The GOP establishment doesn't pick the nominee -- the only reason anyone gets the nomination is that they get the most delegates during the primaries. Don't show up for the primaries? Stop bitching. Do show up, but your candidate loses? Stop bitching. Tinfoiled Again/Paranoid Conspiracy Theories/NTSA/STFU ping (all lists).
They also have a hard time coordinating when there is a plethora of promising candidates, as in the lead up to 2012. The infamous circular firing squad kicked in as none were literally perfect. All that remained standing was the prince of mediocrity, that nobody bothered to shoot at because he seemed so implausible.
I know what you’re saying, and I don’t believe in conspiracies either, but the CONSERVATIVE candidates will have to make sacrifices to win, and I mean get out of each other’s way and unite behind one guy or gal. I don’t know who that is now, but you can’t have a Newt siphoning off votes and a Cain siphoning off votes. My guess is that it will come down to Rand Paul (ugh), Marco Rubio (ugh), and Ben Carson (reservations). I could possibly vote for any of the three, but would like to see some “growth” (in the conservative sense) with Paul and Rubio ditching amnesty, Rubio picking up Paul’s concern with snooping/spying on Americans, and Carson getting his gun positions right.
The constant bellyaching about the nefarious GOPe and their ability to nominate middle of the road candidates is a symptom of Conservative Derangement Syndrome.[CDS]
CDS is a mental state which prevents the sufferer from counting votes and interpreting the number of votes as a factor in the popularity of a candidate.
CDS then drives the sufferer to a paranoid state where the voters are controlled by a nebulous minority called the GOPe to explain the rejection of his views and candidates by a majority of voters as expressed by the vote count.
Thanks, SunkenCiv.
I do not understand the GOPe. Do they really think they can win with Jeb Bush? Really???
If I were totally politically impartial, I would do a brief analysis and realize that without a strong conservative base turnout, no GOP candidate can beat a democrat in a national election. Additionally, I’m sorry, but the Bush name is ruined politically, at least for a generation. Therefore, logically I would need to ensure the Republican presidential candidate is strongly conservative. I would also want someone who is NOT a Bush. This is so obvious to me it becomes a natural conclusion.
The only reason I can see that such backers would continue to promote Bush is that they do not want to the Republicans to WIN the presidential election. Perhaps they are stealth democrats? How does democratic control of government help crony capitalists? There is your answer!
A lot of money gets spent during our national elections. 100’s of millions of dollars, perhaps billions. Who benefits? What do they expect to get for their money?
Totally agree. If the GOP isn’t an opposition party, there is no reason for its continued existence.
I understand what you are saying, but I see it differently I suppose.
If we run an “open-borders” R against an “open borders” D, then the open-borders people essentially have two horses in this race and I don’t have any.
If my GOP brothers coalesce around an open-borders candidate because he has name recognition, because he seems like he can win, then they have made their choice. But I am not one of them anymore. I have always been GOP because they supposedly believed in the same principles I did. But less and less does it appear that they do.
I sometimes distinguish between the nefarious “GOPe”, the unprincipled leadership, versus the principled folks out among the rank and file of the party, but of course the rank and file are the people who keep voting these people in. So again, maybe I am not one of them. In political terms I’m not sure who is my party. Maybe there isn’t one.
They have the perfect chance to unite around someone who is principled, but if they blow it yet again then I don’t know what to say. If you implement O’s agenda under GOP leadership you haven’t gained anything. Remember McCain and Graham getting their pictures taken with ISIS and with Egypt’s MB rebels, and flying over to defend Morsi after he was overthrown. Its not just about Obamacare and immigration and Common Core, though those are also areas where the “moderate” GOP is in lockstep agreement with the Democrats. Implementing O’s agenda at a fraction of a percent off the projected budget increase isn’t enough of a victory for me.
The GOP establishment doesn't pick the nominee -- the only reason anyone gets the nomination is that they get the most delegates during the primaries.
Romney Says: We “Had to Steal the Republican Nomination” from Ron Paul.
I seem to also recall retroactive rule changes for the primaries/delegates, and there was the funny-business all at the `12 RNC [the bus incident, the teleprompter/voice-vote incident, etc].
If the GOP nominates Jeb Bush, Rand Paul will as a third party. I won’t vote for either one.
The above is ostensibly true, but it isn't the real reason, in my opinion.
They get the nomination due to votes coming their way because of money, organization, support in the trenches.
Without getting in the old elector debate applied to a political party, we are stuck with this system that we have.
In order to win, Cruz or Lee or whomever, must be funded early, they must have able workers, and they must have grass roots support.
Without the money they are toast and we all know it.
Cruz will be buried by money painting him as everything from a neophyte, to a shyster, to a non-citizen if he doesn't have the finances to overcome the attacks.
Republicans love to attack conservatives.
Well, not directly. I agree wholeheartedly with your rant about getting involved with local politics, primaries etc. But the Establishment does control huge amounts of campaign money and can "starve out" candidates who don't kowtow to their demands.
Right now, for instance, Jeb Bush is hastily sopping up early Establishment campaign cash through his family's vast network of funding sources, and some think that will make it difficult for others to compete. Our opponents understand this very well. The acronym EMILY in EMILY's List means: Early Money Is Like Yeast. We need to open our wallets wider for our candidates when possible.
Do show up but the candidate has already been determined by other states earlier primaries without you ever getting a chance to vote? Hold your nose and vote R again? Who died and made Iowa king? I'm sick of it and that has taken decades to reach this point. Don't know what I'll do if Jeb gets the nod but I still hate having voted for McCain.