# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/61 "2015-01-13T23:29:41Z")
Thankfully, Hillary Clinton helpfully used her judo powers to get hold of a certain memo: > **[Canadian NAFTA Remarks Rile Obama Campaign](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canadian-nafta-remarks-rile-obama-campaign/)** > > Senator's Senior Economic Advisor Says Diplomats Inaccurately Portrayed His Trade Stance Of course, Clinton was lying as well about NAFTA: [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aIUVrK0hWJ9Y&refer=canada](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aIUVrK0hWJ9Y&refer=canada) As a matter of fact, other than repudiating DOMA, you shouldn’t believe anything Hillary says that disagrees with what her husband actually did as President. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/62 "2015-01-13T23:46:27Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > [http://www.thenation.com/blog/obama-canada-nafta-and-some-straight-talk#](http://www.thenation.com/blog/obama-canada-nafta-and-some-straight-talk#) > > That was always the problem with Goolsbee. Too honest, which is why he couldn’t stay in the administration long. So… a network reported something that the Obama campaign and the Canadian government denied. Pretty weak, but I guess a cited, murky claim greatly improves your batting average. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/63 "2015-01-14T00:34:25Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So… a network reported something that the Obama campaign and the Canadian government denied. > > Pretty weak, but I guess a cited, murky claim greatly improves your batting average. Well, it might, except that as far as I can tell this thread is supposed to be about the Republican candidates for President. To the best of my knowledge, Hillary Clinton is not a Republican. I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/64 "2015-01-14T03:12:51Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So… a network reported something that the Obama campaign and the Canadian government denied. > > Pretty weak, but I guess a cited, murky claim greatly improves your batting average. The fact that the NAFTA rhetoric was completely forgotten after he was elected and never spoken of again indicates that it was indeed just “political positioning”. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/65 "2015-01-14T04:31:42Z")
Wow. Lots of incredibly delusional wishful thinking in here. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/66 "2015-01-14T13:20:12Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Paul Ryan is out: > > [Ryan Won't Run in 2016 as Romney Moves Toward Third Bid | RealClearPolitics](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2015/01/12/ryan_wont_run_in_2016_as_romney_moves_toward_third_bid_125230.html) > > Smart. He’s young and he’s too much of a specialist(budget issues) to be President at this point. Well Romney is running again, I wonder if Ryan is hoping for the VP slot again? ---
**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:** [January 14, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/67 "2015-01-14T13:49:03Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Well Romney is running again, I wonder if Ryan is hoping for the VP slot again? Makes fiscal sense to me- no sense wasting time developing new campaign logos when the Romney-Ryan pattern already exists. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/68 "2015-01-14T14:03:29Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Well, it might, except that as far as I can tell this thread is supposed to be about the Republican candidates for President. To the best of my knowledge, Hillary Clinton is not a Republican. I could be wrong. **adaher** specializes in changing the subject. The list of Republican hopefuls fails to inspire much but boredom. Well, Cruz would make buzzards gag & Bush has his brother tied around his neck like a dead albatross… ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/69 "2015-01-14T14:20:25Z")
Whistling past the graveyard. This is the strongest field in many cycles for the GOP. The Democrats have Hillary Clinton and well, nobody else. Not so much because there aren’t good, qualified Democrats, but because the Democratic base has become so moribund that they won’t even consider coming out to vote if it’s not a big name. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/70 "2015-01-14T14:28:19Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > This is the strongest field in many cycles for the GOP. When your front-runners are Jeb, Romney, Walker and Christie, and all the second-tier contenders are unelectable RW nutcases, you do not have a strong field. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/71 "2015-01-14T14:33:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Whistling past the graveyard. This is the strongest field in many cycles for the GOP. The Democrats have Hillary Clinton and well, nobody else. Not so much because there aren’t good, qualified Democrats, but because the Democratic base has become so moribund that they won’t even consider coming out to vote if it’s not a big name. So what states did Obama win that Hillary would not? Just out of curiosity, which GOP candidates do you consider not to be strong? ---
**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:** [January 14, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/72 "2015-01-14T15:25:30Z")
How are Walker, Ayotte, and Haley RW nutcases? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/73 "2015-01-14T15:45:53Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > When your front-runners are Jeb, Romney, Walker and Christie, and all the second-tier contenders are unelectable RW nutcases, you do not have a strong field. We have many to choose from, most of whom are electable. Your one is probably stronger than any one of ours, but that sure limits your options in case she implodes or simply bores everyone into somnolence. Not to mention the problem with Clinton is that her strategy is going to look an awful lot like the 2014 strategy we all agree failed. She’s going to try to keep her distance from Obama, she’ll spend most of her time saying she’s not Obama, and she’ll act like she’s more conservative than she probably is. Her name alone is not enough to pull that off. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/74 "2015-01-14T15:47:36Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > So what states did Obama win that Hillary would not? > > Just out of curiosity, which GOP candidates do you consider not to be strong? I can’t predict in advance which states the GOP will win that they didn’t before, but if you’re counting them out in Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, and Iowa, you haven’t been paying attention. Obama brought a unique coalition to the polls. Can Clinton? 2010 and 2014 probably weren’t just midterm issues. They are “Obama’s not on the ballot, I don’t care” issues which will extend into 2016. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/75 "2015-01-14T15:54:55Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not to mention the problem with Clinton is that her strategy is going to look an awful lot like the 2014 strategy we all agree failed. She’s going to try to keep her distance from Obama, she’ll spend most of her time saying she’s not Obama, and she’ll act like she’s more conservative than she probably is. Her name alone is not enough to pull that off. How’s that? Dem contenders for the presidency generally tack **left** in the primary campaigns, then right in the general election. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/76 "2015-01-14T15:57:35Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I can’t predict in advance which states the GOP will win that they didn’t before, but if you’re counting them out in Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, and Iowa, you haven’t been paying attention. Obama brought a unique coalition to the polls. Can Clinton? 2010 and 2014 probably weren’t just midterm issues. They are “Obama’s not on the ballot, I don’t care” issues which will extend into 2016. Yep, a woman on the ballot isn’t going to stir any excitement, nosiree. Hillary on the ballot isn’t going to attract nearly as many voters as Obama since we all know there are more blacks in the nation than women. Or something like that. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/77 "2015-01-14T16:15:32Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Whistling past the graveyard. This is the strongest field in many cycles for the GOP. The Democrats have Hillary Clinton and well, nobody else. Not so much because there aren’t good, qualified Democrats, but because the Democratic base has become so moribund that they won’t even consider coming out to vote if it’s not a big name. Somehow I’m not convinced. No one is a big name until they become one – Obama wasn’t a big name until he started beating Hillary. The right candidate, even if it’s not Hillary, could certainly become a “big name” with a good campaign and messaging and get big Democratic turnout. The GOP field looks as weak as it’s been the last two elections – Romney is a proven loser, Jeb’s enthusiasm reminds me of Fred Thompson (he sorta kinda wants to be President), and no one else comes close to striking fear in Democratic hearts. Things could certainly change, but I’m as optimistic for 2016 as I was for 08 and 12. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/78 "2015-01-14T16:28:31Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Scott Walker will be sworn in as President of the United States of America, on January 20, 2017. I am calling it right now. > > Since it is legal for me to vote in the election preceding this future historical fact, I suppose it would be sadly unethical for me to take bets on it?.. I’ll take that bet. US$20 - to be payable within one month of Inauguration Day. Deal? Mitt did not exactly wow 'em at a recent Heritage Foundation shindig: [Mitt 3.0 Fails To Impress Conservatives At Major Conference In Washington | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/13/heritage-mitt-romney-2016_n_6463328.html) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/79 "2015-01-14T17:38:53Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Yep, a woman on the ballot isn’t going to stir any excitement, nosiree. Hillary on the ballot isn’t going to attract nearly as many voters as Obama since we all know there are more blacks in the nation than women. Or something like that. Maybe. After all, Clinton did win more votes than Obama in the Democratic campaign. But there’s nothing about her other than her gender and name that gets people excited. And she’ll only have the support of a proportion of the progressive base for as long as she looks like a winner. If she falls short again, her reputation with the left wing of the party will be mud. Much like Grimes, Nunn, and all the other failed 2014 Democrats who were awesome until they weren’t. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/80 "2015-01-14T17:40:38Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I’ll take that bet. US$20 - to be payable within one month of Inauguration Day. Deal? > > Mitt did not exactly wow 'em at a recent Heritage Foundation shindig: [Mitt 3.0 Fails To Impress Conservatives At Major Conference In Washington | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/13/heritage-mitt-romney-2016_n_6463328.html) The right wing blogosphere is all aflutter with apathy. I like Romney because I think that what we need right now is competence more than anything else, but I just don’t think he’s likely to win if he runs. I’ll take him over Jeb though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=5)