Rich and Jonah have written well today on the state of the GOP candidacies for president. “Is this it?” Rich asks, then answers, with some sadness, yes. Feelings are very mixed about the field. Republicans are depressed — there doesn’t seem to be a candidate with the right mix of ideas and positions and character.
And it was ever thus. Democrats hated their field in 2004. Many Republicans and conservatives were uncomfortable with George W. Bush through 1999 and enough of them were sufficiently disenchanted to give John McCain a serious look. Think about the Democrats in 1992, longing for the late entry of Mario Cuomo to save them. In 1987, George Bush the Elder didn’t look tough enough, and had to face down Pat Robertson and Bob Dole. In 1980 it was far from certain that the GOP would coalesce around Reagan.
The point is that there never is a candidacy that breeds joyous enthusiasm. Politicians are flawed beings. The ones who speak well often seem false. The ones who are substantive bore. The ones who are tough enough for the job seem too mean. The ones who are likable enough seem too soft. Both parties and all ideological camps express the same reservations, regrets and anxieties. Always. And then they fall in love — or they try to, desperately, like a bride in an arranged marriage.
We’ve seen it before, we’re seeing it now, and we will see it again and again until the end of days.