# 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:** 50
**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:** [March 10, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/982 "2015-03-10T12:40:34Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Well, your link was to a teaser _for_ the full poll results, so it’s a teaser for a teaser poll. Boy, the poll results released early were quite misleading. They showed about the only people that did worse than Jeb. In the full poll, Walker is at +36, Rubio is at +30, Paul is +9, Bush is +7, Perry is +5, and Cruz is +2. I still maintain that this is a repeat of 2012. Instead of all the unRomneys getting out of the clown car one by one, it will be the unBushes. Still, in the end, Republicans will hold their noses and vote for Bush just as they did for Romney, all the while bemoaning that he is doomed because he isn’t a True Believer. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/983 "2015-03-10T12:46:51Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Walker is now officially a flip-flopper. Why? He called it a distraction but didn’t say he was against it. And he’s respecting the democratic will of the people. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/984 "2015-03-10T13:21:44Z")
Yep. There’s a difference between saying you won’t pursue an issue and it just ending up on your desk. He never said he opposed right to work. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/985 "2015-03-10T13:42:02Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > …Instead of all the unRomneys getting out of the clown car one by one, it will be the unBushes… I just have to say, I love this mental image. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/986 "2015-03-10T16:11:23Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Yep. There’s a difference between saying you won’t pursue an issue and it just ending up on your desk. He never said he opposed right to work. Yeah, it just happened to end up on his desk, totally unexpectedly. I’m running a special today on bridges. I’ll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge for a mere $50,000. The George Washington Bridge and the Tappan Zee Bridge, $120K each. But I’ll sell you the whole kit and caboodle for a mere $200,000, cheaper than most houses these days, and with a lot more earnings potential. What do you say? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/987 "2015-03-10T16:20:58Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I still maintain that this is a repeat of 2012. Instead of all the unRomneys getting out of the clown car one by one, it will be the unBushes. Still, in the end, Republicans will hold their noses and vote for Bush just as they did for Romney, all the while bemoaning that he is doomed because he isn’t a True Believer. I disagree. The problem with the 2012 clown car was that they didn’t look presidential even to the rabid right-wingers that constitute the GOP base. This crew may look like clowns to us, but I don’t think our opinion is shared by the likely GOP primary electorate. In 2012 they opted for Romney because Rick Santorum, a guy who, as an incumbent Senator, lost his seat by a landslide, was in their view the best of a bad lot of alternatives. This time, as they see it, they’ve got much better choices than Santorum. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/988 "2015-03-10T17:44:37Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Yeah, it just happened to end up on his desk, totally unexpectedly. > > I’m running a special today on bridges. I’ll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge for a mere $50,000. The George Washington Bridge and the Tappan Zee Bridge, $120K each. But I’ll sell you the whole kit and caboodle for a mere $200,000, cheaper than most houses these days, and with a lot more earnings potential. What do you say? President Obama is not pushing for single payer. If single payer ends up on his desk, do you think he’d veto? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/989 "2015-03-10T17:48:20Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I disagree. The problem with the 2012 clown car was that they didn’t look presidential even to the rabid right-wingers that constitute the GOP base. This crew may look like clowns to us, but I don’t think our opinion is shared by the likely GOP primary electorate. > > In 2012 they opted for Romney because Rick Santorum, a guy who, as an incumbent Senator, lost his seat by a landslide, was in their view the best of a bad lot of alternatives. This time, as they see it, they’ve got much better choices than Santorum. Yep. Even the clowns are clowns because they are too extreme for the party, not because they are unfit. Ted Cruz is Harvard educated. Rick Santorum is just a religious extremist. Ben Carson is a renowned neurosurgeon. Herman Cain was a half decent businessman. Bobby Jindal is a two term governor with real accomplishments and is a decently big name. All of the two term governors in 2012 were unknowns and eliminated from the race even before it got properly started except for Rick Perry. And there’s more where Jindal came from(Perry’s probably back in, Kasich, Pence, Snyder, Walker). This field is going to be filled with people who at least on paper have the right resume. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/990 "2015-03-10T18:29:59Z")
When are you going to get on board with the Draft Romney movement, which is sweeping the nation? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/991 "2015-03-10T19:01:12Z")
Heh. He was always too much of a politician for me. I liked him in 2012 because in that moment we needed competence more than anything else. We’re certainly going to need it in 2016 too, but the field might give us a little more integrity in the process. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/992 "2015-03-10T19:31:08Z")
At this point, [Christie had better fuhgeddaboutit.](http://www.salon.com/2015/03/10/a_staggering_number_of_republicans_cant_see_themselves_supporting_chris_christie/) ---
**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:** [March 10, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/993 "2015-03-10T19:37:48Z")
Ouch. Not good for the big guy from Joisey. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/994 "2015-03-10T19:52:06Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Yep. Even the clowns are clowns because they are too extreme for the party, not because they are unfit. Ted Cruz is Harvard educated. Rick Santorum is just a religious extremist. Ben Carson is a renowned neurosurgeon. Herman Cain was a half decent businessman. Bobby Jindal is a two term governor with real accomplishments and is a decently big name. All of the two term governors in 2012 were unknowns and eliminated from the race even before it got properly started except for Rick Perry. And there’s more where Jindal came from(Perry’s probably back in, Kasich, Pence, Snyder, Walker). > > This field is going to be filled with people who at least on paper have the right resume. > [@elucidator](#): > > When are you going to get on board with the Draft Romney movement, which is sweeping the nation? > [@adaher](#): > > Heh. He was always too much of a politician for me. I liked him in 2012 because in that moment we needed competence more than anything else. We’re certainly going to need it in 2016 too, but the field might give us a little more integrity in the process. You sure don’t remember 2012 like I do. I thought Herman Cain was the business genius who brought Godfather’s Pizza back from the brink of destruction, Rick Perry was the principled conservative who’d bring the Texas miracle to the rest of America, and Mitt Romney was the venture capitalist whose financial acumen would set the nation on a strong fiscal course for generations to come. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/995 "2015-03-10T20:33:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > President Obama is not pushing for single payer. If single payer ends up on his desk, do you think he’d veto? And this is relevant to what, how? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/996 "2015-03-10T20:34:48Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Yep. Even the clowns are clowns because they are too extreme for the party, not because they are unfit. It’s been years since anyone’s been too extreme for the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/997 "2015-03-10T21:09:31Z")
Too extreme for the country then. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/998 "2015-03-10T21:24:32Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Too extreme for the country then. I’ve been waiting for that for years. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/999 "2015-03-10T21:40:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Too extreme for the country then. Well, that’s the GOP’s basic problem right there; any presidential candidate acceptable to what is now the party’s base will be unacceptable to the voters in the general election. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1000 "2015-03-10T21:44:05Z")
Not necessarily. The GOP hasn’t nominated a candidate too extreme since Goldwater. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1001 "2015-03-10T21:54:23Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not necessarily. The GOP hasn’t nominated a candidate too extreme since Goldwater. And they won’t in 2016 – and, as in 2008 and 2012, the choice of a “RINO” will fail to fire up the base. That’s the **other** half of the GOP’s basic problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=51)