Someone I know online posited that Rick Santorum should be the person Catholics back in the 2012 presidential election, even going so far as to compare his name to the Holy of Holies as some sort of sign, while knocking Rick’s competitors. That elicited a response from me, which I’m turning into a post for the Head Mistress of our fair homeschool.

Personally I prefer Ron Paul over any of them because he’s the only non-politician amongst them who would actually use the Presidency as a bully pulpit to turn this country away from the economic cliff it is heading towards.  Plus, he’s an Austrian School guy, and Tom Woods and Jeffrey Tucker are both traditional Catholics and Austrian School fellows at the Ludwig von Mises Institute at Auburn.

That said, Paul has no chance.  The core of the Republican party is petrified of his willingness to actually send the Federal government on a downward size and expenditure trajectory, which scares the military industrial complex to death, would try to remake drastically the financial services sector who are trying to bleed this country to death, would alienate him from just about every constituency at the Federal food trough, and sends all of the willing prostituted politicians needed to vote in REAL change running for the hills.  No one talks about Ron Paul, and never has.  Why? Just about every vested interest in the United States, liberal or conservative, is PETRIFIED of him.

SIDE NOTE ABOUT IGNORING PAUL: IT IS VERY CONSPICUOUS I MIGHT ADD. EVEN JON STEWART DOES SKETCHES ABOUT IT ON THE DAILY SHOW. EVERYONE HAS GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY IN POLITICS AND THE MEDIA TO ACT LIKE RON PAUL DOESN’T EVEN EXIST.

So let’s run down the field:

Rick Perry:
HORRIFIC debater… Obama would eat him alive. Reminds people of W too much.

Michelle Bachmann
Seen as a Tea Partier, and I’m not sure even she believes she has a chance now. She’s just playing out the string. And it doesn’t say much for that staffer who flipped from Backmann to Paul.  Out of the fire perhaps, but into the frying pan nonetheless.

John Huntsman
Smart. Too smart for people to want to engage in or support and isn’t quick witty or acerbic enough to take on fellow Repulbicans; much less Obama. He’s also a Mormon, which KILLS him and Romney amongst evangelicals and some Catholics (moi).

Back to Rick Sanctorum
No gravitas.  The fact that he has to state his credentials over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over only proves it. He does not have the ability to move people. He’s only getting a look see because people still don’t like Romney and Gingrich.

Newt Gingrich
Like Clinton, CLEARLY the smartest guy in the room.  I mean, by FAR.  Ron Paul is pretty smart but a behind in second.  Newt, though, is impetuous and outspoken.  His snarkiness scares the establishment because he has the ability to instantly pop off and alienate some group, only to have to backtrack and make amends.  It wouldn’t lend itself to being President either, though him versus Obama would be the race for Professor of the United States.  Newt still has more baggage than the Roman Army.  That he joined the Church and has a decent Catholic wife is good… it helps to neuter his past some. You can see this because he regularly mentions “look at what kind of person I am now” as a talking point.

Mitt Romney?
The money guy. The easy, safe choice. Being a Mormon makes him about as palatable to the Republican base as McCain was four years ago. Look how that turned out. Romney doesn’t believe in anything, which makes him perfect for the GOP, wall street and bankers, and the military industrial complex and major international corporate financiers and money men. He is a Republican version of Obama. No matter who wins between these two, nothing changes.

The economy still drives off a cliff when our debt service gets so large that the US gets severe downgrades and interest rates explode. No one that gets money from the government, or an entitlement, or corporate giveaways or loopholes, cares to keep the train from running off the cliff.  I guess American’s want to have a Greek standard of living.

So who do I think will win in 2012?

Probably Obama, unless Gingrich can snatch the nomination away from Romney, because Romney has a thin skin and will turn to Milquetoast when being debated against by Obama.  Obama will eat Romney’s lunch.

Should Gingrich manage to win the nomination, he is going to have to have more discipline than he has ever had in his life to beat Obama, and keep himself and his staff on track and on message.  He hasn’t shown he can do that so far. Good week… bad week… good week… bad week… you can’t do that and win the election.