Chris Matthews: Rand Paul Will Be Republican Presidential Nominee in 2016

Newsbusters ^ | 08/08/2013 | Noel Shepphard

[SeekAndFind]

MSNBC's Chris Matthews made a bold prediction on Wednesday's Hardball.

"The hard-right is going to take over the Republican Party in 2016 and the nomination is going to Rand Paul" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with this. I’ve been offering a prediction of late. Let me nail it down now. I believe the Republican Party is going to go hard-right in 2016. It’s going to run someone from the growing hard-right wing of the Party, something it hasn't done since 1980. And here's the thinking which works equally well for the Democrats.

Parties as you've noticed face a conflict every four years. Should they run someone who represents their strongest passions right or left, or do they run someone who appeals to the middle? Most of the time they head to the middle. And this is what Republicans did most successfully in 1952 when after 20 years of FDR and Harry Truman, they wanted back in the White House. They ran the General who received the Nazi surrender. And guess what? They won. In 1956 and ’60, they stuck to the middle with Ike the second time, and then with Richard Nixon.

In '64 the right said it was its turn and blew the roof off the Cow Palace in San Francisco mocking Republican moderates and liberals like New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Then getting killed with Barry Goldwater running against Lyndon Johnson.

The Democrats ran moderates in ’60 and ’64 and ’68, but then went wild in '72 and ran anti-Vietnam warrior George McGovern of South Dakota. That's the year the Democrats got killed.

And so then the pendulum goes. The party bases get pushed aside for several elections and finally build up like steam much like a volcano and come roaring to the surface. Obama won in 2008 over Hillary Clinton because the opponents of the Iraq war had had it with the party leaders who played it safe and backed the war.

I believe the Republican base will do the same in 2016. They put up with George Bush the first, put up with Bob Dole, were deeply disappointed with the big-spending George W, and last year again by Mitt Romney, and are now going to come loaded for bear for the race for 2016.

So I predict the hard-right is going to take over the Republican Party in 2016 and the nomination is going to Rand Paul. You watch. This is what I do for a living.

I'm quite sure there are a lot of conservatives that hope Matthews is right for a change.

Stay tuned.

[BenLurkin]

“The Democrats ran moderates in ’60 and ’64 and ’68”

That is so much cr@p.

Maybe JFK was a “moderate” Maybe.

But LBJ and Humphrey were both HUGE Nanny State lefties.

[PGR88]

What? it won’t be Chris Christie?

But its his turn!

/s

[Mr. K]

No, it will be Palin/Paul

(If I have anything to say about it)

for 16 years of conservative bliss

[Quickgun]

Well... we could do worse than Rand...we already have done worse..Much worse...

[InterceptPoint]

We could do worse. An actual candidate who is eligible according to the Constitution. What a concept.

(With apologies to Ted Cruz who I admire greatly - could be a great president if we are willing to look the other way on the Constitutional requirements for the Presidency).

[Third Person]

Rand to the rescue?

[Georgia Girl 2]

OK with me.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

"The hard-right is going to take over the Republican Party in 2016 ..

Which would be like the hard-right taking over the Democrat party, same thing, which means no way in hell - which is why we need a new party.

[SMARTY]

How does Matthews know this? Did he get a tingle up his leg or something?

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Well... we could do worse than Rand...we already have done worse..Much worse...

I don’t know.... replace the name “Rand Paul” with “Marco Rubio” and we get a huge number of FReepers shouting “Traitor” !!

But I don’t read that word being posted in this thread at all.

Doesn’t anybody realize that Rand Paul is sympathetic to some form of amnesty as well?

SEE HERE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3029582/posts

[Resolute Conservative]

How does he explain Reagan? He wasn’t moderate.

[Zathras]

DNC Decoder:
“We are in serious trouble...all troops target Rand Paul”

[meangene]

Chris who?

:)

[jimfree]

That would be just fine with me.

[Responsibility2nd]

There’s no need to look the other way.

Any presidential eligibility questions we may have had are now gone. The issue has been settled. Constitutionally settled.

Hundreds of lower courts have decided Obama is a Natural Born Citizen. The SCOTUS validated that by not reviewing it.

What else is there to say? Except...

Cruz/Whoever - 2016.

[GBA]

With Cruz as Senate Majority Leader, putting the Senate on "Cruz Control", plus a Constitution loving and following President, we could be in a very good place once more!

We would finally be heading in the right direction again, toward the health and prosperity that are our birthrights when we honor our founding documents and follow our Judeo-Christian philosophy and heritage.

[Old Sarge]

Chris Matthews: Rand Paul Will Be Republican Presidential Nominee in 2016

Old Sarge: Chrissy Tingles can paint herself magenta and hurl her arse from the center span of the Verrazano Narrows before I ever listen to what she has to say!

[Sooth2222]

Since Chris Matthews is never right about anything, I doubt it.

Based on their recent record, the Republicans might nominate Hillary Clinton.

Or they might as well.

[pgkdan]

For once I agree with Chrissy and hope he’s right.