Posted on 11/21/2012 7:36:46 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Tired of presidential politics? Get over it: Upwards of 15 prominent Republicans are privately contemplating 2016 campaigns for the presidency — and the most serious and ambitious of the bunch are already plunging in, some quite publicly.
Don’t expect them to officially announce or even officially decide for many months. But Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) are doing nothing to disguise their presidential ambitions.
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.”
He offered a similar premeditated critique to reporters at the RGA, on Fox and in an opinion piece.
Rubio and Ryan, both arguably better positioned than Jindal, are also competing for the mantle of the high-energy, forward-thinking conservative. POLITICO has learned both will unveil new policy plans at an awards dinner of the Jack Kemp Foundation in early December: Ryan will begin a new push on a more modern approach to alleviating poverty, focused on education; Rubio will lift the curtain on an economic empowerment message, heavy on college affordability and workforce training.
That upcoming duet is one of the clearest signs that this presidential race is beginning as early as any in history.
Not to be outdone, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and heir to his father’s libertarian following, is now on the record exploring a run that will focus heavily on returning power to the states. In a post-election interview with POLITICO, Paul said he wants to find common ground with liberal Democrats on softer marijuana laws and help create an eventual pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
These 40-something rising stars are hardly alone. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, despite party grumbling about his embrace of President Barack Obama during the recent hurricane, has made plain that he plans to make the case that he has cracked the code on winning on Democratic turf. Christie has the perfect chance to take the temperature of big donors as he raises money for his 2013 reelection race for governor. He will do just that, friends say.
POLITICO has also learned that Rick Santorum is telling friends he wants to run again. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said publicly that he might, too, and has begun talking to donors and other top supporters like he means it. And Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor with strong credentials on education and winning back Hispanics, has told advisers he will sit back to see how things unfold over the next year before deciding whether to finally give it a go.
Jeb Bush Jr., the former governor’s younger son, said Tuesday when asked on CNN’s “Starting Point” whether his father would run: “I certainly hope so.”
“You have this young crop, of attractive, successful, proven problem-solvers,” former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said. “Old guys like me have to get out of the way.” Barbour said the way to stand out in the field will be to help with the party’s 2013 and 2014 races. “We’re not going to wait till 2016 to set a strong new course,” he added.
This all might seem premature — and a possible big-time distraction for a party that lost the presidency and Senate and House seats this time around. But top Republican officials are encouraging the never-ending presidential campaign in hopes of creating influential national voices beyond Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. “On every conference call, the message is the same,” one top official said. “We’re going to push out our new generation of leadership. We’re not going to sit back and let the extreme voices define what it means to be a conservative.”
Republicans are still haunted by the post-election chaos of 2008, when, with John McCain diminished by defeat and few clear future leaders with national juice on the scene, Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin filled the void — and dominated news coverage. This time feels different: Unlike 2008, when Republicans chalked up their defeat to a bad GOP ticket in a terrible post-Bush environment for the party, many of the most influential voices are calling for substantial rethinking of the conservative approach to politics. They are reckoning with demographic trends that favor Democrats — as well as with exit polling suggesting the assumption this is a center-right country might be wrong, or was at least wrong on Nov. 6, when a center-left electorate showed up.
The danger, of course, is that Republicans get pulled into a bitter fight over the direction of the party, especially as more traditional and hard-edged conservatives jump into the race.
Republican sources said Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) might want to fill the void on the religious right now and that Mike Pence, who just won the gubernatorial race in Indiana, has expressed interest in running, too.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who unlike Ryan won statewide in a state Obama won twice, also harbors national ambitions and remains a favorite of tea party conservatives.
For now, most of the media attention is on Republicans who can help the party adapt to the changing demographics, weeks after the party lost African-Americans by 90 points, Asian-Americas by 50 points, Hispanics by more than 40 points and women by just over 10. This will put a lot of emphasis on the small minority of minority leaders inside the GOP. Condoleezza Rice, one of the few stars of this summer’s Republican convention in Tampa, has told Republicans she will continue speaking out on the future of the party, which will fuel 2016 speculation. A Rice runs strikes many Republicans as unlikely, given her previous resistance.
Others known to be openly thinking about a run include New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte; two Western governors who are Hispanic, Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada; and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Finally, there are the elected officials who are perpetually looking for something bigger: Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Rob Portman of Ohio; Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose term ends in 2014; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who like so many others on this list has made his ambitions known in private conversations with donors and activists.
Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus said in an email to POLITICO: “While the RNC engages in a serious post-election analysis of what worked well and what needs to be improved upon, one area that gives me great optimism is the caliber and quantity of potential 2016 candidates on the GOP side. The top names on the GOP side are talking about serious solutions and reforms to the major issues facing the country which will put the Republican field in a solid position.”
With all this activity, Jindal, Rubio and Ryan know there is little time to waste in trying to position themselves to be “the one,” the candidate who can lead the party back with conservative thinking calibrated to appeal to a changing America. Jindal has been the most aggressive, hitting his party hard in his post-election interview with POLITICO, posting an op-ed on CNN and offering a sharp critique of his party during last week’s RGA meetings. In the interview, Jindal urged an end to “dumbed-down conservatism.” “We need to stop being simplistic. … We’ve got to make sure that we are not the party of big business, big banks, big Wall Street bailouts, big corporate loopholes, big anything,” he said.
Ryan allies believe that although his vice presidential run ended in a disappointing rout (with Obama winning his home state of Wisconsin), he has more celebrity, credibility and clout after the race. With his expertise and power in the upcoming budget fights, Ryan will be a central figure in the policy and political debates of 2013.
Rubio plays up his working-class roots and values as part of an appeal to voters making $30,000 to $50,000 a year — a group Romney lost badly but with whom Republicans used to be very competitive. That, combined with his connection with Hispanic voters, would make him a bit of an anti-Romney — the one card nearly every one of these candidates will try to play, however subtly. Rubio planted the flag in Iowa last weekend, setting a record at a Republican fundraising event. Look for him to flex his muscles in coming months in the other early states: New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
You’re probably right, but I am still mega pissed at Mitch Daniels for shirking his duty.
“Huh? Where is your evidence? I have seen zero enthusiasm for Bush and I’d be against it here in Iowa. Going Bush would be stupid.”
And where is my evidence O was going to win over Romney?
It is called “smarts.”
“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.”
There’s a flaw in your argument. Obama is a democrat, and the democrats don’t care about whether their candidate is a natural born citizen. The other two are republicans, and there are plenty of republicans that do care about whether their candidate is a natural born citizen. Therefore, it behooves the republican party to consider that factor, if they want republican voters to vote for their candidate. On the other hand, if they plan to lose again, like usual, then you’re right, it shouldn’t matter.
If the people who voted for obama get what they voted for, 2016 won’t matter as far as the Republicans are concerned. it probably won’t matter anyway because in 2012 the Democrats learned how to steal elections. they will just apply what they learned in 2012 to the 2014 and 2016 elections. If obama allows the elections to take place.
Unless they change their ways... the republicans can expect another rout and financial failure because unless we return to Reaganism... they can all go pound sand. No more schmidts... we need a new Lee Atwater!
LLS
“I live in NY - Jeb does not need my vote. No way - I will write in Honey Boo Boo”
I will be writing in my kitty cats names...one for pres and the other for VP.
They are both Panamanian citizens, but who cares.
Does it really matter? The RNC will probably nominate 2 rich white guys who will not attract the minority voters. If they nominate any person from a minority the MSM will destroy them before the nomination. Hate to say this, but, even though its a bad idea, a 3rd Party with more appeal is needed. Without a two party run off even that idea is null and void. The RNC better start worrying now, its not going to be easy for them to beat “Michelle 2016”. Want to win an election, promise more free stuff than the other side.
I’m of the opinion that we will never have another Republican president, so the hordes of contenders might as well get the voters divided. Anything that distracts us from the drudgery of collapse, corruption, and the onslaught of poverty and serfdom will be welcome. Bring on the circus of politicians and their pundits.
GREAT!!! Let’s start the debates right after Christmas!!
Wooo Hooo!! I can hardly friggin’ wait.
/s (needed?)
LLS
Ted Cruz’s father was from Cuba and was a naturalized U.S. citizen when Ted was born; his mother was from New Jersey and was a U.S. citizen from birth.
So Ted Cruz was a U.S. citizen from birth despite having been born in Canada (while his parents were working there in the oil business).
Ted Cruz is a brilliant man and so far has proven to be a principled conservative, but let’s let him serve in the Senate for a while before we start mentioning possible presidential runs.
Yeah... what you said!
LLS
I agree, I want a President Tom McClintock with Atty General Ted Cruz.
.
We can not wait for 2014 and 2016 to regroup and figure out new strategies. By then it will be too late. The Marxist/Muslim usurper will have completed his planned distruction of America.
That’s what people fail to understand.
It can not reiterate enough that if this massive voter fraud is NOT CHALLENGED NOW, we could loose the House of Representatives in 2014 and possibly every election forward to massive voter fraud.
Meanwhile we must keep digging and pounding him every day, in every way we can- phony birth certificate, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, his hidden life, records....
.
Polls indicated that Romney was going to win the election. The economy is close to Great Depression era conditions, and unemployment is almost as high as when Obama entered office. Economic conditions became so dire after Obama took office it prompted the rise of an entire new movement, the Tea Party.
Presidents rarely win reelection when the economy is in the tank.
So how did Romney lose a race that numerous reputable polls and pundits predicted would be an easy win, based on historical patterns?
Massive voter fraud.
There are massive reports of criminal activity
(not mischief, not shenanigans, as many term the fraud- but CRIMINAL ACTIVITY) going on all over the U.S during the presidential election.
Reports of machines changing votes from Romney to Obama, eyewitness reports of Republican poll watchers who observed busloads of non-English speaking Somalians in Ohio being instructed to vote Obama- the list is endless.
http://www.ObamaVoterFraud.com/
Romney lost because of this, not any other reason.
Nobody could have won against the fraud planned and perpetrated by the Obama Machine.
The evidence is overwhelming!
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/11/video-eyewitness-of-somali-muslim-voter-fraud-in-ohio-by-obama-camp.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-aVy_s76ZY
https://www.facebook.com/lori.patriot/posts/404694619604138
http://www.westernjournalism.com/obama-stole-the-election/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LbOtYQceBxI-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Hbf3iaEbAuY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ILJDudUpct0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dmJtaOO2etc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ILJDudUpct0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_rMpQKqZhM
http://obamavoterfraud.blogspot.com/
http://newtgingrich360.com/profiles/blogs/obama-stole-the-election
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/election-fraud-obama-won-more-than-99-percent-of-the-vote-in-more-than-100-ohio-precincts
http://appalachianforums.com/forums/Dickenson_County,_Virginia.pl/md/read/id/255145
http://beforeitsnews.com/election-2012/2012/11/stolen-election-evidence-is-mounting-everything-points-to-stolen-votes-2446928.html
http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/adding-up-the-evidence-to-a-stolen-election/
http://politicaloutcast.com/2012/11/allen-west-mitt-romney-and-the-massive-voter-fraud-machine/
http://www.truethevote.org/news/how-widespread-is-voter-fraud-2012-facts-figures
http://foxnewsinsider.com/tag/voter-fraud/
http://www.humanevents.com/2012/11/01/voter-fraud-is-no-myth-its-more-common-than-you-think/
http://thewillcountynews.com/?p=415
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4279497/obama-stole-election/
http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/the-big-list-of-vote-fraud-reports/
Go to http://www.facebookcensorship.com and see the documentation of their censorship and harassment.
Bro. Winter Christian Bible teacher http://www.prime.org
http://www.barrysoetoro.net
.
Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.
What you can do:
.
.
Visit these sites:
http://www.ObamaVoterFraud.com/
http://thecompetentconservative.com/elections-have-not-yet-been-certified-heres-what-you-can-do/
Most of ‘Obama Voter Fraud’ activity is moving to FaceBook.
‘Obama Voter Fraud Volunteers
http://www.facebook.com/#!/ObamaVoterFraudVolunteers
‘Obama Voter Fraud’ on FaceBook-
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=488176621204089&set=a.488176614537423.110863.488173144537770&type=1&theater";-
Sign their petition- over 99,000 and counting -cards, email
http://www.petition2congress.com/8222/petition-recount-on-2012-presidential-election/
Another petition, The ‘We The People’ petition has 60,000 signatures and counting-
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/recount-election/ZQmy0Mlv#thank-you=p
_____________________________________________________
The best Obama Exposure site on the net:
http://theobamafile.com/indexArchive.html
The United StatesLibrary of Congress has
selected TheObamaFile.com
for inclusion in its historic collection
of Internet materials
http://theobamafile.com/LibraryOfCongress.html
Yeah, but they wouldn’t use their opponents youth and inexperience against them...
I’m so done w Jeb, W, George Jr., Barbara, Laura, GHWB, and the rest of those grifters.
I want President Scott Walker with Ted Cruz in SCOTUS.
I like McClintock (I have donated to his campaigns going back to his 2006 Lt. Gov. run), and had he become governor of CA he would have been on my short-list for president, but as it is I don’t think he’d win the presidency.
I think we need Mike Rogers or Candice Miller to run against Carl Levin (or, hopefully, an open seat). They have the experience and profile to win a Senate race. They may not be perfect, but they’re far better than the Democrat who would win if we nominated someone more conservative without the type of experience and profile that voters seek, and it will allow a more conservative candidate to win Rogers’s or Miller’s open House seat (both of which have a strong Republican lean).
I really think America is lost. I like the secession idea.
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