The Silent Cal Model

For John, BLUF:  The 2016 Presidential field is still pretty hazy in my mind.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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I am not sure having the endorsement of Grover Norquist is an advantage, but Governor Scott Walker picked it up, in an OpEd published by Reuters.

After the GOP’s midterm-elections sweep, the Republican Party holds more U.S. House seats and controls more state houses than at any time since 1928.  Having reached this goal, the GOP now needs to look for a 2016 presidential nominee to match this success.

President Calvin Coolidge, who sat in the Oval Office from 1923 to 1929, would be a smart model for the party. He reined in spending and reduced tax rates at a time when it was as needed as it is today.  President Ronald Reagan admired Coolidge so much that he hung a portrait of the 30th president in his Cabinet Room.

One talked-about possible 2016 presidential candidate who shares many of Coolidge’s policy bona fides is Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who won his third statewide race in four years on Nov. 4.  The two men have so much in common that it is worth seeing what Coolidge’s experience can tell us about a potential President Walker.

But, it is an open field.  Here is an article from The New York Times, by Reporters Michael Barbaro and Jonathan Martin.  They argue "A Deep 2016 Republican Presidential Field Reflects Party Divisions".

Republican presidential primaries have for decades been orderly affairs, with any momentary drama mitigated by the expectation that the party would inevitably nominate its tested, often graying front-runner.

But as the 2016 White House campaign effectively began in the last week, it became apparent that this race might be different: a fluid contest, verging on chaotic, that will showcase the party’s deep bench of talent but also highlight its ideological and generational divisions.

As Democrats signal that they are ready to rally behind Hillary Rodham Clinton before their primary season even begins, allowing them to focus their fund-raising and firepower mostly on the general election, the Republicans appear destined for a free-for-all.

“I can think of about 16 potential candidates,” said Haley Barbour, the former governor of Mississippi and a veteran of Republican presidential politics dating to 1968. “Almost every one of them have a starting point. But there is no true front-runner.”

What is it with the Main Stream Media that they think it is a slam dunk for Ms Clinton?  There is still VEEP Joe Biden with a belief in his owns skills and personality.  And, if some critics are to be believed, he is the major-domo of national security in this Administration.  Then there is Senator James Webb of Virginia, who used to be a Secretary of the Navy, and who used to be a Republican.  And don't forget Senator E Warren.

But, perhaps the important thing to me is that their Lordships in charge of the Grand Old Party not dictate to me the next Presidential nominee.  We need an open competition.  It is when the members of the GOP, the registered voters, believe they have been consulted, that we get support on election day.

Then there is this NYT headline, Balance of Power: What 2014 Elections Can Tell Us About 2016: Not Much at All

Regards  —  Cliff