Is there hope for the Republicans?

Someone said that today was a nice spring day. Evidently we had enough rain so that the lawn sprinkler didn't come on, and then it cleared off in the afternoon and remainsed cool. I wouldn't have known, because I spent the day laying floor tile in a basement with the curtains drawn. If my knees or my back start to hurt, I don't like this kind of job at all. On the other hand, if I don't have to put up with the pain (as was the case today), I can let my mind wander and think of any number of things. My thoughts today, as on most any other day, seemed to center on the situation in Washington. I truly believe that the spending and heavy-handed politics that are being practiced by the Democrats who are in charge there are handing the Republicans a golden platter of opportunity to regain control. The question is, how can they do it, and which Republican leader can pull it off?
One of the cable news channels put up a list of nine prospects that have shown interest. During the campaign, I was impressed with Sarah Palin because of her conservative values, a proven ability to govern, and especially her amazing ability to excite a crowd. I attended her rally when she came to Omaha, so I know whereof I speak. Maybe she is just biding her time, but I wish she would start making some noise! Newt Gingrich was on the list, and I think I could easily get behind him. He is an orator second to none (even without a teleprompter), he has been around and has a deep knowledge of how things get done in government, and is also a bona fide conservative. Whether he chooses to walk the walk or just be satisfied to talk the talk remains to be seen. Jindal's name keeps coming up, but I think he shot himself in the foot with his lame speech following Obama's big extravaganza. He evidently has no idea how to present himself, and that is going to be of major importance in the next election. At this point, and I know it's early, I favor Mike Huckabee. In last year's primaries, he won all the debates (at least in my opinion). His answers were always right on and quick, and he never seemed to get rattled. As the primaries progressed, he seemed to get better and better. For some reason, though, he never won favor with the conservative talk show hosts, and at one time, Rush Limbaugh even off-handedly called him an idiot. I think he has a good chance now, because he is no longer an unknown. One of his biggest draws right now is his commitment to pushing the Fairtax to replace our current tax system. I have read the Fairtax book, and it makes a lot of sense to me. Actually, if we had enacted Fairtax instead of spending mightily on the bailouts and the Stimulus plan, we would be well on our way to recovery by now. You can check it out at www.fairtax.org.
As I said, the Republicans are being fed an unbelievable amount of ammunition to take back both the White House and Congress. It is now a matter of how much they want to do it. I would like to see Michael Steele be a little more effective. He seems to be a real likeable fellow, but he needs to grow some teeth.
OK, that's it. See you on the nest post.