Posted on 09/19/2015 7:56:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Republican presidential contest has taken many twists and turns through 2015, but one theme appears to be a constant, driving the dynamics of the race. GOP primary voters want an outsider, not a politician who currently holds, or who has ever held elected office. That point was reiterated after the Wednesday debates, when post-debate polls showed that Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, three candidates who have never held elected office, were in first, second and third place respectively. Combined they had won the allegiance of 58 percent of GOP voters, while none of the elected officials could do better than single digit support.
The narrative repeats itself over and over. Even when the deck is shuffled, and the lead changes hands, outsiders carry the day. A post-debate Voter gravity poll found Carly Fiorina passing Donald Trump in New Hampshire, but even as the top position switched hands, the poll still revealed that none of the Republicans who have held office could gain any traction. Fiorina, Trump and Carson were still leading the charge.
The Republican Party has spent the better part of the last decade conditioning GOP voters to hate the government. They have used anti-government rhetoric, sometimes with devastating effect, to win races against Democrats.
By casting Washington as the villain, and Democrats as the party of “big government”, Republicans were able to score decisive victories across the nation in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections. The Republican Party was less successful in the higher turnout 2012 presidential election, but they have nevertheless been able to stir up anti-government sentiment well enough to win both houses of Congress and to control most state legislatures. They also have won most of the Governor’s races over the past several election cycles.
The strategy, however, has proved double-edged for those Republicans running for president, who currently hold or have previously held elected office. Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, have become victims of their own success. The three men have built their political careers on attacking Washington and now that they have so thoroughly discredited the institution they serve in, they are the ironic victims of their own anti-Washington rhetoric.
Republican Governors and ex-Governors aren’t faring any better. While most of the GOP’s anti-government rhetoric has been aimed at the federal government, the average voter doesn’t necessarily make a clear distinction between state and federal authority. In their minds, if government is bad, it must all be bad.
As a consequence, a lot of Republicans who won election by capitalizing on anti-government messages are now reaping what they have sown. Republican voters have internalized their message to the point that it has rendered many of the original messengers virtually un-electable. Although Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul may never see the inside of the White House, they should be proud of themselves. They built this.
I see the republican field as a fine start for any incoming administration cabinet. The “experienced” hands will be needed to shepherd policies through the antiquated maze of congress. While I’m not a Trump devote, I appreciate his strength is finding the appropriate talent for a task. And his follow through will be to demand success or step aside.
he left has no idea what is going on here
Considering the rather anemic ..and even anorexic front line of prospective Democquack candidates theyd be better off spending their time and energy scouring the country side looking for someone who might be in the least bit electable!
RUN JOE RUN!
The fool author says the public hates the
GOP for being antigovernment.
Actually, it is the opposite.
The GOP are nothing by complicit, lying,
EXEMPT patricians who deserve being tarred and feathered,
then indicted.
Boehner first refused to do anything because they only had the house. Then they had a majority in the Senate and the House and said we can’t do anything because Democrat minorities in each and the President stonewall.
You gained those majorities in 2010 on because people were begging you to act as an opposition party.
Instead, they act as if they are still the losing party, doing nothing after the wins, as the country slides farther down on every scale.
“RUN JOE RUN!”
Yes, please. Fire up the ol’ Gaffe-o-matic!
Until then, we’ll get by on reruns. Everyone in favor of Joe running, please stand up (especially if your name is Chuck.) This is a big f***ing deal. (Unless they can find another African-American who is articulate and clean and bright...)
What have the Republicans actually done for us? They say all the right things in the debates, but NOTHING CHANGES FROM REID AND PELOSI'S TIME!!
Let’s see, it’s the GOP that hates the all loving, all good government.
Disapproval rate of congress, all Americans: 81%.
That’s a lotta Republicans!
I would disagree somewhat and say the Republican party has spent the last 8-10 years getting the GOP voters to hate the Republican party and its leadership. The last 3-4 years have created a loathing of them all.
O course they are unelectable...because when they got elected they did NO do what they promised.
Don’t Re-elect Incumbent Politicians on em
The “Johnitch McCoehner” effect. Say whatever you want to get elected, achieve majority status in the American body politic, and then cower in fear of the minority.
It will take some heavy intimidation to force the Convention to even accept a Conservative even if he has 65% of the total primary vote if he has not won 8 actual majorities. Even of he wins 8 the RNC controls enough "superdelegates" to do what they want with the Nomination.
Then there is the Election itself. How are we going to keep it honest or at least no more crooked than it has been in the past? We can't use the Court. Conservatives are a 3-6 minority on the Court and those 6 less and less pretend to rule according to the Constitution.
DefundtheGOP.com
were doomed
I give up
Oh no wait.....
As a side note to this discussion, please consider the following.
Noting that I would look forward to the executive branch leadership of Cruz and Trump, if patriots can elect a 2/3 conservative supermajority to both Houses of Congress in the ’16 elections, then Congress will have the power to not only override presidential vetoes (1.7.2), but also to kick all activist justices off the Supreme Court.
What the heck, get rid of all the justices except for Clarance Thomas.
[”because when they got elected they did NO do what they promised.”]
Since 2012 when he arrived in the Senate, Ted Cruz has genuinely fought for conservative principles.
He has been vilified in many ways. McConnell even had hit pieces put in the Wall Street Journal against him.
Boehner recently called him a “Jackass.” (He should be proud to be slandered by this villain.)
Rand Paul has also taken some courageous stands.
Rubio is rather lukewarm (80% CR)and is not around when the fighting begins.
Why isn’t anyone concerned that Ted Cruz can be bought and controlled, as he is relying on campaign contributions just like every other candidate who has previously held or currently holds political office, with the exception of Trump?
And, more importantly, assure themselves that it's not their fault.
It is, of course, the Republicans'...
So you are saying we can only have billionaires running for office?
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