Rex Huppke of the Chicago Tribune is awesome.
His editorials/commentaries are seriously, seriously funny. For me, they are pretty much always a guaranteed laugh. (Much like Dave Barry of the Miami Herald)
See links to both Rex's and Dave's websites below.
What Rex wrote this week (released today) is an absolute riot. Take a read.....
The GOP's Unlikely Key to the White House
Rex Huppke
Chicago Tribune
In case you haven't been paying attention, the field of Republican presidential candidates is growing so quickly it will soon be able to occupy an actual field.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced his candidacy Tuesday, bringing the total number of hopefuls to … well, let's it put it this way: If this many Republicans had voted for Mitt Romney, he might have won.
OK, I exaggerate. There are 14 declared GOP candidates, but that's still an absurdly high number. And more are likely coming, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and possibly a 1974 Evinrude outboard motor with a faded Confederate flag sticker. (The outboard is polling well despite its failed senatorial campaign in Georgia — #1974Evinrude2016.)
Unlike past elections, this group isn't just one front-runner surrounded by a bunch of goofballs. (That's the Democrats.) The current Real Clear Politics polling average shows Jeb Bush, Walker, Sen. Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson and Sen. Rand Paul all running in the 8 percent to 15 percent range.
The others aren't all that far behind. Simply put, it's an exciting time to be a Republican politician with visions of grandeur. I'd guess that before it's over we'll see 2016 candidates who haven't even been born yet, future conservatives using time machines to travel back and take part in this GOP — Giant Oversized Primary. (I'm trademarking that, don't even think about stealing it.)
On U.S. News' political opinion blog, Middlebury College presidency scholar Matt Dickinson recently wrote that the GOP field — which was a mere 12 people when Dickinson's piece was posted — "is unprecedented in modern campaign politics."
Starting with the 1976 presidential campaign — "generally considered the start of the modern presidential nomination era" — Dickinson found that the previous high number of Republican primary candidates was 11 in 2000 and 2012. When no GOP incumbent is running for re-election, he found that "the Republican field averages a shade over 9 candidates."
On the Democratic side, you have Hillary Clinton as a clear front-runner. Her only quasi-serious competition is Sen. Bernie Sanders, who looks bonkers but actually makes more sense than most people, a quality that renders him wholly unelectable. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is also in the race, along with former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who I'm not convinced actually exists. (I don't believe there's a place called "Rhode Island" either.)
If the presidency were decided by how many people each party puts on the campaign trail, the Republicans would win in a landslide, but our election process isn't nearly that fun. So GOP voters are stuck watching this growing gaggle of primary candidates spend months tearing each other to shreds until one is left standing.
At this point, it's difficult to see which candidate voters might unite behind, and a lack of unity or excitement on the Republican side could give Clinton an easy path to the White House.
That's why the Republican Party needs to seriously consider the one presidential candidate who can take them to the promised land: Barack Obama.
Yes, I realize Republicans can't stand the current president, but you know who they REALLY can't stand? Hillary Clinton. There are Republican politicians who were raised on a steady feed of anti-Clinton vitriol. If Obama is a villain in the eyes of conservative voters, Hillary Clinton is Voldemort wearing a Darth Vader mask and the Wicked Witch of the West's hat.
There's nothing Republicans want more than to deny Clinton the presidency. And you know who has a track record of doing that? Barack Obama.
Granted, he is, technically, a Democrat and not allowed to serve a third presidential term. But lately the guy seems like he's finally getting the hang of being president, so I'm sure the last thing he wants to do now is leave. He could just switch parties and say he has "evolved on the issue of being a Republican."
The third term thing is an easy fix. Repeal the 22nd Amendment — you should get bi-partisan support, since a lot of Democrats would secretly prefer third-term Republican Obama over Clinton — and off you go.
Conservative pundits often criticized Obama's lack of leadership qualifications and mocked him for being merely "a community organizer," but now they could embrace Republican candidate Obama for having extensive presidential experience. And since he would presumably continue to be black, he would help make the GOP seem more diverse.
It's really a win-win for Republicans and Obama. The president gets to serve another term and stick it to the Clintons a second time. And the Republicans get an electable candidate and halt the dreaded ascension of Hillary.
The crowded Republican field needs to be thinned out by a front-runner. At the moment, there's no potential candidate better qualified to beat Clinton than the current commander in chief.
If the GOP is to have any hope of winning back the White House, it's going to need to change.
Hope and change.
Obama/1974Evinrude 2016!
:)
Out for now......
Matt
Link to Rex's writings: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/huppke/
Link to Dave's writings: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/
His editorials/commentaries are seriously, seriously funny. For me, they are pretty much always a guaranteed laugh. (Much like Dave Barry of the Miami Herald)
See links to both Rex's and Dave's websites below.
What Rex wrote this week (released today) is an absolute riot. Take a read.....
The GOP's Unlikely Key to the White House
Rex Huppke
Chicago Tribune
In case you haven't been paying attention, the field of Republican presidential candidates is growing so quickly it will soon be able to occupy an actual field.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced his candidacy Tuesday, bringing the total number of hopefuls to … well, let's it put it this way: If this many Republicans had voted for Mitt Romney, he might have won.
OK, I exaggerate. There are 14 declared GOP candidates, but that's still an absurdly high number. And more are likely coming, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and possibly a 1974 Evinrude outboard motor with a faded Confederate flag sticker. (The outboard is polling well despite its failed senatorial campaign in Georgia — #1974Evinrude2016.)
Unlike past elections, this group isn't just one front-runner surrounded by a bunch of goofballs. (That's the Democrats.) The current Real Clear Politics polling average shows Jeb Bush, Walker, Sen. Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson and Sen. Rand Paul all running in the 8 percent to 15 percent range.
The others aren't all that far behind. Simply put, it's an exciting time to be a Republican politician with visions of grandeur. I'd guess that before it's over we'll see 2016 candidates who haven't even been born yet, future conservatives using time machines to travel back and take part in this GOP — Giant Oversized Primary. (I'm trademarking that, don't even think about stealing it.)
On U.S. News' political opinion blog, Middlebury College presidency scholar Matt Dickinson recently wrote that the GOP field — which was a mere 12 people when Dickinson's piece was posted — "is unprecedented in modern campaign politics."
Starting with the 1976 presidential campaign — "generally considered the start of the modern presidential nomination era" — Dickinson found that the previous high number of Republican primary candidates was 11 in 2000 and 2012. When no GOP incumbent is running for re-election, he found that "the Republican field averages a shade over 9 candidates."
On the Democratic side, you have Hillary Clinton as a clear front-runner. Her only quasi-serious competition is Sen. Bernie Sanders, who looks bonkers but actually makes more sense than most people, a quality that renders him wholly unelectable. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is also in the race, along with former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who I'm not convinced actually exists. (I don't believe there's a place called "Rhode Island" either.)
If the presidency were decided by how many people each party puts on the campaign trail, the Republicans would win in a landslide, but our election process isn't nearly that fun. So GOP voters are stuck watching this growing gaggle of primary candidates spend months tearing each other to shreds until one is left standing.
At this point, it's difficult to see which candidate voters might unite behind, and a lack of unity or excitement on the Republican side could give Clinton an easy path to the White House.
That's why the Republican Party needs to seriously consider the one presidential candidate who can take them to the promised land: Barack Obama.
Yes, I realize Republicans can't stand the current president, but you know who they REALLY can't stand? Hillary Clinton. There are Republican politicians who were raised on a steady feed of anti-Clinton vitriol. If Obama is a villain in the eyes of conservative voters, Hillary Clinton is Voldemort wearing a Darth Vader mask and the Wicked Witch of the West's hat.
There's nothing Republicans want more than to deny Clinton the presidency. And you know who has a track record of doing that? Barack Obama.
Granted, he is, technically, a Democrat and not allowed to serve a third presidential term. But lately the guy seems like he's finally getting the hang of being president, so I'm sure the last thing he wants to do now is leave. He could just switch parties and say he has "evolved on the issue of being a Republican."
The third term thing is an easy fix. Repeal the 22nd Amendment — you should get bi-partisan support, since a lot of Democrats would secretly prefer third-term Republican Obama over Clinton — and off you go.
Conservative pundits often criticized Obama's lack of leadership qualifications and mocked him for being merely "a community organizer," but now they could embrace Republican candidate Obama for having extensive presidential experience. And since he would presumably continue to be black, he would help make the GOP seem more diverse.
It's really a win-win for Republicans and Obama. The president gets to serve another term and stick it to the Clintons a second time. And the Republicans get an electable candidate and halt the dreaded ascension of Hillary.
The crowded Republican field needs to be thinned out by a front-runner. At the moment, there's no potential candidate better qualified to beat Clinton than the current commander in chief.
If the GOP is to have any hope of winning back the White House, it's going to need to change.
Hope and change.
Obama/1974Evinrude 2016!
:)
Out for now......
Matt
Link to Rex's writings: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/huppke/
Link to Dave's writings: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/