I can’t recall anyone in line to be a Democratic 2016 POTUS candidate making a substantive comment on the shutdown. It would seem to be an ideal time to make a comment about the GOP / Tea Party behavior and position yourself as an ideas leader for the Democrats.
Why the silence?
http://www.governor.maryland.gov/blog/?p=9262
Frankly, pretending to be a leader in talking about the shutdown simply to get one’s name in the press is a strictly Sarah Palin-like move. We have a President, we have Senators, we have Congressmen. Of what value is a presidential candidate to the current situation?
Yes, that’s correct: the same value as Sarah Palin.
Because it’s a no-win topic. No matter which way it goes, it will not be an asset in voters’ eyes. Maybe to some small subset of extreme conservatives, but even the tea-partiest candidates would rather stay mum and not lose everyone else’s vote.
If Obama “wins,” the downside is on him and his heir can quietly take credit for the victory without necessarily taking any heat for it - as long as they stay quiet now.
Because there’s no reason to- the GOP is tearing itself apart.
All of the above.
If they’re in office, they’re already involved at some level so why add extra comments.
If they’re NOT in office they’re named ‘Hilary’ and there’s absolutely nothing to be gained by entering the debate and joggling the President’s elbow. She needs him in 2016 so why piss him off.
The Republican Party is becoming a shambles and several of the lead contenders for the GOP nomination are taking hits (Cruz, Paul and so forth) so why interrupt?
2016 is one hell of a long way off. Right now the party is concerned with positioning their opponents as being on the wrong side of the issue for the 2014 mid-terms. 2016 is too distant.
Not intended as a side-track, and this may also be a valid answer, but who exactly are the 2016 Democratic POTUS wannabes? Has anybody declared yet?
Who did you have in mind?
Isn’t not responding to them on their level, instead acting like a responsible adult, doing pretty much that?
When your enemy is digging a hole, don’t hand them a ladder.
I’m going to go with “Because they’re not stupid”.
Way too early for that. Declaring this early in Obama’s second term makes it look like you’re offering the country a Democratic alternative to Obama. No reason to get on his bad side especially since there’s nothing to gain by declaring now anyway. But as an academic exercise it’s fairly safe to check out who the prime time speakers were for the last convention. Since Mondale only Kerry has been an exception. Interestingly Clinton’s '88 address was considered bad by just about everyone. Obviously he made some adjustments in the next four years.
Hillary is the clear leader. No serious candidate will declare until she says what she’s doing one way or the other. If she declines, that’d probably leave Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Rahm Emanuel, and Tim Kaine to battle it out, although I can’t see Emanuel winning. He might sit this one out. I think he’s positioning himself as a dark horse candidate if Hillary doesn’t run with an eye on the VP regardless of who’s chosen or even setting up for a 2020 or 2024 run. All four have enough of a resume to make a serious push for the nomination though. Of those four, three are already involved in the shutdown, with Biden as VP and Warren and Kaine as senators. As Mayor of Chicago Emanuel is too removed from it to sound like anything but a jackass no matter what position he takes. And Hillary speaking up is going to draw immediate (and justified) comparisons to Palin. Never go full Palin.
If we are not hearing it is because no one really cares what she has to say right now. Not in office and not entertainingly stupid like Palin. Too soon for 2016 with real news to report on.
How long do you think she will wait to make it absolutely clear if she is in or out?
I’ve heard the list of others if she says no includes Martin O’Malley, Andrew Cuomo, and Mark Warner. Rahm? No way.
O’Malley’s definitely gonna at least explore it.
Cuomo and Warner, too.
I think the folks who are jumpy for Elizabeth Warren are fooling themselves, but hey, it’s early and anything can happen.
So right now it’s
Hillary
Joe Biden
Mark Warner
Andrew Cuomo
Martin O’Malley
There’s a long way to go, but these are the five best positioned at the moment. Everyone outside of Hillary is pretty much waiting to see what she does. If she declares then the battle is on for VP.
Everyone inside of Hillary is currently ineligible.
And it’s too dark to read.
I got that, Xap.
But the auditory is great!
No, do. And a bucket. Otherwise they’ll give up when it’s too difficult to haul out the dirt.
But . . . what is that thing?! :eek: AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEurk
Cuomo’s made a bunch of comments about the shutdown. Today, at the Columbus Day Parade, he said:
The shutdown is a tragedy. I think it was unnecessary. I think it’s people putting their politics above public service. I hope there’s an agreement because it hurts this country and the American people have had enough. This is not about addressing our differences, government is about finding ways to work together with the commonality to move forward. There’s always something to fight about. You can always be… unwilling to compromise, but then nothing happen. Where we are today, everyone loses. Government is not about defeating the country, government is about moving the country forward.”
The silence is for the same reason Nick Saban isn’t publishing his gameplan for the LSU game. Nothing to be gained by disclosing information to potential opponents, and possibly a great deal to lose.