The Prague Post
November 22nd, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Prague accomodation

Home » Archives » Opinion

The contenders

Giuliani's lead in opinion polls means two New York politicians may go head to head in 2008 presidential election
Commentary | Search restaurants | Archives

October 10th, 2007 issue

 

By Roger Johnson

The Republican Party has the good fortune to have a wide variety of presidential candidates representing a broad spectrum of points of view within the party.
While Republicans Abroad takes no official position on presidential candidates, we do encourage all of our members to be involved in the process and support the candidate of his or her choice.
The leading Republican candidates have comparable views on key issues in this presidential campaign:
The war in Iraq: Resolving the conflict while ensuring the democratic rights and individual safety of the Iraqi people and ensuring stability in that region. The way to accomplish this is to support the troops on the ground and their commanders, giving them the tools they need in order to
accomplish their mission.
Homeland security: Winning the war on terrorism through concentration on the six key areas of intelligence and warning, border and transportation security, domestic counterterrorism, protecting critical infrastructure, defending against catastrophic threats and emergency preparedness and response.
Jobs and economy: Working with Congress to promote legislation that promotes economic growth and restrains spending by the federal government, preparing Americans for jobs in the 21st century, strengthening social security to ensure that future retirees can continue to receive the benefits they have been promised.
Health care: Enabling all Americans to have affordable, accessible and flexible health care by enacting legislation that will make private health care more affordable while providing citizens with increased ownership of their medical decisions.
Immigration reform: Serving the U.S. economy by matching a willing worker with a willing employer, while still protecting U.S. borders; providing compassion for unprotected workers; providing incentives for temporary workers to return to their home countries and families; protecting the rights of legal immigrants while not unfairly rewarding those who came here unlawfully. The United States is a nation of immigrants and we should continue to welcome and encourage those who seek to enter our country legally and live the American dream.
As the chairman of Republicans Abroad in the Czech Republic, I speak only from my personal perspective. As I see it today, we have no more than four major contenders: Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson.
These four leading candidates bring a wealth of experience and varied personal backgrounds into their campaigns.
U.S. Senator McCain from Arizona was born in Panama, the son and grandson of four-star Navy admirals. During the Vietnam War, he was a highly decorated Navy fighter pilot, was shot down over Hanoi and spent five years as a prisoner of war.
Former U.S. Senator Thompson from Tennessee lists his profession as “actor” and is well-known in most American households for his starring role in a major television series.
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is a Harvard Business School graduate and a highly successful businessman and venture capitalist. He also served as the president and chief executive officer of the 2002 Winter Olympics organizing committee. Mitt Romney is a devoted Mormon who has served extensively in the leadership of the church.
Giuliani is the former mayor of the largest U.S. city, a job that is often described as the most difficult task in America other than the presidency. He was born in Brooklyn to a working-class family. He is a second-generation Italian-American and a Catholic. He is a highly experienced lawyer who served as associate attorney general during the Reagan administration. He was then appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he spearheaded successful efforts against organized crime, white-collar criminals, drug dealers and corrupt elected officials.
Of these four candidates, Giuliani is leading in most of the opinion polls. It would seem that if the presidential primaries were held in the near future, he is the most likely candidate.
Giuliani has broad appeal because of his handling of the Sept. 11 crisis and his stewardship as the mayor of the city of New York.
He is seen by those who live and work in New York as the man who made the city livable again after years of decline in the quality of life there. His name is well-known to the U.S. public.
Nevertheless, it is far too early to make any predictions on the Republican side as to the candidate who will get the GOP nomination. The situation is far from being stable, and I predict there will be considerable movement in the poll numbers between now and the beginning of 2008.
One factor that is weighing on the choice is the prospects of the Democrats, and, in particular, the increasing likelihood that Hillary Clinton will be the Democrat nominee.
It would certainly be an interesting race to see the senator from New York facing off against the former mayor of New York City. Who can remember a presidential election where the two major party candidates both came from the state of New York?
In my own view, it is rather fortunate that the Republican candidate is not yet so obvious. I believe the party will benefit from further reflection and examination based on who the Democrat nominee is likely to be. While Clinton clearly has the lead today, it is always possible that circumstances could change, as we are still some months away from the first primaries.
For more information about Republicans Abroad please visit
www.republicansabroad.org.
The author has lived and worked in the Czech Republic for 13 years, and resides in Brno with his family. He is a California native.


Other articles in Opinion (10/10/2007):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings

Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.