Posted on 01/18/2015 12:20:11 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Until the next turning point in world history — Ohio State’s Sept. 7 football opener at Virginia Tech — political Ohio will distract itself speculating about 2016’s presidential nominees.
As every TV anchor knows, Ohio is pivotal in presidential elections. And the Constitution won’t let President Barack Obama seek a third term. Hillary Clinton likely will be Democrats’ nominee, though there’s many a slip between cup and lip: It took liberal Democrats a while, but they’ve figured out that the Clintons have no particular problem with Wall Street, assuming the right donations go to the right campaign committees.
As for the Party of Lincoln and Reagan, ex-Florida Gov. John Ellis (Jeb) Bush will likely be Republicans’ 2016 nominee. If so, Bush could carry Ohio. If he does, Bush becomes president. As for yammering about political “dynasties,” Americans didn’t have gripes about Adamses or Roosevelts or, today — despite this generation’s antics — Kennedys. They still got elected.
Jeb Bush is the likely nominee because the Republican Establishment is behind him. The Establishment isn’t … comfortable … with the so-called tea party, in Columbus or Washington. And the Establishment (except in 1964, when insurgent conservatives nominated Barry Goldwater) picks … reasonable … nominees. That GOP Establishment repeatedly kept the first Robert A. Taft, Cincinnati’s Mr. Republican, from landing the presidential nomination because Taft didn’t want the United States mired in foreign wars. Too bad Taft’s not around today.
By 1980, when California Republican Ronald Reagan won the nomination, 1964’s insurgency had become the Sun Belt wing of the Republican Establishment. That was a natural progression from the 1950s, when Big Oil Texas cast its electoral vote for Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike was only the second Republican presidential nominee to carry Texas. (The first was Herbert Hoover, in 1928, because Democrat Al Smith was Catholic.)
True, there’s a troop of “mentioned” 2016 GOP prospects (including Gov. John Kasich). Among them: Canadian-born Texan Ted Cruz, Arkansan Mike Huckabee, Kentuckian Rand Paul, Texan Rick Perry, Boston’s Mitt Romney and Florida’s Marco Rubio.
All have their eyes on the White House, but some may need glasses. (Paul, an ophthalmologist, could help.) Examples: If Romney, father of Romneycare, couldn’t beat Obama in Ohio, it’s tough to figure how he’d do better in 2016.
And Huckabee has seemingly adopted the Youngstown Strategy: Anything for a headline. People magazine reported the other day that while Huckabee believes Barack and Michelle Obama are outstanding parents — obviously, they are — Huckabee fails to understand how the Obamas can also be fans of musical superstar Beyoncé. Her lyrics and choreography disturb Huckabee. The artistry of Ms. Beyoncé Knowles is one of America’s critical problems?
Many Ohio voters, to echo Sam Cooke’s words in Wonderful World, may not know much about history. But Republican nominees with Ohio ties tend to run well here. Richard M. Nixon’s family was from Vinton County, southeast of Columbus. Nixon noted that, of all America’s big states, only his native California and Ohio voted for him every time he ran nationally: 1952, 1956, 1960, 1968 and 1972.
Jeb Bush’s paternal great-grandfather, Samuel P. Bush (1863-1948), was a Columbus industrialist; he’s buried in Green Lawn Cemetery. Jeb Bush’s maternal great-grandfather was Ohio Supreme Court Judge James E. Robinson (1868-1932), once Union County’s prosecutor; he’s buried in Marysville’s Oakdale Cemetery.
On April 14, Bush will be in Columbus as keynote speaker at the 2015 annual meeting of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. It’s impossible to predict whether Bush’s Ohio roots will be on his mind that day. But you can bet his future will be.
Well he can be president of Ohio then.
This cycle a candidate like Cruz could carry Pennsylvania AND Ohio.
Oh, well that changes everything, I guess I should just ignore my convictions and vote for the RINO.......................not!
If the RINOs force Jeb on me, I am voting for Hillary.
If he is the only candidate on the primary ballot.
Isn’t that like saying I won’t drink your poison,I’ll shoot myself in the head instead?
I can’t stand the sight of Jeb either,but voting for Hillary?
Yawnnnnnnnnnn.
Another push piece for Jeb.
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If the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s had happened, Rudy Guiliani would have been the nominee in 2008.
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FoxNews Sunday morning programs were commenting on how Mitt Romney and a 3rd run were all the rage last week. Then, the media seemed to turn on him.
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Some 20+ wannabes are making noise. Many outside the beltway crowd and party elites are yelling for new blood.
Bottom line: the media is still orgasmic for a Bush-Clinton race. They could end up with neither.
Whoa there, chris37. We don’t want him either. Pay no attention to the drivel from this goofball writer.
There’s a great deal of grassroots support for Cruz around here. Nothing to speak of for Jeb, or the Huckster, Rand Paul, or the rest of the pack. Even Kasich would have trouble, IMO, on a presidential ticket.
Here we Dole again....
Jeb hates conservatives. He's just dying to sell us out so his wife can have a whole army of illegal alien slaves to wait on her hand and foot...
My apologies!
I know no one wants Jughead Jebster, but wow people are really trying hard to push this fool.
No offense meant to Ohio at all, all offense was meant to Jeb though.
I really hope to be able to vote for Ted Cruz in the general.
They fought tooth and nail against Ronald Reagan in 1980, who only managed to pull off a 45 state win. Four years later he won 49 and came within 3000 votes in Minnesota of sweeping all 50.
Carry Ohio? Could Bush carry Connecticut? How about Florida, where people are still made at him for Terry and helping Charlie Orangeskin Crist win..
ex-Florida Gov. John Ellis (Jeb) Bush will likely be Republicans’ 2016 nominee.
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Bull Crap!!! No freakin’ way.
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