It is astonishing that after three full years of populist revolt against bipartisan big government, the best that the disloyal opposition can cough up is a telegenic B.S. artist who has the least credibility in the field when it comes to restraining, let alone cutting, the size of government. As tireless Tea Party obituarist David Frum nearly giggled last night, “I’m waiting for the Tea Party internal debate as to why it could not produce a credible presidential candidate.”
There’s a reason why the 2012 race has featured short-lived popularity bubbles for Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain, in addition to such non-candidates as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), and others. In a season where the political class’ approval ratings are at all-time lows, a restive populace clearly wants something different. It’s not just full frontal budget-cutting that people seek, much as I might prefer that, but a willingness to blurt out the blunt, politically unsafe truth.
There was only one candidate on stage who demonstrated that quality last night. As the anybody-but-Mitt sentiment seeks out a new vessel, a stark choice begins to present itself: Are Republicans ready to get serious about their rhetoric, even if it’s three decades too late? Or are they going to pursue the same strategy as Democrats in 2004, backing a “credible”-looking prevaricator from Massachusetts?
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