The Republican Party is trying to overwhelm the American public by presenting numerous candidates for their presidential nomination. The number is now in the mid-teens and seems to climb higher every day. Soon there may be more candidates than primary voters. The aspirants for the position include senators, ex-senators, governors, ex-governors, doctors, businessmen and a businesswoman. But one has to wonder about the credentials, qualifications, and motivations of some of these candidates.
What plans do they have for the country that separates them from their fellow candidates? Do they actually think they have a reasonable chance to win the nomination? And can you imagine what the debates will be like when they each have three seconds to tout their abilities and explain their positions on different issues?
However, we do know a few stances upon which all the candidates agree. They all detest Obama and the job he’s done, and hate Obamacare which they will all try to repeal. And they all vie to be the most conservative entrant in the race, knowing that the primaries will be decided by conservative party activists. Of course, the winning nominee will show centrist leanings in the general election campaign, when moderation becomes more important.
What credentials does the pediatric neuro-surgeon Ben Carson have to be president? Does operating on brains make him knowledgeable about domestic and foreign policy and a good administrator? Does he know how to deal with a legislature? I guess he can stop hemorrhaging in his patients on the operating table. But he’s delusional in running for president.
Carly Fiorina headed Hewlett-Packard for six years and did a terrible job, with the stock price of the company nosediving during her reign. Then she lost a race for the senate from California in 2010. Now she’s going for the presidency? Am I missing something here?
Rick Santorum decisively lost his last race for the senate from Pennsylvania in 2006 and the 2012 Republican presidential primary. He was called one of the three most corrupt senators in Congress and pushed an amendment promoting intelligent design, though he certainly wasn’t designed intelligently. Now he’s back in action again. Does he really think he has a chance?
Mike Huckabee was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, then tried for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008 and was defeated. Now he’s returned for another run for the roses. Since his governorship, he’s been a television commentator on Fox. At one time, he lost a hell of a lot of weight (but has gained much of it back). He’s got to be kidding about running for president, though as an ordained Southern Baptist minister he does have God on his side. (Maybe he can give Christie some ideas about losing weight.)
Donald Trump is the biggest windbag and self-promoter on television and a successful businessman by his own reckoning. He has zero political experience but can be expected to make the most noise at the debates. Maybe he can give advice on toupees. But he isn’t going to win. Is his ego so immense he can’t see that?
Ted Cruz has been in the Senate from Texas for two years and can be called the “great non-compromiser.” He’s engendered hostility from many Republicans as well as Democrats and has as much chance of winning as an iceberg in hell. But he’s a Texan, so his reality is distorted.
Rick Perry had been governor of Texas forever and ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 when he made a fool of himself. Now he’s back for another try. Should be entertaining. Already didn’t know the difference between ‘incident’ and ‘accident’ in a statement he made. Better off not making statements or opening his mouth.
George Pataki was governor of New York from 1995 to 2005. He’s been out of politics for ten years and comes back with a presidential run having no name recognition and little financing? He’s been active in environmental issues, but sorry, it just doesn’t figure.
Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, always wanted to be president. But what’s he doing in the race now when so few Republican voters and Americans know anything about him. He must be hallucinating.
I didn’t mention Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, or Rand Paul because they seem like legitimate candidates. But we’re not through yet with the other contestants.
Governor Christie of New Jersey has just entered the race even though his public approval ratings in Joisy have been plummeting and the “bridge gate” scandal remains to be resolved. His reality testing must be impaired.
And we’ve got Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin who’s done a job on those nasty unions in his state. He said that he gets his advice directly from God. Maybe that’s the kind of president we need.
Governor Kasich of Ohio is apparently also dipping a toe in the water and there may be a few more coming in. Why not?
Given the previous histories of some of the Republican candidates, one has to wonder if they’re cognitively impaired in making a bid for president. After losing previous races for lower offices, they try for the presidency? Or they’re in medicine, or failed in the business world, or were a television celebrity? No starting at the bottom in politics for them. Is this the Republican way?
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
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Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020