Republican Nomination Still Up in the Air

Despite every newspaper and political pundit in America scrambling to declare a victor in last nights Republican debate, it is very important to remind ourselves that the race is far from over and a front-runner has not even really emerged yet. The American obsession with competition has caused us to jump the gun a little with how we view primary elections. The article linked above makes a very important observation that most Republican voters are still either undecided or unsure about various aspects of every candidate. While Governor Perry may appeal to the more "combative", fiery, Tea-Party-supporting fringe of the party, he still is widely unpopular with independent voters and more moderate Republicans. Former Governor Romney is hamstringed by his support of Romneycare during his tenure as governor. Ron Paul is well Ron Paul. And Michele Bachman is slowly being eclipsed as the Tea Party's darling. The primaries are still a long way off and a whole lot can change in these coming weeks and months. (Think Howard Deans BYEAAAA speech after his disappointing finish in the Iowa primary, may I remind you all he was a "front-runner" too). Despite our tendency to make predictions and talk about who "won" the debate, things are still way too uncertain to make any lasting predictions about the race.