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....

[Hugin]

De Nada.

;~)

[jpsb]

Kasich was great back in day when our biggest worry was the budget deficit. But that was a long time ago and he’s “evolved” since then.

[ripnbang]

My millennial voting age children and their friends are looking hard at Trump. People I talk to out and about are all talking about Trump. Conservative friends of mine we regularly associate with are loving Trump. Now, whether that translates to votes or not down the line....but in my day to day dealings, he is being talked about favorably by a wide array of people. That’s what has the Dems worried.

[ncalburt]

Trump would win FL ,NY, NJ , Conn, over a Dem or a GOPe puppet !

Trump is well known and people love celebrities in those states .

Let's be honest .

If he won those states it's all over .

[jpsb]

I would not be so quick to give NY to Bush. Trump lives in NYC and is very well liked in NYC. Upstate NY is mostly conservative so there will be lots of Trump votes north of NYC.

[2ndDivisionVet]

So you didn’t have an example?

[ripnbang]

The office of Veep isn’t worth a bucket of warm piss; Biden hasn’t done much to it in eight years, so it can’t be a bad place to put a guy like Trump.

---

In what universe can you imagine Trump being V.P.? Its just not in his DNA. It’s all or nothing.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Kasich??????????? LOL. Yo, Bill. You should lay off the booze before you write these things.

[Dr. Sivana]

he knows (and IIRC) that there are lead times to consider (logistics, and all that).

I cannot rule that out. The only man who knows that is Trump, and even if he's planning on it, he could always bail with little loss. A straight on attack will do nothing, but maybe firm up his existing supporters. Perot QUIT in '92, endorsed Clinton, got back in, and STILL got 17% nationwide.

The Republican Party has made this bed, unfortunately we have to sleep in it.

[ncalburt]

That is exactly what had the Dems , Dem media and the DC media elites freaked out.
Murdoch media knows he is a threat to there control and power.

My kids and there friends know who he is and dismiss all theses smears .
They grew up with the guy and he has always been a himself.

That is very powerful and it's the reason why we see Murdoch Media and all the Other media companies smearing non stop using there operatives here .
I love the fact the DC elites and the traitors in Congress are in turmoil.
Trump shut down the amnesty bills that Ryan aka Walker operative, Bonehead, Mitchy had planned to ram thru in July !

[jpsb]

"So if Saint Peter = Mitch, who is Ted in his analogy?"

That's pretty thin. Fail.

[Pollster1]

Two competitive republican candidates: Cruz ad Walker.

Three RINO losers: Bush, Kasich, and Rubio.

If the GOP nominates someone who supports Amnesty, I will vote third party.

[Democratic-Republican]

>> "He would win big.

Nope

Zero electoral votes.

As planned."

Wait, what?

If he has the (R) party label and is on all the ballots How can you possibly say that?

That's an almost automatic 180 to 200 electoral votes as long as he is a Republican and even mildly Conservative, unlike Romney and Dole. Depending on the (D)ummycrat opponent, it could be more.

Getting that from 200 to 300 is the issue that matters. And someone that can draw cross-party, especially union, blue-collar and blue-dog can make this happen. Indeed it's the only way it can happen.

MI, PA, WI, IN, IA, OH, FL, NC, these are most assuredly in play with him. If he makes a real run at NY and CA, it could become a landslide. But we are a real long way from this discussion.

I suspect you are a (R)epublicrat dead-ender that still uses Perot as a scapegoat for your own incompetence even though you continually lose with or without a spoiler.

You have no math that can possibly prove you have a chance in Hell without drawing votes from the other side. The ball is in your court, demonstrate the path to 270+ any way you can ...

... still waiting ...

[jpsb]

Here is the thing, and maybe Cruz has backed off but last I checked Cruz was in favor of some form of legal status but not a pathway to citizenship for most of the legals here. Sounds great but it simply will not work. The courts are not going to allow ten of millions living here to be second class citizens. Howls of modern day slavery will fill the airways. And the courts will rule that a pathway to citizenship must be provided. Either that or when the Rats take Congress, and they will at some point time, and they will pass a law granting citizenship.

Only Trump sends the legals back to there home county. If they are not here they don't need legal status.

[jpsb]

Well it’s been a while but I lived there for many years. New Paltz area.

[Georgia Girl 2]

None of which has a ghost of a chance to win the general election. LOL!

[Republican Wildcat]

Remove Bush and Kasich from the list and then we’ll talk. Maybe add Fiorina, Carson and Jindal in there. That would make for a good debate...and make the liberals’ heads explode with 5 of 6 being “women and minorities” in a GOP debate.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Kasich is toast. Mario, too young. Bush - a wimp. Cruz I like. He has guts and a real vision for America. Walker is problematic due to some of his previous positions, but a nice guy and good future GOP leader.

And then there is the ‘DON’.

[SpeakerToAnimals]

That Jeb is anywhere near the top is an ironical artifact of Democrat Trump's stealing conservative votes from the more conservative GOPers.

Stealing votes? Not one vote has been cast yet. None will be cast for seven months. Be careful with that Colorado store bought. It is potent stuff.