“Over the Christmas break of 2010, Mitt Romney and his family took an internal poll on whether he should run for president once more. Twelve family members cast ballots. Ten said no. One of the 10 was Mitt Romney himself.”
“The doubts that the former Massachusetts governor harbored before ultimately launching his second unsuccessful bid for the presidency are one of several attention-grabbing details in Collision 2012, the newest book on the 2012 campaign.”
I don’t believe this for a second. Sure, he may have voted that way, but he wasn’t being honest with his family in doing that. He just wanted it to appear that he was more relunctant so that his family would be more understanding and supportive. But whatever the machinations or rationales, I do not believe for a second that Mitt Romney was conflicted about running for President. He started running in 2012 on November 4, 2008.
Former Governor and possible future Presidential candidate Jeb Bush (R) said that it’s time Republicans “cease being the obstacle” to immigration reform and urged House GOP leaders to hold a vote on legislation passed by the Senate last week. I think immigration reform will define the 2016 Republican Primary much like the Iraq War defined the 2008 Democratic primary. Given the racist Republican base, voting or being against Immigration Reform will be the winning side. Thus, Bush and Rubio have already ended their presidential campaigns, they just don’t know it yet.
“Accepting the invitation from countless Washington liberals to become President Obama’s Kentucky candidate was a courageous decision by Alison Lundergan Grimes and I look forward to a respectful exchange of ideas.”– Senator Mitch McConnell. Look at the disdain, the mocking, the tone of disrespect all packed into such a hypocritical statement. Mitch, if you want respect, you give it first.
Maggie Haberman discusses the possibility that Hillary Clinton will not run for the presidency in 2016, and if she doesn’t, there would be no Democratic alternative. Booman laughs.
For starters, we have Vice-President Joe Biden. He might not be able to beat Clinton in a primary, but the premise here is that Clinton won’t be running. I’d argue that Biden is in a stronger position both with the base of the party and with the country at large than the Iran-Contra-embroiled Poppy Bush was at the outset of the 1988 campaign. Obama’s coalition is still bigger than Clinton’s, and Biden’s loyalty will be rewarded.
Whatever you think about him, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo would be a formidable and well-funded candidate. I can’t think of any sitting Republican governors from the last two cycles who were as well-situated as Cuomo will be if Clinton doesn’t run.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley would be a serious candidate who could easily hold together the Obama coalition in the event he secured the nomination.
Progressives would probably rally behind Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, who might be a sitting U.S. Senator by 2016. That makes it unlikely that he will run for president, but one never knows. He has the potential to expand the Democrats’ appeal in the West and among some of the more libertarian-minded folks, while simultaneously invigorating the base of the party.
I don’t think Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick should be underestimated. Nor should Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York or Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. While I’m now getting down into long-shot territory, all of these candidates make a mockery of the 2012 Republican field, and they seem superior to flawed candidates like Bobby Jindal, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, or Marco Rubio who are currently being discussed as 2016 candidates.