No matter how hard we try to change them, some things in life reek of inevitability. When you and your friends can't think of anything to do, you're going to end up sitting around getting drunk.
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When you can't decide what you want to eat, you're going to order the chicken. After auditioning everyone else on the planet, the Cowboys will go with Tony Romo again. And no matter how hard anyone tries, Jeb Bush is going to be the Republican nominee for president at some point.
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If not 2016, then 2020. If not 2020, then 2024. If he dies soon, then it will be one of his awful children. It's as if the nomination of Jeb Bush was foretold by a goddamn prophecy; absolutely nothing can be done to stop it.
Anointing a "Candidate of Inevitability" didn't work out terribly well in 2008 when we were all assured that the Democratic nomination was a mere formality on the path to coronating Hillary. Historically, though, Republican primaries tend to be much more predictable. Much as all the sound and fury in the world couldn't alter the inevitability of John McCain or Mitt Romney, the end of the brief love affair with Chris Christie has the GOP staring at a familiar set of options: they can nominate a total lunatic or they can go with an empty vessel, a rich, old white guy who sorta Looks President-ish and won't say anything completely insane into a microphone.
The push to "draft" Jeb is starting in earnest just as the gaggle of space-fillers shuffled off to Las Vegas to kiss Sheldon Adelson's ass in the hopes of being 2016's candidate who gets a blank check from the aging billionaire to stay in the race no matter how badly and often they lose. Perhaps the combined effect of seeing all of these losers in one place made the lightbulb go on for the seven-figure donors. Any hope that Christie will stop being a political liability was dashed by…Christie:
Invoking a 2012 trip he and his family took to Israel, Christie recalled in the speech: "I took a helicopter ride from the occupied territories across and just felt personally how extraordinary that was to understand, the military risk that Israel faces every day."
That's what a smart man says to curry favor with billionaire right-wing ultra-Zionists.
Whatever the reason, a handful of these people apparently have enough contact with reality to realize that there are no winning horses in this stable. And so the inevitable is on its way:
Many if not most of 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s major donors are reaching out to Bush and his confidants with phone calls, e-mails and invitations to meet, according to interviews with 30 senior Republicans. One bundler estimated that the “vast majority” of Romney’s top 100 donors would back Bush in a competitive nomination fight.
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Suddenly the only thing standing between America and eight years of Jeb Bush or, god forbid, Rand Paul is a 66 year old woman with health problems and almost equal numbers of people who like and despise her.
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There's no way this ends well.
Xynzee says:
Talk about a bleak field: Hilary v Jeb.
The frightening thing is that this makes Rand all the more appealing for the asshat class. WASF!!!
On the positive at least Paul would push to have the WoD ended on as many drugs as he could so that will at least blunt the pain.
freeportguy says:
This only proves once more that the Citizen United decision by SCOTUS was total HERESY, and that Christie is no more a leader than a puppet sitting on the knee of its ventriloquist.
As for Bush, riding on someone else's coattail has never qualified one as a leader. Still, I must give him credit for having played the uninterested guy on the sideline long enough to make himself invaluable and highly desirable to the puppeteers.
Christie can take off the knee pads now…
Ed W. says:
I read that article in the dead-tree edition of the Post. Here, take comfort in this nugget towards the end: "A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that almost half of all Americans surveyed say they “definitely would not” vote for Jeb Bush for president."
I'm happy to have the Republicans waste their time, money, and energy on Jeb Bush, but if he's the best they've got, I can't say I'm all that worried about 2016.
middle seaman says:
Don't drink and vegetarian, what am I supposed to do. Jeb never got close to even be a what if. Why now? We had presidents Bush and, deport them, Obama. A frog may be an improvement.
Don't knock 66; she is young for me. I hope the Dems can find a new young person. There is enough time. Please, though, not another Wall Street crony like in 2008.
wetcasements says:
I'm more sanguine than you, Ed. Hillary isn't going to have to go through a meat-grinder of a primary. She'll only have to spend cash and energy on the real thing.
I mean, I'm not doing victory laps or anything but I'd be willing to bet ten bucks that she'll win with pretty much the advantage that Obama did.
Jimcat says:
Anyone remember who coined the oft-quoted maxim, "Republicans tend to nominate the candidate whose turn it is"? I think I first heard it in the 90's.
Talisker says:
I remember when Giuliani was the Candidate Of Inevitability, and McCain was considered too old to win the primaries. Sometimes inevitability is just 20/20 hindsight.
If Hillary gets in (which she most likely will), she's one of the few people who would cause a *worse* Republican freakout than a black guy with the middle name Hussein. That might be entertaining but it's probably bad news for actual governing.
Sarah says:
Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. We've still got to do the midterm elections. If you don't like what the Republicans have been doing since 2010, go out and vote. You'd better believe they will be.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/374528/which-side-are-you-kevin-d-williamson
Major Kong says:
Let's hope that the Bush name is politically toxic for at least a few more years.
geoff says:
I have voted in every presidential election since 1984 (get off my lawn!), but am starting to understand why 50% of the electorate doesn't bother. Clinton vs. Bush? It's like deja vu all over again (thanks Yogi).
Pat says:
Jimcat, I don't know that quote, but I was chiming in to say the exact same thing.
Except different: The nominee in 2016 will be Rick Perry. Don't laugh.
… okay, laugh. But at them, not at me.
What do the following men have in common? Mitt Romney, John McCain, (NOT George W. Bush), Bob Dole, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, (NOT Gerald Ford, although duh), and only kinda Richard Nixon?
Yup. Like I said, Rick Perry.
Nan says:
Why has the Democratic Party done such a crap job of developing any sort of bench? Where is the next generation? I would vote for Hillary but am hoping some sort of miracle occurs between now and November 2016 to generate some excitement over someone who isn't on Medicare.
Granted, the advantage to electing a post-menopausal woman to office is you can't blame mood swings on "that time of the month," but surely somewhere in this country there's a viable candidate who doesn't qualify for senior discounts?
You may call me ageist, but I'm a geezer. I see my contemporaries being struck down by heart attacks or sliding into dementia with depressing regularity. I want someone young, healthy, and not in the age bracket for Alzheimer's in the White House.
John Danley says:
Rand Pac. Take a Stand with Rand. He's a goddamn renegade, ya know.
Where's Sam Fisher when you need him most?
Dave Dell says:
We get the government we deserve. Who said that or something close to that? de Maistre?
bb in GA says:
Things have not been going well for the establishment Rs lately, have they?
I get a sense of 'Wait a minute…' In a land of 300 + million people, can't we come up with another family not named Bush to supply a Presidential candidate?
I don't think the revival that's going on w/ GWB's standing (certainly not here!) will be enough to drag JB across the finish line.
What is really gonna piss off most of you G&T regulars is that if we all survive here in the USA and GWB lives another 20 – 30 years, he's gonna be just like Harry S Truman.
HST's standing was lower than whale poo when he left office. By the time he died, he was a grand old American 'Give 'em hell Harry' once again.
<bb
Kulkuri says:
20-30 years from now aWol will be more like Harding and/or Hoover than Truman.
Both parties need a better bench. The "Rs" have a clown car full of crazies, but what is there for rational thinkers?? If Hillary is all the Dems have to offer, they're hurting too.
Ty Quando says:
@Talisker: "That might be entertaining but it's probably
bad news for actual governing."
This neatly sums up American politics
for as long as I've been watching.
jharp says:
I was not aware of any health problems plaguing Hillary.
Greg says:
Jen is a lot better at appearing classy than Dry Drunk. He cries with frankly hilarious regularity, married a Mexican so can speak (in Spanish!) with done authority about immigration, and peddles the usual "centrist" horseshit: higher ed like a business, business good, more business, etc. somehow even his daughter forging Valium prescriptions and his wife smuggling jewelry into the States never seriously harmed him. He would be the least bad candidate and for that reason appeals to the ones who want to win elections rather than spoil them. As for Hillary, dynasties sicken me no matter which party they're in. She's utterly competent, highly intelligent, and calculating as any politician since LBJ. All winning qualities. If only she wasn't married to that guy.
JohnR says:
I see how things have gone with the GOP _not_ controlling all branches of government and shudder at the thought of what they could manage without having to just block everything they can. Having the country more or less ungoverned in terrible times is unbelievably awful – but it's still definitely better than having it run by the modern GOP. Don't even think about not voting.
Nan says:
@jharp, Hillary's had two problems with blood clots, once in a leg and most recently one near the brain. Clotting problems, even occasional ones, hint at being at risk for stroke or cardiac events.
The woman was born in 1947. She'll be 69 before the next election. Do you know what people in their 60s talk about? Who was at the latest funeral and which of their high school classmates are now in the nursing home because of dementia.
daveawayfromhome says:
I'm kind of inclined to think that the GOP needs to win in '16. Imagine the overreach. They'll kill the ACA (but that can be vetoed with little chance of override). They'll pass all manner of obnoxious bills involving cuts in taxes, cuts in services, and payouts for big money. Obama will be forced to veto stuff left and right (one hopes, anyway). Two years in charge of the legislature will remind everyone why we kicked them out of absolute power in '08.
Without that overreach, I'm not sure Americans are smart enough to remember.
Anonymouse says:
@Nan: keep in mind that McCain is a POW veteran with a whole host of medical issues, had cancer at least twice, and displayed memory and anger-control issues, and he was the 2008 presidential contender.
mothra says:
*sigh* Hillary? Really? I may have to abstain from voting for President in 2016.
Myconfidentz says:
Why in the hot fork are we even talking about these people? Is Elizabeth Warren not the candidate we should all be pulling for between now and the election season? Screw Clinton and screw the Bushes and screw any other water carrier for the powers that be. Start talking about and telling people about Sen. Warren, please.
McDee says:
Let's say it's Bush v Clinton. Or something equally unpalatable. How about a 4 way race in 2016? Someone to the right of Jeb and someone to the left of Hillary. That could be verrrry interesting! The country's more and more fragmented. Why shouldn't that be reflected in the election?
khaled says:
Bernie Sanders of VT appears to be running in 16. He will lose badly, but we can hope, eh?
DBR says:
Okay, I literally had no idea how the Christie quote was a gaffe and had to find out by clicking on the link. I didn't realize that the merely using the term "occupied territories" is verboten.
Number Three says:
The Dems' bench is actually a lot stronger than most people think. I think Md. gov Martin O'Malley would be a great candidate, and there are senators who could make a serious run — in addition to Warren, I'd add Sheldon Whitehouse (oh, the irony of a Whitehouse in the White House), Sherrod Brown (pro-union lefties would love him!, plus, Ohio), and Franken. There are rumors Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) has also thought of running. She'd be great. Those senators are all more liberal than Obama. Former governor Mark Warner (Sen.-Va.) is actually a pretty solid middle-of-the-road, technocratic candidate (I'd have to think hard about *not* supporting him). I'm leaving out a border state governor who has successfully rolled out (don't call it) Obamacare, and that governor from Montana, not thinking that the Dems would look to a nominee from a dark red state.
Sure, not every name on that list is a (wink-wink) John Glenn or a Tom Harkin (candidates taken seriously in an earlier, more naive age), but none are obvious jokes like Rick Santorum, either. And he gets serious ink on the GOP side.
Jimcat says:
The only people for whom "occupied territories" is a politically correct term are right-wing ultra-Zionists. Also known as the people who contribute big money to far-right Republican candidates.
Jimcat says:
Dammit. I meant to type "the only people for whom 'occupied territories' is a politically Incorrect term…"
Blog needs an edit feature.
Beleck says:
lol. if the Senate goes Red/Republican this fall, i'd bet any Democrat would win the Presidency. and Hillary is far right of center, anyway. so she is just a another DINO, like Obama(another Manchurian Candidate for the Rich)", they are "owned" by the Elites anyway. not like the Republicans will let any D president appoint judges who aren't right wing activists like Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito. the R's aren't stupid, unlike their base.
Well, maybe i need to retract that statement. when i consider how stupid the "list of candidates", Perry, Rand, Ryan, Walker, Frothy Mix, Grinch, and McPissed Off are such bad choices. i guess their list of Presidential "winners" shows the bases is even worse, if you think about it. lol
only Christie, the Mafia guy, had balls enough to "wack out" his enemies from competing against him, but he didn't cover his tracks too good this last time.
ah America. what a country! lol.
how anyone could vote for a Republican is such a suicidal action anyway. but heh, this is America and the media encourages stupidity and the "me vs you" competition is the soup du jour to keep us all divided. Until the younger voters take over the political scene, we are just waltzing to the guillotine, willingly, that is. Amazing to watch this death march and frighteningly consistent, too. there is hope out there, but it won't come from the D's or the R's who run things now. maybe one day, but not anytime soon.
Steve in the ATL says:
Good lord. When did this place turn into firebagger central? Warren isn't running; she's great in the Senate but has no other political experience. Love Bernie Sanders but socialists from Vermont aren't viable national candidates. Hillary is too close to Wall Street for my tastes but would be infinitely better than any Republican. When idiots talk about staying home to protest the lack of a pure left-wing unicorn on the ticket, remind them of the Bush years that their Naderism helped create.
Eau says:
@steve: yep. Those who speak of bigger cages and longer chains should really keep in mind how the bush years didn't just shrink the cages and chains. The whole world was set back decades. Military, humanitarian, financial, environmental, diplomatic catastrophes were just business as usual for eight years. Jeb/whoever would accelerate this process.
William Burns says:
Say what you will about Obama, at least he saved the country from Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton.