Here's my take on the GOP field, 14 months ahead of the election.
"Trump 2016" by Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. - https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump. Lic. under Public Domain via Commons.
Donald Trump has been driving the car for the last couple of months, and shows no sign of being ready to relinquish the wheel. And why should he? He knows the way to CrazyTown, he's got the Pied Piper's greatest hits blaring from the speakers, and the entranced crowds are following along. Even so, I highly doubt he will be the eventual nominee, even though he has signed a pledge to support the party nominee. Trump may be flamboyant and bombastic, but he is certainly not presidential. Look for his campaign to be his fifth "bankruptcy."
"Carson for President 2016" by Carson America, Inc. - https://www.bencarson.com/. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
Ben Carson has moved up in polls recently, but hearing him speak, I'm left thinking he is certainly no brain surgeon. But he is. Maybe brain surgery isn't that hard after all. Seriously though, Ben Carson is running so the GOP can point to him as proof their opposition to President Obama wasn't motivated primarily by racism. His campaign will be as successful as the claim is believable. He won't make it very far at all.
"Carly Fiorina for President Logo" by Carly for President - https://carlyforpresident.com/. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
Carly Fiorina wants to show that a woman candidate can be a force in the GOP. She's their nod to Hillary Clinton, their attempt to show themselves as pro-woman. After helping Hewlett-Packard shed tens of thousands of jobs and nearly running the company into the ground, she wants to do the same for the country. We'll pass, just like California passed on sending her to the senate.
Rick Perry is out to prove that Ted Cruz is not the biggest embarrassment to come out of Texas this election cycle. I rate the "biggest embarrassment" contest a toss-up. Mostly because I'm not at all certain it is possible to embarrass Texas. At least the former governor will be able to console himself with how well his campaign went -- in 2012.
"Cruz 2k16 text" by Cruz for President - https://www.tedcruz.org/. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
Ted Cruz hasn't been able to gain any traction. I expect him to drop-out fairly early, maybe even before Iowa. Poor Ted may end up having to give up his senate seat, before all is said and done. Cruz made a lot of noise questioning whether President Obama was born in the United States or not. Ted Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father. His claim to citizenship has been his American mother. It has recently been disclosed, however, that Cruz's mother may have been a Canadian citizen when the senator was born. She may have relinquished her U.S. citizenship by becoming a Canadian citizen, and if so, the senator has no claim to U.S. citizenship. This could prove to be an interesting side-show, gaining the traction his presidential campaign has failed to get.
"Christie 2k16" by Chris Christie for President, Inc. - https://www.chrischristie.com/. Lic. under Public Domain via Commons.
Chris Christie was supposed to be a major player in this election. Thanks to the Fort Lee bridge closure scandal, he's been pictured as petty and vindictive. Add to that his generally rude and surly handling of the press and any citizen with the temerity to ask a question he doesn't like, and you have all the negatives you need to keep him out of the White House. Sadly, he can't even lay claim to the rudest candidate in the field, thanks to Donald Trump. I don't see Christie making it past New Hampshire, if he stays in the hunt that long.
