The Money Race

Well this has changed the 2012 equation just a little bit. It seems like no Republican wants to take a shot at President Obama next year- and to be frank, their bench is shallow this year. Very, very shallow. Candidates like Mitch Daniels may talk sense, but they're about as appealing as a slice of wonderbread. Sarah Palin has been too coy for far too long (though she could make plenty of noise if she choose to run- but Fred Thompson played coy in 2008 and flamed out- hard.) Mitt Romney has health care hanging around his neck. Huckabee has too narrow of an appeal, Pawlenty might be serious but doesn't have a high national profile.

And then there's Michelle Bachmann and the Pauls. Bachmann put up an impressive $2.2 million in the first quarter and only libertarian die-hards Ron and Rand Paul put up more. Now money doesn't necessarily equal viability- or that you're going to win or even get the nomination, but $2.2 million is a serious number.

Politically speaking, it's hard to say what Republicans will need to make a serious run at unseating President Obama- funnily enough, I learned recently that President Carter was the only Democrat in history (I think- at least in the 20th Century) to not get re-elected when standing for a second term- so intangibles tend to be on the President's side in 2012. It stands to reason that Republicans should be looking for someone who can harnass the incredible energy of the Tea Party and Bachmann, though her social conservative views make her a complete anathema to me personally might just be the candidate do that.

But is she too polarizing to win? It's worth noting that everyone thought Reagan was too polarizing to win and he managed too. And Bachmann doesn't have the national profile that Sarah Palin does. Moderates are now all too familiar with Palin rants and Facebook notes- they've become an expected part of the media cycle now and although Bachmann's been out there a few times and had her shares of mis-steps, there's nowhere near the danger of overexposure that Palin now risks should she run. I think... reluctant as I might be to say it, that Bachmann may have read the tea leaves correctly. She can appeal to the Tea Party and her Social Conservative credentials are impeccable- but the question becomes: can she appeal to moderates, independents and the center? Will she drown everyone in social issues and turn off half the country in the process?

All interesting questions- and with $2.2 million in the bank, all just become a lot more pressing...