Addendum to Sanders Land, Clinton Castle:
the republican field.
The Republican field for U.S. President is, by any measure, a hapless lot. The three remaining contenders out of the original field of 16 is comprised of three men who have nary a clue regarding effective governance:
• John Kasich:
Though arguably the most civil and experienced of the three, he cannot manage to get out of the single digits in the polls and has won just one state, that of Ohio, of which he is governor. Perhaps this speaks less to his effectiveness than to the short-sighted and myopic views of the average Republican primary voter, or to the steamrolling if inexplicable support for Donald Trump. Regardless, his chance of garnering the nomination rests solely on his acceptability to delegates at a wide-open convention, but it is just as likely that a brokered convention will instead pull in a dark horse candidate such as Mitt Romney or someone more obscure and even more milktoast. As for the general election, John Kasich's views are too conservative for the larger electorate and he is less charismatic or inspiring than either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
• Ted Cruz:
Widely disliked by even his own party, infamous for the contempt he demonstrates for almost everyone in the country and for the contempt in which he is held by most Republican congressional representatives and senators, and roundly criticized for his wildly right-wing policies, any success in pulling off the Republican nomination will be all but neutralized in the general election by a public that will prefer either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
• Donald Trump:
A bona-fide clown who is nothing more than a tinpot dictator putting on a grand if disgusting vaudeville show. Entertaining to some, he lacks any coherent policies, favoring instead a shock and awe shtick that strikes a chord with a strong but very narrow range of voters. In the general election he would be roundly trounced by either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
• A "Dark Horse" candidate:
One not yet revealed stands perhaps the best chance of obtaining the Republican nomination in an open convention. Yet the party has consistently exhibited a stubborn inability to change course in the face of impending doom and is unlikely to take this risk. Even if it does, it is hard to imagine any Republican who could muster the popularity this late in the election process to defeat Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. Yes, anything is possible. But the most probable outcome is continued inability of the Republican Party to coalesce behind a truly capable and electable member who can outshine either Democrat.
Return to Sanders Land, Clinton Castle.
• John Kasich:
Though arguably the most civil and experienced of the three, he cannot manage to get out of the single digits in the polls and has won just one state, that of Ohio, of which he is governor. Perhaps this speaks less to his effectiveness than to the short-sighted and myopic views of the average Republican primary voter, or to the steamrolling if inexplicable support for Donald Trump. Regardless, his chance of garnering the nomination rests solely on his acceptability to delegates at a wide-open convention, but it is just as likely that a brokered convention will instead pull in a dark horse candidate such as Mitt Romney or someone more obscure and even more milktoast. As for the general election, John Kasich's views are too conservative for the larger electorate and he is less charismatic or inspiring than either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
• Ted Cruz:
Widely disliked by even his own party, infamous for the contempt he demonstrates for almost everyone in the country and for the contempt in which he is held by most Republican congressional representatives and senators, and roundly criticized for his wildly right-wing policies, any success in pulling off the Republican nomination will be all but neutralized in the general election by a public that will prefer either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
• Donald Trump:
A bona-fide clown who is nothing more than a tinpot dictator putting on a grand if disgusting vaudeville show. Entertaining to some, he lacks any coherent policies, favoring instead a shock and awe shtick that strikes a chord with a strong but very narrow range of voters. In the general election he would be roundly trounced by either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
• A "Dark Horse" candidate:
One not yet revealed stands perhaps the best chance of obtaining the Republican nomination in an open convention. Yet the party has consistently exhibited a stubborn inability to change course in the face of impending doom and is unlikely to take this risk. Even if it does, it is hard to imagine any Republican who could muster the popularity this late in the election process to defeat Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. Yes, anything is possible. But the most probable outcome is continued inability of the Republican Party to coalesce behind a truly capable and electable member who can outshine either Democrat.
Return to Sanders Land, Clinton Castle.