My fellow Americans, I come to you with a warning. The media is propagating a myth. I’m not talking about global warming (though I don’t buy that one either). I speak of the myth of “the front-runner.” Ever since Jan. 3, there has been, according to the media, “no clear front-runner” in the Republican presidential race.

The hysteria for the lack of unity has been nearly overwhelming. Of course the media does a great job at presenting fear and hysteria. We’re not yet in a recession, but the way the news is being reported, you’d think we’re in one for the long haul.

The lack of unity on the Republican side drives much of the media crazy, because we all know they are slanted liberal. When a liberal Republican shows up (i.e. John McCain), they all rally for him.

So let’s track the delegate count on approach to Florida:

  • Wyoming: Romney (8), Thompson (3), Hunter (1)
  • New Hampshire: McCain (7), Romney (4), Huckabee (1)
  • Subtotal: Romney (12), McCain (7), Thompson (3), Hunter (1), Huckabee (1)
  • Michigan: Romney (23), McCain (6), Huckabee (1)
  • Subtotal: Romney (35), McCain (13) Huckabee (2), Thompson (3), Hunter (1)
  • South Carolina: McCain (19), Huckabee (5)
  • Subtotal: Romney (35), McCain (32) Huckabee (7)

I know, everyone’s gonna hate that I left Iowa and Nevada out, but since their delegates are not finalized, and the RNC and DNC see no need to penalize them, I see no need to include them in the running total yet.

Now perhaps I’m just too simple or common-sense minded on numbers, but I always thought that when one was trying to accumulate the most of something, having the most of something at a particular point in the process (5 minutes left in the first quarter, after four states, etc…) made that person the leader, no matter how great or small the lead–for the time anyway. So theoretically, for much of the process before Florida, Romney has been the front-runner.

Since Florida has happened, lets go ahead and add in the 57 post-penalty delegates:

  • McCain (89), Romney (35), Huckabee (7)

For the record, you need nearly 1200 delegates in your name to secure the nomination. No candidate has yet achieved even half that. Now suddenly the media declares a front-runner because their guy has the lead for the time being.

McCain’s win put him at the front of the pack in a seesawing Republican race to pick the party’s candidate in November’s presidential election.

Seesawing??? Granted the wins state-by-state have been split, but Gov. Romney has maintained a lead in the delegate count up to Florida. But no, he’s not liberal like McCain, so therefore, he’s not a front-runner.

Now there is talk that Sen. McCain is “the conservative candidate” that can unify the party. First, what makes him conservative, other than national security (sans boarder security) and talking about how he “was there” when the Reagan Revolution took place? I don’t think opposing tax cuts, assaulting the first amendment, creating a means that allows good judicial nominees to be blocked from a floor vote, and other such actions portrays conservatism.

Former Mayor Giuliani, considered to be the presumptive nominee for much of last year, is now planning to withdraw. Word is that he is going to endorse the new current front-runner. That does nothing for overcoming any kind of perceptions that conservatives have of “America’s Mayor” not being all that conservative (even if the big paper from his town chose McCain and ripped Giuliani).

Second, Is the good Senator really unifying the party? Let’s look at percentages where he has won thus far:

  • New Hampshire: 37%, just over one-third of the vote
  • South Carolina: 33.2%, a tenth of a point under one-third of the vote
  • Florida: 36% of the vote, just over one-third of the vote

In fact, Mitt Romney seems to be more of a unifier as he has twice won a majority (not plurality) of votes: Wyoming with about two-thirds, and Nevada (though it is just a caucus) with 51%. So in case your wondering, I’m going with Mitt Romney for the nomination. I don’t see myself filling in the oval for Sen. McCain; Gov. Huckabee, maybe, but he’s going to have to overcome a lot of perceptions and lack of delegates for me to begin considering it.

Don’t by the front-runner myth this early in the game. Keep hope alive and don’t buy into the media’s “admiration” for Sen. McCain. There’s a lot of ground to cover on Feb. 5 and it will probably be something that McCain doesn’t run away with.

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