COMMENTARY | To say that this has been a spirited Republican presidential nomination race might be the understatement of the year. With Super Tuesday on the horizon, it looks to be a two-man race between frontrunners Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum; although both Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul look to make some serious noise before it is all said and done.
As the November elections approach, voters have some serious questions. What are the fixes to our struggling economy? How do we begin to get our arms around these continued budget deficits and an ever-growing national debt? What is America’s exit strategy for Afghanistan and the global war on terror? The list goes on and on.
These questions have been asked and asked, over and over. I think it is time that we hit the biggest perceived weakness in each of the remaining candidates. If I had the ability to ask each of the final four Republican contenders one question, I know what I would ask.
Gingrich – Mr. Gingrich, you have been labeled as a “progressive” by many conservatives and Tea Party members. If many Republican and Democrat voters identify themselves as wanting a smaller, less intrusive federal government; how can your progressive ideology work in a small government framework?
Paul – Mr. Paul, you are characterized by many as thinking that the U.S. should remain neutral in most instances of foreign policy. Since the founding of this country, which wars that the U.S has participated in, do you think our involvement was correct and which ones do you think we were in the wrong?
Romney – Mr. Romney, you were the governor of what most conservatives feel is the most liberal state in the nation. You were the architect of the nation’s first state-run health initiative. That being said, how can you categorize yourself as being the most conservative or the “true conservative” of the four remaining Republican presidential nominees?
Santorum – Mr. Santorum, there is no denying that you are a man of faith and that your Christian values make you who you are today. How would your Catholic ideology affect the way you govern the national and draft bills and laws for Congress to sign?