Actually I don't know where I stand these days but the questionnaire gave me pause. The candidate with whom I most closely mirror is Marco Rubio!
Well, at least it wasn't Trump or Sanders! I remember seeing Rubio with Trey Gowdy and Tim Scott and wondered if they are the faces of the future of Republican politics. We could do worse. I do like Gowdy and Scott a lot.
Having been away all day yesterday it was no comfort coming home to the news and seeing the nasties going at one another in clips, ad nauseam, off and on all evening. One thing for sure, who ever gets the nomination won't be choosing cabinet members from the current crop of candidates. This has gone far beyond typical election year antics. It's down and dirty and likely to get worse.
I keep telling myself to not let age be a factor in my judgement. When you're my age anyone ten or more years younger look like kids. I also try not to fall prey to the curse of one term senators or house members. They aren't all dunces. When Lindsey Graham endorsed Jeb rather than Cruz or Rubio he used the age factor by saying when he wasn't ready to take on the presidency when he was a mere forty four. Well, truth be told, the voters didn't think he was at sixty either!
It's a far more complicated formula than age alone or time spent in national politics. Now Rubio is a political animal for sure. He talks a good game but the question is can he deliver. The same can be said for Trump. He's pushing 70 as is Hillary and Bernie is over. Maybe it is time to put the old war horses out to pasture and let the youngsters have a crack at it.
I think the most unfair thing I can do is look at how inexperienced Obama was when elected and judge all others by the same criteria. What we did learn from Obama is that the Presidency is not the time nor place for on the job training. On the other hand the voting public seems to want outsider and that leaves Dr. Carson. He's probably more intelligent than the rest of them put together but his soft spoken demeanor has been a drawback. Oh how I wish that weren't the case. I just don't see things turning around for him. Thank you Ted Cruz.
So much for my musing about the current choices before me. The field will be whittled down to size soon enough. One last shot at wishful thinking - that Trump grows up or just takes his ball and goes home. I do understand why he's on this third wife. Who could put up with having to massage his enormous ego and insecurity 24/7?
2 comments:
Some good points. Given I'm a Democrat & strong supporter of President Obama it's difficult for me to be objective about the Republican candidates but I've tried, I really have. All the voices I follow should be enough to put Rubio over the mark if political pundits could vote, and perhaps he is the least harmful of the pack but I've never been able to see him in the White House. That said, I have trouble visualizing any of them there. We certainly don't need Trump or Cruz. I'm as tired of Bushes as I am Clintons. Perhaps Kasich? Personally I don't want Dr Carson doing brain surgery on my loved ones if he really believes the pyramids were built to store grain. His religious faith would be a problem for me and it's clear he doesn't believe in separation of church and state. Back to Rubio, are you sure you want to vote for a man who visibly sweats under pressure? That'll be a lot of sweating if he makes it to the White House. When I look at Rubio I have to swat away images of chameleons floating in front of me. I'm glad it's you and not me having to choose.
I believe in every thing you have said. Since 1960, candidates have went directly to the people through television. In this era, warmth and personality are necessary to get elected in November. Rubio has both. He can hire experts as cabinet members for those areas he is weak. That's what they are for. The president is the "decider," and needs to have intelligence and common sense.
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