Bill Bradley for President

The GOP isn't going to find the candidate it wants in this race. Someone isn't going to be happy. You keep frothing up the wingnuts and, eventually, they start to believe it.

The establishment hates Huckabee. McCain isn't tough enough on immigration. Giuliani isn't pro-life enough or pro-gun enough. Romney is whatever you want him to be. Ron Paul's crazy. Thompson might be legally dead.

All of a sudden, I bet Bloomberg isn't looking so bad, was all I was trying to say.

I mean, really, he couldn't be doing any worse than Rudy or Thompson in the GOP field at this point, right?

 

There is no perfect candidate, though Romney has potential. McCain, of course has alot going for him, especially on the #1 issue if the election, but it's tough to forgive the huge mistakes: sponsoring a campaign finance bill he knew was unconstitutional (if he didn't know, that disqualifies him too); advocating amnesty as the answer to immigration; and just as troubling, his increased tendency to demonize those who disagree with him as racist or adopt the language of class warfare when it suits him.

None of this would open a door for Bloomberg. Should Edwards just switch sides & press his luck with the Rs? Of course not - the labels represent something. Bloomberg has far, far more in common with the Ds than the Rs.

 

Except that he's run as a Republican before.

 

But he's never actually needed them to vote for him.

 

Fair point.

Of course, how many closed primaries has McCain won at this juncture?

My general point being, there are so many litmus tests for GOP candidates after 15 years of wedge-issue politics, well, it has to almost be like being a Democrat.

 

Boom, this is silly.

Bradley's too charisma-impaired ... and has always, in politics, lacked the fire in the belly.

Odd, as he never lacked it in basketball.

 

On the contrary - the GOP has no litmus tests - there have been prominent pro-choice Republicans for a long time. Huckabee's doing fine despite his massive tax hikes, McCain & Bush supported amnesty, many have spoken against the war, Schwarzenneger was a star of the last convention - and no one is excomunicated in the way Leiberman was. Show me the pro-life democrat who can get a cabinet position .

 

The Majority Leader of the United States Senate is anti-abortion. That is an elected position within the caucus. Please cite a pro-choice member of the GOP congressional leadership.
Lieberman's "excommunication" happened when he lost a primary. That happens. Please consult former US Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) for details.
How'd that "amnesty" -- which it wasn't but no matter -- work out for McCain and Bush?
Huckabee's been excoriated by the party establishment ever sicne Iowa.
This is all pretty hilarious.

 

Politics -- or more specifically, running for office -- does strange things to people. Bill Bradley showed great personality and wit in those old ESPN commercials, but he was wooden and dispassionate as a candidate. Al Gore defined "wooden" in the 2000 race, and only became a real, live boy in his concession speech (a good one, especially the "it is time for me to go" reference to the Clinton '92 convention speech). Richardson struck me the same way, although I didn't see as much of him.

Clearly, candidates have to hide certain aspects of their personality -- the black humor, the sarcasm, the irritability -- but you can overdo it, too, and look like an automaton.

 

Fenian's Utopia - The only party that exists is the democrat party.

"I won't rest until I've driven the Republican Party into oblivion" / Fenian Bastard

"The only good Republican is one in jail " / Fenian Bastard

" America would be better served with a one party system "

/ Fenian Bastard

 

Part of Bradley's problem was that he picked the wrong race to run in.
He chose to run in 2000 against a popular two-term vice president.
Had he waited until 2004, he could have defeated Bush.

 

Bill Bradley expected the Inquisition.