GOP Presidential Nomination

[Desdichado]

Okay political junkies!

The 2016 engines are starting and I'm quite thankful that they will dominate the news for some time to come.

Now is the time for some wild speculation and I would like to submit this piece:

Jim Geraghty’s Off-Kilter 2016 Rundown | National Review Online

I would like to know what you all think about Geraghty's rankings.

For those who have not the time to read three pages, I will give ya'll the rundown.


Tier 1:

Scott Walker

Marco Rubio

Rick Perry

Bobby Jindal


Tier 2:

Jeb Bush

Mitt Romney

Chris Christie

Rand Paul

Ted Cruz

Mike Huckabee

Rick Santorum

Ben Carson


Tier 3:

Carly Fiorina

John Kasich

Mike Pence


Thoughts?

 

[GodIsSalvation]

I much enjoy political season. I will indeed watch every debate in the primaries and general. I have been excited for the GOP primary hoping they would learn from 2012. Then I saw their politicos are pretty much bent on running a clown car election.

Gonna be easy one for Hillary with a list like this.

 

[Viligant_Warrior]

Ben Carson will emerge as a top candidate for the GOP nomination, and though he may not get it, he will at least get the vice-presidential slot.

 

[kennethcadwell]

It doesn't really matter as the republican party at least the last two elections never picks the favorite that people want any way. As for Romney he shouldn't even run, because he has already ran twice and with the things he has said, even if he says differently this go around should not be trusted. Others have already stepped up about wanting to raise taxes on the middle class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/u...rs-buck-party-line-on-raising-taxes.html?_r=0

Anti-Tax Republican Governors Are Raising Taxes On The Poor and Middle Class

 

[GodIsSalvation]

Ben Carson will emerge as a top candidate for the GOP nomination, and though he may not get it, he will at least get the vice-presidential slot.

I'm not against Ben Carson, but he has no political experience. It is just not a reality that he could be President or even Vice President. He has a good enough personality and influence though. If he has presidential ambitions he would be wise to run for a lesser office and if he does well in that, from there he could make a formidable campaign later on indeed.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

It doesn't really matter as the republican party at least the last two elections never picks the favorite that people want any way. As for Romney he shouldn't even run, because he has already ran twice and with the things he has said, even if he says differently this go around should not be trusted. Others have already stepped up about wanting to raise taxes on the middle class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/u...rs-buck-party-line-on-raising-taxes.html?_r=0

Anti-Tax Republican Governors Are Raising Taxes On The Poor and Middle Class

The tax stuff will only go so far. In the GOP primary it will be somewhat important, but I expect jobs, domestic programs, and foreign policy will be more dominant issues.

As for Mitt Romney, I have seen the GOP politicos cooing over him. It almost makes me wonder if they are intentionally trying to throw away their election. Then again seeing that their alternative to Mitt is Jeb Bush, I must wonder if they are trying to throw away the Republican Party itself.

 

[Viligant_Warrior]

I'm not against Ben Carson, but he has no political experience.

Has it occurred to you that is a positive???

We need someone who isn't a politician. Someone with administrative experience, who knows how to get things done, who can translate a business plan and apply it to government. We've had enough of the same old junk going on for years where everybody sounds fresh and new, but turns out to be just one more version of some sort of political hack or another.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

Has it occurred to you that is a positive???

We need someone who isn't a politician. Someone with administrative experience, who knows how to get things done, who can translate a business plan and apply it to government. We've had enough of the same old junk going on for years where everybody sounds fresh and new, but turns out to be just one more version of some sort of political hack or another.

For level of President or even VP you must have political experience. Especially in this time of turbulence foreign policy experience is going to be a premium. That's just political reality in America. Especially so given that you must run someone against Hillary who is by far extremely experienced, moreso than any other candidate regardless of party. On top of that, supposing Ben Carson did get the nomination, he could not stand up to Hillary in a debate.

Of the list given here the only people that even stand a chance are Kasich, Bush, Paul, Walker, and Jindal.

Kasich has the most experience, a solid and positive record, and would fare best in a debate with Clinton, but I do not think he is running, and he is not well known outside of Ohio. Bush does have the experience and could hold his own in a debate against Hillary, but the Bush name is mud. There is a real risk of a revolution if you make another Bush as President. Rand Paul can debate, but he is so inexperienced on foreign policy, plus his own party will cannibalize him like they did his dad. Walker has some experience, but also much controversy. I am not so sure how he would fare in the debate. I see him as the wildcard, he could go either be a great nominee or a terrible one. Jindal has the experience and record, but because he is a poor speaker he would not stand in a debate.

 

[Nautilus]

IM honestly hoping the GOP screws up and nominates some crazy tea-partier.

 

[kennethcadwell]

The tax stuff will only go so far. In the GOP primary it will be somewhat important, but I expect jobs, domestic programs, and foreign policy will be more dominant issues.

As for Mitt Romney, I have seen the GOP politicos cooing over him. It almost makes me wonder if they are intentionally trying to throw away their election. Then again seeing that their alternative to Mitt is Jeb Bush, I must wonder if they are trying to throw away the Republican Party itself.

The thing is the three main things points that cost Romney the election from what I saw was;

1) Raising taxes on the middle class, but lowering them on the upper class

2) Stating that he wanted to do way with Medicare/Medicaid

3) This quote;

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney said in the video. "All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.



I guess Romney forgot about what the government was put in place for, maybe he needs to go back and pay attention to what Abraham Lincoln said;

" Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. "
Abraham Lincoln

 

[GodIsSalvation]

IM honestly hoping the GOP screws up and nominates some crazy tea-partier.

Who is the tea party? Last go-around every GOP candidate claimed to be the tea party candidate.

It is not good to hope one side or the other picks a bad candidate. Have we not seen enough results of that error? By playing the game between two evil servants, you and I are only guranteed to get evil servants. It is more wise to want the best servants from both parties to be nominated that we may get the best possible servants.

 

[Desdichado]

That is a good point, GodIsSalvation. The Tea Party doesn't exist in the same capacity that it did in 2009. Those groups have largely splintered and tend to focus their energy on local activism for candidates they consider to be the better of two evils.

For the most part, that is. It's about as easy to generalize who the tea party is and what they do as it is to generalize who socialists are and what they do. In 2009, the media lampooned them as "AstroTurf." They were not at the time, but now many local chapters are.

There are candidates significantly more conservative than others, but I would consider none of them really "Tea Party." Ben Carson is about as close as it gets. Maybe Ted Cruz or Mike Huckabee.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

The thing is the three main things points that cost Romney the election from what I saw was;

1) Raising taxes on the middle class, but lowering them on the upper class

2) Stating that he wanted to do way with Medicare/Medicaid

3) This quote;

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney said in the video. "All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.



I guess Romney forgot about what the government was put in place for, maybe he needs to go back and pay attention to what Abraham Lincoln said;

" Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. "
Abraham Lincoln

I do think the three things that cost Mitt the election was:

1. His quotes, such as you have mentioned in your point, among others (I think how he said he loves to fire people in an election that was very much about jobs was perhaps even the worst.)

2. The disgraceful way he cannibalized and slandered all the other GOP candidates. Indeed, for how disgraceful the GOP treated Ron Paul alone, even arresting delegates and barring them from the convention did turn the critical amount of votes away from the GOP, maybe for an entire generation.

3. Mormonism. The big elephant in the room the media didn't want to talk about, but frankly it did factor into many people's decision.

 

[Desdichado]

I much enjoy political season. I will indeed watch every debate in the primaries and general. I have been excited for the GOP primary hoping they would learn from 2012. Then I saw their politicos are pretty much bent on running a clown car election.

Gonna be easy one for Hillary with a list like this.

Has it occurred to you that is a positive???

We need someone who isn't a politician. Someone with administrative experience, who knows how to get things done, who can translate a business plan and apply it to government. We've had enough of the same old junk going on for years where everybody sounds fresh and new, but turns out to be just one more version of some sort of political hack or another.

This is, as President Obama would say, a teachable moment.

I am not saying the candidate doesn't matter. Who the candidate is. What they say. How they say it. Their qualifications. All of these things are a big deal.

There are many factors that are just as important: political staff, consultants, fundraising levels, political acumen of the candidate (as opposed to policy acumen), etc.

Romney had a huge chance despite himself. The main problem for the GOP that year is the fact they were simply outclassed by a strategically superior and forward-thinking Democratic political culture.

A bit of advice to people of all political stripes is this: when you look for a candidate to throw your support behind, look at their political operation. Is it well tested against their ultimate opposition? How do they spend their money? How do they raise their money? Who is the candidate and their crew attached to politically?

Take that into consideration alongside their policy. Weigh the two factors together. That is how you find your man or woman.

 

[AbolishTheLaw]

I think we need someone dedicated to the Constitution. I happen to believe the Constitution was divinely inspired.

 

[Billyd]

I don't see any of these that can defeat Hillary Clinton in the next general election.

What will happen is that the Republican Party will destroy itself from within before the 2016 Republican Convention.

I pray that I'm wrong!

 

[GodIsSalvation]

I think we need someone dedicated to the Constitution. I happen to believe the Constitution was divinely inspired.

The US Constitution is not divinely inspired, the First Amendment proves that much. Don't feel bad though for many people talk about the Constitution as if it were akin to the Bible. However the US Constitution is irrelevant anymore, that's just a fact. As all the branches of the government have violated it, it is pretty much defunct. Even as we type and NSA collects the data, the government is in violation of it. Funny enough the US Constitution has even violated itself due to the 21st Amendment. To be blunt about it, toilet paper serves more fuction than the US Constitution.

Don't worry though, as it is the Bible still stands stronger than any document ever written.

 

[Desdichado]

The US Constitution is not divinely inspired, the First Amendment proves that much. Don't feel bad though for many people talk about the Constitution as if it were akin to the Bible. However the US Constitution is irrelevant anymore, that's just a fact. As all the branches of the government have violated it, it is pretty much defunct. Even as we type and NSA collects the data, the government is in violation of it. Funny enough the US Constitution has even violated itself due to the 21st Amendment. To be blunt about it, toilet paper serves more fuction than the US Constitution.

So imperfection in the face of an ideal makes the ideal not worth pursuing? Especially if said ideal is, in fact, doable with some augmentation?

The United States Constitution is by no means scripture. It's a foundational legal document and the men who crafted it had a better grasp of human nature and, in some ways, divine nature than we do today. If we treated the document for what it is, there would be less of a tendency to view it in such stark, absolutist terms that we do today.

 

[Desdichado]

And good gravy. I want to know why people think Hillary is such a juggernaut. Were we all sleeping in 2008?

 

[Billyd]

I think we need someone dedicated to the Constitution. I happen to believe the Constitution was divinely inspired.

The Bible was divinely inspired. It is unchanged yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Constitution is not divinely inspired. Man has changed it, is changing it and will continue to change it.

The problem with man is that when he has an opportunity to choose the way of God, man still overwhelmingly chooses the way of man.

I love Joshua 24:14. It fits here.