2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWhen does Huntsman stop wasting our time and quit?
He's not going to win. No one is buying his China BS. He's just wasting space.
RZM
(8,556 posts)DesertRat
(27,995 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)Romney is going to crash and burn. He'll be the Brylcremed Mormon that couldn't. He will do one thing, though--he'll make being Mormon "less of an issue" four years from now.
Huntsman will have name/face recognition as a consequence of this run, and if he's smart, he'll occupy himself usefully in the next four years in a way that puts him in the public eye in a positive way.
In that time, this Tea Party/Crazy Shit on the GOP side will likely deconstruct. The GOP is sick of the nuttiness, that's pretty palpable--they're going to ratchet back and try to start sounding less insane, probably sooner than later. They will still be distasteful, they just won't sound so batshit nuts when they regurgitate their garbage.
Also, the longer Huntsman hangs in there, the more likely he'll get a good speaking slot at the convention, and if Romney stumbles, Huntsman could be the guy who came from behind, the Dark Horse.
His father has billions, and a PAC for his baby boy, ready to spring into action if stuff starts looking good.
He's not wasting OUR time. We've got a candidate. He's making the other GOP crazies look crazier than usual with his calm and adult demeanor--like a black velvet background on a psychedelic Elvis painting. He's playing the "compare and contrast" game. For someone to come in third after no one had heard of him, on the strength of just a few PAC ads and a fair amount of shoe leather, suggests something--and what it suggests is that this isn't a done deal, yet.
Reagan ran once for practice, too...remember?
phillysuse
(686 posts)Then he will appear as the seasoned candidate who ran before.
And in 2016, people may be more aware of how China is eating our lunch, taking our jobs, leading in research, buying up more and more of the oil and joining in treaties with nations to help produce their oil.
We will be more frightened by China and we will look to the man who can speak Chinese.
The Mormon thing will be diffused by Romney's run.
And if you think of the potential Democratic field for 2016 - Biden will be too old. Cuomo or Gillibrand or any other rising stars - maybe Elizabeth Warren - will all be too new and inexperienced at foreign policy. So unless Hillary runs, he is going to be in good shape.
MADem
(135,425 posts)She'll be nearly seventy next time 'round.
Elizabeth Warren looks young, but she's no spring chicken herself--she's only two years younger than HRC. Her window, if she decides to run, will be next time around, if she's feeling healthy and ready and so inclined.
FarPoint
(12,309 posts)As long as they all continue to macerate one another, the weaker the final candidate will become.
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)and was an intensely popular guv even though he bucked the Utah Republi-mormon Party a few times. I find it a little frightening that on a national level, the GOP voters are crazier than folks in Utah.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)If 10 more just like him want to get into the Republican scrum and take some oxygen from Mitt, that's just fine with me too.
madinmaryland
(64,931 posts)DeathToTheOil
(1,124 posts)If anyone should get out after tonight, it's Perry.
center rising
(971 posts)I want Huntsman to stay in it. Hell, anything is better than Mittens
Renew Deal
(81,852 posts)I think the only chance for competition is getting candidates out. On the other hand, more delegates are going to non Romney candidates...for now.
Pisces
(5,599 posts)EC
(12,287 posts)He's wasting his and I don't care.
REP
(21,691 posts)Huntsman is the only one I thought had a chance in the General. I am SOOOOO glad to see he's doing so poorly in the primaries.
And it does give me some faint glimmer of hope that, if "we" have to deal with Republicants, maybe they're to all brain-dead morons. Maybe. (I can hope.)