Elections GOP Road to 2016 Primary Thread

[GearSolidMetal]

Above that, I mentioned Cruz's education. He pretty much has Obama's background before he became president but he's a hardline conservative. I don't think that wins him the candidacy. He will cause problems in the debates but that won't win him over with voters. The biggest problem Cruz has is he isn't liked among Conservatives. There is a strong split with those who agree with the way he conducts himself.

What is interesting with Cruz is he landed 40% Hispanic vote for his Senate seat. That's unheard of for a Republican. He talks about getting the Reagan collation back with conservatives, evangelicals, libertarians, Reagan democrats, AND Hispanics. I think that is a large group to attempt to appeal to and other candidates are doing it better than him.

Whut? He isn't liked among conservatives? He's conservative to the core and to a fault (depending on your stance of his stance on principles and against negotiating). Only reason that can be made he isn't 'liked' is his poll numbers, which now are purely based off of name recognition. Only a small percentage of people pay close attention to politics, and even lower of those that watch Fox News and listen to talk radio. The fact that Cruz is 5th of all the possible nominees, before any debates, is actually a very positive sign.

That is an interesting fact about his Senate run that I didn't previously know about. Thanks for sharing.

Most of the aspects you listed are very up-in-the-air right now, but will start to be established when the debates begin. I'd say Rubio has the edge over Cruz on the hispanic vote, but I'd bet Rubio political funding will be small as compared to others because Jeb Bush, from the same state, is also obviously running. If Rubio drops out, assume the majority of latino voters to jump ship to Cruz.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Not to digress but he(assuming you meant James) is married to Mary Matalin, a GOP insider who worked in Reagan and W. Bush Administration. On W.s campaign as well. I can't believe you can be married to somebody completely opposite of your views politically and who works against your political interests. I think Carville is just playing the game so no matter who is in the WH Carville/Matalin get invited to all the right parties.

Matalin will probably be brought onto the Jeb Bush campaign eventually.

Whoops, you're right, I meant James.

And he was one of Bill and Hillary's insiders, within their famous 'Warroom,' while married to his Republican wife. He's never been suspected of 'leaking' any information of what went on. He's loyal and credible.

Carville is actually well respected on both sides of the political isle, but he bleeds blue. No question about that. I'd say his quotes about Cruz were more to warn his political buddies that this guy is someone you're going to be gunning for.

 

[AlabamaFan]

Me being a Conservative, I am really hoping for Cruz, Rubio, or Carson to win. I know Carson isn't the most Conservative but every time I've heard him speak he puts forth great ideas

 

[Lead]

If we

 

[Lead]

Me being a Conservative, I am really hoping for Cruz, Rubio, or Carson to win. I know Carson isn't the most Conservative but every time I've heard him speak he puts forth great ideas

Kinda weird you put Rubio in that mix of three names. Carson is going to try to win the same group Cruz is so I can see why you like those two.

May I ask what you like and don't like about Rubio?

 

[AlabamaFan]

Kinda weird you put Rubio in that mix of three names. Carson is going to try to win the same group Cruz is so I can see why you like those two.

May I ask what you like and don't like about Rubio?

I don't follow politics as often as some people but honestly if Republicans want to win the presidency in the bear future, barring some major change, we can't have stuffy old white guys being the face of the party. That's the truth even if it may set off some people. We have a much better winning an election with a Hispanic or black man over a white man. Now I'm not saying a white man can't win because that's false but for a republican white guy to win he would have to be one of the most charismatic leaders in American history. Democrats can win easily with a white candidate because they will get 80% of the minority vote and the GOP won't get that much unless we run a minority candidate like Rubio, Cruz, or Carson

 

[Lead]

I don't follow politics as often as some people but honestly if Republicans want to win the presidency in the bear future, barring some major change, we can't have stuffy old white guys being the face of the party. That's the truth even if it may set off some people. We have a much better winning an election with a Hispanic or black man over a white man. Now I'm not saying a white man can't win because that's false but for a republican white guy to win he would have to be one of the most charismatic leaders in American history. Democrats can win easily with a white candidate because they will get 80% of the minority vote and the GOP won't get that much unless we run a minority candidate like Rubio, Cruz, or Carson

So you picked entirely off of race? I really don't believe the Carson would bring in the black vote to be honest. His fame is from demonizing the first black president which black voters turned out in high volume to elect and reelect him. It wouldn't make sense for them to change party and stance with the previous guy they voted for.

I agree with you that Hispanics are important this election and will continue to farther down the line. With that however, you need to understand Cruz and Rubio are Cuban-Hispanic and not Mexican-Hispanic. This doesn't always translate to votes but wouldn't hurt.

The most important thing the GOP needs to do is run on immigration reform. If they can win the Presidency and pass a immigration bill with them controlling Congress and the White House, I think that will go a long way to appealing to a new voter block.

 

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Can SXSW Make Policy Cool?

With the dust from the corporate Mardi Gras settling on the streets of Austin, it

 

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Marco Rubio Plans to Announce Presidential Campaign April 13, Sources Confirm

Senator Marco Rubio plans to announce his campaign for president on April 13 in Miami, two Republican sources confirmed to Bloomberg on Saturday.

That could make Rubio the third Republican senator to enter his party's presidential nomination contest, which is shaping up to be one of the most wide-open races of recent election cycles. Ted Cruz of Texas last week became the first formally declared candidate, and Rand Paul of Kentucky is expected to announce his plans April 7 in Louisville.

Rubio, 43, is also expected to compete with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who is in the midst of a fundraising blitz that could collect $100 million in the first three months of the year. Bush said this month that he might not formally announce his own campaign until the summer.

Marco Rubio looks to April 13 Miami launch

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is strongly considering launching his presidential campaign April 13 at the Freedom Tower, a historic Miami landmark known as the “Ellis Island of the South,” according to Republicans familiar with his thinking.
From its name to its history – it once served as a U.S. clearinghouse for Cuban exiles fleeing Fidel Castro – Miami’s Mediterranean-style Freedom Tower underscores the themes of Rubio’s political career and his likely campaign. He’s a first-generation son of immigrants who has sought to make the American Dream synonymous with his biography.
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Rubio’s possible April 13 launch date was first reported by The Tampa Bay Times. However, the Miami Heat plays against the Orlando Magic that evening at the American Airlines Arena, which sits right across Biscayne Boulevard — raising the prospect of a traffic nightmare. And the Freedom Tower hasn’t yet been secured by Rubio’s Washington-based team, which will inspect it this week to see if it’s the right venue.

Marco Rubio Has Made This Bet Before—and Won

Are Americans willing to elect another fresh-faced, first-term senator as president? Marco Rubio thinks so.

The Florida Republican is planning to announce on April 13 that he is running for president, Bloomberg and the Tampa Bay Times report. Rubio has reserved the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, and multiple sources confirmed the booking is for a planned presidential announcement.

For Rubio, whose Senate seat is up in 2016, a White House run marks a major gamble. It means foregoing a run for Senate reelection to enter a crowded primary race where he—despite enormous political talent and unrivaled rhetorical abilities—has consistently polled in single digits in both national and early-state surveys.

 

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Rand Ditches Federalism for Fundamentalism on Gay Marriage

At a prayer breakfast in Washington, D.C. on Thursday morning, Rand Paul practiced pandering. The senator from Kentucky will announce that he is running for president in less than two weeks, and it seems the pressure to be all things to all people is resulting in the breakdown of his political brand, with the latest example being his newly articulated position on marriage.

He conceded to the evangelical crowd, which included Dr. Jerry Johnson, CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters, that there is a "moral crisis in our country" and more specifically, "a moral crisis that allows people to think that there would be some sort of other marriage" in addition to heterosexual, or "traditional," marriage.

Rand Paul and the 'Moral Crisis' of Gay Marriage: A Timeline

On Thursday morning, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul spoke at a prayer breakfast inside the Capitol Hill Club, right between the House offices and the Republican National Committee. The Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody had exclusive access to the meeting, and had a camera right on Paul as he urged ministers and activist to battle the "moral crisis" that has led to mass acceptance of gay marriage.

“Don’t always look to Washington to solve anything," said Paul. "In fact, the moral crisis we have in our country, there is a role for us trying to figure out things like marriage, there’s also a moral crisis that allows people to think that there would be some sort of other marriage. And so, really there's a role outside and inside government but the exhortation to sort of change people's thoughts has to come through the countryside, from outside of Washington."

 

[Anung Un Rama]

Rand inherited none of his father's integrity.
Agree with Ron or not, the man did not blow with the wind.
Rand is great at making a big statement to draw attention and then scaling it back by more than half when nobody is paying attention.

 

[Makani]

Yeah, Ron said some stupid things sometimes, but Rand is much more devious politically. I am not a big fan of the ubiquity of technology, but it is fun that you can't say whatever you want in some prayer breakfast in Tumbleweed, Idaho without people hearing about it.

I find the Walker poll number interesting in that a lot of people haven't heard of him or don't have any strong feelings against him. That plays to his strengths, in that the less people know about him the better. I hope he skates through the primaries and then gets hammered in the GE. He might win some votes from dullards with his "defeated the unions" malarky, but we'll see how that carries him. I grow more and more sure he will be the nominee with each passing day.

 

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Ted Cruz doubles fundraising goals in first week as official 2016 candidate

In his first week as a presidential candidate, Ted Cruz raked in $2 million, doubling his team

 

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Poll: Jeb Bush Still Tops List of GOP Candidates, But Ted Cruz Is Rising Fast

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the only GOP hopeful to formally announced his candidacy thus far, has shot up in the rankings in a new CBS News poll. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said that they would consider voting for Cruz in March, up 14 points from when the same question was asked a month ago.

On the down slope, just 26 percent said they would vote for Ben Carson in March's poll, down eight points from when 34 percent surveyed said they would in February.

Cruz polls go up, Carson's polls go down. Not a surprise.

 

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The crushing defeat that shaped Scott Walker

As he introduces himself to GOP primary voters nationwide, Scott Walker points to his long list of election wins in the swing state of Wisconsin — 11, to be exact.
Yet it’s a single defeat, Republicans back home say, that reveals the most about his political character.
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He doesn’t talk about the race on the campaign trail. But the hard-earned lessons from his failed, slapdash run for governor in 2006 have shaped Walker’s career since, putting him on a trajectory that has led him to become one of the early front-runners for the 2016 GOP nomination.

 

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The talk show primary

Glenn Beck wants listeners to pray for him. Mark Levin says Fox News is out to get him. Hugh Hewitt calls him an

 

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Some of the most powerful people on the religious right say they might just support Jeb Bush

Conservative Christian leaders are pushing back against the notion the Republican Party's religious right is mobilizing against former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R).

The New York Times reported Thursday that conservatives were "unhappy" with Bush and were on the hunt to "unite behind an alternative." The paper cited three Christian leaders in the conservative Christian movement, including Family Research Council head Tony Perkins, activist David Lane, and Gary Bauer, a former Reagan official who once led the Family Research Council himself.

 

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Rand Paul

 

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Jeb Bush missed red flags in Florida business scandal

There were plenty of red flags surrounding the company Jeb Bush was planning to join: lawsuits, bad headlines, even previously convicted drug dealers in top positions.

But somehow Bush seemed to miss them all in 2007 as he prepared to join InnoVida as a $15,000-a month-consultant -- a position that would lead to board membership and stock options.

Just months out of the Florida governor's mansion, the consulting gig with InnoVida would help Bush replenish his bank account after eight years in public service. It was also a chance for him to lend the credibility that comes with being the son of a former president and the brother of a sitting one to a home state start-up making what promised to be a revolutionary new building material.

Saw this on American Greed last night. This guy scammed so many rich people before finally getting caught. That show amazes me with how many politicians end up meeting these people. The guy in the same episode also hosted an Obama fundraiser. Another episode showed a guy hosting a McCain one. One episode covered the corrupt mayor from Detroit who got to speak at the Democratic National Convention.

 

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Steal Assault: The GOP's plan to delete gay marriage from the party's 2016 platform

Late last summer, with midterms consuming the attention of the political class, a group of GOP activists spent two days in Des Moines trying to convince their fellow Republicans that change was coming to their party. With eyes on 2016, they attended the Iowa State Fair, talked with newspaper editorial boards, and even ventured onto conservative talk radio. To cap it off, on the last evening, supporters gathered at 801 Chophouse, the upscale watering hole of the city's political elite, as if to announce their movement had gone mainstream. That it couldn't be dismissed as fringe any longer.

Their issue, in a state where evangelical Christians remain the heart of the GOP base, was support for same-sex marriage.