Oh, to be able to see a year into the future

Ican’t help wishing it was November 2012, when the political world around us promises to be so much different than it is now. Just think: If the national elections were over, we would know a lot more about the future of our country and which party will control our lives.

Right now, everything around us is one big, ugly mess. The Republican Party is in a fight for its future, with the few moderates left battling with the right wing for the heart and soul of the party of Lincoln. The GOP will start its national primary schedule in less than 40 days, and that process will determine who their standard-bearer will be next November.

One would think that by now the party would have narrowed its choices down to Mitt Romney and one other contender. But as the contests start, it can be just about anyone winding up as the Republican candidate. As each week goes by, a new Romney alternative emerges for a brief moment on the national stage, only to be shot down by some dumb mistake or a once-secret happening. In less than three months the party has fallen in and out of love with Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain and Rick Perry. At this moment the new anybody-but-Romney is either Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul.

To make things worse, in previous primary contests there were winner-take-all rules. This time, as an example, if Ron Paul gets 30 percent of the primary vote in Iowa, he gets 30 percent of the delegates. This new attempt to make the Republican Primary process more democratic could turn the party nominating convention into one big zoo, with wheeling and dealing up to the last minute.

If you talk to any important national Republican Party officials, they will tell you that beating President Obama is almost a sure thing. Based on a number of developments, I wouldn’t bet the ranch house in Levittown on that assumption.