Slowly but surely we are marching our way to the 2012 presidential elections where Republican hopefuls will face off against President Barack Obama. Obama launched his re-election campaign Monday morning, so the campaign, for an election 18 months away, has already begun.

The Democrats have it easy because they simply wait until next November to support the current president. The Independents get to be courted by both parties non-stop for the next 18 months. The Republicans … oh, the Republicans have their work cut out for them. They must choose a candidate to rally around that rivals Reagan, has the guts to speak out against the current president in a way that will actually improve the country and garner support from the minority groups in America.

So, do the Republicans have any choices? Yes, too many to keep track of, and the number grows by the day. I recently wrote about former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer’s bid for president. Although Roemer is considered a long shot, we must remember that the current president was an unknown junior senator from Illinois before the campaign began.

Then we have Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Georgia businessman Herman Cain, former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Congressman Newt Gingrich, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and possibly our very own Gov. Bobby Jindal. Oh! Let us not forget THE Donald, Donald Trump.

If you don’t see one you like in the above list, don’t worry, this list is sure to grow before getting smaller as it gets closer to “show me the money time” later

this year. The reason the field is so crowded is because, in the early stages at least, social media and the TEA Party energy has leveled the playing field a bit and allowed normally excluded second and third tier candidates to form exploratory committees, raise some cash and create a considerable amount of buzz around their name.

Huckabee is winning a few polls, Bachmann, Romney and Paul have raised considerable amounts of cash, and Palin doesn’t need cash or polls to generate buzz. Trump has a TV show, books, buildings named after him and really big hair so the “buzz” goes where he goes. I am watching to see where Herman Cain and Gov. Chris Christie go in the coming months. Their messages are strong and resonate with those who think government doesn’t work at all. Regardless, stay tuned … this political reality show is just getting started.

The last bite…

What a weekend! It started off cooking meatballs with Baba and Friends (a Relay for Life team), and of course I had to taste the product of all the hard work. Well, those ladies know how to cook a meatball and cook they did! We made over 400 meatballs in one night. They got 5 crumbs! Then the weekend was capped off with a hugely successful Relay for Life on Saturday night. Early estimates show the 30 teams doubled last year’s total money raised! At Relay, I helped prepare and serve FRIED OREOS. Oh yeah, you read that right! Imagine a chocolate cake filled with cream wrapped in dough then fried until golden brown and dusted with powdered sugar to add a finishing touch. It was my first time trying a fried Oreo, but I can promise you that it won’t be the last. I give the Relay for Life (and the fried Oreos) 5 (out of 5) crumbs!

Buddy Boe, a resident of LaPlace, is a former parish administrator and is well known on the local political (and food) scenes. His column appears every Wednesday in L’Observateur.