Roemer sees rejection as chance to stroke ego more

While Louisiana has had more than its share of oversized personalities inhabit the world of politics, a run to demonstrate the biggest ego and need for relevance of them is coming from a surprising source whose personality otherwise pales in comparison to those others.

By now, one would have thought that former Gov. Buddy Roemer’s crisis to be someone and to achieve at a level he believes commensurate with his ability in politics would have become satiated, if not permanently altered to a more realistic appraisal of himself and his place in the world, by his quixotic sojourn for the presidency. The Republican running generally on a reform, anti-Washington/big government platform, his main campaign plank touts that too much money goes into elections, and, as such, he accepts no more than $100 donations from individuals and none from political action committee.

Thus, this explains partly why, as of the end of 2011’s third quarter, he had raised only about $233,000 – less than another Republican with no PAC donations Fred Karger’s $356,000 or so, although this candidate has largely self-financed his.

But the other reason why Roemer has raised so little and does so poorly in the polls is his message is asinine delivered by a candidate whose background lacks consanguinity to his message or has inspired little confidence in his ability to govern.

Just as a lothario who is a legend in his own mind can’t understand why the chicks he hits on frequently slap in him the face, Roemer's eight months of rebuffs on the campaign trail haven’t gotten it through his head that he is found much more wanting compared to alternative candidates. So now, sharing a state of delusion matching those who believe Pres. Barack Obama’s tax first, spend less later policies not only did not produce the weakest economic recovery from the weakest recession in history but that more intense versions of them will actually reverse the trend, Roemer thinks lengthier and perhaps more shrill campaigning by him will rouse out of it everybody unknowingly trapped in a Matrix-like economic and political system.

In short, he has begun a tentative mating dance with the Occupy rabble and contemplated an independent presidential campaign, figuring that since the electorate doesn’t love him enough in this time current period, lengthier exposure to him spouting wackier ideas will make it more likely to swoon over him. Yes, and the reason an alcoholic can avoid hangovers and delirium tremens is to keep drinking more booze.

And the flight from reality continues. Even more difficult than gaining ballot access as a major party candidate for primaries is running in the general election as an independent. If he can’t come up with the scratch, because of his unpopularity and self-imposed limits, to get on the South Carolina ballot, he’ll get on few if any for the more stringent regulations many states have for the general elections – Michigan gifts will be rarities.

General election deadlines, of course, come almost a year from now so maybe Roemer’s banking on enough bucks rolling in, or his supplying them, by then, coupled with a halt to active campaigning for the GOP nomination that saves funds, to get on the ballots of as many states as possible. But it’s unlikely that the gibberish spouted by the Occupy mob will prove any more magnetic to the 99 percent that would have to comprise a small-donor base for Roemer than anything he’s campaigned on to date. His only option then is to try to piggyback off efforts such as this, with no guarantee than he can do it in a way to make his candidacy relevant in the general election.

It’s hard to contemplate somebody in Louisiana political history more vain than Prisoner #03128-095, but if Roemer actually thinks continuing his campaign will have any more impact in the real world other than in inflating his sense of self-importance, I think we’ve found the new champion in that area as well as in general obtuseness. For with the public’s resistance to buy the hogwash he’s selling, to borrow with slight modification William F. Buckley’s famous aphorism, it’s better to be governed by the first two thousand names in the telephone book than by Harvard graduates like Roemer.