Osky News Presidential Candidate Comparison

Michele Bachmann meets the residents of Pella July 16th when she visited the town. (photo by K.Allsup)

Oskaloosa, Iowa- The 2012 Presidential Election is very quickly approaching. The Republican Candidates have been coming through Iowa and making their cases. The Republican field has been growing and may continue to grow with the possibility of several other Republicans throwing their hats into the ring.  We at Osky News have decided to do candidate comparisons for the Presidential Election.

Our first comparison is between two national front runners: Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney. Both candidates have serious name recognition. Despite that name recognition, they both have weaknesses. We will start with Michele Bachmann. Bachmann moved onto the national scene in January after her speech to Iowans for Tax Relief.   Bachmann has many different strengths but her biggest strength is that she is a fresher face with economic experience. Bachmann is a tax attorney and has been for a while now.

In addition, a strength of Bachmann is that she is a woman. With racial barrier falling in 2008, some have begun to wonder when the gender barrier will fall. Bachmann will be able to pick up a decent amount of the woman vote because of the fact that this barrier still stands. However, her gender will be a weakness too. Just like Barack Obama in 2007, Bachmann will face some problems simply because of the fact that she is a woman. Some have vocally wondered if she is a genuine candidate or if she is simply running to bring down the gender barrier.

In addition, Bachmann’s three terms of office in Congress may work against her. It won’t be because of her votes but because she has been in congress for a mere 6 years. Some will question if she can successfully lead this country despite having a limited amount of time in Congress. Barack Obama also dealt with this issue as he had been in Congress for two years (2005-2007) before he announced that he would be a candidate for President.

Now moving on to Mitt Romney. Speculation of a second Presidential bid for Mitt Romney began shortly after the 2008 election. After withdrawing from the 2008 primaries, Romney moved most of his cash on hand to his PAC to pay for salaries. In addition, he kept a network of supporters and volunteers nationwide to help pave the way for a potential run. Like Bachmann, Romney has several strengths and weaknesses. We will start with strengths.

Romney has serious name recognition, perhaps more than Bachmann. This comes a result of his failed 2008 Presidential Bid, and from his tenure as Governor as Massachusetts. Romney is well known within Republican circles. Rather than have to research who he is, many Republican’s know him. In addition to his name recognition,

Michele Bachmann as she prepares to depart Pella, Iowa. This is her forth weekend in a row in Iowa. (photo by K.Allsup)

Romney can raise money. Romney’s fundraising abilities were proven weeks ago when the federal filing deadline for candidates came and went.

Romney out-raised all of the Republican candidates bringing in around $18 Million in donations. In this day and age, money has become a huge part of campaigns. The candidate who has the most money always has one leg up in that they can spend more on staff, advertising buys, and other campaign essentials. You don’t want to be the candidate to run out of money first.

Romney has several weaknesses, some of which could be crippling if not handled the proper way. One of those weaknesses is some of his policies as Governor of Massachusetts. The one that draws the most attention is his health care plan. When he was Governor, Romney signed into law, a health care plan that is noticeably similar to President Obama’s plan. He has taken criticism over this bill. Romney is going to have to overcome some uneasiness towards him. Republican’s vehemently opposed Obama’s health care plan. Some will be very reluctant to someone who has signed legislation into law similar to the Obama health care plan.

Another weakness for Romney is his religion, unfortunately. Romney is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is a Mormon. In 2008, Romney’s religion was a major issue with a poll showing that a majority of those polled had a negative opinion about his Mormon beliefs. Romney is not the only candidate for President or Vice President to receive scrutiny over his religion. In 1960, John F. Kennedy received a lot of criticism for being Catholic. In 1976, Jimmy Carter was heavily criticized for being a Born Again Evangelical. Unfortunately for Mitt Romney, it looks like he will be the next candidate to be probed about his faith. Romney’s faith alone will determine whether or not he is the Republican Party Nominee for President of the United States.

Our next comparison will be between prospective candidate Rick Perry and announced candidate Herman Cain.

EDITORS NOTE: Any views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of Osky News.