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| 16 for '16: The Most Talked-About Potential GOP Presidential Candidates |
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| Dos Equis:
Not sure if the nominee will come from this group, but there are some good people on the list. I like what I've been hearing from Cruz. Still like Rubio. Dark horse for me is Martinez. Will probably be another one or two that nobody is talking about. 16 for '16: The Most Talked-About Potential GOP Presidential Candidates Friday, 03 Jan 2014 By Bill Hoffmann As 2014 kicks off, it is apparent that a crystal-clear frontrunner for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination has yet to emerge. Not unlike 2010, the Republican stage is crowded with potential candidates boasting different degrees of conservatism, from tea party favorites like Ted Cruz to moderates like Peter King and liberal-leaning Republicans like Chris Christie. The GOP again faces the daunting task of wading through a large field of prospects to pick a candidate to challenge the presumed Democratic choice of Hillary Clinton. He or she must be a stronger choice than Mitt Romney, be ready to navigate the choppy waters of the liberal media, and appeal to a broad base of the Republican Party, which for now remains deeply splintered. Here are 16 names (in alphabetical order) to keep an eye on as we edge closer to 2016: Jeb Bush Personal: Age: 60; former two-term governor of Florida; son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush; married, three children. Pros: Regarded as a successful and popular governor in a key battleground state; part of the Bush political dynasty; has high Latino support; speaks Spanish. Cons: Has the electorate had enough of the Bush family? Even matriarch Barbara Bush seems to think so. Of course if he runs against Hillary Clinton, one could ask the same question about that surname. Dr. Ben Carson Personal: Age: 62; former director of pediatric neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital; married. Pros: Rational, plain speaking; brilliant medical background; gained national attention with biting speech against Obamacare at the National Prayer Breakfast, with the president sitting on the dais. Cons: Has never held political office and lacks political experience on any level; likely considered a one-trick-pony opposing Obamacare. Chris Christie Personal: Age: 51; governor of New Jersey, just elected in a landslide to a second term; former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey; married, four children. Pros: High approval ratings; good grades for his fast response to the Hurricane Sandy disaster; GOP candidate most likely to appeal to Democrats; has a straightforward, no-nonsense style some find refreshing. Cons: That no-nonsense style has also routinely rankled some, who feel he comes off as a manipulative bully; considered too liberal by many in the GOP; his weight has raised questions about his long-term health. Ted Cruz Personal: Age: 43; serving first term as U.S. senator from Texas; married, two children. Pros: Beloved in the Bible Belt and regarded as one of the tea party's rising stars; extremely smart and articulate; staunch opposition to Obamacare and support for conservative ideals has endeared him to the GOP faithful; Cuban heritage aligns him with Hispanics. Cons: Blamed for filibuster that spurred the government shutdown; intelligent, yes, but also can come off as arrogant; may be too conservative for some moderate Republicans, whom he rankled with his shutdown strategy; potential rival Rep. Peter King called him a "fraud." Nikki Haley Personal: Age: 41; governor of South Carolina; married, two children. Pros: Like Bobby Jindal, would bring double diversity to the White House as an Indian-American and a plain-speaking southerner. Cons: Little national recognition; was recently slapped with a fine and ethics warning for campaign donor violations Mike Huckabee Personal: Age: 58; former governor of Arkansas; ordained Baptist minister; married, three children. Pros: Personable and glib; veteran TV and radio broadcaster with high visibility; former Southern Baptist pastor with strong religious support; strong on core conservative social principles. Cons: Is already finding opposition among the conservative group Club For Growth for his fiscal policies while governor; failed to develop momentum for the nomination in 2008, despite winning some states. Bobby Jindal Personal: Age: 42; serving second term as governor of Louisiana; former U.S. representative; married, three children. Pros: Would bring double diversity to the White House as an Indian-American and a southerner; has an impressive resume as a public servant, from, governor, to congressman, president of the state university system and assistant secretary of Health and Human Services (giving him an inside track on fixing Obamacare). Cons: Has been considered a rising star in the party for several years, but has not developed much traction nationally; his biggest moment in the national spotlight — the 2009 GOP response to the State of the Union — was not well received. John Kasich Personal: Age: 61; governor of Ohio; former U.S. representative; married. Pros: Impressive political chops: former U.S. congressman, Ohio senator; chairman of the House Committee on the Budget. Cons: As was the case in 2000, when he considered a presidential run, Kasich has little national presence and is not even a blip on most polls; expanded Medicaid in Ohio over GOP opposition; got negative attention several years ago for calling a cop an "idiot" for giving him a traffic ticket. Peter King Personal: Age: 69; U.S. representative from New York; chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security; married, two children. Pros: Outspoken and highly opinionated; strong in national security issues; scandal-free. Cons: Too aligned with New York and the Northeast; made enemies in his party when he criticized slow GOP response on Hurricane Sandy aid; called rival Ted Cruz a "fraud," and Rand Paul "a disgrace to his office." Susana Martinez Personal: Age: 54; governor of New Mexico; married, one child. Pros: Made history as first elected female governor of New Mexico and the first female Hispanic governor in the U.S. Cons: Has said she is not interested in a White House run; could face heat from women for her pro-life stance; does not have a national presence. Rand Paul Personal: Age: 50; U.S. senator from Kentucky; son of former congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul; married, three children. Pros: Plain-speaking conservative with a solid record of backing core Republican values, such as the Second Amendment, immigration, and lower taxes; can build on the following his father developed during his previous presidential runs. Cons: Launched a controversial filibuster against proposed CIA head John Brennan that was panned by some conservatives; dogged by recent accusations of plagiarism. Rick Perry Personal: Age: 63; serving 14th year as governor of Texas; married, two children. Pros: Longest serving Texas governor; can tout a strong record on creating jobs and keeping taxes low; his strong stance against abortion made national news. Cons: Trails fellow Texan Ted Cruz in visibility; burned bridges with women when he slammed Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis for her filibuster; could be haunted by gaffes from his last presidential run. Marco Rubio Personal: Age 42; in first term as U.S. senator from Florida; former speaker of the Florida House; married, four children. Pros: Charismatic, articulate and politically savvy; popular with Latinos; gained national attention as head of "Gang of Eight" pushing immigration reform. Cons: Alienated some in the party on his signature immigration reform campaign; like Jindal, failed to take advantage of his opportunity on the national stage and became known for the infamous "water bottle" incident during the State-of-the-Union rebuttal speech. Paul Ryan Personal: Age: 43; U.S. representative from Wisconsin; chairman of the House Budget Committee; GOP vice presidential candidate on Mitt Romney ticket in 2012; married, three children Pros: High approval ratings from GOP, a conservative hero who champions cutting spending, taxes, and entitlements; scored points as a bipartisan bridge-builder after cutting budget deal with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. Cons: Was part of the Mitt Romney presidential disaster; may be too conservative for American mainstream. Rick Santorum Personal: Age: 55; former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania; former U.S. representative; married, eight children (one deceased). Pros: Squeaky-clean and scandal free; one of the GOP's most respected social conservatives with a strong record opposing abortion and gay marriage. Cons: Had a reputation as a spender in Congress; still fell short of the nomination in 2012, despite better-than-expected showing; might be considered too evangelical. Scott Walker Personal: Age: 46; governor of Wisconsin; married, two children. Pros: Dynamic and articulate speaker who has gained traction in a recent book tour; showed off his substantial political skills in beating back a 2011 recall effort. Cons: Needs to win re-election in 2014; while successful in his recall challenge, he took a beating from labor unions and teachers; needs to continue to establish a higher national profile. http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/16-gop-presidential-contenders/2014/01/02/id/544921#ixzz2pkD11nx9 |
| temple_of_dis:
translation: cruz or rand paul dem media will love christie who is kinda a dem now |
| avxo:
Well, 13 out of 16 are burned and out of the running already, and the remaining three seem winded already. Here's to hoping some more viable candidates surface. |
| Shockwave:
Seriously. Im tired of my choices being between a giant douche and a turd sandwich. I want a decent fucking candidate already, one who doesnt give a shit about telling people how to live their lives, who actually gives a shit about the fiscal condition of our country, doesnt strip rights from citizens, doesn't stir up racial tensions and play the blame game, doesnt start needless wars, and at least SOMEWHAT respects the constitution is that too much to ask for? I mean, its not like those are very high expectations.... although it seems like our current elected officials would have us believe, its akin to asking for jesus to resurrect and run for office... these fucks need to be weeded out and start being held accountable to the principles they swore to uphold |
| temple_of_dis:
I don't know how romney lost. Giant crony debt master obama runs up 9T debt in 4 years. Successful businessman IRS suppression and mob ground tactics to get th e400k votes needed to swing 7 swing stastes orestrated by israel no doubt. mob action |
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