Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 4:44pm

Ranking the Field

Now that we’re somewhat officially underway in the presidential campaign season, I thought I’d rundown my current rankings of the GOP field. This is a rough estimate of how I personally rank them. This has nothing to do with how I deem their chances at winning the nomination or the presidency in general, though there will be some mention of that in the discussion.

15 – 17: Jim Gilmore, George Pataki, Lindsay Graham. Just call them the 3 G’s. Their presence in this race just baffles. Gilmore is officially registering as an asterisk in the polls, the other two are barely above that.

14. Rand Paul: Ron Paul lite is living up to his name. He presents a more palatable version of his father, but in doing so he has failed to sway those who didn’t support his dad, and at the same time he has alienated a good chunk of his father’s base.

13. Donald Trump: I’ve just about had my say on the Donald. Yes, we get it Trump supporters: you’re angry. Many of us are upset and frustrated with the Republican party’s leadership as well. We’ve just discovered more effective outlets for our frustration.

12. Ben Carson: If there has been one benefit to the Trump candidacy, it is that Carson appears credible by comparison. Carson is clearly the more thoughtful of the two male outsider candidates, and I would love for him to come to his senses and make a bid for the Senate in Maryland where I think he would have a pretty decent shot at winning. But one speech does not a president make, and this is not Carson’s time.

11. Mike Huckabee: You know there must be a lot of chaffe for Huckabee to be this high up the list. Huckabee is the big government conservative that foolish “conservatarians” convinced themselves that Rick Santorum is. He is an eloquent speaker and always does well in debates, but that is not the measure of presidential timbre.

10. Chris Christie: If Donald Trump were a governor, he’d be Chris Christie. While Christie’s off the cuff bloviations might have come off as refreshing and maybe even a little fun at first, now they just seem like the pathetic utterances of an ineffective governor. I would be somewhat surprised if Christie makes it to primary season before withdrawing from the race.

9. Carly Fiorina: Fiorina has charmed her way up the polls, and indeed she has proven to be an effective communicator. Where Trump is all show, she adds substance to style and has been one of the most effective champions of conservative ideas in the race. But before getting too excited about Fiorina, be forewarned. First of all, there’s the little matter of her complete lack of political experience. Even if you view that as a plus and not a negative, and point to her stewardship as CEO of Hewlett Packard, well I wouldn’t exactly rush to put that feather in her cap. (We’ll call her record mixed, and leave it at that.) On social issues her language is wishy-washy, and in general she’s somewhat of a blank slate. She has promise, but there are better candidates with stronger track records.

8. Jeb Bush: You were probably expecting him much lower on the list, but I do not have the same antipathy towards Jeb as others do. His record as governor of Florida was generally strong, and all in all I always thought he would have made a more effective president than his brother. That being said, he should absolutely not be the nominee. Aside from his (at the very least) muddled positions on immigration and Common Core, Bush is the absolute worst person to run against Hillary Clinton. His nomination would certainly negate the dynastic factor. What’s more, at least the person that Hillary is tied to is (sad as it is) actually popular with the electorate. And while Hillary Clinton is a charismatic dud, Jeb is not exactly a dynamo himself. More substantively, we are now almost a full decade removed from his term of office. I’m not the first to observe that he simply does not feel the connections to the issues that matter with the electorate that he might have once possessed. On top of all that, he’s a clumsy speaker who has made a number of unforced errors that hardly seems befitting the Establishment darling.

7. John Kasich: Well, Newt Gingrich made a pretty strong bid in 2012, so why not have another member of the 90s conservative revolution give it a shot? Unlike Gingrich then and Bush now, Kasich actually currently holds elective office, and won re-election in 2014 fairly easily. A conservative governor of a desperately needed swing state? Sounds like a sure winner to me. Unfortunately Kasich has decided to go the Bush route in seemingly taking delight in poking his base in the eye. And while he has a fairly strong conservative record, his support for Medicaid expansion is what particularly galls, especially in the way he framed it as a religious issue. Echoing the likes of Archbishop Cupich he said”“Now, when you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor. You better have a good answer.” I didn’t realize entry into the kingdom of heaven would be based on my support of giving other people’s money to the poor. That soundbite is also odd considering more recent comments about faith and politics. Really, John? There’s only one social issue of importance now?

6. Marco Rubio: If he hadn’t initially supported the Gang of Eight deal on amnesty he’d be the front-runner. Alas he did, and so here we are. Unlike others I am willing to forgive a single transgression when a person’s record is otherwise solid, and Rubio’s record is very good. If anything gives me pause it is his somewhat aggressive approach towards foreign policy. He is almost at the polar opposite end of Rand Paul, and frankly I find both extremes troubling. It’s for this, and not his transgression on amnesty, that Rubio remains outside of the top tier.

Tie 4: Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum: If either man had been a governor he’d be the runaway leader for me. Alas, they’ll just have to make do with their sparkling ideological records. I was proud to support Santorum in 2012. Though I preferred Perry, Santorum was a strong second choice and, well, let’s not re-fight those battles. As with Rubio, my main concern is with Santorum’s dare I say neoconnish outlook on foreign affairs. Santorum is much more likely than Cruz to support military involvement, and as such Cruz might have the edge over Santorum. Both men are absolutely solid on both economic and social issues. Santorum gets pegged as a big government conservative, but this is completely unfair based on his track record. Santorum does have a bit of a protectionist streak in him, so once again Cruz comes out slightly ahead when it comes to trade. In terms of their overall chances, I’m sad to say that I don’t see Santorum making much of a run, though he did surprise last time out. Cruz, on the other hand, could potentially win a chunk of the anti-Establishment vote from the Trump supporters as real elections draw near. Along with Walker and Bush, I’d peg him as one of the front-runners (assuming the Trump boomlet does in fact die out, which I’m less certain of now).

Tie 1: Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, and Rick Perry: And here is where I shake my head over the current state of the campaign. Let’s be frank: none of these men are perfect. Walker has been somewhat wishy-washy on immigration. Jindal’s budget record in Louisiana has been disappointing (although Leon Wolf makes a persuasive case that Jindal’s budget record is quite commendable). Perry continually makes missteps in debates and in his overall campaign strategy. One of our faults as Americans in these campaigns is looking for some perfect candidate who will absolutely embody everything we hold dear, and who will, in a single term, make America a land flowing with milk and honey, where rainbows will dash across the sky every day. And so we nitpick our politicians, looking for the slightest flaws. Then when we grow frustrated we lash out at everyone. So Ted Cruz and Scott Walker becomes no better than John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. They’re all equally bad, or so we delude ourselves.

So here we are. Three solid conservative governors with good to great records, including one man who won statewide elections three times in four years in a swing state and in the face of intense opposition. Rick Perry won three terms on his own and oversaw one of the few solidly functioning economies in the state. Bobby Jindal has worked to restore some sense of political trust in a state that has been wrecked by both political and natural disasters. Again, their records are not perfect, but I would take it in my home state.

And where are they? Two of them had to sit at the equivalent of the kiddies table during the debates two weeks ago, with Jindal also registering as an asterisk in the polling, and the other remains mired in a kind of political limbo – doing better than most but not as well as he should. All the while a boorish lout who is literally a Republican in Name Only laps the field and a man nine years removed from effective governance is the darling of the establishment class.

Perhaps Walker and the rest deserve some of the blame for their failure to catch on in the polling. And it’s still too early to get quite panicked, especially when history shows that candidates have a tendency to rise from the ashes as soon as you are about to count them out. We’ll see how this all plays out, I suppose.

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Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 11:21am

When you have this much executive experience, there’s no reason to consider a legislator unless all of your executives have a history of failures or advocate humbug. Six of your candidates fail to make the grade on that basis alone, Messrs. Graham and Rubio add a belt to their braces by being dead wrong on a non-negotiable issue. Rubio added insult to injury by getting snookered by upChuck Schumer’s staff and then engaging in a public campaign of assiduous lying. He’s better at politicking in legislative bodies than is John Kerry, but he gives off the same odor: someone who went into politics because he had insufficient aptitude for law practice. With one or two exceptions, he’s the worst of the lot and I cannot figure why anyone rates him as satisfactory. I do wish Mr. Cruz would set his sights on a useful project like knocking-off the useless Capitol Hill fixture currently occupying the post of Senate Majority Leader.

As for Dr. Carson, same problem as Cruz. A highly intelligent and skilled man with something to say, but lacking a history as a line administrator.

As for George Pataki, what’s his angle? He’s useless on every issue because he has no principles whatsoever. If his time in public life had any point, it was enjoying the laughs with Al d’Amato after putting another one over on all of us.

I’ve never noticed the Bush clan was one to jab any component of the Republican base. You’ve confounded the Bushes with Jon Huntsman, the odd candidate to run for President in the last 35 years banking on the momentum to be had from talking like a condescending twit. John Kasich is using Huntsman’s playbook, who must have figured it worked for Michael Dukakis. Eject.

As for Gov. Christie, students of his judicial appointments in New Jersey say they’re terrible. He’s an ambitious man out of the legal establishment and such a man simply will not take any of the first steps necessary to discipline the courts or offer them any resistance at all. It’s a reasonable wager that only George Pataki among them would sell us all down the river more readily. And, as Rosanne Rosannadanna used to say, “You sound like a real attractive guy. You belong in New Jersey”.

As for Mrs. Fiorina, not sure. Clayton Cramer, a person of almost unfailing good sense, worked at Hewlett-Packard during her tenure. You could not get a kind word out of him about her, I’m sure.

Which leaves you with Messrs. Walker, Jindal, Perry, and Huckabee, who might do themselves and everyone else a favor by issuing a white paper on immigration policy that delineates goals and means with adequate precision What’s so depressing about all this Trump mess (aside from the fanaticism of some of his admirers) is that he eats their lunch and none of them tries to take his issue away. That strongly suggests they’re quite divorced from the concerns of their constituency, or that they’re in hoc to troublesome donor interests, or that they’re stupefied by the matrix they are in. It’s all the same questions you have about Boehner and McConnell: is there anybody home there, or do they just despise us?

On a final point: in nearly 40 years of reading newspapers and magazines, I’ve never seen anyone offer a sketch of what is meant by ‘small government conservatism’ brass tacks, that did not veer into a minimally relevant historical discussion, or into some romantic discussion of the powers of philanthropy, or into vulgarities which might have embarrassed Ayn Rand. It’s a shtick, and people trading in it ought to give it some flesh or retire it.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 11:38am

Art, I suspect George Pataki doesn’t even know the answer to that question.

Maybe its all the result of a dare that d’Amato or Guy Molinari or Ray McGrath came up with over a liquid poker game (after one of them had pinched the ass of d’Amato’s tart for the night).

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 12:04pm

The GOP has earned a large dose of constructive destruction. I don’t care. We voted in GOP Congressional majorities and the squid GOP leadership defied the voice of the voters. I’m preparing for the worst. I will not vote GOP if it puts up a moderate, like Bush.
.

I recently heard on radio that polled majority of Americans want harsher treatment on illegal immigration/invasion than “extremist” Trump’s ideas.
.

The elites (liberal and GOP) running the emerging American serfdom cannot defy the laws of reality. A nation can have a welfare state or open borders, but not both.
.

The castrati/Chamber of Commerce/crony capitalist/big government GOP and FOXNews are all-in for illegal immigration. If they manage to put up another loser, liberal-sympathizer (McCain and Romney) Hillary will get to, as her first official act, pardon herself, and the GOP imbeciles in Congress will do nothing.
.

Elizabeth Fitzmaurice
Elizabeth Fitzmaurice
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 12:04pm

Wow, how delightful to see how like-minded we are on this! I’m totally for Perry. Then Walker. But then I’d say Cruz. But only because I don’t know much about Jindal. Now I’ll go back and read it all. Perry 2016! https://rickperry.org/about

Shawn Marshall
Shawn Marshall
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 4:22pm

Cruz for me. He believes in God and the Constitution passionately. I fear the Perry is not wrapped too tight. Jindal, Carson or Walker I could vote for happily. Check out this link for good ratings info: https://www.conservativereview.com/2016-Presidential-Candidates.

Paul W Primavera
Paul W Primavera
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 4:50pm

Interesting post. Interesting comments.

pj_houston
pj_houston
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:16pm

I live in Texas, Perry is as establishment RINO as they come. He will not do jack squat about our open borders, as he proved for 12 years as governor. He was more interested in protecting his buddies’ business interests, than doing what was best for the state of Texas. If it weren’t for fracking, I doubt the economy of Texas would have been so strong under him. Ted Cruz is a much better choice.

pj_houston
pj_houston
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:21pm

Also, I forgot to mention that Perry tried to mandate the HPV vaccine for all 11 and 12 year old girls in Texas back in 2007. He then backtracked when the outrage among conservatives threatened his political career.

Jay Anderson
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:25pm

For the record, Cruz DOES have executive experience, although not as a governor. His experience in running the office of Solicitor General in Texas — where he was by all accounts extremely successful — should count in his favor.

Jay Anderson
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:27pm

And I will under no circumstances vote for either Bush or Trump if they win the nomination. Not that my vote will matter because they are the two candidates who can’t win a general election for President.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:51pm

I live in Texas, Perry is as establishment RINO as they come.

“RINO” is a nonsense term which should be retired unless you’re talking about some mercenary hustler like Nicolle Wallace.

For the record, Cruz DOES have executive experience, although not as a governor. His experience in running the office of Solicitor General in Texas

The position of Solicitor-General of Texas is a component of the Attorney-General’s office. The Solicitor-General’s office employs fewer than 20 attorneys.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:52pm

they are the two candidates who can’t win a general election for President.

Depends on circumstances. Not prudent to make any categorical statements at this point.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:54pm

Also, I forgot to mention that Perry tried to mandate the HPV vaccine for all 11 and 12 year old girls in Texas back in 2007. He then backtracked when the outrage among conservatives threatened his political career.

I think he has not thought some things through and is susceptible to people around him with certain hobby horses and interests. In that case, IIRC, it was his wife who was promoting that.

Don the Kiwi
Don the Kiwi
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 5:56pm

An observation from the fringes of civilization from a group of islands in the deep south pacific.
Ted Cruz is my man, and there are many Kiwi conservatives, mostly secular non-religious types – who think Ted is great.
He says he will speak for Truth, and so far has done so, even to the extent of calling out Mitch McConnell. He is highly articulate , and IMO speaks brilliantly off the cuff. In a Youtube clip I saw him give speaking time to a couple of hecklers at a rally he was giving, and then disposed of their arguments easily, but did it respectfully.
It will be interesting to see how the attack merchants of the US media try to get to him to destroy him – I think he will handle them in spades.

Donald R. McClarey
Reply to  Don the Kiwi
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 6:20pm

“An observation from the fringes of civilization from a group of islands in the deep south pacific.”

Naw! Texas is the fringe of civilization! (When Robert E. Lee and his wife were contemplating a move he told his wife that it was not to the ends of the Earth. Then he smiled, recalling his service in Texas and said, “Now Texas, Texas was the ends of the Earth!)

Completely agree with you Don. Cruz is great, one sign of which is the raw hatred the mention of his name arouses on leftist boards.

(To soothe Texans:

“Of all the Civil War fighting units, few obtained loftier status than the Texas Brigade. Under the command of General John Bell Hood, the brigade gained prominence after breaking the Union line at the Battle of Gaines Mill; a feat that helped force the Army of the Potomac from the outskirts of Richmond. At Second Manassas, the brigade’s vicious flank attack almost led to the destruction of the Union’s Army of Virginia. One moment at the Battle of the Wilderness would propel them into legend.
On the morning of May 6, 1864, a powerful Union attack, under General Winfield Scott Hancock, threatened to shatter General A.P. Hill’s 3rd Corps. “We are driving them sir,” Hancock told a fellow officer. “Tell General Meade we are driving them most beautifully.” General Robert E. Lee was in a quandary; his troops were falling back in disorder and he desperately needed to reestablish his line. From out of the smoke, General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps arrived after a forty mile march with no food for twenty four hours. They quickly began to rebuild a defensive front to hold off a blue tidal wave. At the Widow Catherine Tapp’s farmhouse, the Texas Brigade (3 Texas Regiments and 1 Arkansas Regiment), under the command of General John Gregg, filed passed an overly excited Robert E. Lee. “Who are you my boys?” he asked. “Texas boys!” they replied. Lee waved his hat in the air and yelled, “Hurrah for Texas! Texans always move them!” Gregg proudly announced, “Attention Texans. The eyes of General Lee are upon you. Forward!!!!” To Gregg’s astonishment, Lee was also going forward. He wanted to lead the charge. “Lee to the rear!” the Texans yelled. “Go back General Lee go back. We won’t go forward until you turn back.” A sergeant grabbed the bridle of Lee’s horse “Traveler” and directed him back toward the Widow Tapp’s farmhouse. Other hands grabbed the reins and moved Lee back.
The 800 man brigade opened a thunderous volley on Hancock’s ranks, stopping them in their tracks. Two thirds of the Texas Brigade became casualties. The dead were gathered and buried en masse under a scrap of wood. Its simple carved heading consisted of only two words, “Texas Dead.” The legend, however, was not buried with them.”)

http://warriorsofthelonestar.blogspot.com/2011/01/lees-texans-at-wilderness.html

Jay Anderson
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 6:25pm

“Depends on circumstances. Not prudent to make any categorical statements at this point.”

I think it’s particularly prudent at this time, because neither Bush nor Trump should be the nominee. The sooner people reach that conclusion, the sooner we can get to the more serious candidates.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t vote for Bush or Trump regardless of their respective abilities to win.

pj_houston
pj_houston
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 7:09pm

“I think he has not thought some things through and is susceptible to people around him with certain hobby horses and interests. In that case, IIRC, it was his wife who was promoting that.”

So:
1. Perry doesn’t think things through
2. Is influenced by his buddies (as I said earlier)
3. Possibly has a progressive wife that influences his decisions

Yea, great president material there.

Sidwit
Sidwit
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 7:41pm

I supported Mr. Jindal during his first run for governor and again on his second run when he first won the seat. He really let me and many others down once he got in office and showed his true colors. He talks the talk but does not walk the walk. He has a really good propaganda team behind him and he takes credit where credit is definitely not due. He is a very smart man, a good family man, and we assume a good Catholic. If he would have done what he said he was going to do when he first ran I would be his biggest supporter but he fell into the good old boy network of Louisiana. And he has been a non resident governor for the past year as he has been everywhere but here.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 8:44pm

So:

Strange as it may seem to you, politicians are generalists. Some of them are better at applying general principles to discrete policy question than are others. There are going to be a raft of questions which land on their desk they have no very strong opinions about, and it’s a reasonable wager this was one for Gov. Perry.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 8:45pm

He really let me and many others down once he got in office and showed his true colors. He talks the talk but does not walk the walk. He has a really good propaganda team behind him and he takes credit where credit is definitely not due.

Well, thanks for clearing that up.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 8:48pm

I think it’s particularly prudent at this time, because neither Bush nor Trump should be the nominee.

That’s pretty irrelevant to the question of whether either one could prevail in a general election. and, FWIW, Real Clear Politics has Trump within striking distance of Hildebeast and Bush leading her. Does not mean much at this point, but it conflicts with your thesis.

Jay Anderson
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 10:00pm

I don’t think it’s irrelevant at all. Bush and Trump are wasting our time, and sucking up all the oxygen from serious candidates who would have a better shot at beating Hillary. Ironically, this time, it is the more conservative candidates who I believe to have a better shot than do the candidates like Bush and Trump who are less conservative.
***
I think Bush and Trump are unelectable and should get out of the way. And I don’t believe it’s too early to make that determination at all. (It’s certainly never too early for the establishment to pull out the “electabiliity” card.)

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 10:05pm

But one speech does not a president make,
.
Yeah? What about the guy in the oval office? Sure, he’s not presidential. But he is President. And didn’t Reagan’s political career start with a speech?
.
Kidding aside, I agree that one speech does not make a president. But it can be the first step on the road to the oval office.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, August 18, AD 2015 10:46pm

And didn’t Reagan’s political career start with a speech?

It did not. He was involved avocationally with this committee and that committee in Hollywood ca. 1946 and then served 6 years as president of the Screen Actors Guild (1947-52; 1960-61). He actually testified in front of a congressional committee in 1947. One reason bruited about concerning why Jane Wyman sued him for divorce was that she was irked, bored, and impatient with what he did with his free time and his table talk about it.

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 12:00am

I don’t disagree that all of that was excellent prepatory schooling for a political career. But nobody approached him about running for public office until after his speech on behalf of Goldwater in ’64.

Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 3:13am

To me the only thing that matters is the Bill Buckley formula: , “Nominate the most conservative candidate who is electable.” Who would that be now for me: Marco Rubio, and John Kasich,

Philip
Philip
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 6:03am

Two cents coming in; Scott Walker will climb up in the polls. The Madison libs we’re no match for this fearless conservative. I like his moxie and he can lead. He isn’t perfect, but who is?

paul coffey
paul coffey
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 6:14am

Don Mc- wonderful retelling of the may 6 Texans ‘encouraging’ Gen R.E. Lee to the rear- that’s in the Gainsemills meeting you say – its a great painting……i think approaching the Texas Brigade in ferocity and stamina is the 1st mississippi, Jacksons foot calvary, who had a similar incident with RE Lee as you know under Gen’ Harris on May 12 in the spotsylvania theater… there may even be a 3rd ‘Lee to the rear’ incident under the great Gen’l Gordon at spotsylvania. Corps commanders were sometimes slow in ‘coming up’ as Lee would say ….. Hood’s texans being a fine example of a brigade in front on point of Old Pete’s Corps. what courage these men had. It is good to remember reading about what these men did for their beliefs against an invader. and the respect they had for their Commander -in- chief marse Rob’t.

Jay Anderson
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 6:15am

Scott Walker is and has been my top choice for a while. He seems to me to be the one who currently best fits the “Buckley formula”. He’s conservative and CLEARLY electable, having been elected 3 times in 4 years in a “blue” state.
***
That said, and giving due acknowledgment to Art Deco’s statement about it being too early to make definitive statements regarding electability, I think there’s a very good chance that “who’s electable?” could actually move significantly rightward in this election depending on how things play out.
***
It might be that, over the next several months, Ted Cruz could emerge as “the most conservative candidate who is electable.”
***
We certainly shouldn’t be setting our sights so low that we’d settle for John Kasich (and I voted for him twice for Governor of Ohio).

Art Deco
Art Deco
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 8:32am

But nobody approached him about running for public office until after his speech on behalf of Goldwater in ’64.

He was well and gainfully employed in film and, after that, in television and public relations. His career was gradually winding down, he was developing his own critique of the prevailing political economy and culture (in its dynamic aspect as well as its static aspect), made some connections during the Goldwater campaign, and discovered during his first term of office that he had natural talent as an administrator.

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 9:42am

Well and gainfully employed? Career winding down? developing his own critique of the prevailing political economy and culture?
.
You just described Ben Carson, didn’t you? Maybe he has a natural talent for administration as well. Of course, it would be better to discover that talent at the state level.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 10:09am

You just described Ben Carson, didn’t you?

No. Carson’s actually retired. When Mr. Reagan was the age Dr. Carson is now, he was completing his second term as Governor of California. I’m not sure what the evolution of Dr. Carson’s views has been, but it’s a matter of public record that Ronald Reagan in 1947 was a mainline northern Democrat and union official. His work with labor groups and Hollywood committees fighting Communist influence in the picture business surprised Olivia de Havilland (who was active in the same circles), as he had a reputation as a red haze denizen.

Dale Price
Dale Price
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 10:43am

“We certainly shouldn’t be setting our sights so low that we’d settle for John Kasich (and I voted for him twice for Governor of Ohio).”

Yes. From his goofy rhetoric of late, Kasich is one solid collision with a doorjamb away from sounding like Ted Kennedy.

Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 6:02pm

“Also, I forgot to mention that Perry tried to mandate the HPV vaccine for all 11 and 12 year old girls in Texas back in 2007. He then backtracked when the outrage among conservatives threatened his political career.

I think he has not thought some things through and is susceptible to people around him with certain hobby horses and interests. In that case, IIRC, it was his wife who was promoting that.”

————————–

Uh. One of Perry’s big time political donors was going to profit financially off of the girls in the state of TX being given that inoculation.

Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon
Wednesday, August 19, AD 2015 6:03pm

“The position of Solicitor-General of Texas is a component of the Attorney-General’s office. The Solicitor-General’s office employs fewer than 20 attorneys.”

It is still executive experience.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Thursday, August 20, AD 2015 7:42am

It is still executive experience.
==
No, it is supervisory experience. The office will not have more than three echelons and the supervisor deals with everyone face to face. Also, the Solicitor-General’s office does one thing, and that is to argue appeals.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Thursday, August 20, AD 2015 7:45am

Uh. One of Perry’s big time political donors was going to profit financially off of the girls in the state of TX being given that inoculation.

By that standard, any decision made about public policy is tainted if it could be shown that some company operated by a campaign contributor could benefit, no matter what the decision maker knew or did not know about the donor’s interest and no matter what the bidding process was.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Thursday, August 20, AD 2015 2:06pm

Keep on keeping on.
.
What’s the attraction for executive experience? Obama did not have any. And, everything Hillary ran turned to poo-poo.
.
It is not too early to begin the process of accepting the unacceptable: President Hillary.

Philip
Philip
Thursday, August 20, AD 2015 3:11pm

“It’s not early to begin the process of accepting the unacceptable. President Hillary.”

Mr. T Shaw.
Thanks a bunch.
My morning meal just resurfaced and I’m all out of breath mints.
Please refrain from using foul language.

Patricia
Patricia
Thursday, August 20, AD 2015 8:51pm

“It is not too early to begin the process of accepting the unacceptable…”
.
D & C steamrollers aimed at unpaved paths.
No voter ID.
Software, not paper.
Media hyperactivity.
Muckraking.
Can’t watch civilization disintegrate for – what?
.
But, The Donald has a steamroller, too.

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