CPAC 2014

I admire a good pot-stir on a Saturday morning.  Strong work Jeff :)

Agreed. 

Here's to hoping the Republicans can come up with and agree on a viable candidate :)

Good luck with that.

(ROFLMAO)

Oh, Hey Switch!  Just when I thought I was gonna have to go it alone....welcome aboard, sailor!

60 people have READ the thread; yet few dare to comment.  Makes you go hmmmmmmmm!

(disclaimer-I'm a mid-shift worker now.  At Zero-Dark-30 hours, it's gotta be SOMEBODY'S job to 'stir the pot')

You make me laugh.  This could easily been written.  Newsflash!!  Bush isn't running in 2008 so you better have something to offer besides "Whatever Bush does is Baaad".  ROFLMAO  (seemed to work out OK for your team, why do you think it's such a bad idea now)

As for candidates, I would say the Democrats have quite a bit to be worried about as well because I haven't seen any mention of anyone other than a very battered and polarizing Hillary.

IMHO Paul and Cruz are by far the most electable in the Republican party, but I'm sure they'll gravitate to big spending status if elected as well.  There is so much time between now and 2016 that who knows who the front runners are and what will be driving the election.  If there's a 2008 type financial collapse the Republicans could put up Mickey Mouse and he would win in a landslide.  The economy could explode and grow like crazy and the Democrats could put up Mickey Mouse and win in a landslide.  ;-)

I'm genuinely curious to see who floats to the top on the Democrat side.  Whoever gets that nomination is going to have a McCain of a time trying to distance themselves from Obama so I wouldn't get too excited just yet.

Hey, Tony!  What kept you? 

Rand Paul-I don't 'hate' the guy, but I'm not sure Libertarian is the flavor of the month...yet!

Cruz!- I D I O T!  Self-grandizing, ego-driven, nutjob.  Sarah Palin with intellect, pants and a Law Degree (not to mention a slight cooky i.e bat-sh#t crazy, daddy)

Well, there's a long time til 2016!  I'm sure we'll have lots of stimulating conversations JUST like this. lol

My work here is done....Did someone mention Global Warming?  Flip Turns?   IMdot tatoos? 

Don't get me wrong, I'm disappointed with the Democrats too, but the Pubs are too divided and disparate.  If they can put someone forward that the factions can get behind, they may have a chance; if they bank on someone polarizing, they won't be able to pull it off.

As you said, we have a while until things really get going, but I don't have a ton of optimism for 2016--on either side. 

Jeff, I'd be happy to discuss the polices of the "best and brightest" you are referring to but it doesn't look like that's the direction you want this thread to go is it?

I translate your Cruz comments to be that you're most worried about him, which I totally understand.  ;-)
I bet he at least knows how to spell "respect"  (sorry, too soon?)

So, versus just calling somebody "crazy" what has he done or said that makes him crazy?  From what I understand Cruz is a pretty smart and successful guy. 

BTW, on the global warming front Dr. Moore's went before the Senate a couple weeks ago.  It's a pretty interesting read.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/02/26/confessions-of-a-greenpeace-droput-to-the-u-s-senate-on-climate-change/

Well for starters, Ted Cruz went to great lengths to try and stop some of the provisions of ObamaCare aka UCA and postpone or delay them,. Doing that to the "Law of the Land" is just crazy!!! That's just for starters, he also thinks that the Federal Budget should be shrunk, imagine if that happened how it would send the economy into a tailspin,,,,, that is just crazy thinking isn't it Tony?

What we need is more honest straight talking politicians like Obama, Reid and Pelosi.

Bwaaaaaahahahahaha!!!   Admittedly, I can't speak bad of our President while he is in office....I just won't. 

But Reid and Pelosi.....my god.....it really doesn't get any worse then those two.  If I wake up tomorrow and hear they are both dead I'll take a vacation day and celebrate.  What a joke.

Worried?!  Hardly.  I like any Democrats chances against Mr. Cruz...actually I like ANY persons (living or dead) chances against Mr. Cruz.  Repealing ACA and shrinking the Federal Budget-WoW! what unique political concepts.  I'm sure he has a plan, but it's not to be President.  At least not in the short term. 

And he looks like a wet rodent!  Icky!

Reid, Pelosi, McConnell, Boehner.....all of them.....OUT!   

Term Limits!    (this is the only area where i agree with the Honorable Mr. Cruz)

We can discuss the policies of anyone you'd like.  That's why I threw the red meat out there!  However, you and I rarely have much success in 'discussing' things. 

Ted Cruz or Rand Paul, pick one of their major platforms that you disagree with and let me know why you think they are crazy. 

Cruz is crazy because he's probably one of the best legal minds in Washington and his talent would, naturally, rise to the surface of a ever-younger Republican caucus.  BUT...and this is a HUGH but....He continues to associate himself with lesser-gifted politicians and less-substantial issues.  Gov. Palin and Mike Lee are both political FEATHERWEIGHTS, and frankly, not very popular in the General Election voting model.  And make no mistake...it IS about the General Election.  Ted Cruz is staking out a far right agenda that many people think may be TOO far right.  When John Boehner finally grew a pair and pushed back against the Tea Partiers, he was sending a signal that the establishment Republicans may be rethinking the ultra-Conservative movement.  Cruz 'should' be smart enough to see this, but he acts like he's intent on pushing the whole party further to the Right.  And Far Right isn't going to win any national elections.   Plus,  he's too damn smart to be (mis) reading Green Eggs and Ham-he turned a serious effort into Talk Show punch lines.  He's resorted to grandstanding instead of letting his intellect speak for him.  As far as platforms....well, he's a Republican, so I'm naturally against him because I believe in most of the things other Democrats believe in. (Cruz was quoted as saying "republicans are and SHOULD be the party of the 47%-I got issues with that.) I'm waaaay less pro 2A than he is (this is an area of supreme expertise for him and he discusses this issue beautifully. 

I.O.W.- Why is he so damn insecure.  He's gotta be pragmatic enough to know that Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent are NOT gonna win him (or any Republican) a general election.  And if you can't win-you can't effect change.  Yet he continues to push against McCain, McConnell and the DC establishment.  And while the Tea Party (and I) may think the 'establishment' isn't the best way to govern; it's going to continue to be the way it IS goverened for the forseeable future.  The Tea Party movement is dead-they're just mistaking the twitching fingers and dying pulse as robust life.  It's not.  The pendulum is beginning to slow and will, eventually, start swinging the other way.   And Ted Cruz's dad?   How would that type of hate speech play out on the national stage?  Not very well, I think.

I don't know anything about Rand Paul except he carries himself well, seems even tempered and serious and THUMPED Cruz in the straw poll.

I stand corrected. ;-)

you crack me up.  ;-)  I'm thinking you could come up with at least one or two people in the country that Cruz would be ahead of.  lol

What's funny is we sit back and complain that everyone who goes to Washington just gets absorbed into the system and votes with their party.  So, no change ever comes and it's just more of the same with big spending.  Then, somebody like Cruz comes to town and bucks the system, which is exactly what we say we need more of, and then everyone complains because he's bucking the system and not just going along with everyone else?  lol

With the discontent that people have with Washington, I feel a Libertarian leaning fiscal conservative (from either party) will be in a very strong position come election time.  People were truly sick of Bush's spending and brought in a new "change" to Washington in 2008.  Unfortunately the "change" was just more of the same with big spending towards special interests.  So, the people have been burned by both parties.

I'd truly love to see a real Libertarian versus a Republican or a Democrat, but the system is so stacked against any other party that it's likely many years away still.  With the current people being brought to the front I would say Cruz and Paul are the closest to that, but I'm still not 100% sold.  I'd love to see the Democrats present some fiscal conservative candidates as well.

When I think about the map of electoral college votes, it's hard to imagine recent blues going Tea Party.  Which ones do you think could shift? 

I will never vote for an anti-choice president, and I'm not alone.  People who underestimate the importance of this issue to voters make a big mistake.

 That being said, I think our social programs need a huge overhaul.  A fiscally conservative Democrat would be great.

So here's my thoughts on that.  Which Tea Party are you talking about?

The Democrats like to call the Tea Party a bunch of right wing religious nut jobs who want to force Bibles indoctrination and guns on every kid in America.  However, the Tea Party movement has nothing to do with social issues.  It's about fiscal responsibility and nothing more.  There are obviously a lot of socially conservative folks who gravitate towards the Tea Party movement, but the movement itself doesn't even have a stance on social issues.

The Tea Party movement does allow local independence for any affiliates, so there are local affiliates that try to stick social issues in, but that's not the Tea Party.  That's just people trying to "hijack" the Tea Party like Glenn Beck.  The national movement recognizes that social issues are divisive and they focus on economic and limited government issues.

 Here are the core fundamentals of the Tea Party.  I'm curious to know which ones you guys disagree with and why are they make someone "un-electable".

1. Eliminate Excessive Taxes
2. Eliminate the National Debt
3. Eliminate Deficit Spending
4. Protect Free Markets
5. Abide by the Constitution of the United States
6. Promote Civic Responsibility
7. Reduce the Overall Size of Government
8. Believe in the People
9. Avoid the Pitfalls of Politics
10. Maintain Local Independence

I don't disagree that the social issues that get mixed in cause issues, but I could just as easily say that about a Democrat who is pro-choice or pro-amnesty.  It will turn off half of the country, so you're never going to find that perfect candidate for anyone.

This is what I think is bad about what I generically call "single issue" voters.  There are a large number of people who are just the opposite as well that will never vote for anyone who is pro-choice.  I just don't understand this.

If a Libertarian candidate who was "pro-choice" personally but had no intention of pushing it down my throat I have no issues with that.  We need fiscally responsible adults in Washington, period.  If we keep electing them purely based on social issues then we're doomed as a nation.