Trump, Huckabee out, Newt, Romney should go too, we need a Ryan!

So far, the field of announced 2012 Republican contenders for the presidency is abysmal.

Thankfully,Huckabee decided not to run, and Trump announced the same. While I did enjoy Trump dishing it back to the press, he is no conservative. Glad he is out of the picture.

Then there is the has-been Newt Gingrich. He really shot himself in his remaining foot over the weekend by standing up for the individual health insurance mandate, endorsing the state run systems (he must have liked Romney's approach?), and criticizing Paul Ryan's plan as radical. (Newt apologized to Ryan, but the damage is done.)

Newt wasn't even on my radar as a possibility ever since he made that Pelosi love-fest ad for global warming. Since he still won't recant on that, Newt doesn't have a conservative leg to stand on. His marital history is a mess too. I think of Newt as Newt the coot--as appealing as week old, warmed over coffee.

Then there is Mitt Romney. He still won't renounce his Massachusetts health care plan, which was the template for Obamacare. The only thing he has going for him is that he promises to repeal Obamacare. (That would be his I created an Obamacare-like program before I was against it stance.) But even with that promise, I am struggling with supporting someone who is not a Christian. (I could support a Jew for president.) I do know some Mormons and they are lovely people. We share many common values, but we do not share a common belief in who God and Jesus Christ are or a belief in the Trinity. Though I would have voted for Mitt last time, I would have to prayerfully consider supporting Romney this time.

So, if we eliminate Newt and Romney, who then?

I would love to see Paul Ryan run, but he says the time isn't right. I would remind him that George Washington didn't want to be president either but agreed to do it because his country needed him. (I am praying for a change of heart.)

Though a Congressman has never won a presidency, I do wonder if those rules are out the window now since the emergence of the Tea Party and raised awareness of the voting public. After all, Wisconsin just had Ron Johnson, a business man with no political experience, win a US Senate race against Russ Feingold, a solid Democrat, last year.

Paul Ryan was on Mark Levin last night talking about his budget plan. One interesting point was that his solution for Medicare was originally talked about during the Clinton administration by a bipartisan Medicare commission in 1999. Ryan also reminded the public that Medicare on its present course goes bankrupt in 9 years!

Listen for yourself: Ryan comes on the show at the 4 minute mark and talks about his plan from the 5:17 to 16 minute mark.

In a nutshell: those 55 and over will have no change. Medicare for 54 and under would have a plan like the Congress and Federal workers have. The senior can pick their own provider from a list of Medicare approved providers, benefits would be prorated by ability to pay. The CBO says this allows Medicare to remain solvent.

Contrast Ryan's plan with Obamacare that removes $500 billion from Medicare and then relies on denying coverage for seniors outright via the 15 man bureaucratic commission. It goes bankrupt in 9 years!

In other words, Ryan's plan gives the money to the senior and they decide who will provide their coverage. Ryan's reforms promote competition and denies inefficient providers.

So if Ryan won't run, who would you favor?

I admire Michelle Bachmann. She is fearless in her ability to stand up for her beliefs, but she too is a Congressman.

Please don't say Chris Chrisite. For one, he just was elected as governor and he is NOT a conservative. He won't denounce Obamacare and he is pro amnesty and green energy.)

There are a number of choices on the Town Hall roster of 2012 hopefuls including Sarah Palin (she has been consistently solid on the issues since 2008 but I don't know that the majority would accept her), and there are others that I am not really familiar with. Names like Tim Pawlenty (I heard he renounced his pro green energy stance), Herman Cain (I like his ideas but don't know about his experience), Mitch Daniels (I have heard his name brought up, but I don't know how conservative he is), Rick Santorum (I really admire Rick, a solid conservative) and a few others. Ron Paul is on that list--he's great on the economy but really wacky on other issues.

Texas governor Rick Perry is also on that list. Maybe he is the Ryan-like candidate conservatives like me are looking for? I hope so. Governors are favored in a presidential race, and it seems he is moving forward: Rick Perry Presidential Push Quietly Gains Steam:

Perry just might be the man, "As many grass-roots Republicans remain in search of a conservative candidate with the pizazz to go toe-to-toe against President Obama, a man from deep in the heart of Texas who was tea party before the tea party was cool appears to be giving the presidential race some thought."

I hope conservatives are praying that the right man or woman is selected this time as the GOP candidate. We cannot afford another choice just because it was their turn to run!

Links: Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, RandyMelchert, Betterbrookfield, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation