NEW! Well, conservatives were waiting for the great arrival of Rick Perry and, based on performance, they may be sorry they put so much hope (and change) on this guy. He may have a great record in Texas but, if the debates are any example, he’s not ready for the big leagues of presidential politics. If we conservatives would relish a debate between Obama and Gingrich we’d be sitting there hiding our eyes and peeking between our fingers. What good are your good ideas if you can’t convey them well to the voters?

NEW! The former Utah governor and ambassador should have all the creds you could want: executive and foreign policy experience. Now if he had a personality. I know it’s shallow to think that way but I want a conservative president taking office on January 20, 2013 and this guy isn’t going to do it. Another one who should step aside so we can start to really focus on possible candidates and winners.

Well, we’ve had a handful of “debates” and we should know the candidates a lot better than we did back when this American Conversation began in May. Now, what do you have to say about the candidates? Have you decided who is worthy of your support. Tell us why! Who knows you might convince someone else and help your candidate win the nomination. The roster of candidatges has been updates and new comments by the moderator have been added. Tell us if you’re still waiting for the perfect candidate to appear on the horizon.

Here are links to each of the likely candidates:

          Gary Johnson          Herman Cain        Mitt Romney

  Michele Bachmann         Rick Santorum          Ron Paul

    Newt Gingrich          John Huntsman        Rick Perry

Extremely intelligent and able to articulate the issues as well as anyone. BUT lots of baggage…both personal and political. The Tea Party may have changed the political landscape a good deal from the 1990s but is it enough?

NEW!!! He’s probably the most intelligent candidate on the stage at the debates and he makes his points forcefully. There isn’t a conservative/republican who wouldn’t love to see a Gingrich-Obama debate. After all, we all love a good dose of gore. He still has a lot of baggage and, based on the polls, he’s not overcoming them too easily.

The darling of Libertarians and many, many Tea Party folks, Paul’s positions are clear and consistent. He believes what he says BUT is America ready to go all the way to a Libertarian philosophy?

NEW! Ron Paul is absolutely the most consistent and principled candidate running. Fiscally and domestically he’s right on the money. Honestly though, his foreign policy positions scare the hell out of me. Perhaps, I’m willing to admit, it’s that I’ve live so many decade thinking of the U.S. as the only country which can possibly police the world. And, perhaps, I’ve just been wrong all these years. But…still…Ron Paul will not attract the independents and without them we guarantee Obama’s reelection.

Photogenic and articulate, Santorum seen as an insider in a year when outsider is in. He’s big on the social issues but appears not to have any real plans for the economy to differentiate him from so many others in the field.

NEW! Well, not much has changed from my original opinion except he’s made me consider him one of the most boring candidates in the field…and that’s not easy to say with Jon Huntsman and Gary Johnson in the field. Also quite bothered by his emphasis on the “social” issues at a time when the economy is in such bad shape and, honestly, everything I’ve heard him say about what he would do to fix the problem are just words that any good high school debater could come up with IF they opponents or the faculty didn’t say you have to back that up with some facts. Sorry Rick, I’m in Pennsylvania and there’s no way you’re getting my vote.

Another Tea Party favorite, Bachmann seems to have the conservative creds needed to compete for the nomination BUT there have only been two presidents who came out of the House of Representatives. She also has to give up the “cheerleading” at rallies (her voice goes up a couple of octives) and makes her sound shrill.

NEW! Had such high hopes for Michele Bachman. Her stance on health care, her embrace of the Tea Party before most others were encouraging. And while all conservatives want to make Obama “a one-term president” saying that over and over and over again isn’t enough to win either the nomination or the general election. Michele missed one of the most important lessons from the Reagan years…you have to have a positive image, something that you can rally American’s around, something they want to believe in. She hasn’t done that. The overwhelming message she delivers is “one term” and “repeal Obamacare”. Okay…suppose you do. Then what? You haven’t given me or anyone else something to look forward to except that we’ll be back where we were four years ago and $5 trillion more in debt.

Yes, tons of executive experience from saving the Utah olympics to governing blue state Massachusetts BUT there’s the Obama-like health care plan he was responsible for and there’s that aristocratic, slick, unconnected-to-the-average-person appearance.

NEW! He’s done a lot better this time round than he did in 2008. His debate performances have been pretty good and he’s probably the candidate who has the most appeal to independents. There’s still that inability to win over the vast majority of conservative republications that’s necessary to win the nomination. I think he’s missed a golden opportunity to put the Massachusetts’ health care program to rest. Conservatives ought to be fully in tune with the 10th Amendment. Hey, Mitt, just say that health care is a state issue and that what your state did and what Oregon has done and what Texas wants to do is fine if the citizens of that state say it is. You’d put the others in a position of agreeing or not standing strong for state’s rights. Honestly, I’m still looking for someone more conservative than you to give my support.

Business executive and plain-speaking Cain has come out of nowhere to be a force in the Republican nominating process. Can he keep it up? While he should be able to enunciate both domestic and foreign policy positions that will attract the conservatives who dominate the nominating process, can he be as successful with the independents who elect presidents?

NEW! He is so personable but he really has to learn not to shoot from the hip so that he has to walk his statements back. He really can’t afford that and if it happens too often people will lose confidence in his ability (which is unproven in the public sector). Give the man credit for his 9-9-9 plan which has at least put the issue of the tax code front and center. It’s a brilliant marketing concept because it’s so easy to understand. The problem is that he hasn’t produced concrete examples of what it will mean for average working Americans. “A family of four making $55,000 now pays X. Under 9-9-9 they will now pay X in federal taxes and X in sales tax (if they spend every penny they earn). Make the case at ten different levels and, if it doesn’t work out, revise it to 12-9-6…or whatever will work out. Most American corporations would be happy with a 12 percent tax rate, most working Americans would be fine with 9 percent marginal tax rate. Oh, one more thing…foreign affairs are important so you really ought to spend an hour or two learning about the various “stans” out there and whether they’re currently friends or foes.

Another former governor with executive experience, the big question for Johnson seems to be his lack of charisma and, based on his South Carolina performance, his lack of a clear, easily understood positions on the issues. Honestly, at this moment, I have no idea what he’s offering or why I’d want to buy.

NEW! Bland and not really very inspiring. His best line of the whole campaign/debate cycle was that he was governor for eight years, the state gained a couple of hundred thousand jobs and “I didn’t create a single job.” Good for him. It’s not government’s job to “create” jobs…just to create a atmosphere where innovation, investment and success are allowed to earn every reward it can. He can’t win the nomination or the general election and a sound judgement would be that he should get out of the way.