I've been doing some thinking about Christie and 2016.

[Savannahmann]

First, let me begin by admitting publicly that I was wrong. I believed that the RWM protective Society would have brushed the entire Christie thing under the rug, or bridge by now. When it began that was my assumption, and I am happy that my estimation was incorrect.

So I've spent the last couple days doing some consideration of 2016, and who the Repukes have to put up and the answer is that the cupboard is bare. There aren't any Governor's who have the image of competence or the national recognition needed to make the jump to the National Stage. Walker has too much baggage to be taken seriously, Jindal was a non starter in 2012 and I don't see that going anywhere. Nikki Haley is barely competent enough to dress herself in the morning, the GOP in South Carolina hates her almost as much as the Democratic Party does.

So who does that leave? Trump, which is laughable. Romney take two, which is almost as funny. Cruz, Rubio, and the Paul's, Rand and Ron. Not one of them has a snowball's chance in hell of winning nationally, if they were to get the nomination. With Christie out of the picture (another reason I assumed the RWM would move to protect him) There isn't anybody left to make a serious run at the White House.

OK, so what does that mean for 2016 on our side? It means we don't have to settle for Better than. It means we don't have to debate electability versus some Rethug in a perpetually insane fantasy football game. It means that we can and should go for the gold when we are nominating the Democratic Party Candidate.

One of the reasons I've always been kind of lukewarm on Warren, Sanders, Grayson, or any other is because I knew that "electability" would end up being the only debating point starting about eighteen months from now. By the time the Primaries began, who was really electable versus the presumptive Rethug would be the focus of hundreds of editorials and thousands of news segments. That has all changed. That entire mode of thought has just been destroyed.

We don't have to accept Hillary as the continuation of President Obama, or President Obama's third term. We can push and get the big win. It's not a question of who can beat Christie and the love affair that he has with the RWM, it's a question of who we really want deep down to lead this nation. We don't have to settle for the least of our hopes, we can go for the win and forget hoping that our ideals at least place firmly in the middle of the pack.

So the question is who do I like now that the field has been opened up like never before? Honestly, Hillary is not my first choice, not when this once in a lifetime opportunity exists. Never again will the party be able to run a truly progressive candidate with the knowledge that just about anyone we put up there will get the win. So the important race in reality is the primary, because that will decide the direction of the nation, and potentially demonstrate the value of Liberal idealism.

The election of 2016 has changed from "I like Hillary better than..." To "I like this person best of all" It's as your team is the only one on the last mile of the marathon, because the only runner not of that team is out of the race. We know we're going to win, so the question is what Democrat do we want? I'm rather pleasantly surprised to have this opportunity at this point in my life, while I am still young enough to enjoy it.

[LiberalEsto]

1. There's Jeb

unfortunately

[KaryninMiami]

11. Yup - there's Jeb

Quietly watching and waiting from the wings.

My question is do more people detest the Clinton's or the Bushes? And if it becomes a Clinton-Bush matchup, do the Dems have the power it's gonna take to combat the GOP once they unleash the years of Clinton hatred that's been brewing since 2008?

[Whisp]

2. Good post. Can we leave Huntsman out tho?

I'm not sure if his name has been about lately, but that is one Scarey Repub, from a Democrat's point of view. All the other Do look like lunatics and Are lunatics, but not Huntsman - he seems almost human in a slippery lizardy way.

But overall what you say here is really interesting. This could surely be a chance for the likes of a Warren or a Sanders, like never before.

I like.

[flamingdem]

13. Agree, and he's got his daughter getting time on msnbc daily

to underline his bonafides with Liberals.

I don't think he'd win for a second against Hillary but he might against another candidate.

[tblue37]

3. I believe Jeb Bush will be their nominee. If not Jeb, then they might turn to

one of the saner candidates from 2012--like Huntsman. The base would hate him, of course, but the base hated Romney, too. If the big money gets behind someone like Huntsman--or even Jeb--I think that the base would fall in line, and I also think they could fool enough relatively conservative Dems and Independents into voting for their guy if we nominate someone who doesn't ahve wide national appeal.

ON EDIT: BTW: Huntsman is also far Right Wing, but because he is not completely nuts, but instead is rather mild-mannered and does not say bizarrely offensive things, he is considered "moderate," not only by the media, but also by a lot of low-information Dems and Independents who really should know better.

[Savannahmann]

8. I going to disagree with you.

I just can't imagine a set of circumstances where Bush III sounds like a good idea to anyone.

[global1]

4. Two Other Dems That I Never See Mentioned As Potential Dem Nominees For 2016 Are.....

Jerry Brown - he's done a hellofva job in California and the other is Howard Dean.

Any comments on either of these two guys.

And you failed to mention Jeb as a potential Repug nominee. On Leno the other night - Jeb - was mentioned by Boehner - though he said he wasn't endorsing anyone as of yet. The Orangeman and Leno then chuckled.

[TlalocW]

5. Christie is toast

Not just from his scandals but because he palled around with Obama, and he got rid of gay conversion therapy and allowed marriage equality into New Jersey. There's no way the conservatives would go for him no matter how much they like a bully.

I don't see Jindal ever making it as a presidential nominee. After 8 years of Obama, conservatives are even more invested into getting a white guy (preferably old) into the White House. And that probably won't subside anytime soon for him. Also an under the radar campaign like always referring to Obama as Barack Hussein Obama would probably be started on Piyush "Bobby" Jindal.

I can see the possibility of Jeb jumping in though if the Bush name has pretty much been exorcised from the vocabulary of republicans, I don't think he would do that well with the rest of the country either.

Mitt won't run again. Actually having to work for something instead of just being given it like everything else has soured him, and republicans have been inventing reasons why he lost in 2012 like he wasn't tough enough or conservative enough.

I do think Huckabee believes there's a path for him which is why he's cranking things up recently, and I piss off republican friends by saying that Perry is probably thinking of running again because he's wearing those fake glasses to make him at least appear smarter.

TlalocW

[MH1]

6. Sorry, there was "NO WAY!!" dumbya would win nationally in 2000.

Yet somehow he served 8 years with the title of President of the United States.

After 2000 & 2004, I can't believe that ANYONE is too awful, too stupid, too right wing for the numbnutz voters of this country to propel to victory one way or another.

By all means, work for the candidate you think is best in the primary - preferably by accentuating the positives of that candidate - but when the general election rolls around, you'd better be working for the Democratic nominee, even if it isn't your preferred candidate.

[Savannahmann]

7. If I wasn't clear enough, let me apologize now.

The purpose of my post was not to say I would not support Hillary if she was the Nominee. The purpose was to say that the starting point for the beginning of the Nomination process was different than I had figured/imagined. We didn't have to begin the process with the assumption that we had to accept Hillary because she's "better than" the presumptive Rethug, but instead we can seriously consider our options because the Presumptive Rethug is out of the running. BTW, I do think that Christie is out of it at this point, I just can't imagine the confluence of events that would take that turd and polish it up to shine again.

[Andy823]

9. Doesn't really matter who we nominate

If we don't get out and vote in 2014 and we lose control of the Senate, or lose more seats in the House, whoever we put in the WH will still have to deal with a congress that will fight them at every turn. I would love to see a democrat get elected that would really fight for the people of this country, but if congress isn't passing bills that actually help those who need the help, then we are back to the same old BS that we have seen since president Obama won back in 2008.

We really need to concentrate on holding on to the Senate, and doing or best to take back the house, or at the least "gaining" more seats in the House. A president can do only so much without the help of congress. We need a congress that will work with the president and not fight them the whole time they are in office.

Take back congress this year and then worry about who is the nominee after that. Just my two cents worth.

[Savannahmann]

12. To that end...

I don't think that we can take the House back. With the gerrymandered districts, I don't think we can take control of the House. I wish I was more optimistic about that, but the advantage the Rethugs had in drawing the districts after the 2010 Census is going to be nearly impossible to overcome.

The Senate, I doubt that we will lose the Majority, but I also doubt that we will take the Supermajority and get control of 60 seats.

That would appear to be stagnant, or nearly so, for the time being. The bigger point in my OP was that we don't need to rule out anyone as a contender for 2016.

[Andy823]

15. I tend to agree

I wouldn't rule anyone out on either side. It do think it's way to early to start worrying about 2016, and I too would agree that the odds aren't great for us taking back the House. My point was that we need to be worried about this years elections, because we have to keep the Senate, and making gains in the house would be great also, it would help out the chances of taking the House back in 2016 it being a presidential race that year. Also unless my point was that if we don't have a congress that will work with whoever the democrat is that wins in 2016, it really won't make a difference who it is we elect, the republicans will continue down the road of doing the same lame ass jerks they have been since Obama was elected, and nothing will get done, again.

[glowing]

10. Sorry, they pushed Christie aside for ole' Jeb Bush.. He's the only one left and he's been in the

South. He will lie and smirk his way into popular support. I'm not sure anyone is ready for another Bush (but this is the smart Bush - lol - just look how F'd up FL is). When Boehner said Jeb on Leno, you have to know that's the real plan.

[flamingdem]

14. I'm hoping Daryl Issa runs!