The Five Plausible GOP Candidates (Bush, Cruz, Kasich, Rubio and Walker)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | August 11, 2015 | William A. Galston

[2ndDivisionVet]

After their first presidential debates, it is time for Republicans to get serious. Donald Trump won’t be their nominee. Neither will Ben Carson. Nor will any of the men in the 5 p.m. undercard event last week. Despite Carly Fiorina’s strong performance, it is hard to believe that the GOP would turn to someone who was fired as Hewlett-Packard ’s CEO in 2005 after a tenure charitably described as controversial, and whose only run for elective office resulted in a landslide loss in 2010 to Sen. Barbara Boxer in California.

There are only five candidates with a plausible path to the Republican nomination: two sitting senators ( Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz), two sitting governors ( Scott Walker and John Kasich), and a former governor ( Jeb Bush). They represent a choice among very different persons, but also—and more fundamentally—between competing strategies for the future of the Republican Party.

First, the candidates as individuals. Ted Cruz is running as the tea party’s Mr. Conservative—aggressively antigovernment except for national defense, with an explicit appeal to Christian social conservatives. John Kasich is this generation’s compassionate conservative, who cites his faith as justification for expanding Medicaid and extending “unconditional love” to gays and lesbians. Scott Walker is the fighting conservative who fires supporters’ hopes that he will stick it to the liberals in Washington, as he did to public-sector unions in Wisconsin....

[Democratic-Republican]

"Maybe add Fiorina, Carson and Jindal in there."

Funny thing, just as I read that, on the radio was John Batchelor praising her at the same moment.

It's no wonder the (R)epublicrats are trying to pump oxygen into her campaign. She is a possible designated loser, the kind that they like the best ...

2010 TEA Party Season

-=[ California Senate ]=-
Barbara Boxer  5,218,441 ( 52.2% )
Carly Fiorina  4,217,366 ( 42.2% )

Note that she was so brilliant she ran away from Sarah Palin and the TEA Party and got thumped for that Senate seat against the weakest liberal of that season.

I suppose they believe she'll deliver California!

[ballearthout]

Thats why Trump will not promise to not run 3rd party. You cannot trust the RNC.

[ballearthout]

Cruz is pretty smooth. Too smooth. And he doesn’t have Donald’s hair. Donald’s hair could defeat the Democrats by itself.

[ballearthout]

I like guns and bacon but that was just silly pandering on the part of Cruz. It would be better to watch Cruz explain why the 2nd amendment is important. The bacon cook off on the rifle was something a teenager would do. Nothing would be better for Cruz’s campaign than to get puberty behind him.

[TruthWillWin]

I’d go to the polls and vote for two, may hold my nose and vote for another two (not sure) and would definitely stay home for one.

[EDINVA]

The establishment likes Kasich because they think he can bring along Ohio’s significant electoral votes (without which no R has ever been elected). He does have experience as a Governor and a Congressman, including service as Chmn of the House Budget Committee. Also, he’s youngish, fairly attractive, and has a photogenic family.

[glenduh]

Would like to understand Cruz on this. How will he secure border? What to do with illegals, if not amnesty? Why such dramatic increases in legal immigration numbers?

[Caipirabob]

How about the RINOs all go jump off a cliff? How would the GOPe like them apples?

[j.argese]

People also forget the significant percentage of black voters Trump would take.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Is Ted Cruz a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as president? [Yes! And I support him! JimRob]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3084490/posts

[2ndDivisionVet]

George Wallace won 19 states in 1968, IIRC. That’s a better comparison.

[Impy]

Bush-Kasich would be scary

I agree. I might have a nightmare about that ticket.

[Democratic-Republican]

">> Bush-Kasich would be scary

I agree. I might have a nightmare about that ticket."

No seriously, some people really want this!

You know who that ticket really should scare? The (R)epublicrat establishment, however it won't. They are staggering drunks with the car keys, driving all over the road until the predictable and inevitable crash.

You know who that ticket won't scare in the slightest? The (D)ummycrats. They would be laughing all the way back to the White House.

Naturally, the (R)epublicrats instead of doing the honorable thing and committing wholesale Jonestown harakiri, would blame their favorite scapegoat - those of us they call "right-wing" crazies, who are just conservatives and Constitutionalists who want nothing to do with Bush45 or any other RINO bureaucrat collaborator. They will also blame all the independents excited by Trump, voters he can never get near because they also positively despise Bush and would never cross party lines for such an obvious textbook (R)epublican.

And then, like clockwork, they will return in four more years with Karl Rove in tow and start the process all over yet again. At that point after further naturalization and amnesty the electoral math will no longer matter.

[stockpirate]

Seaplaner. let me put it this way, vote for a leftist Jeb Bush, or 3rd party Trump. I vote Trump. If it’s Cruz I can deal with that.

But your comment about Trump is not accurate, so it’s not when, it’s a what if.

Trump said he will weigh a 3rd party run if the GOP doesn’t treat him fairly, ie like they treat Bush, Christie, Rubio or the others socialist republicans.

In fact I dislike Bush and the republican leadership so much I can’t stand them and anyone foolish enough to go for their BS again is worse then a fool.

They have done everything they can to destroy the TEA Party, grass roots conservatives, Bush said he doesn’t need us, well that works for me.

I will under NO circumstances vote for Bush or a RINO.

[Seaplaner]

We agree on everything, my good FRiend, except for...

But your comment about Trump is not accurate, so it’s not when, it’s a what if.

Trump said he will weigh a 3rd party run if the GOP doesn’t treat him fairly, ie like they treat Bush, Christie, Rubio or the others socialist republicans.

Trump is not actually this thin-skinned, and a serious candidate can handle any tough question with statesmanship, dignity and aplomb. How do you think that a Trump would perform in a debate with a Dem, when the questions would be absolutely unfair?

I suspect, in the very strongest measure, that Mister Trump is the Dem's Perot, and what he says and does indicates nothing else.

Again, we agree on Cruz and (ugh) Jeb.

.

[Fledermaus]

Who gives a crap what the open borders at all cost WSJ has to say?

[Fledermaus]

Everything Galston just wrote about Trump was said about Reagan in 1980.

[x]

Note that she was so brilliant she ran away from Sarah Palin and the TEA Party and got thumped for that Senate seat against the weakest liberal of that season.

I suppose they believe she'll deliver California!

The way it California is now, Ronald Reagan couldn't deliver it.

[Fledermaus]

He didn’t do a damn thing on the budget. He was worse than Paul Ryan...all “down the road” crap about “cutting growth” instead of using zero based budgeting to get to the heart of the programs. Are they working? Are they still useful? How much does it cost to manage and run these programs? What is the overhead?

Never did he or the GOP discuss this. It’s all about 10 year projections and BS crystal ball nonsense.

[Democratic-Republican]

">> Note that she was so brilliant she ran away from
>> Sarah Palin and the TEA Party and got thumped for that
>> Senate seat against the weakest liberal of that season.

>> I suppose they believe she'll deliver California!

The way it California is now, Ronald Reagan couldn't deliver it."

Funny thing, I have Levin on right now and he just said the same thing. We're all Great Ones!