US Presidential Contenders

[Buster's Uncle]

Sure.

The Republicans were always better at party discipline, pulling together, since Reagan, thanks to Atwater.  The thing with everyone reciting the same talking points - I've complained about that, and will again, but it's good strategy for them.

-See also everything I've ever said about statist social conservatives in bed with small government political conservatives for why that's gone away.  It used to always be the Democrats with the clown college of multitudes in the primaries, but that was before the Tea Party ruined everything - there's no hand on the wheel on the right anymore.  There still isn't on the left -or there'd be no outsider Sanders coming in making noise- but the Democrats have lucked out last two cycles.

I don't know whether Carvell would be good at that party discipline stuff, or would want to, given the power, but he's never had that power.

[Unorthodox]

So, is there any real traction outside of Utah for Romney putting on a superman cape and saving the day?  (it's all I hear locally)

[Buster's Uncle]

I really don't think so.  None of the things that made him a very weak candidate last time have changed, and I believe the party, desperate as it's feeling, wouldn't look seriously at him any more than they'd consider just supporting HRC.

[Rusty Edge]

So, is there any real traction outside of Utah for Romney putting on a superman cape and saving the day?  (it's all I hear locally)

Fascinating.

Well, people will listen to him speak, but that's about it. He tends to be seen as the author of Obamacare. He's also the Loser who re-elected  Obama.

Theocons always say that losses are because the candidate wasn't enough of a Christian Conservative.

I saw some recent Romney poll results, and he was getting beaten badly.


Presidential as the guy may be, he's relegated to senior statesman. Well, maybe he'll be Ambassador Romney someday.

[Buster's Uncle]

Florida’s Sun Sentinel: No GOP candidate worth endorsing
Yahoo News
Michael Walsh  Reporter  March 08, 2016



The Sun Sentinel, a major South Florida newspaper, is refusing to make an endorsement in the Republican presidential primary because “the kind of person who should be running is not in the race.”

In an editorial published Friday, the paper’s editorial board argues that businessman Donald [Sleezebag], Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are unqualified to be president of the United States. Though Ohio Gov. John Kasich would be the best of the remaining candidates, the editorial continued, he does not have a chance of securing the party’s nod.

“We showed our cards a year ago, before the extraordinarily large field of Republican candidates shaped up,” the editorial reads. “We favored the adult in the room, Jeb Bush, a smart, experienced and principled conservative. But the nation wasn’t ready for another Bush, and our former governor wasn’t ready for the anti-establishment edge in today’s Twitter-fueled campaign era.”

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, an establishment favorite, raised over $150 million but failed to gain traction amid [Sleezebag]’s rambunctious rise to political prominence. Bush ultimately dropped out of the race in February.



Sen. Marco Rubio speaking at a campaign rally in Sanford, Fla., on Monday. (Photo: Paul Sancya/AP)


The Sun Sentinel outlined the shortcomings of each contender left in the once overcrowded GOP field.

It said [Sleezebag] may be entertaining but lacks the experience and temperament to be commander in chief.

“[Sleezebag] would shake up Washington, no question,” the board wrote. “He might even unite Republicans and Democrats against a common enemy — himself. But given his smug, erratic, often petulant demeanor, do you really trust him with the keys to our nuclear arsenal?”

Rubio, it continued, has incredible political skills, knowledge of the issues beyond talking points and a great life story, but has almost no experience beyond running for office and doesn’t show up to work much.

“Because Rubio has failed to do his job as a senator, broken the promises he made to Floridians and backed away from his lone signature piece of legislation on immigration, we cannot endorse him for president,” the board wrote.


The Sun Sentinel said that Cruz is anti-Washington, makes decisions based on the Bible, does not compromise on social issues and was willing to shut down the government for 16 days, “America’s economy be damned.”

“Cruz scares us. He also should scare Republicans who want to win in November. Cruz has not earned your vote,” the board said.

As for Kasich, the paper notes he is a mainstream Republican who averages a 7.4-point lead over Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton in recent national polls and enjoys a 62 percent approval rating among Ohioans, the people he was elected to serve.

The Sun Sentinel says that he has not built a viable campaign in part because the GOP base is in rebellion mode.

“Perhaps in a more-rational election year, the Sun Sentinel would endorse John Kasich. But we can’t urge you to vote for someone who doesn’t have a chance of winning the nomination.”

The Sun Sentinel did not experience the same difficulty choosing a Democratic candidate, strongly endorsing Clinton over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The paper says she may be too cozy with Wall Street and too secretive but is also the most qualified candidate for the Oval Office in years.

The Florida primary will be held on March 15.

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/floridas-sun-sentinel-no-gop-candidate-worth-163139142.html

[Buster's Uncle]

I read a nice piece about Bloomberg deciding not to run as an independent, because spoiler.  I've copy/paste if it didn't mention a certain someone so much but here: https://www.yahoo.com/politics/bloomberg-didnt-want-to-be-spoiler-leading-to-180855743.html

I really liked the thing Katie Couric quoted him in the video as saying, about loving this country too much to do it...


(Rusty our exchange about Atwater, Carvell and party strategy makes me, once again, wish we could get Arnelos over here.  I like the cut of his jib, and calm, rational, insider/operative POV.  I'm sure on party discipline and Republican schizophrenia, his insights would be useful to figuring it all out...)

[Unorthodox]

So, is there any real traction outside of Utah for Romney putting on a superman cape and saving the day?  (it's all I hear locally)

Fascinating.

Well, people will listen to him speak, but that's about it. He tends to be seen as the author of Obamacare. He's also the Loser who re-elected  Obama.

Theocons always say that losses are because the candidate wasn't enough of a Christian Conservative.

I saw some recent Romney poll results, and he was getting beaten badly.


Presidential as the guy may be, he's relegated to senior statesman. Well, maybe he'll be Ambassador Romney someday.

There's all sorts of flutter on the local airwaves that he's actually quietly renewed whatever and reopened this and whatnot, to make it POSSIBLE to run. 

If he's not riding in with his cape, I'm curious if someone's not positioning him as a VP announcement, though I don't know if that would make any sense to any of them either. 

[Buster's Uncle]

It really sounds like it's more them wanting it to be true in Utah than anything else.

How does Romney spend his days when he's not being a politician, anyway?  I'm really asking.

[Unorthodox]

I would only be able to comment on Olympic crap. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I would not totally rule out the possibility of Mitt listening to bad/wishful advice.  It wouldn't be the first time.  But I'm pretty sure 100% confident the rest of the country wouldn't buy, after they never much liked him in the first place.

[Rusty Edge]

I read a nice piece about Bloomberg deciding not to run as an independent, because spoiler.  I've copy/paste if it didn't mention a certain someone so much but here: https://www.yahoo.com/politics/bloomberg-didnt-want-to-be-spoiler-leading-to-180855743.html

I really liked the thing Katie Couric quoted him in the video as saying, about loving this country too much to do it...


(Rusty our exchange about Atwater, Carvell and party strategy makes me, once again, wish we could get Arnelos over here.  I like the cut of his jib, and calm, rational, insider/operative POV.  I'm sure on party discipline and Republican schizophrenia, his insights would be useful to figuring it all out...)

1) Nice summation by the Florida newspaper editorial board.

2) I respect Bloomberg both for giving it serious consideration, and for putting country before ego. Bloomberg and I disagree on guns. I also tend to think of him as inept after that Hurricane Sandy debacle, when he diverted all of the generators, and the sanitation workers ( that volunteered to work on the weekend to help clear the streets),  to Central Park to prepare for the NY Marathon. Freezing temps, closed streets, people without power, and he's worried about the Marathon/ image, like Nero playing a fiddle.

3) Yeah, I like Arnelos, too, ( even if he is on the wrong side of Citizen's United, and doesn't know the difference between a person with a conscience and a corporation ;-)  )

[Buster's Uncle]

1) Yes.

2) I've never said anything nice about him before; but four years ago in RL, I said of Mrs. Palin "She doesn't love me enough to recognize that she's in over her head and the wrong person for the job - and that, itself, also disqualifies her."

3) [winces]  That's sure not a minor thing to be wrong about...  He usually talks so much sense.

[Rusty Edge]

3) I suspect that he draws a PAC paycheck sometimes, and discussing where your bread is buttered in public puts a person in a delicate position.

[Buster's Uncle]

3) I immediately assumed the same thing.

[Rusty Edge]

Today's gleanings-

A) Some analysts say Michigan is tailor-made for Bernie with it's high unemployment and industry that would benefit from his protectionist sympathies. Others say that it's too black for him, and that he's only done well in states with high concentrations of whites and Jews.

B) [Sleezebag] got called on his rally pledges, because they remind too many people of fascist salutes. He claims not to have seen a problem with raising an arm and pledging to vote for The Leader. He says that when he doesn't do it, the crowds ask for it.

C) Emily's List ( or some such women's group) is working on an anti-[Sleezebag] ad. Essentially it's an "in his own words"  piece. Subject matter: women. They find that Hillary is +40% with women vs. [Sleezebag], and they feel that this ad could double that. The [Sleezebag] spokeswoman countered that he has more women in positions of authority than Hillary has. So, she wasn't even trying to deny that [Sleezebag] has said some pretty offensive things on TV.

D) What's the top word people associate with Hillary? "Dishonest"
Today we learned that The Leader has been closing the gap, and that he won't carry an honesty advantage into the general election. 

E) A lot of people voted for Bush the Lesser rather than Kerry because they said W was the kind of guy they wanted to have a beer with. If that's a selection criteria for a substantial portion of the population...well, I can't imagine anybody wanting to do that with HRC, unless she had 3 or 4 as a head start to unwind.

F) I guess Rubio won in Puerto Rico. The GOP has delegates from all of the territorial islands.