Damn, this GOP field is terrible

With the well-connected Haley Barbour out, the new candidate causing Republican fat cats’ knees to knock is Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. He’s another of those dream candidates whom every Republican loves but the voters. This winter Daniels tried to make a point about political compromise, saying he would like to “mute” issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage but ended up sounding like he was telling abortion opponents to surrender their convictions and shut up. That kind of thing doesn’t go over too well, especially in Iowa. Then there are the 2008 also-rans, Mitt Rombot and Mike Huckabee, the two most handicapped frontrunners for any contest since Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. The social conservatives don’t trust the once proudly moderate Romney. The fiscal conservatives don’t trust the once big-spending Huckabee. And the rest are voting for Ron Paul. There are of course other candidates I am forgetting—that probably says enough about them right there.

Where does that leave the Republican field? You guessed it. Gov. Pawlenty seems like a fine sort, the kind of fellow who scrubs his hands before every meal, always remembers to return borrowed books on time, and runs a very efficient Scrabble night whenever it’s his turn to host. No faction of the party has much against him, which is why he will ultimately triumph. But few really want a president whose main selling point is: You Despise Me the Least.