Posted on 01/23/2014 4:50:23 PM PST by mandaladon
Don't laugh. He has built-in advantages in Iowa and New Hampshire, a party moving in his direction, and formidable fundraising potential. If Chris Christie was ever the frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, he isn’t anymore. All along, the theory behind his candidacy was that he could overcome his lack of conservative bona fides with a combination of personality, competence, electability, and money. Bridgegate undermines all four.
In the minds of many voters, Christie’s personality has morphed from brash to bully. It’s harder to look competent when your top aides egregiously abused power under your nose. Christie’s supposed electability was based partly on polls showing that he was the only potential Republican nominee running even with Hillary Clinton. But Marist and Quinnipiac, whose surveys showed Clinton and Christie virtually tied in December, now show him trailing her by 13 and 8 points, respectively. The electability argument also depended on Christie’s supposed success in bringing New Jerseyans together across party lines, a harder claim now that Democrats in the state legislature are talking impeachment. And as Christie’s electability erodes, so will his vaunted support among GOP moneymen. As a Republican insider recently told BuzzFeed’s McKay Coppins, “There are definitely people jumping ship.”
So if Christie is no longer the candidate to beat in the 2016 Republican race, who is? Believe it or not, it’s Rand Paul.
To understand the Kentucky senator’s hidden strength, it’s worth remembering this basic fact about the modern GOP: It almost never nominates first-time candidates. Since 1980, George W. Bush is the only first-timer to win a Republican nomination. And since Bush used the political network his father built, he enjoyed many of the benefits of someone who had run before.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Anyone’s focus on Rand Paul as if he’s a conservative would be ill-advised if it weren’t just knee-jerk in the first place. He’s just another paleolib like his father, and has no conservative positions about anything, because he’s a weathervane.
“The GOP seriously has an image problem with recycling losers.”
Yep. None of the 2008 or 2012 also-rans should be automatically eliminated.
Dumbass. “None” should be “All”.
I wonder how Christie feels NOW with Holder issuing fishing expedition subpenas going back years over a few cones blocking a lane on a bridge, after him standing with Obama for all those pictures not long before the 2012 election.
I have no doubt it helped him in 2013 and Obama in 2012,
I understood why he did what he did so I didn't get worked up about it but now having alienated many (but not all) Republicans over that, he must be feeling a bit lonely now.
I wonder how Christie feels NOW with Holder issuing fishing expedition subpenas going back years over a few cones blocking a lane on a bridge, after him standing with Obama for all those pictures not long before the 2012 election.
I have no doubt it helped him in 2013 and Obama in 2012,
I understood why he did what he did so I didn't get worked up about it but now having alienated many (but not all) Republicans over that, he must be feeling a bit lonely now.
Bump, I have no good memories from that election cycle.
I look back and see disaster after disaster.
Ok, we all know Romney was very weak candidate but honesty, those who went up against him in GOP primary all had serous flaws/baggage.
It was like the Island of Misfit Toys.
It was like watching Obama rolling the bowling ball down the lane to knock down a bunch of stationary pins, to me anyway.
Rand is either much smarter than dad and he is obviously ambitious, unlike crazy Ron.
On one hand I am impressed with how he has worked himself into the picture of the reasonable conservative(he comes off as very likable ) to many, on the other hand I am deeply skeptical of first term Senators running for POTUS, for both reasons.
Besides that fluff he really hasn't accomplished anything in that office. Not a good test. If the GOP got the Senate control next year now that would be a better test.
My most popular extranormal created video was supporting Walker during his 2011 war with Dems in WI.
By far the biggest problem we have in this country is big government. It far overshadows any other problem we have and threatens to swallow up our freedoms and way of life. Those that truly believe in cutting government and taxes are what we need more than anything else even if they're not "purely" in line with less important matters.
Do you legitimately think Paul or Cruz will be allowed to be the nomiee?
Carson is in favor of gun control. NEXT!
What is your property tax bill in socialist utopia? I care.
Thanks! Typical doctor.
This article is to announce to the world the DNC propaganda engine is to be officially switched from bashing the governor and begin bashing the Senator.
“...o paraphrase Rick Pitino, “Ronald Reagan isn’t walking through that door!”..”
No, he sure as hell isn’t... for sure.
He’s kind of the gold standard that we set for our candidates, and with very few exceptions, no one really measures up.
“He’s kind of the gold standard that we set for our candidates, and with very few exceptions, no one really measures up.”
Exactly. And as much as I love the man, he wasn’t perfect, either. But the good greatly, greatly outweighs the bad with him.
Saw an article on Weasel Zippers a day ago about McLame saying “we picked loser candidates in 2008 and 2012”.
One wonders if he was even AWARE of how stupid he sounded that out loud...
He is truly a fool.
Senile useful idiot for the left.
Sometimes, I don’t know if he’s even a WILLING useful idiot for them...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.