Haley Barbour Accepts Reality

The field of Republican presidential hopefuls has been very large this year and probably will grow even larger before it is over, but for today, that field has been reduced by one candidate. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has announced that he will not be running for the Republican nomination in 2012.

This is not really surprising. Barbour has had problems from the very first. Among these are a past of working as a lobbyist and very little name recognition outside of Mississippi -- not to mention his having less charisma than a swamp toad. There have been numerous national political polls and Barbour has been unable to score better than three or four percent in any of them. I think he hoped to build up support, but was unable to gain any traction at all.

And when Donald Trump entered the race (or at least said he might enter) and his numbers shot up to near or at the top, Barbour began to see the writing on the wall. It wasn't that it was too early for the poll numbers to show movement, but that people just weren't interested in his candidacy. Too many saw him as a lobbyist, a party regular, or a racist (especially after he tried to defend the White Citizens Councils in the South as not being racist -- when they were started just to protect segregation).

Here is what Barbour had to say about his decision to not run for the Republican presidential nomination:

“I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.


Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run and offered both to give and raise money for a presidential campaign. Many volunteers have organized events in support of my pursuing the race. Some have dedicated virtually full time to setting up preliminary organizations in critical, early states and to helping plan what has been several months of intensive activity.


I greatly appreciate each and every one of them and all their outstanding efforts. If I have disappointed any of them in this decision, I sincerely regret it.


A candidate for president today is embracing a ten-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else. His (or her) supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty, and total certainty is required.


This decision means I will continue my job as Governor Mississippi, my role in the Republican Governors Association and my efforts to elect a new Republican president in 2012, as the stakes for the nation require that effort to be successful.”

I think Barbour was just hit in the face with a bit of reality. He finally realized that in running he would just be wasting his own time and his supporters' money. And I give him credit for that. A lot of the other candidates will continue long after any hope of winning has died.