Why Marco Rubio Should Resist 2012 Temptations
It seems not a day goes by without Florida Senator Marco Rubio being mentioned as the favorite choice for vice president among Republicans in Washington. Even talk radio’s Rush Limbaugh weighed in when he said Senator Rubio should run for president in 2012.
It is true that Senator Rubio has certain political assets, including his ability to “attract” Latino voters due to his Cuban heritage. He also is conservative, smart, and a good speaker. And he hails from a state that is considered the mother of all battleground states for 2012. What’s not to like if you are a Republican looking toward the future?
Nothing — except for the fact that the 39-year-old Rubio was just sworn into the United States Senate on January 3, 2011.
Is the Republican Party so devoid of leadership that a newbie senator with no previous national or gubernatorial experience would even be considered presidential or VP material after only four months in Washington?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Worse, Rubio is about to be entangled in a political phenomenon I call GEAR, which stands for Gender-Ethnicity-Age-Race.
The GEAR phenomenon is when a candidate is chosen to be on a presidential ticket because he or she possesses one or more of the Gender-Ethnicity-Age-Race factors that are considered politically advantageous at the time of selection.
Let’s examine the history of GEAR on recent presidential tickets and see if there are any “teachable moments” for Senator Rubio in 2012.
The GEAR factor of “G” for gender first appeared on the 1984 presidential ticket with the selection of New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as the first female vice-presidential candidate. (Ferraro passed away on Saturday at 75.) She was chosen by the Democrat presidential nominee, Walter Mondale, to spruce up the ticket, make history, and attract women voters. Granted, she did make history, but not with women voters, who in 1984 went for Reagan by 59% vs. 42% for Mondale.
One could say riding the big “G” in GEAR turned into a big flop for Ferraro.
She was unknown nationally, never caught fire on the ticket and, after giving up her congressional seat to run for VP, never held elective office again. (Although she tried in 1992 and 1998 for a New York Senate seat, she lost both races at the primary level.)
Four years later, in 1988, the GEAR factor of “A” for age surfaced when the Republican presidential nominee, Vice President George H.W. Bush, selected Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as his running mate.
Vice President Bush thought his ticket needed a little less gray hair so he plucked a handsome, unknown 41 year old out of the Senate and basically ruined Quayle’s career. Quayle’s candidacy provided a great addition to the political lexicon through that famous line from Senator Lloyd Bentsen in the 1988 VP debate — “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy” — after Quayle compared his Washington experience to Senator Kennedy’s in 1960.
Nevertheless, Bush/Quayle won the White House in 1988 and Quayle served as VP. But he soon became the butt of national jokes — many self-inflicted.
Since everyone knew the GEAR factor of age was the key reason for Quayle’s selection as VP in 1988 and because Quayle was generally seen as a poor choice, President Bush was urged to drop Quayle from the 1992 ticket.
Plus which, we need him where he is.
No, he shouldn’t wait.
If he can help win Florida, he should run for VP.
If he can help, win Gen Y’ers, he should run for VP.
If he can bring youth to a ticket with a potential 60+ candidate, he should run for VP.
If he can help wrestle away the WH from the most dangerous president in US history, it is his duty to run for VP.
Sure, why not. He has already proven how much of a good politician he is. He was elected Senator on a Tea Party platform, and upon arrival in the Senate he promptly decided NOT to join the Tea Party caucus.
He’s a phony.
I actually think you’re missing a larger point in favor of the typical campaign advisor/political horse-race mentality.
People don’t want Rubio to run for what he is, but rather for what he believes in. Quite frankly, the less experience someone has in the Republican establishment, the happier I am. It’s the political hacks (the ones that weep at the idea of a political newcomer with strong conservative ideas) that have gotten us where we are today.
Sadly, the Republican Party has plenty of leaders, but fewer and fewer followers.
“Is the Republican Party so devoid of leadership that a newbie senator with no previous national or gubernatorial experience would even be considered presidential or VP material after only four months in Washington?”
This is how sad things have become in Washington. I seem to remember another Senator who was given the nomination by his party to become president of the United States with less than two years of experience in Washington. His name was Barack Obama and we all saw how well that turned out, didn’t we?
Rubio looks like a smart guy and he has a great future ahead of him, but come on, folks, this is his first job in Washington and he really hasn’t done anything else except get elected to the Senate. Do we really need to go down this road again?
At least Chris Christie has enough sense to say that he needs at least some experience as governor before trying to run for President. I would think Rubia would feel the same way about being Vice President or President. We really need to stop this nonsense about putting people in very high office just because they are young, photogeneic, or are a minority, or have a good public relations firm behind them. As we saw with Obama, that usually ends in disaster.
I think after that after being forced to live through Obama, Americans will grab any Republican Governor with experience who looks stable enough to run this country in a conservative manner. He or she doesn’t have to be perfect, just not a Socialist like Obama. If we can manage that, then we’ll win. But please, lets stop even discussing people with no experience in anything being named as possible presidential candidates. After doing that with Obama, it will only make any party that tries that again look foolish.
Good Article. Yes, we absolutely, need to get away from this GEAR model. It is time to pick somebody who is not a Politician Already and pick somebody who has courage, brains, knowledge and loyalty to the USA, our constitution and to the Legal Citizens and Workers and Property Owners and Small Business Owners of the USA. That somebody is Donald Trump. Trump in 2012 is the best choice we could make. No more Business As Usual. The problem with our current Elected Officials in DC is that they are Elected Officials in DC, and are the very ones who have created the crisis we now find ourselves in as a nation. The DC gang of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb Dems and Republicans has been nothing but a Made For TV Dog and Pony Show for decades. It is time to Stop This Dog and Pony Show which we call Politics in the USA. There is not a dime’s worth of difference between the Mainstream Democrats and Republicans. It is time for a Real Change. A change that goes back 200 years. A Return to Constitutional Governance, and the Dismantling of the Federal Bureaucracy which closely Resembles the Old Russian Communist Model of the now defunct USSR. And, this USSR model of U.S. government was built by both Democrats and Republicans while Posing As Mortal Enemies for the TV cameras come election days, but when they returned the Smoke Filled Backrooms in DC, they conspired to Enrich Themselves while Toppling our Republic with a Huge Federal Bureaucracy and Multi-Trillion Dollar Budgets with Trillion Dollar Deficits. When you deal with Trillions, Sleazy Politicians and Bureaucrats and Lobbyists are able to Skim off Hundreds of Millions for Private Gain and in some Cases, Billions for Private Gain. It is time to stop this Corrupt Government that has been built by Career Politicians who now run this great country. It is time to Elect a Non-Politician, and Trump fits the bill. Trump has more courage and knowledge about what Needs To Be Done than any sitting congressman, president or bureaucrat. We need a Real American who has Worked For A Living and Made It Big such as Donald Trump who will take on OPEC and China and bring this country back to monetary solvency.
“When you lay (lie) down with the dogs, you get up with the fleas..”
In most, if not all of the GEAR candidate cases mentioned in this article things went south for the candidates because they aligned themselves with a known loser.
Most recent example number one Sarah Palin agreed to be John McCain’s VP: and she almost convinced the American people that she could do a good job of running the country while at the same time keeping John McCain sitting in some corner with a dunce cap on.
This article doesn’t mention how close the election was either, nor that John McCain was selected by the establishment in spite of the overwhelming objections of the Conservative / Republican voter base. That base definitely rallied because of Sarah Palin’s presence, but because of the contagious McCain FLEA Factor her elected office political career has been shredded.
Right now there are a lot of decent, good people lining up for the GOP candidacy. Only one of them has what it takes to win against Obama. If I were going to advise Florida Senator Marco Rubio about how to make his decision it would be, “Choose your friends wisely.”
If Rubio is serious about running for Prez, he should consider serving out his term in the Senate, then run for governor or Florida. Senators do not make good presidential material.
We have the greatest living example of that in the white house at this very moment. But Marco Rubio has more experience in this short period of time than Obama ever had before he started running which was almost from the time he got into the senate with no accomplishments as a Senator in the U.S. Senate!
Agree. A Senator is just 1 of 100, while a Congressman is but 1 of 435. If one is to be the Chief Executive, he or she should have some time as a top dog, whether in business or government – someone who knows “the buck stops here”. Neither Obama nor Biden have any such experience. Indeed, if one examines the administration as a whole, few have ever run anything. Ours is a government of lawyers, political activists, university profs, and many who have *only* worked for government.
Interesting article.
Your hypothisis might be on the mark but what you suggest is old theory politics. There is a different climate today.
Rubio may very well be the best choice as president. Obama was in the senate for 141 days before he announced his bid. At least with Rubio we know where he stands and he’s not bashful about his positions whereas Obama voted present most of the time.
My dream ticket would be West/Rubio or Rubio/West. Both have cajones and aren’t afraid of the left.
Both have more experience than Obama and have a resume that is public. Obama has hidden all his information and he has proven to be a disaster with his on the job training.
This like tells us all that we need to know about Myra RINO Adams.
Where’s the “barf” smilely, anyway?
Oh, she happens to be right on this one. Rubio should sit this one out.
I agree, Marco Rubio should wait, get the experience our current president so sorely lacks. Why is no one talking about a Giuliani/Pawlenty ticket? I think they could win. America cannot afford 5 1/2 more years of Obama.
Mike Messina
Aptos, ca
Maybe because Rudy has:
1. Absolutely nothing to offer conservatives. (READ: He’s a RINO!)
2. Absolutely ZERO chance of winning anything.
3. He’s not a natural born citizen. He’s actually an “anchor baby”, born in the U.S. to two NON-citizen parents, which makes him a naturalized citizen. Anchor babies are not eligible to be POTUS, per the U.S. Constitution.
Number 3 refers to Marco Rubio – NOT Giuliani.
I think your argument is weak. I see your point about running for office based ONLY on ‘GEAR’ attributes, but running for office, if one happens to be a member of a distinct ‘GEAR set’ AND also has other factors such as experience and/or intelligence and/or a strong knowledge base offsets the weaker fault-lines of a GEAR candidacy.
So, I support a Pawlenty/Rubio team for 2012.
The GOP must reject any and all candidates from the ‘old guard crowd’. This includes: Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee and yes, even Palin. They must, themselves, show that they are actively and practically all about the future – while Obama can only talk about the future in his endless empty rhetoric (hope and change, winning the future).
The GOP has, unlike the Democrats, getting a lot of new blood into the party: Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Allan West, Marco Rubio..all the new GOP governors. The Democrats, on the other hand, has made what I think is a serious error – confining themselves to one and only one person whom they’ve erroneously set up as a utopian messiah. This means, with the focus on Obama, that they’ve deliberately kept out any rivals.
And Obama is an empty suit. There’s no-one there; he’s intellectually and operationally empty. Obama has only one ‘skill’ if one can call it that: he can charm people. So, he’ll play basketball with kids in schools, he’ll meet-and-greet people in the shopping mall, he’ll give endless campaign speeches based around empty meaningless ambiguities; he’ll give ‘shout-outs’ to all; he’ll refuse to answer questions because he hasn’t a clue about policy content….That’s all Obama can do. That’s all he’s ever done.
He’s behaving now exactly as he behaved when he was editor of the Harvard Law review; he left the work to others. When he was community organizer exorting the minions to ‘go out and activate’; when he was senator voting merely ‘present’. Obama has no capacity to examine, develop, think through policies and programs. All he’s ever done in his life, is interact directly with people (not things or issues or policies)…and ‘charm them’. Period.
So- what are the Democrats going to do, but try to prevent the GOP from getting a good team together? They’re going to talk against this strong new set of articulate, clever, knowledgeable people in the GOP ranks. Hmmm.
So, you support ‘cap-and-tax’ cum ‘climate-change’ T-Paw, plus the ‘open-the-borders-to-Latin-Americans’ unknown in Marco Ru. Good for you.
If I wanted to take the time, I could find 10 things that Palin supported as governor of Alaska that would be similar. But I prefer to look at the entirety of the candidates’ careers, then and now. As an example, if I’m not mistaken, Reagan signed tax hikes into law in California, and backed off on disbanding the Dept of Education.
If you find a politician who is a perfect crystal, let the world know.
Yes, Pawlenty / Rubio is the best ticket:
- conservative values,
- strong state executive experience,
- no skeletons (hope hope),
- not incendiary,
- compelling back stories,
- calm and controlled,
- appeal to the center,
- appeal to Hispanics,
- extremely articulate.
But the knives are out. Pawlenty’s efforts in Minnesota to remain in office in a very liberal state by making non-threatening concessions to liberalism are being painted as extreme RINOism, and he is continually called boring despite being one of the most articulate conservative spokesmen. If he hadn’t done what he did in Minnesota, he would never have been elected in the first place. People have to view his record in context and listen to what he says now that the shackles are off.
And here we have Myra jumping on the Rubio is too young bandwagon, even though he is only two years younger than JFK at the same stage, and in terms of experience, is decades older than the community organizer in chief.
Very little “conservative” in your dream ticket – just a little to the center-right, Romney-esque, and Bobby Doley in its future: an ‘also-run’ for the heck of it, just like McCain (w/out a Palin in it). The left would love it.
Exactly – I opt for Pawlenty/Rubio.
I opt for Pawlenty because I want a calm, reasoning mind, one who acknowledges the limitations of context (as Pawlenty did as pointed out by proreason); and yet, has principles (something lacking in Obama)and sticks to them.
I do not want an American idol – which is all that Obama can be; I don’t want charisma, I don’t want a crowd smoocher; I want an adult who thinks, who reasons, who examines issues, who develops policies…who is a realist and not a utopian word-manipulator.
I want someone who leads ..and not someone who dithers, waiting for someone else to come up with the policies and programs. I want someone who takes his job seriously and understands that he represents America and is duty bound to do what is best for America. I want someone deeply knowledgeable about American history, committed to its exceptionalism, and yet, with a sense of both honor and humility.
I think that Pawlenty has these attributes – and I think that Rubio, smart and bright, represents an important segment of the GOP: the newcomers. The fact that he is hispanic is not something to overlook but to acknowledge. Hispanics are the 2nd linguistic and ethnic group in the US – and this can’t be ignored.
I think that Pawlenty/Rubio should appear as the P/VP candidates and at the same time, make it clear that they are working with the other newcomers in the GOP: Paul Ryan must have a vital role; Eric Cantor, Allan West….etc…
The Democrats have: Obama. Period. They’ve kept out fresh blood and their reliance on a vapid self-absorbed and ignorant man, Obama, will harm them.
Mr. unexcitment isn’t getting anywhere; people fall asleep while he talks.
You are missing the point. A president does not have to be, and indeed, it’s better that he is not – an American Idol mesmerizing singer/speaker.
We don’t need enchanted words that we can swoon over; we need basic principles, common sense, a sense of realism and reality; a commitment to hard work. None of that has a thing to do with ‘mesmerizing speeches’ and our ‘hanging on every word’.
No, ETAB; I think you’re missing it.
A ‘file clerk’ charisma isn’t going to make anyone President.
i agree; rubio has fantastic potential and it would be best to hone his skills during his senate term
personally, i feel there is way too much hype regarding the 2012 nomination and with the current field of players we would be doing a disservice to our talented young guns (specifically ryan and rubio) by removing them from their current posts…
i think a great strategy would be to pull a pelosi and say that our nominee will be named after we win the election
we would have a better chance to let obama self-destruct than to fill the void with the likes of a huckabee or a romney
a better strategy would be to focus on getting a majority in the senate and maintain our majority in the house
this war versus the left will take decades to win properly and myopia will only serve the statists in the end
let us weed out the rinos and provide a clear and concise counter to the left’s delusions of existence
let us put a screeching halt on obama’s agenda by having 2/3 of the government and wage our efforts on the local level (wisconsin and indiana anyone?)
we are currently poised to strike at the lifeline of the left— the despicable relationship between public unions and the dem party and we need the vast majority of our focus to be here
2 more knocks against Rubio, at least in 2012:
1. The Republican ticket will have a FAR FAR greater need for a competent foreign policy/defense person, given that the most well received contenders thus far are ex-governors who have little if any.
2. He doesnt flip the Mexican Americans out west or the Puerto Ricans/South Ams in New Jersey and elsewhere northeast (Indiana and Wisconsin, two other swing states are about equally M/PR split). Florida is the bigger electoral prize with 29 or 30 EV versus CO-NV-NM’s combined 20.
That said, I fear that there would be an overreach, not only possibly for Rubio, but also for a Susanna Martinez, Brian Sandoval or even Jaime Herrera Beutler. The VP should be Bolton, Gen. Petraeaus or maybe even Col. West.
Bolton isn’t White House material. Not even close.
He’d be fabulous as a Secretary of State!
This reminds me of all the calls for Scott Brown of Massachusetts to run for president, only to have him called a RINO within a few months. How do we conservatives know he really is what we think he is? Rubio has just been elected, and needs to establish credibility, and a record. Let’s see how he deals with a variety of issues, not just his state budget.
I think any one of the possible Republican candidates are better than Obama. But the same establishment republicans touting him are the same ones who tell us that Sarah Palin has no experience. They’re both one-term governors, so what’s the difference?
There are a number of good new Republican governors out there who we should keep our eyes on. They will be the presidential candidates of the future, but let’s not jump to any hasty conclusions and be disappointed like we were with Scott Brown.
Forget Rubio, he has already started to act like a DC insider and his Conservative principles seem to disappear as soon has he’s elected. I think he is more of the typical Bush R and similar to Jeb in his elitist, pro illegal rants. He’s starting to really stink as he settles into that big chair!
I really like Rubio and being from FLA I got to vote for him. He will probably be president someday but I agree he needs the experience of 6-12 years in the senate. If he holds true to his values, he will be a perfect candidate in 2020 or so. Rubio/West, 2020!!!!!
Rubio would be a phenomenum as VP nominee. But he would be phenomenum to a winning presidential candidate not a loser. Rubio could complement the star, historic mantra, experience and seasoning plus charisma of Sarah Palin.
Rubio’s VP run only would work with Sarah Palin. Rubio with any other boring white male candidate on the top of the ticket is just to lose.
Were his parents born in the USA? i.e. Is he a natural born citizen, as per the constitution, for the position of president?
Excellent point; his father WASN’T a US citizen yet, when Rubio was born in Miami, during May 1971. Thus, he isn’t a ‘natural born US citizen.’ But given the fraud in the WH, this might be a mute point, unless of course the democRATS decide to make it one (and I won’t be surprised if they do, given their double standards.)
Born on U.S. soil means he’s a natural born citizen under current law, like it or not.
And it’s “moot”, not “mute”.
At the time of his birth, his mother was a US citizen, but his father wasn’t. His father acquired US citizenship AFTER his birth. That, according to the interpretation by the US Constitution advocated by a number of specialists in Constitutional Law disqualifies him.
Tell that to the many thousands of current U.S. citizens who were born in the U.S. to illegal aliens.
Folks, it does not matter in the LEAST what we think the law OUGHT to be. Nore does it matter what some Constitutional scholar thinks the law ought to be.
Until SCOTUS changes its mind on this, or we enact a Constitutional Amendment, anyone born on U.S. soil is a natural born American citizen, regardless of the citizenship of his parents.
He was born in Miami Florida May 28, 1971. His mother and father are both Cuban exiles. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio
Anyone who has ever heard Sen. Rubio speak knows why he was elected to office. Anyone who was able to knock Smilin’ Chalie off his high horse has a future in conservative politics. However, just like a strong power forward has excellent credentials in college, doesn’t mean he posseses the talent or skills in to play with the pro’s. Judge Sen. Rubio by his ability to do the job, not on his “ethnic” background, or GEAR criteria–we’re not liberals. He has a heartwarming story, and I think he’s a good man. He’s as passionate for this country as I am. I voted for him, and sent him some money when money was tight, but if he doesn’t get the job done, I won’t do so again. President? If he shows the talent- heck yes!
By the way, Senator Rubio will be the keynote speaker at the tea party rally at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Fl. on April 15th–ya’ll come on out
-burger
You know Myra, I kind of like you. You have a lot of good thoughts, but the way I see it, they are like pearls locked in steal; you just can’t turn them into a necklace.
Personally, I don’t care if Rubio is 23 or 39. His age isn’t the problem. The problem is that the country is on the precipice of destruction. If the community organizer in chief wins in 2012, pack it up. You and your family will become permanent members of the serfdom, so Marco’s age won’t be any more relevant than those pearls locked in steal.
If Rubio is the one who can win in 2012, we need him. It’s just that simple.
I don’t think he is quite there, both because he doesn’t seem to personally feel ready and also because the country probably will be reluctant to go to him so soon, but as the VP candidate, we would get most of the benefit without the potential downsides.
But also, March 2012 is a long long ways away, and the landscape will look a lot different in a year. Every conservative should hope that Marco continues to grow as a leader and begins speaking out more and more because nobody has a more compelling message than he does. It may turn out that there just isn’t a viable option in a year, and he might be someone we have to turn to. Don’t discount him. He would be 2 years younger than John Kennedy was at the same stage.
Good article but you failed to mention GORE-BOT as a GEAR member. Rubio, now there is a man I could get behind, either as VP or Pres. Will the Press, those miserable dogs that they are, try to take a hispanic apart? Of course they will, can he continue to stand tall? We will have to wait for that answer.
Forgot to mention. Ever notice how Parties put out a canidate they feel will lose against a STRONG sitting president? Clinton against Bush1, Dole against Clinton. It’s a way the Parties try to weed out someone that they really don’t want to run in four years, sort of just trying to get them off the page. This was a suprise to all that Clinton got through. They ran Kerry knowing how unpalettable he was and wanted him out of the way before 2008 when they could run Hildabeast. Didn’t work out well but that was their thinking. 2008 the Party was just having fun introducing Obama to the public so when Hildabeast wins, Obama would be in the running for 2016. All Parties think that far ahead and farther. The Republic Party, if it feels it can’t beat Obama, will throw someone out there to run who they want to get out of their way. Probably a strong Conservative! Remember they didn’t like Ronnie or his wife, even with country suffering under Carter, they felt is would be hard to unseat him. Good time to run someone the Party wants out of the way. Ronnie took the seat anyway and RINO had to live with him for eight years. RINO (who should be referred to as The Elite) still hold power and they don’t wish to be ruled by a Conservative.
Rubio has ethics problems. Not the Party credit card use (who cares?), but when somebody receives a fake, extremely part-time/full-plus-pay set-aside job from an institution they steer money to, they have betrayed everything related to conservative values.
Everything.
Rubio’s school “job” (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/07/rubio-to-get-69.html), “Visiting Distinguished Service Professor” at one class per, co-teaching even, for 69K, like the positions scammed by his close associates Ray Sansom (on trial) and Mike Haridopolos (oughta be), was invented for him, never advertised, and didn’t involve much beyond a fancy title and a paycheck way outside what real college instructors get for doing real work. Like, Michelle Obama. It was a bribe, complete with a money-laundering component (undisclosed donations paid the part not paid with my taxess). He should be sitting in a courtroom explaining himself instead of being groomed for higher office by people obsessed with identity politics, which is all this “GEAR” stuff is.
Why is it acceptable for conservatives to carry on about their own “clean, articulate” minority candidates? Is the fact that Rubio distanced himself from the Tea Party who elected him (a process that began the moment he landed in Washington) the real reason RINOs are so excited about his prospects? What part of his story, in fact, isn’t identical to the Obamas, who scammed similar fake jobs, talked out of both sides of their mouth to true believers, rose on identity alone, and benefitted from a fawning, incurious press?
The questions shouldn’t be whether Rubio runs now or later on his “clean articulate” identity. The question should be this: why are Republicans talking about this GEAR stuff in violation of the colorblind principles they claim to represent?
For those who want leadership not beholden to the increasingly embarrassing Tallahassee Machine (sorry Cableguy, but Rubio is that machine), Florida has someone really exciting to offer: Congressman Allen West, who succeeded on his merits, without puffery among the identity mongers.
I agree w/you on Rubio, disagree on Haridopoulos and mildly so on West.
West has a good rallying speech (just like the fraud in the WH now), but has no executive experience (just like the fraud), and been a Rep. for just a few months (even less than the fraud). He’s pushed for only one reason: he’s black, and this conservatives somehow think that it proves to leftists that the Tea Party isn’t raaaaacist. Bunk.
I like Alan West a lot, but he is incendiary, and being Black won’t bring him a single vote…they already know he isn’t going to redistribute squat. In time, Colonel West will become someone who learns how to stick to his principles while offending the least amount of people. He could be the second African American president, but not in 2012.
I know this irritates a lot of people, but we need candidates who can persuade the people who aren’t as passionate as PJM readers.
If we make 2012 about conservatave purity (which only has about 150M variations), then we lose. If we lose in 2012, it’s all over.
I read a long time ago that if you have 5 firm requirements to hire a person, you have eliminated the world. That’s true about candidates as well. Every candidate in the field is infinitely better than Obama. Let’s find the two with the best chance to win, not the two that fit unachievable criteria.
Marco Rubio is no Dan Quayle!
Trump/West in 2012!
Forget what you might feel personally about Donald Trump. Remember that it will take a larger-than-life figure with charisma to spare to defeat Obama. To my mind, Trump isn’t the ideal candidate, but he’s the only Republican I can envision winning. Obama is far too likely to defeat everybody else being considered. And I suspect most folks here would prefer Trump to Obama, even if you have your hearts set on someone else.
Politics is the art of the possible. Support a candidate who actually has a chance of winning. It makes no sense to support candidates who lack the widespread appeal necessary to earn enough votes.
Don’t underestimate the wouldn’t-it-be-a-hoot-to-have-Trump-as-President factor. I hope he runs. If nothing else, it’ll be the most entertaining election in history.
If the world’s going down the drain, we might as well have some laughs.
Give a gift to the late-night comics. Trump/West in 2012! Spread the word!
Yeah, that should work out just about as well as Mr. Hand Drawn Pie Chart himself, Ross Perot.
Where in the world do people get the idea that America will elect someone as President just because he has done well in business??? Where is the evidence to support this idea?
I’m not saying it would not be a good idea. I’m just pointing out that it’s never worked yet, and it’s been tried many times.
Reality IS, like it or not.
That wasn’t too thoughtful of you, Mark.
“just because he has done well in business???”
Who said it was just for that reason? Trump is hugely CHARISMATIC, not just a business expert. He’s also an extremely well-known public figure. People are familiar with him and his opinions (he’s not shy about expressing them). He’s a known quantity. He has a huge following. Several years after voting in the highly UNKNOWN quantity named Obama, followed by buyer’s remorse, the public might appreciate Trump’s familiarity, charm, business acumen, and political positions. He’s an expert in finance and management (and dealing with China) at a time when one is desperately needed. Besides, he’d attract a lot of votes, just for the sheer novelty of it.
As for Ross Perot, you’re forgetting that he ran as an independent. Trump is a Republican and would run as one. If he got the Republican nomination, there would be absolutely no comparison to Ross Perot. He would be THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE to Obama, and the only one with enough charisma to defeat him. (Palin’s charismatic too, but too polarizing. I like Huckabee as well, but too many people will view him as representing “the Christian Right”.)
“where is the evidence to support this idea?”
Where was the evidence before 2008 that a black man could be President, especially one who spent 20 years in the church of a rabble-rousing, anti-white, antisemitic demagogue? There’s a first time for everything.
Politics isn’t an exact science. “Evidence” is not a relevant demand, or an astute one.
He should run because the current field of rep candidates is as exciting as a bottle of Pepto Bismol. Go to you tube and listen to Rubio. He is smart,attractive,succinct and a real conservative.
This is an interesting article coming from a McCain campaign person. McCain, and his team ran one of the worst campaigns in recent history. McCain was one of the worst nominees in recent history, which ushered in Obama. Now you come back with advice on another candidate? Probably not. By McCain standards, it’s the next one in line who gets the nod. For McCain, that would be Pawlenty. Uggggh.
I love how you GEAR up with a cute acronym, then wave aside obvious exceptions to it (tsk, tsk, Hillary doesn’t count). The pundits who crucify Republican candidates based on your “GEAR” concept are only doing so as cover for their true objection, the little ‘r’ after the Republican candidate’s name.
Nice try, but John McCain proved that ANY Republican candidate could pull 46% of the vote. I don’t think you have to have a Reagan-level candidate to mount a real challenge. And if you want to find out how little your GEAR issue truly matters, just let young, ethnic, inexperienced Marco Rubio get in a TV debate with the “greatest president ever”.
(Oh, and to the silly “Tallahassee Machine” objection above, how much did the ‘Chicago Machine’ issue hurt the president, hmm?)
Once you get into the GEAR category, it’s all form over substance anyway.
I’m a Rubio fan and also hope he waits. He seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders and has seen the results of the inexperienced being in power. Of course Vice-Presidents generally don’t have much to do that can get them in trouble, unless of course you have a President with no experience who has a vice-president who’s prone to engage his mouth, before he engages his brain.
I want a Cain/Bachmann ticket.
“Is the Republican Party so devoid of leadership that a newbie senator with no previous national or gubernatorial experience would even be considered presidential or VP material after only four months in Washington?”
Yes
I don’t believe he is elgible to run for president or vice president as he is not a natural born citizen. His parents were Cuban exiles and not US citizens when he was born. He is a native born citizen but the Constitution states the Pres must be a natural citizen, born of parents who are citizens. It is the reason the Obama is not legal either but no one is concerned with this like the should be.
PatK, you are one of the very few on here that has any knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, as it relates to POTUS eligibility. I’m shocked at how many people do not read up on the Constitution, and do not know that Rubio is not eligible due to NOT being a natural born citizen and due to being born to two NON-U.S. citizens. As an “anchor baby”, he’s not eligible to be POTUS or VP, but is eligible to hold other political offices, such as his current one. BTW, I think he’s great, so it’s unfortunate that he’s not eligible for POTUS.
I find it somewhat troublesome that the populace is searching for a strong father figure to pull us up out of this mess. Noticed a few websites and t-shirts actually suggesting “Vladimir Putin” for US President. Understand these are probably parodies, but many truths spoken in jest.
http://www.wewantputin.com, http://www.wewantvlad.com etc. Actually pretty funny.
James St.Michael