Surveyed About Republican Presidential Candidates

Last week I was surveyed by the National Republican Party. I found the survey interesting for asking for demographic information and party affiliation (independent) I was asked two questions about Hilary Clinton. No question was asked about other Democrat candidates. Both questions on Clinton related to my views as to her trustworthiness which suggests that they expect her to be the nominee and the the current planned primary focus for their attack ads.  

The survey than asked me to rank various current and anticipated Republican candidates on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "most definitely would support" and 10 being "most definitely would not support".

  

The following were all given a 10, most definitely would not support score…Cruz, Christie, Trump, Carson,  Fiorino, Graham, Huckabee, Jindal, Perry, Santorum, Walker. Interestingly I was not asked about Bush, but then again he has not yet to declare.

I also found it interesting that I was then asked why I ranked each of the above so poorly. Below was my response:

Jindal....a ideologue who has governed his own state poorly leaving his state in economic shambles. If he has brought harm to his state how can I trust him with a national office. May well be one of the first out.

Trump....I seem him as a self-promoting egotist who is serving as the comic relief, and who is exposing the depth of the ugly side of the Republican base. Whether he says outlandish things because that is what he believes or it is designed to draw attention to himself by garnering the attention of the press and thereby create public buzz makes little difference. The one is mean ugliness and the other suggests manipulation with little thoughtful policy substance. How much traction he will gain depends upon attention and the depth of the ugly side of the Republican base. He is the wild card who will either be gone quickly after the first primaries or be a long term player if he is willing to commit his own resources and keeps getting media attention.

Walker....his ethics are of the level Tricky Dick. A golden tongued divider who says whatever needs to be said to appeal to the crowd of the moment which has resulted in a plethora of statements on different sides of an issue. He has a history of discrepancies between what he says in campaigns to win votes and how he governs. His state which has often outperformed in the region has underperformed in the region. I do not trust him. Like Trump, he will be out early or be a major player...it all depends upon media buzz and financing.

Cruz....he is an aggressive divisive candidate who reminds me in many ways of Senator Joe McCathy. I don't trust him. He postures himself as the outsider but he is an insider who postures himself as an outsider. He will use dirty tricks much like Nixon. Many of his ideas and statements suggests that he is a Christian equivalent of a Khomeini-like character who with enough like-minded people in Congress would turn a secular religiously neutral nation into a evangelical Christian nation. 

Christie....he comes across as belligerent, demeaning and dismissive...not characteristics needed for a major leader on the national level. He has a history of signing agreements but soon after breaking them while claiming circumstances have now changed. For me he is not trustworthy. I don't think he will last long...possibly gone before or shortly after Iowa.

Carson and Fiorino...neither has experience in governing and working around government. It seems that they are in the race to promote their way into a higher profile position (cabinet or ambassador) or as an entry onto the lucrative conservative speaker circuit.

Huckabee....a talented speaker with well crafted soundbites that lack balanced thoughtful policy content. I disagree with his rewriting/interpretation of history.

Perry....repackaging and years posturing does not cover a deeply flawed and shallow candidate of yesteryear. He is likely to be one of the first to go.  

Santorum....too far out of the mainstream of the nation to have great traction in a national election. He rightly lost to Romney....he is even in a poorer position 4 yrs later. He has been out of the spotlight for years and out of influence. He may be in the race more out of ego and/or to posture himself for a cabinet or ambassador position. I don't think he will go much beyond Iowa if his finances get him that far.  

Graham...too narrow focused with highly hawkish views regarding gunboat diplomacy. He has a good head but narrow appeal.

If I was asked about Bush I would have said, he has to overcome the baggage of family and an exterior that seems to suggest a lack of passion. He has been out of the spotlight too long. Money will carry him deep, but will the country want a Bush III? I don't think it does. Will the party?