Something that really deserves more attention is the lack of any powerhouses within the GOP. We saw this in 2008, when Republicans had to suck it up and vote for John McCain. We are seeing it again now with the right trying to figure out which Republican candidate is the lesser of two evils.

Are the people supporting Mitt really supporting him or are they more so going against Newt?

Is Newt’s support coming from people who actually believe in Newt, or is coming from people voting against Mitt Romney?

How about Ron Paul? His sudden surge has left a lot of pundits scratching their heads. A man who wants to legalize drugs and prostitution, something so far from the social conservative base that it might as well be in Amsterdam, has become a serious contender in the GOP race.

What’s fueling that sudden Ron Paul surge? Is it people supporting Ron Paul or is it people so fed up with the other choices that they have no other option?

In all these questions both options can ring true, but looking at polling data and reading commentary you quickly realize that it’s not really support driving these candidates, but rather a lack of any real choice.

One of the problems facing today’s GOP is that they have gone so far to the right that they have actually forgotten who they are or in what country they are living. They believe that America is a far right country, when in fact it is moderate, if not more on the left. I come to that conclusion from recently spending a few hours digging through tons of polls on social issues. When you look at things like gay marriage, taxing the rich, a woman’s right to choose, the death penalty, social programs, gun control and about any other issue you can think of, America takes a more leftist view.

This is where the GOP’s problems really hit home. The Republicans have made it impossible for a candidate to come out that might support gay marriage yet be pro-choice. You can’t support better gun control while wanting to ban abortion, gay marriage and calling for lower taxes. To be a viable GOP candidate it’s an all or nothing approach and that is a serious problem and one that is most likely driving away a lot of talent from rising in the GOP.

Consider 2008 again. We had two main candidates from the left in that cycle – Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It was a down to the wire race for the nomination, with the decision only coming at the actual convention. Many on the right viewed this as a fractured left, but it wasn’t. People didn’t support Clinton just to oppose Obama and Obama supporters weren’t there only to oppose Clinton. People chose candidates they believed in. Even more interesting is that these candidates didn’t have to fall into a strict left wing view either. There was a whole “Obama is the most liberal person in the Senate” meme being pushed by the right, but as we all know that was false.

Simply put, the left is able to get behind a candidate that shares some of their views and accept the fact that there points of disagreement. The right is unable to do that. With them it’s an all or nothing approach…well until election day, then they hold their noses and vote for their nominee just because it’s still better than a Democrat.

Of course that doesn’t come into play this year. I think we could see a lot of Republicans deciding to forfeit this election in hopes that they can put out a more viable candidate in 2016 while living with only 4 more years of Obama, instead of having to accept the possibility of 8 years of one of their own that they don’t like.

But who does the GOP have that they could bring out in 2016 if that happens? As it looks right now, no one. One of the current GOP front runners right now is a man who lost to John McCain in 2008, again a man who is despised by many on the right. That doesn’t say a lot for Mitt. Then you got Newt, who has always been a turn off for the right. There has been no new talent come out this year and that suggests a much longer term problem for the GOP.

Think about previous up and coming stars we heard of from the right. Bobby Jindhal was a big one, but it only took one very poor response to a State of the Union and his stardom was diminished.

Another previous star was Mark Stanford. Many may not have heard of him, but those following politics constantly heard he could be President one day. Of course he went for a “hike on the Appalachian Trail” and that become history.

Speaking of governors, we have others. Scott Walker was one, but he will never have a chance at being President. Same thing with Florida Governor Rick Scott. He was being touted as a potential leader in the coming years, but in a traditionally red state, Scott has one of the lowest approval ratings in the country and continues to plummet.

There’s always Jeb Bush too, but I doubt he has enough thunder to get the GOP going again. A lot has to do with his last name here. Many conservatives wish George Bush would have never been President simply because they view Jeb as the more conservative of the two and the eight years of Bush have left the country with Bush fatigue.

Condi Rice could be one, but she also has some views that would turn the GOP base off. Colin Powell was another one, but he had the nerve to speak the truth on issues like Iraq (after lying about it) and that has made him cancer to the GOP.

We also have Chris Christie and Nikki Halley to talk about, but both of these individuals do not have what it takes to lead the GOP.

The Republicans right now are screwed. They are a headless party and have no real future leaders that we can see. Even if they do win the White House in November, they are going to have a President they don’t really like, and that can lead to bigger fractures in the party down the road. The Democrats have a few stars in the party right now that could easily defeat a President Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich in 2016. Could you imagine either of these men going up again Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden? Now those are debates I would pay big money to see!