The other day, that great prognosticator Chris Matthews told his audience that Mitt Romney would beat out Jeb Bush and be the Republican nominee in 2016 because the GOP really wants to win. The others on the panel who ran the gamut from a leftist from Mother Jones magazine to two other extreme leftists who undoubtedly think Elizabeth Warren is too conservative to be president disagreed.
This is ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with having five strong liberal Democrats predicting what the Republicans will do, but the result ought to at least be partially believable. Instead, what we got was the projection by these folks of what they would like to see. Romney has run twice and lost twice. Matthews would like to make that three times.
Mitt Romney is not running for president. He will not be running again for president. If you had any doubt of this, remember that just a few months ago, Romney introduced a conference of his biggest campaign donors to a group of other potential presidential candidates. There is no way he would have taken that step unless he were certain that he would not be running again.
Jeb Bush will not be near the top of the polls when primary season comes around. There is no way that the GOP electorate is going to opt for another Bush.
The most important criteria that will control the selection of the next GOP nominee are these:
1. The candidate must project optimism.
2. The candidate must project cheerfulness, not anger or negativity. Some who spend their time criticizing president Obama or Hillary Clinton will get far in the process, but ultimately the electorate will go for someone who is likeable not critical.
3. The candidate will present conservative ideas. He or she may not be strongly conservative in every program promoted, but there will be no derogation of conservatives either. (That rules out Bush, by the way.)
4. The candidate will be someone with usable experience. This is one area where Republicans differ from Democrats. For the GOP, actual experience is more important than rhetoric. Lack of experience is probably going to be the biggest stumbling block for candidates like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
Right now, the three most likely candidates in my opinion (and not in any order) are Scott Walker, Paul Ryan and John Kasich. That could easily change, but not in any way that results in victory for Romney (who isn't running) or Bush.
This is ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with having five strong liberal Democrats predicting what the Republicans will do, but the result ought to at least be partially believable. Instead, what we got was the projection by these folks of what they would like to see. Romney has run twice and lost twice. Matthews would like to make that three times.
Mitt Romney is not running for president. He will not be running again for president. If you had any doubt of this, remember that just a few months ago, Romney introduced a conference of his biggest campaign donors to a group of other potential presidential candidates. There is no way he would have taken that step unless he were certain that he would not be running again.
Jeb Bush will not be near the top of the polls when primary season comes around. There is no way that the GOP electorate is going to opt for another Bush.
The most important criteria that will control the selection of the next GOP nominee are these:
1. The candidate must project optimism.
2. The candidate must project cheerfulness, not anger or negativity. Some who spend their time criticizing president Obama or Hillary Clinton will get far in the process, but ultimately the electorate will go for someone who is likeable not critical.
3. The candidate will present conservative ideas. He or she may not be strongly conservative in every program promoted, but there will be no derogation of conservatives either. (That rules out Bush, by the way.)
4. The candidate will be someone with usable experience. This is one area where Republicans differ from Democrats. For the GOP, actual experience is more important than rhetoric. Lack of experience is probably going to be the biggest stumbling block for candidates like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
Right now, the three most likely candidates in my opinion (and not in any order) are Scott Walker, Paul Ryan and John Kasich. That could easily change, but not in any way that results in victory for Romney (who isn't running) or Bush.
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Ann Coulter said in an interview today that the Republican nominee must be a Governor or Senator (or former of one of them). After saying that that eliminated people like Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, she said she sees only 4 possibilities (not in order of likelihood): Cruz, Walker, Christie and Romney. I would add Kasich to that list.
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