Your 2016 Presidential Candidate Speculation Thread

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ otmfm

what's really sad there is that kornacki and hayes should switch roles. another discussion for another thread.

I don't see how Rand Paul gets the nomination, even with a solid year to rehab his image

dammit.

Christie's biggest problem is that he is an asshole and being an asshole (especially in this day and age) usually gets in the way of a presidential run. It's hard for an asshole to be consistently telegenic.

And while we're at it, America is not ready to elect a fat person.

http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/william-h-taft/william-h-taft-speaking.jpg

most gop hopefuls are assholes.

• rand paul? asshole
• paul ryan? asshole (can't see how people keep paul and rand/rand and ryan's names straight)
• rick santorum? asshole
• ted cruz? huge, huge asshole

Nice try Alfred but that shit won't fly in These Times.

Rand Paul - slight asshole tendencies, but not perceived as an asshole
Paul Ryan - not widely perceived as an asshole
Rick Santorum - asshole
Ted Cruz - asshole

None of those guys can raise money well, although Cruz is a bit untested.

Jeb Bush - not an asshole, can raise money
Rubio - not an asshole, can raise money
Scott Walker - not an asshole, likely can raise money

Not that many people think Jeb actually wants the job.

lol, the gop is deep in its "wandering aimlessly in the wilderness" phase if it's gonna be rand v. ryan v. rubio. walker, eh, but really no.

that is one motley crew of a primary.

COME BACK, HERMAN CAIN, ALL IS FORGIVEN.

no it isn't

Walker's just not likeable enough to translate to a national stage, imo. He may play in the primaries, but no further.

Of course, John Kerry came close to taking the White House in 2004 and he's a blank piece of paper.

I would love to see the GOP hip-deep in Santorum for as long as humanly endurable in 2016.

http://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxcpjj9Ndd1qa7bh4o1_500.png

she'll make a fantastic candidate, especially if she's savvy enough to pivot left lie her ass off to liberal idiots on select issues

"Christie's staff killed an old woman" was actually dismissed by the old woman's family, but no lie is too large told on behalf of the party that blows apart Yemenistaniwherever kids with drones.

(kids and old women I bet)

also why will Rodham have to "pivot left" at all? The primaries are going to be a coronation, I thought? Rob Reiner said so.

she'll make a fantastic candidate, especially if she's savvy enough to pivot left lie her ass off to liberal idiots on select issues

yes this is exactly what i meant!

http://rightpunditry.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/liberal_idiot.jpg

I would love to see the GOP hip-deep in Santorum for as long as humanly endurable in 2016.

― Aimless, Thursday, February 13, 2014 6:04 PM

Coffee break's over, back on your heads.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/da777e3e4e60e1cdcce85975f3d1f6f1/tumblr_n1glddKwUN1qdmmiqo2_500.gif

picture of our next president.

twitching.

hm! poll finds republicans resistant to chris christie's presidential candidacy. shocking!

i mean, if christie and jeb are unacceptable, as the poll suggests, then the gop has only clowns stuffed into their traditional clown-car (i guess maybe scott walker mig ... nah, clown).

of course, if hrc (and, absent her, warren) doesn't run, then it could be clowns all around. biden? eh . . . .

and hey, look who has the most support among republicans, including self-described conservatives!

http://ct.fra.bz/ol/fz/sw/i54/2/10/18/frabz-Hi-Im-mitt-romney-i-hate-food-stamps-42e066.jpg

hilary v. mitt would be a fun general-election. two retirees!

well, hrc isn't a retiree, but i can't recall a general election where both nominees didn't have definite, ongoing employment while they ran (even if the employment was an elected political position).

Romney was fun once.

That poll must be delusional. My guess is that Romney finished that election as the most despised Republican candidate--despised within his own party--since Nixon. And even Nixon had undying love within part of the party, even past resignation--don't think Romney had actual support anywhere, except for those two or three weeks post-debate when he appeared to be winning. And that was after they had already tried to hand the nomination to almost everyone in the country.

"handing the nomination to almost everyone in the country" was essentially media-created bullshit suspense.

Don't agree--it was a refection how much they really didn't want to nominate Romney. They did, in the end, because the election was there to be won, and there was a survival instinct that prevented them from conceding it up front with Gingrich or Santorum or anybody else.

But it wasn't the media that lost all those primaries that Romney should have won handily.

the "media" didn't decide on having two dozen debates

romney love is toldja so gloating about the ukraine and some morons floating 'maybe he should run again!' (some of these morons are connected to romney tbf).

The primaries were a dog-and-pony farce. The GOP Big Money was riding Mitt to the end, and his nomination was never in serious danger even given his performance in debates and underwhelming stagger thru the delegate count.

I'm not going to link to an M Dowd column, but she wrote last Sunday "Brace Yourself for Hillary and Jeb," and to me that's the most inevitable of unlikely scenarios.

Just as Hillary clears the Democratic field if she is healthy and runs, a major Romney donor told The Washington Post that “if Jeb Bush is in the race, he clears the field.” Jeb acknowledged in Long Island on Monday, referring to his mom’s tart comment that “if we can’t find more than two or three families to run for higher office, that’s silly,” that “it’s an issue for sure.” He added, “It’s something that, if I run, I would have to overcome that. And so will Hillary, by the way. Let’s keep the same standards for everybody.”

I will spend as many days outside the country as fucking possible that fall.

the most popular presidential last name in recent history against the least popular presidential last name in recent history. exciting!

in Israel?

Dubya's poll numbers have gone up since he left the WH btw

barely, ime bush is still hated in this country and clinton celebrated

also i have no idea who israel would support since they both seem like very pro-israel candidates to me. tbh it's not super relevant to anything except for the fact that on other thread's i talk about israel? you gotta stay on topic bro.

Clinton is a real candidate for the most effectively illiberal president of my lifetime. he's a fucking monster. What my fellow residents think i couldn't give a fuck.

they both seem like very pro-israel candidates to me

all general election candidates since a long time have been "pro-israel." they wouldn't dare to be anything but. netanyahu's insanity notwithstanding.

yeah who was the last anti-Israel candidate, I can't think of a single one

the most popular presidential last name in recent history against the least popular presidential last name in recent history. exciting!

― Mordy , Friday, March 7, 2014

w has made a comeback! the era of "george w. bush, president of the united states of america"-nostalgia is upon us.

Nixon was a total anti-semite but even he was pro-Israel

xp

yeah who was the last anti-Israel candidate, I can't think of a single one

― How dare you tarnish the reputation of Turturro's yodel (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, March 7, 2014 3:44 PM (47 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the closest would be eisenhower! carter has become a major critic of israel, but i don't believe that was the case when he was in office. but in any event as long as i've been voting there hasn't been a real strong critic of israel up for the presidency.

and eisenhower was by no means "anti-israel." i dare say we've never had any such thing--no notable anti-israel major-party candidate.

Poppy Bush was in some measures the least kiss-ass

he'll be dead this year

no gambling plz

Klobuchar! Klobuchar! Klobuchar!

http://www.thenation.com/blog/178717/bernie-sanders-i-am-prepared-run-president-united-states

What's Bernie gotten done? Not a whole helluva lot. But I would vote for him in a Dem primary, and even moreso "throw away my vote" on him 32 short months hence.

MS is such a lost cause electorally I'd be happy to give him my vote too.

yeah i'd vote for him easy. i'd prefer someone who's more likely to actually scare team clinton (and i don't think it would take much, not after what happened in 08) but a sanders campaign would make alot more sense than cuomo or whoever. there's this real cw that the grownups are gonna take the party back in 2016 and anything that can disabuse that notion should be encouraged.

bush the elder easily the least pro-israel president (part of what got them to the negotiating table), ike and ford both threatened to remove us support or 'reevaluate' the relationship over dustups though. least pro-israel 'legitimate' candidate is buchanan i'm guessing. thought taft might be in the running but apparently he was a pretty big zionist.