from our religious heritage.” "

Good for Obama, Bad for Oprah?

Teflon Oprah?

Winfrey has long been able to shake off any seeming crisis that might prove
her to be the Teflon supporter....

Romney's Speech Convinced Me

Everybody seems to be talking about Romney's "Mormon" speech.

Chris Matthews had Pat Buchanan and some guy from beliefnet on, and they all agreed it was a good speech, with Buchanan and Matthews giving it a "great".

Unfortunately for me, hearing this several times today

There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do
I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and
the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same
as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and
history.

has recalled childhood experiences with Mormonism and the horror of having read Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

I'm not particularly religious, in fact, I'm probably particularly not religious. I am, however, religiously curious and have been as long as I can remember. As a child, I went through stages of wanting to be a Catholic, then Jewish, even Mormon for a short period.

Romney went on to say

These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance.
Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved
only for faiths with which we agree.

And this I have a problem with. I don't think I want a man as president who is going to be tolerant of the preaching and practice of intolerance, as in the case of the British teacher in Sudan.

So, while Romney's speech appears reasonable and sensible, it has had the unintended consequence for me to put him in my "definitely could not support" category.

How does the average American decide how to vote?

Let me first state some "givens" that I believe are true:

The average American

• is neither Democrat nor Republican
• votes with his gut more often than his intellect
• has a gut that identifies with personality more than issues
• has a gut that identifies with leadership & strength more than issues
• (decide for yourself whether leadership & strength are synonymous with personality)

Based on these "givens", should you choose to accept them, Hillary is out - the gut becomes nauseous trying to keep up with the swishing of issues.

Obama is out because he really shows no strength, although he can be inspiring. (Remember Jimmy Carter was inspiring before he was elected, no?)

Guiliani is a possibility - he showed strength and leadership immediately after 9/11.

McCain is a possibility - he didn't buckle under the duress of being a POW, and despite his temper, can be inspiring.

Lieberman - though not officially in the running (that I know of) can also win the "gut vote" on his stance on the war in Iraq, but he's somewhat lacking in the personality department.

Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich - sorry guys, but your anti-war status rules you out in both leadership and strength. How can you have either if you've ruled them both out to start with?

Fred Thompson - your TV character could win, I'm not sure you could. Ronald Reagan was a lousy actor, all he knew to play was himself. You're a better actor, but I'm not sure who YOU are.

John Edwards - there's a definite corrollary between acting and being a successful trial lawyer. Like Fred Thompson, I wonder who you really are, other than a good actor.

I could live with this combo

I think...

McCain does not meet all my criteria for President. He's a bit power hungry, I think. But not to the extent that Hillary hungers for power. She's also greedy, I think... perhaps McCain is too. Perhaps one has to be a bit of both to win the office. If so, that's a sad comment on U.S. voters, isn't it?

However... this post by the handsome Vodkapundit - Another Quick Take - may be prescient. Who knows at this point?