Posted on 02/06/2014 6:42:40 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
There's been a lot of blathering about who the front-runner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination is, and so far I've resisted taking part. But I guess I'm kind of curious: Is there much of a case to be made for anyone other than Paul Ryan?
On the substantive side, Ryan sure seems like he's setting himself up for a run. There's his steady series of "unheralded" anti-poverty outreach trips that always manage to be just heralded enough to get sympathetic press coverage. He brokered a budget deal with Patty Murray that was businesslike and low-drama but didn't alienate the tea party crowd too badly. Today, in a hearing about the CBO's report on Obamacare, he acknowledged that the report didn't say that employers would be cutting jobs—points for intellectual honesty!—while also calling Obamacare a "poverty trap"—points for demagoguery! This is all stuff that seems very delicately calculated to stay in the good graces of the tea party base while building up plenty of policy substance cred that will keep him attractive to moderate voters.
On the flip side, who are his big competitors? Chris Christie is toast. Marco Rubio is inexperienced to begin with, and then muffed his chance for statesmanlike glory when he staked his reputation on immigration reform and came up empty. Jeb Bush can't even get his mother's endorsement. Scott Walker is getting buzz, but he strikes me as having too much baggage. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are novelty candidates, not to be taken seriously. And although I used to think Bobby Jindal might have a chance, he's had a rough past couple of years.
Maybe I'm dismissing all these guys a little too glibly. Walker and Bush are certainly serious possibilities. And I admit that Ryan doesn't always give off a vibe that says he's running for president. And of course, we're still a couple of years away from 2016, anything can happen, blah blah blah.
Still, ol' blue eyes sure looks like the favorite to me right now. Anyone want to make a case for one of the others?
I could point out a senator with basically the same qualifications who pulled the rabbit out of the hat.
Oh good Lord no.
Hold on! I thought it was Krispy? No, wait... Huckabee!!!!
Bull. Ryan is finished.
JFK?
Is it his turn?
No , it’s not Ryan’s turn! He has to stand in line behind Mickey Mouse!
FGS! Squueek Squeek!
Vote RINO!
Actually, in historic terms, it’s Vice President Cheney’s or Governor Palin’s turn, not Rep. Ryan’s.
I flushed Paul Ryan this morning.
As a Wisconsinite on the Front Lines, I say, ‘No’ to Ryan.
Absolutely not. Nuh-huh. No.
Mother Jones?
You are a joker 2nd div.
Ha ha.
Always appreciate your willingness to go into such repulsive places
so we dont have to.
i doubt this. i don’t believe it’s true. i believe some want it to be true.
Let’s just bring back Boris and Natasha.
Of course, the super liberal Ma Jones would push for an Amnesty Liberal like Paul Ryan
Have to wait and see if Bob Dole wants another crack at it
F-That.
Since when do we all liberal journalists and pundits pick our Nominees??..Not any more!
Uh, no. No RINOs.
What? yesterday it was Huckabee...
Because he could not inspire a man on fire to jump into a pond.
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.