General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOK, so who would we rather run against?
Let's leave the infighting aside for one thread. The way I see it, the GOP choices are:
1) Jeb Bush
2) The clown car
Understand, I'm only considering Jeb Bush as a non-clown in a very relative sense. And arguably Scott Walker has one arm out of the clown car (again, very relatively speaking).
Anyway, it's a touch choice for me. The clown car is easier to defeat, but if we do end up losing to them, the consequences will be disastrous. And we've already had one clown car candidate win the presidency (W Bush), so it's not like this is impossible to fathom.
I honestly don't know.
Peacetrain
(22,881 posts)How he managed to stay Governor in Wisconsin post recall is a testament to his ability to hide his true agenda and pacify people.
He is not someone I would like to run against.. because his policies are so off the deep end of the pier.. he is anti union to the core.. and he can convince people to vote against their own best interests.
Not to mention he is deep in the pocket of the Kochs.. and he is their man..
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,460 posts)He has a moderate "appearance (relatively speaking)" but an extremist, hyper-pro-corporate-Koch-driven agenda (and an increasingly extremist anti-choice one as well). Jeb I worry about too though I think (to some degree) people aren't excited about possibly having another Bush. I'm not happy about the people he has surrounding him as foreign policy advisors.
Peacetrain
(22,881 posts)DanTex
(20,709 posts)manage to win twice in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin is definitely not Alabama.
Peacetrain
(22,881 posts)He is so deep in the pockets of the Kochs.. and they work 24/7 to put a halo on that devil. and people buy it..
And it is not that they are stupid but when you are fed the kind of stuff the Kochs and their ilk can afford to put out there and feed people.. it is what happens.
We are up against the machine literally..
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)the Cheney/Rove machine is strong.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,719 posts)Rubio
Bush lll
None of the rest scare me.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(116,003 posts)The announced or probable clown car passengers are:
Lindsey Graham
George Pataki
Rick Santorum
Bobby Jindal
Mike Huckabee
Ben Carson
Carly Fiorina
Marco Rubio
Rand Paul
Ted Cruz
Jeb Bush
Chris Christie
Scott Walker
Rick Perry
John Kasich
Donald Trump
Of this motley crew, the pundits seem to think only Rubio, Paul, Cruz, Bush and Walker have a reasonable chance at the nomination. Any of them would be an unspeakably horrible president, but Cruz would probably be the easiest to beat. He comes across as an arrogant asshole (and is said to be, in fact, an arrogant asshole), and even a lot of Republicans don't like him. But anything can happen...
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)fadedrose
(10,044 posts)He's the reason they didn't reauthorize the Patriot Act and is giving McConnell all kinds of headaches. He'd be the hardest to defeat.
Bush may have the money, but it's hard for a lot of R's to get over the Iraq war. I doubt his ratings will soar because of it.
Santorum would be the easiest.
Robbins
(5,066 posts)call me crazy if you want but if nominated he has chance to win.
Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)Because history does not favor a Democratic win, regardless of who the nominee might be, (Van Buren and Franklin D. Roosevelt being the only two to gain a third term for the party via election (Truman and Johnson won their first terms by the untimely death of Roosevelt and Kennedy) I think this is the Republican's to lose.
I think that Bush may be a victim of Republican "Bush Fatigue," but his ability to raise money in an election where 5 Trillion is likely to be spent by both sides favors him.
And don't sell Jeb short. He is quite at home in that clown car.
Pataki, because he has a pro-choice stand, is probably excluded from the clown car. But that stand will lose him the Religious Right.
Rand Paul is the most to be feared. He has a lot of appeal to independents due to his tendencies towards isolationism, Laissez-faire capitalism, and Libertarian-Right populism. He does not offend the religious right. If he gets the nomination, he will get most Republican votes, because they won't vote for any Democrat.
Prism
(5,815 posts)I honestly don't think Bush would make it out of the primaries. Conservatives hate him with a seething passion. With him, it's really a question of whether or not the Establishment can force him down the Tea Party's throat. I doubt it.
Walker has the more formidable political skills and the kind of money and backing that could wage a hard core national campaign.
I say Paul because he is a very solid counterbalance to Clinton's hawkishness (I assume she will be our nominee, though that may change). His anti-surveillance positions resonate, especially with the young. He could make a play for Millenials.
Rubio maybe. I'm squishy on his prospects. He seems moderate on immigration, would siphon some of the Latino vote, etc, but every time I hear him talk I'm not too impressed.