Apparently the idea is being tested by a few Republican strategists:
“Equally thoughtless, self serving and flighty worked last time, so let’s take it up a notch!”
No way. Office-holders and journalists/pundits are two entirely different species. I can’t think of a single incident where an influential journalist, from either end of the political spectrum, sought or won political office. If that were possible, Rush Limbaugh would be President For Life by now.
Well, Pat Buchanan tried, running for president three times (1992 and 1996 in the Republican primaries, 2000 heading up the Reform Party ticket in the general election), but never won.
Good point, but I’m not sure he qualifies as “influential.” You wanna maybe nominate Pat Paulsen?
I’d say Buchanan was fairly influential. Nixon speechwriter and on the McLaughlin group and CNN’s Crossfire as well as a newspaper column and books. His 1992 Republican convention speech is probably the best known moment from either convention, up until then no one had gone after a candidate’s wife.
I’m going to put Carlson in the Oprah category and forget about it for now. Let’s get through this year and this election.
I guess the last four years have taught us that the Republicans would never go that far in the pursuit of power. I apologize for being so silly.
In the UK there’s the notable case of Martin Bell, but in that instance Bell was running against a slimy morally-bankrupt conservative, not as one.
Boris Johnson was a journalist. I will leave it up to you whether he counts as successful, however.
Are you shittin’ me?
Guy used to wear a bow tie.
Boris was a propagandist. He was never a journalist in any meaningful sense. But then I suppose the same applies to Carlson.
Does Al Franken count as a journalist? Probably not.
Do any of these “many Republicans” specify what position he’s being considered for?
I believe I used the terms “a few Republicans”, and “Republican Primary”, and the link I provided throws in the word “President”.
Yes.
I don’t think unbiased journalists run for office.
The editor of our local paper (he was a reporter/editor for 20+ years) eventually ran for state rep (won) and then county commissioner (won) and then state senator (lost). As a journalist, he was pretty unbiased. It does happen.
My point: “running for office” doesn’t just mean running for president.
A fantasy that works til the rubber hits the road.
It’s easy to imagine a pompous host in charge of a tv show as a leader, before they are one.
He would get in trouble right away because of his mouth and his arrogance. You can’t launder it out. He works best as a gadfly, because there is less responsiblity to reality. He is not in the reality community.
Wasn’t Oprah’s name thrown around by a few for the Democrats? Sometimes people throw out silly ideas. I’ll believe it when I see his name on the ballot. (Of course I said that multiple times about Trump and have been wrong every time…)
That’s never happened, has it?
Well my answer would be “How’s that workin out?”
These stories are very aspirational about a future of the R party, but in the real world don’t you think folks are sick of the BS? 2024 will be too soon.
I find this worrisome. OP asks: "Is the GOP actually screwed up enough . . . "
Yes, I think it is.
Tucker Carlson’s name for Prez has been kicked around for several months that I’ve seen. I think the GOP could go there. (Forget Hannity. Too clownish.)
Take a look at who’s currently in the White House, and then ask yourself that again.