# The 2016 Republican candidates **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 9, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444 "2015-01-09T22:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 101
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2002 "2015-11-05T17:24:57Z")
I’ve just read that Jeb’s new slogan is “Jeb can fix it!” Has he recruited the late [Jimmy Savile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile)? ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2003 "2015-11-05T17:47:37Z")
A kiddie table debate that may only feature Christie and Santorum as the others appear to be falling short of the 1% requirement. I think that would be a death blow to Christie’s campaign. Too bad for him, I thought he performed pretty well at the last debate. I’d have rather seen any one of Bush, Huck or Paul exit the main stage. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2004 "2015-11-05T19:29:11Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > A kiddie table debate that may only feature Christie and Santorum as the others appear to be falling short of the 1% requirement. > I think that would be a death blow to Christie’s campaign. Too bad for him, I thought he performed pretty well at the last debate. I’d have rather seen any one of Bush, Huck or Paul exit the main stage. The 1% requirement isn’t that they average 1%, they just have to get at least 1% in **one** or more of the last four polls. It looks like the IBD poll doesn’t count, from the chatter at Politico, so the CBS/NYT poll, where Graham polled 2%, would be one of the last four, so he’s in. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2005 "2015-11-05T19:53:42Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > The 1% requirement isn’t that they average 1%, they just have to get at least 1% in **one** or more of the last four polls. It looks like the IBD poll doesn’t count, from the chatter at Politico, so the CBS/NYT poll, where Graham polled 2%, would be one of the last four, so he’s in. They also might not count the NBC/WSJ poll b/c they didn’t ask about the bottom tier candidates so they couldn’t have grabbed any %. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2006 "2015-11-06T00:21:44Z")
[Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee are being demoted; George Pataki and Lindsey Graham aren’t even allowed at the kiddie table](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOP_2016_DEBATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-11-05-19-12-30). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2007 "2015-11-06T00:32:59Z")
That is a serious GOP candidacy buzzkill. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2008 "2015-11-06T00:43:10Z")
I’m surprised at Christie’s complete flopitude. Despite being utterly corrupt, he seemed to be one of the brighter GOP brethren. I expected him to do better. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2009 "2015-11-06T00:57:01Z")
_You’re_ surprised? Hell, its a big damn club, wasn’t that long ago he was being talked about as the presumptive candidate! Almost like the Pubbies said, “Well, quiet and nice didn’t work, let’s try fat, mean and loud!”. But he augured in, he cratered, he dove off the high board a year ago and by the time he got there the water was gone. Hamburger jello belly flop… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2010 "2015-11-06T07:41:27Z")
My basic theory about Christie goes like this: his implicit sales pitch was that he would kick all the right asses, and he could win some blue states. Then it turned out that (a) there was no shortage of bullies and ass-kickers on the GOP side, where he was eclipsed first by Scott Walker and then by Donald Trump, (b) Scott Walker was not only as good in the bullying and ass-kicking department, but he wasn’t politically suspect like Christie was, and © a good number of the asses Christie has kicked turned out to be the asses of poor schlubs trying to get to work every day. (And with respect to (b), by the time Scott Walker fell apart, Trump was filling up the space Christie might’ve once aimed to fill, and Christie was little more than a footnote by then anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2011 "2015-11-06T07:43:58Z")
According to “The Party Decides” theory though, Christie is still top tier. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2012 "2015-11-06T07:46:12Z")
As my grandfather used to say, “Another great theory ruined by the facts.” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2013 "2015-11-06T08:00:02Z")
Anyway, Fox must’ve used the IBD poll as their fourth poll after all, since that poll along with Fox, Quinnipiac, and NBC/WSJ is the combination that gets Huckabee as well as Christie demoted to the kiddie table, and gets Graham rather than Jindal demoted to oblivion. (Along with Pataki, who was going there any which way.) In other cheery news, it looks like some people within the conservative tribe are finally noticing that Carson’s nutty as a squirrel’s winter stash. His more hardcore evangelical supporters will be immune to this, since they’re just as nutty, but I think he’s about to lose whatever chunk of his support came from people who don’t believe Joseph, he of the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat, built the pyramids as granaries. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2014 "2015-11-06T12:56:42Z")
Robert Reich has posted the following conversation on his Facebook page (which I will spoiler for the purposes of tidiness rather than secrecy):[spoiler] > [@Robert Reich](#): > > The other night I phoned a former Republican member of Congress with whom I’d worked in the 1990s on various pieces of legislation. I consider him a friend. I wanted his take on the Republican candidates because I felt I needed a reality check. Was I becoming excessively crotchety and partisan, or are these people really as weird as they seem? We got right into it: > > Me: “So what do really you think of these candidates?” > > Him: "You want my unvarnished opinion?’ > > Me: “Please. That’s why I called.” > > Him: “They’re all nuts.” > > Me: “Seriously. What do you really think of them?” > > Him: “I just told you. They’re bonkers. Bizarre. They’re like a Star Wars bar room.” > > Me: “How did it happen? How did your party manage to come up with this collection?” > > Him: “We didn’t. They came up with themselves. There’s no party any more. It’s chaos. Anybody can just decide they want to be the Republican nominee, and make a run for it. Carson? Trump? They’re in the lead, and they’re both out of their f\*cking minds.” > > Me: “That’s not reassuring.” > > Him: “It’s a disaster. I’m telling you, if either of them is elected, this country is going to hell. The rest of them aren’t much better. I mean, Carly Fiorina? Really? Rubio? Please. Ted Cruz? Oh my god. And the people we thought had it sewn up, who are halfway sane – Bush and Christie – they’re sounding almost as batty as the rest.” > > Me: “Who’s to blame for this mess?” > > Him: "Roger Ailes, David and Charles Koch, Rupert Murdoch, Rush Limbaugh. I could go on. They’ve poisoned the American mind and destroyed the Republican Party. > > Me: “Nice talking with you.” > > Him: “Sleep well.” [/spoiler]With a little effort one could probably identify the individual in question, but the point is well-made anyway. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2015 "2015-11-06T13:01:42Z")
I don’t think calling them nuts is very helpful because insanity isn’t their problem. It just makes the wise old men of the GOP look like the crony capitalists they are. Becuase really, isn’t that the actual beef the more mainstream Republicans have? The Tea Partiers won’t spend enough, they won’t give out enough favors to corporate donors, and they appeal directly to the voters rather than doing the hard inside work of crafting bills that can pass(as in, consult with the donors first). There are many problems with the GOP today, but insanity isn’t one of them. The real issue is that we’ve elected a lot of newbies from rather untraditional sources(in other words, fewer lawyers) and these folks don’t really know what they are doing and they won’t listen to leadership because leadership is usually influenced by the old corrupt ways(pork, crony capitalism, etc.). So the key is good, honest leadership that can be trusted and hopefully Paul Ryan is that leader. Would be nice to elect an honest President too. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2016 "2015-11-06T13:19:07Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I don’t think calling them nuts is very helpful because insanity isn’t their problem. It just makes the wise old men of the GOP look like the crony capitalists they are. Becuase really, isn’t that the actual beef the more mainstream Republicans have? The Tea Partiers won’t spend enough, they won’t give out enough favors to corporate donors, and they appeal directly to the voters rather than doing the hard inside work of crafting bills that can pass(as in, consult with the donors first). > > There are many problems with the GOP today, but insanity isn’t one of them. The real issue is that we’ve elected a lot of newbies from rather untraditional sources(in other words, fewer lawyers) and these folks don’t really know what they are doing and they won’t listen to leadership because leadership is usually influenced by the old corrupt ways(pork, crony capitalism, etc.). > > So the key is good, honest leadership that can be trusted and hopefully Paul Ryan is that leader. Would be nice to elect an honest President too. So electing a bunch of people who don’t know what they’re doing, won’t listen to people who _do_ know what they’re doing, espouse spectacularly ignorant (if not outright delusional) viewpoints which actively harm millions of Americans and refuse to compromise on anything to the point of shutting down the government is not “insanity”? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2017 "2015-11-06T13:22:41Z")
No, it’s simply “they don’t know what they are doing, and they don’t fully understand the consequences of their actions.” Hopefully things are going to get better under Ryan’s leadership. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2018 "2015-11-06T13:32:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > So the key is good, honest leadership that can be trusted and hopefully Paul Ryan is that leader. Would be nice to elect an honest President too. In your opinion, which of the GOP presidential candidates ranks highest in honesty? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2019 "2015-11-06T13:38:37Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I don’t think calling them nuts is very helpful because insanity isn’t their problem. It just makes the wise old men of the GOP look like the crony capitalists they are. Becuase really, isn’t that the actual beef the more mainstream Republicans have? The Tea Partiers won’t spend enough, they won’t give out enough favors to corporate donors, and they appeal directly to the voters rather than doing the hard inside work of crafting bills that can pass(as in, consult with the donors first). > > There are many problems with the GOP today, but insanity isn’t one of them. The real issue is that we’ve elected a lot of newbies from rather untraditional sources(in other words, fewer lawyers) and these folks don’t really know what they are doing and they won’t listen to leadership because leadership is usually influenced by the old corrupt ways(pork, crony capitalism, etc.). > > So the key is good, honest leadership that can be trusted and hopefully Paul Ryan is that leader. Would be nice to elect an honest President too. From _The Atlantic_: > [@](#): > > One of Paul Ryan’s last acts as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee was to tweet out a blog on his committee page that highlighted “[t]he American idea: the notion that the condition of your birth doesn’t determine the outcome of your life.” One of his very first moves as House speaker was to take immigration reform off the agenda during the remaining months of President Obama’s term. Ryan appears not only to be contradicting himself through these acts, but also ignoring the extent to which where you are born determines your outcome in life. If the newly minted speaker really cared about the American idea, he would be ensuring that equality of opportunity didn’t stop at the water’s edge. So, the Republicans will continue to block immigration reform. Because the spectre of The Illegal is so valuable in appealing to their xenophobic & racist base. Convincing these folks that all their problems are caused by The Illegals also protects the big money guys from scrutiny. Ryan is probably less insane than most Republicans. But “insane” isn’t that accurate. Cruz isn’t insane but he’s glad to play the Bible Thumper–while also going easy on his billionaire supporters. Dr Carson is just dim. And most of the rest of the “hopefuls” are mediocrities. I have no problem with the current president & look forward to another good one. While the Republicans will continue to put all their energy into opposition & none into improving the country. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2020 "2015-11-06T13:52:39Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > No, it’s simply “they don’t know what they are doing, and they don’t fully understand the consequences of their actions.” Hopefully things are going to get better under Ryan’s leadership. Right. They’re basically toddlers. And the fact that the GOP faithful have elected not just one of these people but several, and RE-elected some of them, is insane. As is declaring that the right answer is to put in place a better nursery school teacher. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/2021 "2015-11-06T13:57:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > In your opinion, which of the GOP presidential candidates ranks highest in honesty? Well, honesty combined with having a clue would be Kasich, followed by Rubio. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=100) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=102)