jerseyhoya wrote: I do not understand even a little bit why more ambitious Democrats aren't throwing their hats in the ring for the nomination... But if you're Amy Klobuchar or someone young from a blueish state that doesn't have an election you need to win in 2016, what the hell is the downside?

Having to spend a year in Iowa.

She was legal advisor to Walter Mondale. She's a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. She probably knows that she'll never be president and doesn't want to waste a year of her life jumping through those hoops.

I've had enough beers to admit that I'd nail Warren. She looks like she'd be dirty

jerseyhoya wrote:Going to need to update my 'acceptable/unacceptable' chart if that Cotton article falls on the OK side of the line.

so's ya know, I think it stinks, and I say that as someone who personally enjoys pie

I wish Bernie Sanders was like, 15 years younger

Soren wrote:I wish Bernie Sanders was like, 15 years younger

and Warren

If Christie were to run for prez and win, would he have them play "Hail To The Chef"?

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

(ROFL in advance of Soren's post)

well I guess I have to post it now:

it's fake btw

still tho:

Norman Braman, a billionaire South Florida auto dealer, is expected to donate as much as $10 million to Rubio and his anticipated super PAC.

That alone is reason enough not to vote for him.

Rubio deciding to run is the most interesting decision in the field. Everyone else (if Rand gets his caucus in Kentucky) gets to keep their job regardless of how the race goes. He is well liked by the party elites, broadly acceptable to pretty much anyone who identifies as Republican, and only 43. Seems like it's a bit of a long shot to win the nomination with Jeb crowding him out with Florida money people (Braman apparently excepted) and party leaders, Walker crowding him out as a conservative who has done things, Cruz stealing some of the nominate a Latino spotlight, etc. If he runs now and fails, as seems likely, he's giving up his Senate seat. But he'll be the best natural politician in the field (I think only Christie comes close if he gets in), and he's got a cool life story, and the field is wide open so who the fuck knows.

He does have a great chance at being picked for VP if someone other than Jeb wins the nomination, and not running for reelection to the Senate makes it easier for him to be picked for that. And Florida will have the open governor's seat for him to run for in 2018 if he wants. Still he'd have probably had an easy reelection campaign, and passing that up at his age is a big decision.

jerseyhoya wrote:Rubio deciding to run is the most interesting decision in the field......

Pretty much agree with you here, though, as a wise assessor of baseball talent once said of a ballplayer of similarly mixed attributes/accomplishment, "his limitations are limitless".

Rubio's claims to attention - his youth, his increasingly compromised personal story, the party buttons he pushes - only wane from here out. If he's to take a crack at the Big Job, waiting would make his crack even more slender. Sure, being a US senator for life is a pretty good gig, but he's too ambitious (and too uninterested in other than electoral achievement) to stick around for that.

But it's quite unlikely he's nominated, and he's no more likely to succeed even in a VP capacity, so you're right, the decision is interesting.

Spoke Spanish in his speech. The bible freaks aren't going to like that.

I'm cool with it.

How much is Rubio's repeated history of misusing public funds and credit cards going to hurt him? He's messed up so often in that regard that it's really hard to believe it wasn't just blatant disregard for the fact that he was placing personal charges on GOP cards.

Either he's insanely sloppy with other people's money and the basic rules that one must follow when mingling personal and professional finances OR he's completely corrupt. I think it's probably the former, though either one would disqualify someone from getting my vote, regardless of party affiliation.

But I agree he's a natural VP candidate. He's young, and he would help the GOP with spanish speakers, the growing demographic that the GOP can't afford to lose.

Rev_Beezer wrote:I'm cool with it.

His speech was quite good. A Rubio-Clinton campaign could be fun, my version of Obama-McCain.