In 2012, there were complaints about the candidates who were running for the Republican nomination for President. The nomination finally went to a serious candidate, but there really weren’t a lot of candidates that you would have felt comfortable supporting.
When I am talking a candidate you would feel comfortable supporting, I am not talking about somebody who would be a good candidate in the sense of politicking. Good candidates, in that sense, aren’t all that hard to find – sometimes, unfortunately. What I am talking about is people who would be a good president. Because that’s what really counts.
The Republicans have a lot of people who would be good presidents this year. Consider (in alphabetical order):
- Jeb Bush – if you are not sure about Jeb, take a look at his speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Maybe you are worried about Jeb’s last name, but he knows what he is talking about.
- Chris Christie – you don’t get elected governor of New Jersey twice – as a Republican – without knowing what you are doing.
- Bobby Jindal – Congressman for four years. Two-time governor of Louisiana
- John Kasich – Congressman for eighteen years. Now Governor of Ohio.
- Rick Perry – I know he had some problems as a candidate in 2012, but he’d be a good president in 2017.
- Marco Rubio – a new voice that knows what he is talking about.
- Scott Walker – what can you say about a guy who has won three state-wide races in four years in a state that is not that friendly to Republicans. He knows how to fight and to stand up for his principles – of good government. (See Heather Wilhelm's article on how he drives Democrats crazy.)
And other good people may be available, too. (See UPDATE below.)
None of us is going to agree with any of these candidates on everything, but we can know that any of them would be a good president.
The race for the nomination will be exciting, but with all of these good candidates, it will also be reassuring. We just need to make sure that, whichever one of them gets the nomination, gets elected. Because the new president in 2017 is going to have a big job.
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UPDATE (2/21/15 11:00 am): According to The Wall Street Journal, Lindsey Graham is thinking of running for president. Another good candidate.
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