Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Arduous

Senator Marco Rubio 
As I write this, the United States is gearing up for the 2016 Presidential elections. On the Republican side, Senators Ted Cruz (Texas), Rand Paul (Kentucky), and Marco Rubio (Florida) have formally announced their candidacies. Others, such as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker may also enter the race.

As things stand today, Hillary Clinton has a very good, but not inevitable chance of securing the Democratic nomination for President. She will be a very formidable candidate. Other potential candidates, such as Governors Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island) and Martin O'Malley (Maryland), and former Virginia Senator Jim Webb don't yet have her national profile, which is surely a disadvantage.

Looking how the 2012 election turned out for the Republicans, too many candidates ran. Newt Gingrich refused to withdraw from the race even though it was clear he could not win enough delegates for the nominating convention. He selfishly put his personal ambitions ahead of the interests of the party. This disunity meant that there was no clear frontrunner until late in the primary season. The Republicans could well make the same mistake again. They would do much better to choose a candidate with wide appeal.

Should Hillary be the Democratic candidate. maybe the Republican candidate can choose a woman as his running mate. That would be a real game changer. Only this time, make sure she is more eloquent and has a better grasp of foreign affairs than John McCain's running mate, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.


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