So, what does the investment community think about the race to 2016 at the moment? Is Hillary still the presumptive winner-take-all? She certainly seems poised to win the Democratic nomination even with Elizabeth Warren building sizeable support around certain liberal circles. After Obama's historic election, do you really think the Democratic Party and Clinton will make history once again? On the other hand, the race to the GOP nominee seems more colluded. Rand Paul is in the news every other day trying to appeal to more than his base, not to mention others like Rubio. I've been more focused on the Democratic side of things honestly at this point but I am still hearing hopes of Jeb Bush for 2016. That would be very interesting and make for a huge media circus, I can envision it now. "Clinton 2 Vs Bush II, who will you pick?". Both nominees will likely be very moderate and conservative such as Obama's presidency, unless something nontraditional happens in the coming year. I'd really love to hear your opinion on the 2016 race as it stands right now.
I hope I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Hillary will take it, or in her absence Warren or whoever gets the Dem nomination. The MSM is completely onesided, and the demographic has shifted in this country enough to make Republican victories very difficult at best. It seems as though the majority in this country want a bigger govt to tell them what to do and take care of them. Many who have money and business sense who would be better off voting Republican have been brainwashed into believing that it's "patriotic" to pay taxes, and that they should feel guilty about their success and owe it to the govt, who will "redistribute" it. There is also voter fraud and intimidation one must consider. The Dems also do better at campaigning - just about all Obama does now (besides golf) is fundraise. They get down & dirty and sling mud, while the Repubs seem to not want to go there very much - something I think is a big mistake. And the Repubs don't seem to do such a good job appealing to people's emotions and to the average person who votes with their emotions. Even the Repubs who are good at campaigning and hitting where it hurts will get brutalized by the media for such (unlike the Dems), and any goofs (no matter how small) they make along the campaign trail are blown completely out of proportion and played over and over on most networks and in most publications. Believe it or not, I still think Romney would be a very good candidate. Ginrich and Cruz would make very good presidents IMO, but neither has enough appeal with the masses. In short, I think the fix is in again.
You have totally stunned me, JR. I truly thought I was the only person left on the planet who thinks Mitt Romney would be a strong president who wouldn't take any BS from... well, not a lot of people or special interest groups. I thought it years ago and I still think it. He just has the persona of a good president about him... maybe Reaganesque, yes? Now, to answer this thread's question... call it intuition, but my gut keeps nagging at me that *something* will come out of the woodwork to change the "sure thing" of a nomination for Hillary... more about Benghazi if I'd have to guess, but could be anything.
Kate, I feel exactly the same way! There's been so much aimed at Hillary that I also feel that same suspicion that something "major" will pop before she ends up clinching the nomination. When she released her book a few months ago there was so much animosity directed towards her and I'm not just speaking about the Benghazi issue that has fired up the Republican base. I also don't see Rubio and Cruz being electable, as well as Mr. Paul. Their politics are just too much to win over the entire base in 2016. I also think Romney is a great candidate and he has been smoothing over most of the issues that alienated him from most Americans lately. I actually don't think a Romney nomination would be too far fetched as the American public already knows him very well. He has already rolled with most of the punches and should be able to win over supporters more easily than before. He should make sure there are no cameras present this time but in all honesty I don't really think that the secret recording issue was the demise of his campaign it was just a wonderful piece to show off in the media and whatnot...
Do you feel that whatever comes up will be genuine and true? That's my problem with politics... finding skeletons in the closet that could damage the country or candidate is expected and good. But I don't like dirty politics where people make things up to get their own way and trash someone with lies. Sometimes there's a fine line between the two! Agreed... none of those three is what's needed, I think. Even I, who try to stay on top of issues, don't know much at all about them. One thing is for sure, though... if it's Romney, he'll need a VERY strong VP choice. Not a "who the heck is Biden" type of running mate. I'd be okay with Condi, but I think she's stated many times that she wouldn't do that. A woman already known to be incredibly smart and very strong politically as well as being a minority candidate would be a perfect choice for a running mate.
I'm more on the conservative/libertarian side of the fence so I'm looking for someone like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul or Marco Rubio to get the Republican nomination. I don't see Jeb Bush or Mitt Romney generating a lot of excitement. Though they both would make better presidents than Hillary Clinton.
Hillary may not win the nomination to be the Dems front-runner. The Republicans may not have a strong candidate yet, but after the Senatorial election, we'll have a good idea towards which side most people will lean come 2016. I wouldn't want the Republicans to win but Obama has made so many people really mad and they'll probably lash back at the Democrats [because of him]. It's too early to predict though. Anything can change between now and 2016.
I really hope that Hillary Clinton does take it, I can not help it but vote for the democrats and I hope all goes well.
I think 2016 is going to be an interesting flip of scripts from 2008. Where the Republicans were kind of old and stale, and running an old and stale candidate in John McCain, while the Democrats had the fresh face in Barack Obama. I think the Republicans will be running someone new and exciting in 2016, while the Democrats go with the experienced candidate in Hillary Clinton, likely.
