It seems like we are notified every day about a new scandal swirling about one of the Republican candidates. Some claim that this is the democratic presidential process at work, allowing the public to learn as much about the candidates as possible. However, what I see is a party unable to present itself as a unified front in an increasingly difficult political environment in which people are searching for strong leadership, bold decisions and a reasonable path towards progress.
With every new story or scandal that emerges, the Republicans' electability slowly declines. Although each story successfully separates one candidate from another, which will undoubtedly help them in the primary elections, such publicity will force the nominee to face a unified Democratic base with the support of a polarized and disjointed Republican base. In addition, for those voters who are looking to the results of the primary debates in order to decide whether to vote Republican or Democrat, the infighting and mudslinging will only drive them to elect President Barack Obama.
In these turbulent times, Americans are increasingly realizing the need for a strong leader rather than an ideologue. Faced with the president's inability to follow through on several of his promises, Americans will look for a candidate to support based not solely on policy, but rather on his ability to lead and produce changes. In this regard, the Republican candidates, and the party's image as a whole, are failing. Every day that there is more finger pointing or mudslinging, the public's faith in the nominees falls. The candidate who does emerge as the party's nominee will not command the unified support of his base he will be a winner by plurality rather than by majority.
One could claim that this type of primary is beneficial because it vets the candidates and reveals any possible scandals that could arise, thereby making the nominee stronger in the general election. However, this argument fails to account for the human factor, the idea that people tire easily and have short attention spans. However democratic (and entertaining) this primary is, the American people particularly undecided and moderate voters will look at this display and see not democracy but chaos. In addition, during the period when the candidates attack each other, the Obama campaign has three months of virtually unopposed time in which to reformulate the president's image and present him as the wise and experienced choice in direct contrast with the Republican candidates.
Whoever the final candidate may be, there is a strong need for the Republican Party to begin to consolidate its field. This is not to say that the candidate needs to be chosen now or that this should be done without any consideration for the wishes of the party members. However, those candidates who don't have a reasonable chance of gaining the nomination should exit the race and begin to create a unified front, which will be of the utmost importance this coming fall. The process of thinning down the candidate pool and consolidating the support of the entire party apparatus must begin to take shape if the GOP is to win in 2012. With the very real possibility that the GOP will retake the Senate and the White House, it is extremely important for the party to maintain strong support from its base and extend its reach to the more moderate portions of the population.
When a person is presented with too many choices, he is less inclined to make a change and will either revert to familiarity or avoid making a choice altogether. However, if there are fewer choices, the task seems less daunting and one is more likely to support change if dissatisfied. Therefore, by consolidating the field of contenders for the Republican nomination, voters will be more disposed to actively support one of the remaining candidates and be inclined to view the eventual nominee as a candidate who represents the entire Republican Party. In a time when the American public is discontent with both parties, the support of one segment of the population could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
