Once you get past the superficial bits, this comparison doesn't hold up well:
While it’s still very early, and we don’t yet know who’ll actually run, the potential GOP presidential field right now looks very similar to the Democratic one that lined up against George W. Bush in 2004. Consider: Mitt Romney is John Kerry (the early front-runner from Massachusetts who looks the part but is viewed negatively as a flip-flopper); John Thune is John Edwards (the good-looking young senator who’s better known for winning a Senate race than the legislation he’s produced); Sarah Palin is Joe Lieberman (the ex-VP nominee who’s not trusted by some in the party); Newt Gingrich is Dick Gephardt (the nationally known former House leader); Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels are Bob Graham (the respected grown-up who’s viewed more enthusiastically by the elites than the base); and Herman Cain is Al Sharpton (the long-shot who grabs headlines).
The major difference, of course, is that most Democratic elites (Deaniacs) were looking for someone who could best accommodate the cultural moment. That's why Kerry and Edwards came out on top, after all. They weren't the most compelling candidates, but in a reactionary atmosphere -- with jingoism and openly anti-gay rhetoric -- it made sense to nominate a Vietnam veteran and a white Southerner.
By contrast, Republican elites have zero interest in accommodating the "Obama moment." That's partly because of the political climate -- Obama's approval has been below 50 percent for most of his presidency -- and partly because the GOP is dominated by conservatives who, in their words at least, hate the Democratic agenda and the federal government writ large. If this were a one-to-one comparison, Mitt Romney and John Thune would be the moderate, Republican alternatives to Obama, Sarah Palin would be the conservative insurgent (with a touch of Joe Lieberman about her), and Herman Cain would still be Al Sharpton.
As it stands, the potential GOP presidential field is distinguished by stylistic differences, not policy. On the basics of policy, they mostly agree: The Affordable Care Act should be repealed, taxes should be cut, entitlements should be slashed, the military should be used (whenever possible), and it would probably be best if we brought back the full Bush/Cheney security regime.
-- Jamelle Bouie
