# 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:** 36
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/702 "2015-02-17T06:21:17Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > This may be the end of Walkers Presidential aspirations. [Another scandal.](http://www.newstalk1130.com/onair/the-jay-weber-show-14669/scott-walker-once-ate-two-cookies-13251558/?cmp=obinsite). I’m sure there are some things republicans do better than democrats, but boy oh boy, humor is not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/703 "2015-02-17T06:26:29Z")
Its not the other one, either. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/704 "2015-02-17T06:37:30Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Duke University did not require an undergraduate degree to get into med school at that time. > > Regards, > Shodan Not surprisingly, this answers a very different question than the one I raised. Please go back and read the part of my post that you \*didn’t \*quote. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/705 "2015-02-17T13:37:47Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I’m sure there are some things republicans do better than democrats, but boy oh boy, humor is not one of them. [Indeed.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749343) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/706 "2015-02-17T20:54:06Z")
[Jeb’s clueless Bush privilege: The arrogant dynasty debacle he won’t get away with.](http://www.salon.com/2015/02/17/jebs_clueless_bush_privilege_the_arrogant_dynasty_debacle_he_wont_get_away_with/) > [@](#): > > There’s something quaint about the way Jeb Bush is trying to get around critiquing or endorsing his big brother’s disastrous presidency, especially when it comes to the unpopular wars President George W. Bush began and mishandled. It’s almost as if the commoners are trying to get him to gossip about family matters, and voters will understand if he’s too much of a gentleman to do so. > Asked by the Washington Post’s Philip Rucker whether his foreign policy speech next week would deal with his brother’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush wouldn’t answer: > > “I won’t talk about the past. I’ll talk about the future. If I’m in the process of considering the possibility of running, it’s not about re-litigating anything in the past. It’s about trying to create a set of ideas and principles that will help us move forward.” > > Does Bush really think he’s going to get away with not talking about his brother’s wars – or his tax policies or the surplus he spent into a deficit or the economy that cratered on his watch? And how will the Florida governor square the fact that he rips President Obama regularly – in 2013 he called him a “complete and utter failure” – with his unwillingness to weigh in on the presidency that preceded Obama’s? > > While Bush is talking about creating “a set of ideas and principles” for his foreign policy, I hope journalists remember that he was one of just 25 signatories to the original “statement of principles” issued by the hawkish Project for a New American Century — alongside Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Scooter Libby, Elliott Abrams, Norman Podhoretz, Frank Gaffney and other card-carrying neocons. He didn’t sign subsequent PNAC declarations, but as a first-term Florida governor and son of the last president, Bush’s name stood out on that founding document. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/707 "2015-02-17T21:05:41Z")
Is Jeb Bush the next John Huntsman? > **[Jeb Bush: GOP frontrunner or Jon Huntsman 2.0?](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/jeb-bush-gop-frontrunner-or-jon-huntsman-2-0-n296026)** > > Bush sounds a little bit like the former Utah governor, whose presidential run went nowhere fast in 2012. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/708 "2015-02-17T21:09:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Is Jeb Bush the next John Huntsman? > > [Jeb Bush: GOP frontrunner or Jon Huntsman 2.0?](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/jeb-bush-gop-frontrunner-or-jon-huntsman-2-0-n296026) Nope. Jeb has more money in his couch cushions than Huntsman raised in his disastrous 2012 campaign. Bush will be the nominee, the big money has already spoken. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/709 "2015-02-17T21:15:43Z")
Walker has less money and less name recognition and is quite competitive. He’ll also be more conservative. Jeb has also said he’s not backing down on Common Core or immigration. While that will set him up as nicely moderate for the general election, he has to get that through the primaries. Romney had money too and he couldn’t avoid pandering on immigration. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/710 "2015-02-17T22:53:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Walker has less money and less name recognition and is quite competitive. He’ll also be more conservative. That is why he can’t win a general election. His chances would be only slightly better than Ted Cruz’. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/711 "2015-02-17T23:56:21Z")
Anyone who can win a swing state can win nationally. He won Wisconsin three times. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/712 "2015-02-18T00:27:49Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Anyone who can win a swing state can win nationally. He won Wisconsin three times. Because all swing states are the same, right? Seriously, dude. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/713 "2015-02-18T00:29:39Z")
I would assume that Walker could win any state more Republican than Wisconsin, which would include Ohio, FLorida, and Virginia, which means he can win the election. Do you believe there’s anything about Walker that wouldn’t sell in those states? States that elected guys like Rick Scott and John Kasich and Bob McDonnell? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/714 "2015-02-18T00:42:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I would assume that Walker could win any state more Republican than Wisconsin, which would include Ohio, FLorida, and Virginia, which means he can win the election. Do you believe there’s anything about Walker that wouldn’t sell in those states? States that elected guys like Rick Scott and John Kasich and Bob McDonnell? I doubt Walker can even win Wisconsin – his gubernatorial wins were somewhat narrow, and in extremely low turnout elections – 2016 will have much higher turnout than '10, '14, and a very low-turnout recall. But we’ll see. Bush scares me a lot more than Walker, in terms of general election electability. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/715 "2015-02-18T00:46:46Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Do you believe there’s anything about Walker that wouldn’t sell in those states? States that elected guys like Rick Scott and John Kasich and Bob McDonnell? All of whom graduated from college. Walker, not so much. All but the most brain dead voter will be horrified to learn he holds no degree beyond a high school diploma. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/716 "2015-02-18T00:50:19Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > States that elected guys like Rick Scott and John Kasich and Bob McDonnell? With results like those people I have to wonder how many people have vowed never to vote republican again. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/717 "2015-02-18T00:53:55Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > All of whom graduated from college. Walker, not so much. All but the most brain dead voter will be horrified to learn he holds no degree beyond a high school diploma. I would actually love for that to be an issue. Highlights is regular dude cred, which will be useful against someone as plastic and unrelateable as his likely opponent. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/718 "2015-02-18T00:55:46Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I would actually love for that to be an issue. Highlights is regular dude cred, which will be useful against someone as plastic and unrelateable as his likely opponent. I’m not sure if Walker is any less “plastic and unrelateable” than Hillary… but I seriously doubt anyone who’s not in the Republican base would consider a lack of education a plus for a candidate. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/719 "2015-02-18T01:01:01Z")
Wisconsin thought he was qualified enough. I’m sure every state more conservative than Wisconsin will as well, which is enough for an electoral majority. Plus I just don’t think you’ll get very far trying to tell Americans that what Scott Walker didn’t do 25 years ago matters more than what he’s done since. The issue also has to be handled delicately. Wouldn’t do to insult the 65% of Americans without college degrees. Democrats already get perceived as elitists and they’ll be running the ultimate elitist candidate in all likelihood. The response isn’t exactly hard either. Most of the current government isn’t just college educated, but Ivy League educated. Has this produced a better run government? I’m comfortable with letting the people decide, so run with it if you want. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/720 "2015-02-18T01:08:32Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Anyone who can win a swing state can win nationally. He won Wisconsin three times. Not really. He won against the idea of a recall for one of those. Both of the other times were in midterm years. Have WI move their elections to presidential years and see how well he does. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/721 "2015-02-18T01:20:20Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Wisconsin thought he was qualified enough. I’m sure every state more conservative than Wisconsin will as well, which is enough for an electoral majority. The fact that you’re “sure” makes me smile 🙂 High turnout elections will be a very different challenge. Maybe Walker is up to it – we’ll see. But he really did have it easy, with the governorship up in mid-term years. Apply the same turnout from '08 and '12 to the demographics of his gubernatorial elections, and he probably would have lost. > [@](#): > > Plus I just don’t think you’ll get very far trying to tell Americans that what Scott Walker didn’t do 25 years ago matters more than what he’s done since. The issue also has to be handled delicately. Wouldn’t do to insult the 65% of Americans without college degrees. Democrats already get perceived as elitists and they’ll be running the ultimate elitist candidate in all likelihood. How 'bout a cite that Democrats are perceived as elitists, if you’re talking about anyone besides Republicans? Such criticism could be done wrong, of course, but it could be done right… the right way to do such “delicate” criticism is usually to utilize proxies. Just a few “unaffiliated” PACs constantly bringing up the issue, even if it’s not in a negative way. We shall see. > [@](#): > > The response isn’t exactly hard either. Most of the current government isn’t just college educated, but Ivy League educated. Has this produced a better run government? I’m comfortable with letting the people decide, so run with it if you want. This sounds like the Huckabee-esque reverse elitism – that ‘country folk’ are more genuinely American, more moral, more hardworking, etc., than those damn elitist city-folk. I don’t think that resonates with anyone who’s not already voting against the black man (or the black man’s party). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=37)