# 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:** 86
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1702 "2015-06-24T18:25:48Z")
Jeb! and Rubio speak Spanish. That’s supposed to be enough. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1703 "2015-06-24T18:34:04Z")
Worked for W. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1704 "2015-06-24T19:18:48Z")
True. English was his problem. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1705 "2015-06-24T19:20:17Z")
If winning [34 percent](http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2004-11-28/did-hispanics-really-surge-to-bush) is “working”. > [@Superdude](#): > > True. English was his problem. \*My \*Spanish is better than his. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1706 "2015-06-24T20:31:17Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > \*My \*Spanish is better than his. Any way you slice it, Dubya spoke more languages than the allegedly brilliant Obama- a guy who speaks only English (even after living for years in Indonesia), but feels qualified to mock other people who speak only English. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1707 "2015-06-24T21:06:40Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Any way you slice it, Dubya spoke more languages than the allegedly brilliant Obama- a guy who speaks only English (even after living for years in Indonesia), but feels qualified to mock other people who speak only English. I only speak English and I think people who speak only one language are fools. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1708 "2015-06-24T21:09:18Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Any way you slice it, Dubya spoke more languages than the allegedly brilliant Obama- a guy who speaks only English (even after living for years in Indonesia), but feels qualified to mock other people who speak only English. Obama was mocking himself for only speaking English. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1709 "2015-06-24T22:29:34Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Obama was mocking himself for only speaking English. They’re all convinced that Obama has no real sense of humor and therefore every utterance needs to be taken at face value. That his sense of humor may be over their heads never seems to occur to them… ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1710 "2015-06-25T08:38:07Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I only speak English and I think people who speak only one language are fools. Wha . . . What? Ohhh Kay. What an odd thing to say. Que loco esta muher. \<— High school spanish. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1711 "2015-06-25T12:08:47Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Walker and Rubio are [trailing Trump in New Hampshire](http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/06/23/new-hampshire-poll-has-jeb-bush-first-and-donald-trump-second/). Trump!! In a Fox News poll, Trump places a close second to Jeb! and once again Walker and Rubio trail badly, so the Suffolk poll was not just a fluke. This has to be disconcerting for Republican party leaders. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1712 "2015-06-25T12:17:35Z")
Name recognition is never a disconcerting thing. If Trump is doing well in January, then they’ll worry. At least half of those saying they support him probably just know him and Bush and prefer him without knowing anything about his views. Trump is after all, one of the most famous people in the country. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1713 "2015-06-25T12:28:26Z")
Building name recognition between now and January is going to be an uphill battle when you have to compete against 16 other wannabees, with Trump sucking up all the oxygen in the room. The only way to get more eyeballs is to out-crazy Trump, which will be entertaining, but not helpful 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:** [June 25, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1714 "2015-06-25T13:19:01Z")
Trump is not going to be in the race until January. He has 120 days from the time of announcing to the time he has to file his FEC papers, complete with actual financial disclosures. He is not about to do that. He’ll be in there for the first debate, but he does not stick around past October. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1715 "2015-06-25T23:21:33Z")
Apparently, Christie’s going to announce next Tuesday - > **[Christie To Announce Tuesday That He's Running For President](https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/25/417458360/christie-to-announce-tuesday-that-hes-running-for-president)** > > WNYC's Matt Katz reports that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is getting in the presidential race Tuesday. He would be the 14th Republican to launch a bid for the White House. Didn’t he recently claim that he wouldn’t run because the people of New Jersey were begging him to stay? ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1716 "2015-06-26T01:41:11Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > This has to be disconcerting for Republican party leaders. But has wonderful entertainment value. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1717 "2015-06-26T02:26:06Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Building name recognition between now and January is going to be an uphill battle when you have to compete against 16 other wannabees, with Trump sucking up all the oxygen in the room. The only way to get more eyeballs is to out-crazy Trump, which will be entertaining, but not helpful in the general election. Actually, it’s easy in the GOP field. See, we do something called watching debates, and if a candidate stands out, they can vault to the top overnight. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1718 "2015-06-26T04:31:09Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Actually, it’s easy in the GOP field. See, we do something called watching debates, and if a candidate stands out, they can vault to the top overnight. And if you’re outside the Top 10 (like Jindal right now) and they don’t invite you to the debates? What then? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1719 "2015-06-26T04:33:53Z")
They will still get their chance to debate, and they will be seen. The advantages of a motivated base. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1720 "2015-06-26T04:47:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > They will still get their chance to debate, and they will be seen. Where and when? Fox (you know, the host of debates) has said top 10 only. Have they announced a play-in debate?\* “Debates Part Deux - The Other Guys You’ve Never Heard Of and Don’t Care About - Sponsored by Chick-Fil-A” There’s a ratings winner… > [@](#): > > The advantages of a motivated base. If any of these guys had a motivated base, they ALREADY be in the top 10. \*Actually, I like this idea. Top 8 are in. Bottom 8 hold a debate a couple of weeks early. Then the 9-10 slots are set a week out and the big debate is held. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444/1721 "2015-06-26T09:51:19Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > Apparently, Christie’s going to announce next Tuesday - > > [Christie To Announce Tuesday That He's Running For President : It's All Politics : NPR](http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/25/417458360/christie-to-announce-tuesday-that-hes-running-for-president) I’d say the theme of the GOP nominating season should be “[A Thousand Clowns](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059798/)” except it would be an insult to the memory of Jason Robards to be associated with this crew. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=85) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-republican-candidates/709444.md?page=87)