IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
By Ed Hoffman
Last week was the Conservative Political Action Conference, an event those in the know refer to as CPAC. My number one choice for the Republican nomination in 2016, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, rocked the house – just as he did when speaking at the Unite IE Conservative Conference in Riverside last month. Now, I want to take issue with something that was said on a local morning radio program regarding Governor Perry. My esteemed colleague and co-host of The Morning Answer, Ben Shapiro, said something to this effect: Rick Perry had his chance in 2011 and blew it, so that’s that. Wow! To hear that declaration come from one of the most brilliant young conservative minds today was shocking, and not just because of my devotion to Rick Perry. I’m actually more shocked because using Ben’s “you get one shot” logic, some of the greatest conservatives in history would have never been elected.
We’ll start with Richard Nixon, who made it all the way to the Republican nomination in 1960 before losing the general election to John F. Kennedy. If Americans had decided Nixon didn’t deserve another chance, he would not have had the opportunity to beat Hubert Humphrey in 1968 and become the 37th President of the United States.
Of course, this doesn’t end with Nixon. Most people under 50 are completely unaware that the unofficial deity of conservatism, President Ronald Reagan, lost the Republican nomination to Gerald Ford in 1976. If Reagan had given up the next time around, he would not have been elected our 40th President in 1980. Those eight years of peace through strength would not have been our reality, and the evil Soviet empire would not have fallen. The term “Reaganomics” would not have been coined, because the 16 million jobs created by Reagan’s policies would never materialize. This would be America’s reality if it had decided Ronald Reagan “had his chance” and didn’t deserve another one.
On a global scale, conservatives who are given another chance have proven to be among some of the world’s greatest leaders. Take Benjamin Netanyahu, who was Israeli Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999 before losing the subsequent election to Ehud Barak. “Bibi” won back the premiership in 2009, and most conservatives (including Ben Shapiro) believe the world is better for it. To say that a candidate who didn’t do well the first time around should give up and fade into the shadows forever is impulsive and short-sighted. Unlike Reagan, Perry did not make it to the nomination the first time around – but that should not negate the viability of his candidacy. He was still Governor at the time, which clearly divided his attentions and hampered his effectiveness as a candidate. One could argue this was also the case for Reagan, who was Governor of California during the initial stages of his first attempt at securing the nomination.
Perry, like Reagan in 1980, is no longer a Governor – and he deserves another shot at the presidency. When it comes to choosing the Republican nominee in 2016, conservatives who care about winning should look to history to determine the smartest course of action.
Ed Hoffman is the host of the Main Event on AM590, which airs Saturday 9:30AM- 10:30AM and Sunday 4:00PM- 5:00PM. Follow him on Twitter @EdHoffman, and like him on Facebook by searching The Main Event AM590.
