Let the Republican games being
Well, it looks like more than a dozen Republicans are already lining up to stake a claim on the 2016 presidential nomination.
Jeb Bush, Donald Trump, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, and Sarah Palin have all been mentioned as possible candidates.
Many of them took the stage at last weekend’s “Iowa Freedom Summit” in Des Moines, Iowa.
Bush and Rand Paul were the noticeable absentees from the hard-right leaning affair.
How far right did it lean? The event was co-hosted by Iowa Rep. Steve King, who recently called DREAMer Ana Zamora, who President Obama invited to his recent State of the Union speech – “deportable.”
And in 2013, King made a baffling assessment about the Dream Act. That for every child of illegal immigrants “who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.”
So, while Republicans are seeking to overcome a Latino-vote deficit, most of the possible 2016 presidential candidates are courting favor with a guy who seems to want to increase the rift.
But, for the dozen or so undeclared presidential-aspirants who did show up, there didn’t seem to be the least bit of anxiety about getting judged by the company they kept.
It was, for them, full speed ahead.
Most notably, Donald Trump, once again, hinted that he’d seek the nomination.
He later told Fox News, he’s “very, very seriously,” considering a presidential run.
After all, he claims he is the only candidate who has the building expertise to construct a wall that would span the entire length of the U.S.-Mexican border.
He said that with a straight face.
There was Sarah Palin. She, too, told reporters she’s “seriously” considering a run.
Although, according to a number of people who happened to hear her “Iowa Freedom Summit” speech, she’s a little rusty in the speech-making department.
Palin, who has frequently attacked President Obama for his use of Teleprompters, found herself having to give a speech when hers broke down.
Adlibbing for 30 minutes doesn’t appear to be Palin’s strong-suit.
“Y’know the man can only ride ya when your back is bent. So strengthen it. Then the man can’t ride ya, American won’t be taken for a ride, because so much is at stake and we can’t afford politicians playing games like nothing more is at stake than, oh, maybe just the next standing of theirs in the next election,” Palin told her Palin-nites.
Her speech was so incoherent that Democratic National Communications director – Mo Elleithee – later had a two word response to it – “Thank you!”
John Fund, from the conservative National Review claimed Palin was one of the “losers” at the event.
And he went further.
He called Palin’s speech “meandering” and “bizarre.”
Another of the more noteworthy speakers at the speech fest was former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
She devoted part of her speech to attacks on Hillary Clinton. “I, too, have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe. But, unlike her (Clinton), I’ve accomplished something,” said the failed 2010 U.S. Senatorial candidate, and the woman many people consider one of the worst CEO’s of all time, after it was rumored, she’d nearly run Hewlett Packard into ground.
This may seem like it’s mighty early for Republicans to begin laying the groundwork for their presidential campaigns.
Although it’s only 186 days (or so) until the first Republican Primary debate in Ohio.
In 2012, 10 Republicans began sharing debate stages on May 5, 2011.
There were a total of 20 debates that produced, what seemed like, new frontrunners after each of them.
That gave political pundits the notion that Republican voters were looking for “Anybody but Romney,” before they finally settled on Romney.
This time around, though, Republicans have dropped the debate schedule from 20 debates in 2011-2012, down to 12.
I’m certain hilarity will follow, anyway.
Edward A. Owens is a three-time Emmy Award winner and 20-year veteran of television news. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net