Four Lessons Learned by 2012 GOP Candidates (ContributorNetwork)

There are hard lessons to be learned from the mistakes of the GOP front runners in the 2012 presidential election.

Former candidates, such as Donald Trump, are exerting influence over the eventual nominee. Herman Cain rose to the top so fast that no one, including Mr. Cain, could believe it was really happening. It was amazing how popular his colloquial humanisms of localized dialect resonated with the rank and file of the GOP.

There were also very hard lessons learned from the 2008 election by the 2012 candidates. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee decided he was not going to run against Barack Obama or anyone else. Sarah Palin decided that a presidential run was not as profitable as her book deals and news syndication. The GOP was left without its darlings in the 2012 election.

So what has it learned?

Never count your chickens before they are hatched.

There has been an array of GOP front runners. The contest started with Trump as the front runner. Michele Bachmann soon vanquished Trump. Front runner status was elusive to Bachmann as well. Perry took control of the race on the day Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll. After three poor debate performances, Perry joined the list of failed front runners. Enter Herman Cain, who had been waiting in the wings for his chance.

"Confidence" was the word many people used to describe Cain's campaign. Cain's fall from grace was Biblical. Thou shall not commit adultery. Cain's campaign was over. Gingrich fell into the void left by Cain's absence. Voters showed their return to sanity in Iowa this week by giving Gingrich a 14 percent approval rating. The man with the most to gain and the least to lose in Iowa is Ron Paul.

Never count Mitt Romney out of any race.

GOP front runners have come and gone. Romney still remains the only candidate to have a 22 percent approval rating nationally. Whenever a new front runner is forced down from his throne, Romney is there to pick up the pieces. The other challengers have never approached his level of fund raising and organization. Romney has boots on the ground in all the critical states. Romney can only lose the nomination to himself with a "possible" imploding campaign.

Never forget that the GOP is a very conservative caucus.

Morality is the hallmark of GOP conservatism. No GOP front runner can possibly hope to stay in the lead while fighting allegations of extra marital sex and sexual harassment. Cain should have never run for office knowing his own record of improprieties. Gingrich has taken a third pledge of fidelity. The GOP demands a certain type of person to be their nominee. Gingrich cannot convince ultra-conservative voters to vote for him because he converted to Catholicism for his third wife.

Never forget the race is not over until you cross the finish line.

The real race for the GOP nomination is just beginning. Some states like Florida and South Carolina have a "winner take all" system of nomination. These states' nomination system will help Romney win the GOP primaries. Romney's slow and steady pace is a constant reminder of the tortoise and the hare story. The hare in this case is the entire GOP challenger field except for Jon Huntsman. Huntsman is the only moderate Republican in the GOP field. Could there be a Romney-Huntsman ticket in the future? Maybe. The race is far from over.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120117/pl_ac/10729431_four_lessons_learned_by_2012_gop_candidates

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