Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

John Feehery: And the winner is... (Establishment upset that their candidates are losers!)
thehill.com ^ | 2/2/15 | John Feehery

Posted on 02/03/2015 5:24:42 AM PST by cotton1706

The race for the Republican nomination is not as wide open as some analysts think.

It is often said that the GOP tends to fall in line rather fall in love with its candidates for the White House. And the 2016 campaign will be no different.

Republicans like to pick the person who has paid his dues and whose turn it is perceived to be. Sometimes they pick a Senate leader but only grudgingly. That’s how Bob Dole got the nomination in 1996 and how John McCain got it in 2008.

Of course, they won the race to be the nominee but had little chance to win the actual top prize. A senator rarely makes a great presidential candidate, because he’s forced to defend his voting record. He or she usually only gets the nod when the odds of victory are low.

Mitt Romney won in 2012 because he finished in second place to McCain in the ’08 race, and he was the only one running who had the credibility to actually represent the party, especially when compared to Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

Credibility is important for Republican voters.

Democrats, on the other hand, don’t mind selecting the unknown. Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and Michael Dukakis come to mind as nominees who came from nowhere to capture the hearts of their voters.

The selection of Barry Goldwater was the last time the GOP picked a flyer. They aren’t likely to make that mistake again in the modern era.

Conservatives complain that moderates lose the race for the White House, but it was the conservative Goldwater who got crushed by the largest margin. Ideological purity is not nearly as important to Republican voters as practical experience running the government.

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: elections
"Sure, Ronald Reagan was seen as a real conservative, but he had been a long-time governor of a huge state; he had real-world connections with Hollywood; he didn’t go to church regularly; and once he got into the White House, he relied on the advice of moderates in his administration like Jim Baker, George H.W. Bush and Howard Baker."

Establishment hack John Feehery is attempting to push back on the narrative that moderates are losers.

Note how he brushes aside Reagan, who was only successful because he talked to moderates. No mention of the 1980 44 state landslide, the 1984 49 state landslide, and the 1988 40 state landslide of his successor (who subsequently lost on his own, and whose son barely won twice).

We all know the reason, they'd rather lose to a democrat than win with a conservative. It's one of their guys or nobody!

1 posted on 02/03/2015 5:24:42 AM PST by cotton1706
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

2 posted on 02/03/2015 5:48:47 AM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

I think we should support Jeb Bush who like his brother can make a deal with Nancy Pelosi and spend trillions of dollars on expanding the federal government.


3 posted on 02/03/2015 5:54:40 AM PST by 2nd Amendment (Proud member of the 48% . . giver not a taker)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson