Page 46 - ATR 6 2015 web 2

THE laST word

the conservative choice

by John burris opponent’s brand and the way he con- Huckabee and Sen. Rand Paul started as
Guest Writer sumes the media coverage and narrative. frontrunners because of unique appeal
Republicans want him out of the race for to certain groups of voters: Huckabee
The field of candidates for the the same reasons. with evangelicals and Paul with the Dale
Republican Party presidential nomination Senator Marco Rubio is one of the Gribble type (a “King of the Hill” char-
is large in size and heavy on experience. most promising. He’s young, articulate acter who personifies government dis-
The Obama years have given us and comes from critical electoral states. trust). But both also have unique flaws.
Christie, Rubio, Sandoval and others, just He’s not shone as brightly in the Senate Huckabee has run out of one-liners.
like the Bush years gave us McCaskill, as some expected. He did risk boldness Paul’s isolationist ideas only work in the-
Franken, and Obama. So the 2016 race on immigration reform, but retreated ory and are only popular in peacetime.
is littered with governors, senators and fast. There should have been more Both should drop out soon.
other leaders who all have accomplish- engagement on serious topics. Others should also drop out after
ment to talk about. It should be a con- Jeb Bush, dullness aside, is easy to the first of the year.
servative year. We have some level of respect. He shows some level of depth, We’re less than two months from
competing messages and personalities. both politically and personally. He met the Iowa Caucus, the first real ballot
That means Republicans have options. his Hispanic wife, Columba, while living in the 2016 presidential election. More
Predictions are always foolish. in Mexico, an event that shapes many of candidates should drop out soon, after
Hundreds of events, fundraisers and his current views. He’s gone against the completing the required prayer, talking
gaffes stand between the present and the overly simple political logic on issues like to supporters and visiting with family
final decision of the future. Common Core and immigration. Even if members.
Still, the candidate’s experiences and his position is wrong, you know he didn’t Two things are certain:
personalities are worthy of discussion. arrive there by following the path of least First, we’ll have a chance to nomi-
Those won’t change, which is unfortu- resistance. That alone is refreshing in a nate a serious contender for the White
nate for some. cycle where the lowest common denomi- House. It won’t be Trump.
Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz nator is chosen too often. Secondly, God must love Republican
shouldn’t be serious contenders. Cruz is There is Bush fatigue, unfortunate- primaries. He’s told plenty to run, at
a grandstander with no accomplishment. ly. Baggage from a previous president least according to them. Maybe people
Trump benefits from America’s celebrity shouldn’t hold him back, but it probably run for different reasons, not just the
culture. His popularity is not an indict- will. ones they say publicly.
ment of the Republican Party unless he Governor John Kasich is likely the Regardless, conservatives will have
actually gets the Republican nomina- most qualified, by résumé and accom- plenty of choices.
tion, which he won’t. Poll numbers now plishment. But personality matters too. I just hope I like the outcome. ATR
are simply celebrity driven and nothing His would be brashest of all, were it not
more. Democrats want him in the race for Gov. Chris Christie. John Burris is a political consultant with
Capitol Advisors group in Little Rock,
because of the damage he does to their There are many others. Gov. Mike Arkansas.

Opinions expressed on this page may not reflect official policies or opinions of the
Arkansas Trucking Association or the American Trucking Associations.

46 ArkAnsAs truckIng rePort | Issue 6 2015