Posted on 03/09/2014 1:38:39 PM PDT by smoothsailing
March 9, 2013
Drew Zahn
When it comes to picking a presidential candidate for 2016, the GOP elite is having a hard time getting the grassroots to toe the establishment line.
Top Republican strategist Karl Rove, for example, has repeatedly praised Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey, as “a strong potential candidate in 2016,” whom Democrats fear will win the nomination.
And when other names gained popular attention, particularly attention among the so-called tea-party crowd, the man known as the “architect” was quick to criticize.
Rove, for example, blasted potential presidential hopeful Ted Cruz for not playing ball with the GOP establishment, just as the Texas senator’s name started to gain traction with Republican voters.
Rove similarly opened fire on Sen. Rand Paul, R-Tenn., for talking about Monica Lewinsky and potential Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the same breath.
And even if Christie has fallen from favor among the establishment, other GOP insiders have floated names like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and even the return of former presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as possible nominees in 2016.
But now a poll on one of the Internet’s top websites, the Drudge Report, reveals the ground troops just aren’t buying it.
With over 234,000 votes counted, Rove’s “strong potential candidate,” Christie, was garnering less than five percent of the vote. Bush had just over six percent. Ryan had less than four.
But despite fiery criticism from the GOP establishment, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was registering over 28 percent in the Drudge Report poll, while Tennessee Sen. Rand Paul was leading the survey, with over 30 percent. Paul’s 72,297 votes compared impressively to Christie’s 11,437.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Nothing there I disagree with.
Not willing to give up on Rand yet, but I will acknowledge the presence of warts.
Compared to Christie, Jeb, or Rubio, Rand is relatively solid.
Still waiting to see what Cruz’s plan of the immigration issue is. As of now, it’s pretty sparse.
How about drafting a choice? Gen. Mattis comes to mind.
To me, the illegal issue is literally existential for America. In one fell swoop it would cement Dems into a permanent majority. To say nothing of the fact that we have tens of millions of citizens unable to find a job now. Which would mean, well, you know the deal.
So in my mind, anyone not fully on board there is more than a little problem. If Cruz and Palin were to suddenly go to the Coexist camp, I would say the same. Of course then we literally would have no hope at all.
In all honesty, I think it’s going to collapse no matter what we do. There are 47% (more counting the RINO wing) of the people actively working toward it and we have a handful of people trying to stop it. Not that I am saying we should give in to it. We should of course fight it every inch of the way. And IMO we can only do that be not accepting people who are batting for the other team.
Sure, I admit Rand is great on a number of issues. But if he can’t toe the line on the most important of them, we need to look for and support someone that can. Maybe Cruz, maybe Palin, maybe an unknown. But we have to stop empowering our problems.
Cruz wants to wait to have the immigration conversation until next year.
Palin’s past statements on the topic echo Rand’s more than say Rubio’s.
And both need to get on the stick and clarify positions in stone ASAP. The Dems are not going to wait, nor is the GOP.
I remember not being too thrilled with Palin’s wording but I saw what she was getting at. However we are well beyond trying to sway people piecemeal now. So I hope she will take a rock solid stand.If not, well, that’s her choice. But I’ll back someone that will.
And I say that as a long time vocal Palinista.
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