I fall off my chair laughing every time I hear a GOP operative or party shill say with a straight face, "Unlike last time, today we have a really strong field of candidates".
I think that's code for "At least we don't have a Mormon this time!" and "We have an African-American guy who's not Herman Cain." and "We've got a woman too".
So who are these Strong Candidates? Who stands out for you? I don't really see any of them being President.
Dateline 06/01/15 the following people have declared for the GOP nomination and they are all pretty universally BAD candidates.
Rick Santorum
Rick is trying a novel strategy. He's running as a "Man of the People" and against the GOP's principle backers - Big Business and their Big Money. The problem as I see it is that even though last time Rick finished second to Mitt "Mittens" Romney he can never appeal to sufficient people with this strategy to even get the barest of campaign traction.
Plus of course, Rick still has a huge Full-Of-Himself Religion Problem that can never be overcome.
And taking the dead baby home to "meet the family"? Absolutely NOT. Absolutely CREEPS ME OUT.
Ted Cruz
Senator Cruz is I think we can say, the Tea Party darling. This dooms him with the sensible people. And no matter what the courts say, he does still bring with him that whole "not born in the US thing".
Senator Cruz is supposed to be this "Master Orator" from his days of debating at Harvard - to date I've seen no evidence that he's more than a Talking Points Machine. Hitting all the notes in a speech is surely better than writing those points on your hand, but you have to be engaging while you do so. And Ted Cruz is not that.
Rand Paul
Two things probably rule out Rand Paul, (1) he's too much his own man and (2) he is a Junior Senator - and we all know how that worked out last time. Yes, I realize the Junior Senator millstone can also be hung around Ted Cruz's and Mark Rubio's necks.
Senator Paul is however right on War and on the Loss of Liberties after 9/11.
However some of his statements in the past concerning the Civil Rights Movement have been very problematic. I'm sure that will come up at some point.
Carly Fiorina
The woman who almost destroyed H-P, outsourced 30,000 US jobs and yet walked away with $22 million when she was canned, is in this race for one reason and one reason only. And that is to beat on Hillary. Relentlessly and not in a sexist way.
Ben Carson
One inappropriate speech at a National Prayer Breakfast and the monstrous ego of the medical profession, do not make for a viable candidate. Doctor Carson has already shot himself in the foot multiple times. He will only do so again as time goes on. He is wildly popular with the Republican Base, but as I like to remind everyone, Al Queada also means "The Base". Doctor Carson is in the race to trash the President's record while not being pinnable with the R-word.
His chance of gaining the Republican nomination is ZERO.
Mike Huckabee
Governor Huckabee thinks the way to the nomination is to out-Christ-y Rick Santorum. News just in: This may work with the rabid-most wing of the GOP, but it won't in the end win you the nomination after you've scared off the party's Corporate Masters and Bag Men.
Also with the Governor, his "Sticking By The Duggars" strategy is a Big Loser.
Marco Rubio
Another Junior Senator who's not getting the nomination. But as a Vice Presidential candidate Senator Rubio is absolutely golden.
His quest for the nomination fails because he's too Hispanic on the Immigration question. Also his slightly fudged family backstory to make the whole "Fleeing Communism for Freedom" narrative more heroic is really unseemly. And smacks of "trying too hard" to ingratiate himself with GOP voters.
You're young, you speak Spanish, you can bring Florida votes to the Electoral College. VP should be enough for you. THIS TIME.
George Pataki
To run for President in the age in which we live, you have to have Name Recognition. Without that, you will never have the money to run even a mediocre campaign. Sheldon Adelson can only have one horse in the race. And I don't think Governor Pataki is his guy.
Lindsey Graham
Well you have to hand it to The Dapper One, calling for more US troops in Iraq as one of his major campaign promises, dooms him out of the gate. If he was a racehorse, they'd be putting him down right about....now.
