Republicans, 2016: In full swing (At least 15 Republicans privately contemplating 2016 campaign)

Politco ^ | 11/21/2012 | By: Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen

[generally]

At this point, I’d vote for either Ryan or Bachmann. I’m open to hearing what other potential candidates have to say.

---

Memo to GOP: Stop pandering to blacks, Hispanics, and women. It doesn’t work. Blacks, Hispanics, and women who come out in droves for “one of their own” will only do that if “one of their own” is a Democrat.

Mia Love. Allan West. Sarah Palin. Many more examples that I can’t think of off the top of my head. These were all great candidates who lost. I’m not saying don’t run them. I’m saying don’t run them if we’re trying to pander. (Personally, I think Sarah Palin would be infinitely better than 0bama.) Also, don’t put them in the #2 spot on the ticket which makes it look even more like pandering.

Stop alienating the base by running candidates who are “electable.” Tried that. Failed.

Stop alienating the base AND the rest of the country by running candidates who are “entitled” to run because it’s “their turn.” Dole. McCain. Bush 1. Bush 2.

[Perdogg]

Those guys are old, no offense.

[generally]

>>We also need to identify the bad ones and look beyond the presidential election and cut the bad stock out of the herd before they run for house and senate seats as well.

Amen to that.

[Dr. Thorne]

The fix is in. Jeb Bush will be the GOP candidate and will win the presidency... whether we like it or not. He will follow his brother's pattern and get into the race quite late after letting the buzz build to a crescendo.

The New World Order wants another of their own in the Oval Office in order to usher in the new global currency.

[Windflier]

Any reason why Ted Cruz isn’t on the short list?

How 'bout the fact that he hasn't yet served a single day in the US Senate? Geeez....

[I want the USA back]

Yeah. If they try to get elected by promising to give things away and to make life harder for the people who go out to work every day, I’LL STAY HOME in 2016.
This is the last time I vote for an uninspiring milktoast goody-goody.

[bmwcyle]

Republican Party?

[cripplecreek]

We have a "republican" state senator here in Michigan making noises about running for Carl Levin's seat who needs to be permanently retired at the end of his term. His most recent work......

2012 Senate Bill 1363: Allow higher residential utility rates to subsidize Hemlock Semiconductor

Introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn (R) on November 8, 2012, to allow the indefinite continuation of the special electricity rates granted by Consumers Energy to the Hemlock Semiconductor subsidiary of Dow Corning, which under a 2010 law were exempted from a ban on cross-subsidization between residential and commercial/industrial customers (meaning residential customers pay more so that Hemlock can pay less). Hemlock was one of the recipients of extensive state subsidies extensive state subsidies granted by the previous two legislatures to electric car battery, photovoltaic solar cell, and other “renewable” energy companies.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Jeb Bush will be the GOP nominee, likely with Rubio as VP. It's really not even open for discussion. We'll have another fake primary season and GOPe -backed Bush will suddenly emerge as the obvious consensus choice, just like Romney and McCain and Bush II and Dole before him.

Since Jeb will have the same problems with conservatives that Romney did, I don't see a potential winner mentioned in the article...unless the Democrats nominate a white male candidate like Andrew Cuomo. Then, any of them can win.

[usconservative]

Jindal, the Rhodes scholar and new chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is making a very public case for a more intellectual approach to conservatism, accusing the GOP of being, in his words, “the stupid party.”

That's funny, there's a whole lot of folks (self included) that have been calling Republicans "the stupid party" on here for YEARS now.

[dfwgator]

Needs to be

1. A governor.
2. A guy who has taken the Rats’ best shots and still prevailed.
3. A guy who fights for what he believes in, regardless of what the polls say.

That man is Scott Walker.

[generally]

I think Levin is usually spot on. I disagree with him on this one. I’m not arguing that Rubio is ineligible. What I am saying is that I want someone who is unquestionably eligible, someone where there is no doubt.

My other beef with Rubio is that he panders to the Hispanic vote with the Dream Act and similar positions. I don’t know what the solution to the immigration problem is, if I did I’d be posting about it, but I’m pretty sure it’s not easy amnesty. Reagan tried that and look where it got us.

I agree with you about “not only ideology.” But we ought to have some list of ideological points and insist on a candidate who scores high on that list. The Dems seem to be a coalition of special interest voters or one-issue voters and are willing to overlook everything else so long as they get their special itch scratched. Blacks who want a black President are willing to ignore the pro-gay agenda they disagree with. Unions who want favorable treatment are willing to overlook the rest of the platform. Women who want free birth control or abortion are willing to overlook the rest of the platform. Those who want more “entitlements” are willing to overlook the rest of the platform. That’s hard to compete with.

[Jim from C-Town]

Both Jindal and Rubio are eligible if for no other reason that O’Bumbler is the President.

Please, drop the BS about eligibility. It didn't work on a guy with a questionable birth place and limited provenance. It certainly won't work on two guys who have naturalized Americans as parents.

[greene66]

2016. What a nauseating thought. I can already see the GOP-E promoting some big-government milquetoast, alongside FoxNews cheerleading and endless interviews of Rove with his blackboard. It’s become a broken-record, with the needle stuck in the same groove, playing over and over again. And all increasingly moot, as the “takers” have now overwhelmed the “makers,” rendering politics a near-pointless sideshow.

My preference is still for Palin, by a wide margin. But options ranging from third-parties to going Galt movements to even secession are looking far more enticing than anything I expect the ever-defective GOP to serve up.

[Theoria]

Dunno why Levin, who is against illegal immigration keeps on carrying the water for Rubio.

[TomGuy]

Those who have ‘senator’ as their first names should stay out of it. Senators do not make good presidents. Look at the one currently in the Oval Office (when the golf games are rained out).

As for the list of governors, several of them have already opened their mouths and revealed they are more ‘centrist’ or ‘moderate’ leaning. Cristie’s embrace of Obama may have been his ‘macaca moment’ for many. Martinez jumped on the bandwagon that blasted Romney for his ‘gifts’ comment. Jindal has less charisma than McCain.

Nope. No thrill up my leg from the list of names in this article.

Jeb? CLUE: Over 50% are still blaming his bro for the bad economy. Jeb wouldn’t get as many electoral votes as McCain got. The Bush name is poison with more than half of the public.

[napscoordinator]

Any reason why Ted Cruz isn’t on the short list?

He hasn’t even served a day yet. Maybe 2024 would be best for him.

[dfwgator]

“Read My Lips, No More Bushes.”

[Nervous Tick]

I’ve seen this movie before, and I know how it ends.

The conservatives will beat each other to death in the primary, because they’re too egotistical and self-serving to negotiate a single conservative standard-bearer in private.

The GOP-e anointed RINO will win the primary over his eleven dozen crazed conservative competitors, himself damaged below the waterline.

Then the anointed one will veer to the left, wreck his campaign (somehow) and in spite of the utterly toxic performance of his ‘rat party over the previous four — make that eight — years, the dimocrap will win.

I’m really tired of re-runs.

[Theoria]

Jindal’s parents were merely green card holders and not naturalized citizens at the time of Gov. Jindal’s birth.