With No GOP Straw Poll, How Will Field Get Pruned Down?

[47of74]

Since we don't have the Great Iowa GOP Brownshirt Festival GOP Straw Poll anymore KCRG is wondering how the field of candidates is gonna get pared down.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — With a massive field of 14 official candidates for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, will an effective way of pruning the possibilities emerge long before the caucuses and primaries start?

Last month, Republican leaders in Iowa decided to gut the Iowa Straw Poll, citing too many of the announced candidates had already decided not to pour resources into it. The 2015 straw poll had been scheduled for August 8 in Boone but, with too little interest from the candidates, concerns surfaced that the event would lose money.

Now the question emerges. Without an event like the straw poll, will the field stay at 14, or larger, for months?

“As much as people criticize the straw poll for a variety of reasons, one of the positive aspects to it was that it would do what we said it did, which was an early test of organization,” said Tim Hagle, a professor of political science at the University of Iowa.

It's easy KCRG. It's whoever has the brownest shirt, they'll be the nominee.

[Bellower]

1. With this.

[CoffeeCat]

2. Ok, this is a shot in the dark, but I am wondering...

…if the intention is to fill up the clown car and let them out-crazy each other for a fair amount of time--then Mitt Romney (who is seen as outside of the clown car) rides in looking like Mr. Sanity, and saves the day for the Republicans.

Why would the Republican party allow so many whirling psychos spew their inane comments--day after day after day? Aren't they afraid of the damage to the party?

Not if these whirling extremist loons are useful idiots who can help position Romney as the voice of reason and centrism.

I mean really. Does anyone actually think that Mike Huckabee is serious about being President after he vouched for Josh Duggar and then doubled down on his support--even after the victims came forward? Carly Fiorina…Bobby Jindal…DONALD TRUMP??? Their own parents don't even take them seriously. These are not serious people.

I don't think Romney has ever gotten over the loss. He's not used to losing. He'll be back.

I think the Republican party continues to allow their zoo of candidates to roam wildly, because they know that none of them have a shot in hell of winning--and because ultimately, they make Romney presidential because all of them are so very unpresidential.

[Thor_MN]

4. "Why would the Republican party allow so many whirling psychos spew their inane comments"

How would they stop them?

[CoffeeCat]

5. I tend to believe...

…that the party apparatus (on both sides of the aisle) controls who runs for President.

I think they need the official green light before they do it.

You can balk getting the green light--but then your doomed in your own party.

[Thor_MN]

6. "Green Light"? You run by fileing with the FEC

To be sure, the parties have their insider favorites, but they can't stop anybody from filing. Look at some the nobodies that run in each cycle, There are 31 candidates declared or exploring in the GOP primary. Half of them, no one has heard of them and they will never get in enough primaries to matter.

[47of74]

7. I think if the blessing of the party was required

I think if the blessing of the party was required we would not have had President Obama. They wouldn't have given him the green light to run against Mrs. Clinton then. That's why we have this ungodly mess of a primary/caucus/etc. For the party membership to evaluate the people from their party who are running and put who they feel is the best person forward for nomination, at least for the Democrats. With the Republicans these days they make their choices on whoever has the brownest shirt, it seems.

[lapfog_1]

3. Instead of debates

we could do a single elimination competition like "The Quick and the Dead"...