On September 17th, I posted a blog where I ranked the then 15 Republican candidates in descending order based on my own personal opinion (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2015/09/my-updated-gop-candidate-rankings-were.html). Following three debates (well, six if you include the three junior varsity debates), I thought I'd re-rank the now 14 GOP candidates. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was the only candidate to drop out of the race between the 2nd and 3rd debates.
Here were my rankings on September 17th:
15) Ted Cruz
14) Bobby Jindal
13) Mike Huckabee
12) Scott Walker
11) Rick Santorum
10) Marco Rubio
9) Donald Trump
8) Carly Fiorina
7) Lindsey Graham
6) Ben Carson
5) Chris Christie
4) George Pataki
3) Jeb Bush
2) Rand Paul
1) John Kasich
Here now are my updated rankings:
14) Ted Cruz (up 1 spot): The only reason he moved up one spot was the fact Scott Walker exited the race. As former President George W. Bush recently said, "I just don't like that guy."
13) Bobby Jindal (up 1 spot): I often hear conservative commentators refer to Jindal as "the smartest person in the room," yet his consistent nonsensical and hyperbolic rhetoric illustrate otherwise. If hyperbole isn't his middle name, it should be.
12) Ben Carson (down 6 spots): Carson was my biggest mover from debates 2 and 3 and this had nothing to do with his somewhat muted performance in last night's debate. No, it had more to do with his insane commentary between the two debates. If he compares one more thing to slavery or the Holocaust, my head may blow.
11) Rick Santorum (no change): Sadly, Santorum's far-right rhetoric with regard to social issues has appeared mild in comparison to the likes of Cruz, Jindal, and Carson. This is the same guy that has compared homosexuality to beastiality, so that's saying something.
10) Mike Huckabee (up 3 spots): Since the Kim Davis story died down, so too has Mike Huckabee's insane commentary, and having been given little time at the mic at last night's debate, the former Arkansas governor came across as one of the more sane ones in the room. Yes, the less he speaks, the saner he appears. Then again, that holds true for most of the GOP candidates.
9) Marco Rubio (up 1 spot): If Bobby Jindal's perfect middle name is hyperbole, deflection is Marco Rubio's ideal middle name. Whenever he's called out by the media or fellow Republicans, Rubio is masterful at deflecting matters at his opponents. Has he missed close to 50% of his votes in the Senate since he announced he was running for president? Yes, but so did so and so when they ran for office! Has he flip-flopped on an issue here and there? Yes, but it's the liberal media's fault for reporting this!
8) Carly Fiorina (no change): I have to hand it to her - even though Fiorina's comments are typically 95% false, she is a fairly skilled debater. It'll be interesting to see if this significantly prolongs her campaign. If this doesn't work out, given her Oscar-worthy performance at the second debate with regard to Planned Parenthood, acting may be a future option for her as well.
7) Donald Trump (up 2 spots): To put it bluntly, the man comes across like a complete dick. Yet outside of immigration policy, he's coming across as one of the more moderate candidates in the race. Yes, that'd be like saying, "He's the most loyal of the philanderers," but still...
6) Chris Christie (down 1 spot): Pre-bridgegate, Governor Christie was my favorite among potential Republican candidates. However, since then, the more the guy talks, the more he rubs me the wrong way. When he talks directly into the camera, saying, "America...," it feels like a mob boss is about to send his guys after me. If he winds up being the party's nominee, I could see his campaign slogan being, "Vote Christie or Else!"
5) Lindsey Graham (up 2 spots): This guy seems to be more obsessed with war than Cookie Monster is with, well, cookies. However, outside of foreign policy, Graham has presented himself as one of the most moderate candidates in the race. Instead of saying, "I'm not a scientist" and doubting scientists' findings, he's actually said, "I'm not a scientist, so I'll go with what the scientists say about science." Yes, he may regularly make fun of his bad grades and may not appear to be the brightest crayon in the box at times, but at least the guy can admit his weaknesses, and be better able to acknowledge them and hire cabinet members to compliment said weaknesses than most of the other candidates, seemingly in denial about how perfect they believe themselves to be.
4) Jeb Bush (down 1 spot): What happened to this guy? Before the first debate, he was my favorite to be the party's nominee. With his poll numbers slipping and a sub-par performance at the debate last night, I'm seriously starting to wonder if he has any chance at all anymore. Jeb! has transformed into Jeb which may soon transform into Jeb?.
3) George Pataki (up 1 spot): While this guy has less chance of being the party's nominee than I do of being Halle Berry's next husband, I do think he is one of the most rational candidates the GOP has to offer this year. Being elected as a Republican in liberal New York, he has a history of working with politicians across the aisle; like Lindsey Graham, isn't anti-science; and has even called for Kim Davis to be fired for refusing to comply with federal law. Yes, it's reached the point where one of the most reasonable GOP candidates is that way because he's against breaking the law.
2) Rand Paul (no change): The Kentucky senator had another underwhelming performance last night, and I have a feeling his campaign isn't going to last too much longer, but I still appreciate his more progressive positions in a number of areas, such as: Prison reform, police reform, drug reform, anti-war (war as a last option), and anti-spying (Patriot Act). Unfortunately, the "Stand With Rand" slogan may soon be "Sit With Rand And Watch The Debates With A Joint In Hand."
1) John Kasich (no change): As I've said for a while, the Ohio governor comes across as the only realist among all the GOP candidates. He even recently called out many of the other candidates for their ridiculous policy ideas. It's a shame conservatives haven't warmed up to this outsider (as far as GOP candidates go) like they have the labeled outsiders (as far as the political spectrum goes). Sadly, GOP candidates that make sense seem to poll much worse than those that sound bat-sh*t crazy. If Kasich is still in the race by the time the next debate rolls around, I sincerely hope he refers to his opponents as just that, "bat-sh*t crazy."
My hopeful 2016 presidential election: Democrat Bernie Sanders vs. Republican John Kasich (same as before)
My predicted 2016 presidential election: Democrat Hillary Clinton vs. Republican Marco Rubio (switched from Jeb Bush to Marco Rubio)
Here were my rankings on September 17th:
15) Ted Cruz
14) Bobby Jindal
13) Mike Huckabee
12) Scott Walker
11) Rick Santorum
10) Marco Rubio
9) Donald Trump
8) Carly Fiorina
7) Lindsey Graham
6) Ben Carson
5) Chris Christie
4) George Pataki
3) Jeb Bush
2) Rand Paul
1) John Kasich
Here now are my updated rankings:
14) Ted Cruz (up 1 spot): The only reason he moved up one spot was the fact Scott Walker exited the race. As former President George W. Bush recently said, "I just don't like that guy."
13) Bobby Jindal (up 1 spot): I often hear conservative commentators refer to Jindal as "the smartest person in the room," yet his consistent nonsensical and hyperbolic rhetoric illustrate otherwise. If hyperbole isn't his middle name, it should be.
12) Ben Carson (down 6 spots): Carson was my biggest mover from debates 2 and 3 and this had nothing to do with his somewhat muted performance in last night's debate. No, it had more to do with his insane commentary between the two debates. If he compares one more thing to slavery or the Holocaust, my head may blow.
11) Rick Santorum (no change): Sadly, Santorum's far-right rhetoric with regard to social issues has appeared mild in comparison to the likes of Cruz, Jindal, and Carson. This is the same guy that has compared homosexuality to beastiality, so that's saying something.
10) Mike Huckabee (up 3 spots): Since the Kim Davis story died down, so too has Mike Huckabee's insane commentary, and having been given little time at the mic at last night's debate, the former Arkansas governor came across as one of the more sane ones in the room. Yes, the less he speaks, the saner he appears. Then again, that holds true for most of the GOP candidates.
9) Marco Rubio (up 1 spot): If Bobby Jindal's perfect middle name is hyperbole, deflection is Marco Rubio's ideal middle name. Whenever he's called out by the media or fellow Republicans, Rubio is masterful at deflecting matters at his opponents. Has he missed close to 50% of his votes in the Senate since he announced he was running for president? Yes, but so did so and so when they ran for office! Has he flip-flopped on an issue here and there? Yes, but it's the liberal media's fault for reporting this!
8) Carly Fiorina (no change): I have to hand it to her - even though Fiorina's comments are typically 95% false, she is a fairly skilled debater. It'll be interesting to see if this significantly prolongs her campaign. If this doesn't work out, given her Oscar-worthy performance at the second debate with regard to Planned Parenthood, acting may be a future option for her as well.
7) Donald Trump (up 2 spots): To put it bluntly, the man comes across like a complete dick. Yet outside of immigration policy, he's coming across as one of the more moderate candidates in the race. Yes, that'd be like saying, "He's the most loyal of the philanderers," but still...
6) Chris Christie (down 1 spot): Pre-bridgegate, Governor Christie was my favorite among potential Republican candidates. However, since then, the more the guy talks, the more he rubs me the wrong way. When he talks directly into the camera, saying, "America...," it feels like a mob boss is about to send his guys after me. If he winds up being the party's nominee, I could see his campaign slogan being, "Vote Christie or Else!"
5) Lindsey Graham (up 2 spots): This guy seems to be more obsessed with war than Cookie Monster is with, well, cookies. However, outside of foreign policy, Graham has presented himself as one of the most moderate candidates in the race. Instead of saying, "I'm not a scientist" and doubting scientists' findings, he's actually said, "I'm not a scientist, so I'll go with what the scientists say about science." Yes, he may regularly make fun of his bad grades and may not appear to be the brightest crayon in the box at times, but at least the guy can admit his weaknesses, and be better able to acknowledge them and hire cabinet members to compliment said weaknesses than most of the other candidates, seemingly in denial about how perfect they believe themselves to be.
4) Jeb Bush (down 1 spot): What happened to this guy? Before the first debate, he was my favorite to be the party's nominee. With his poll numbers slipping and a sub-par performance at the debate last night, I'm seriously starting to wonder if he has any chance at all anymore. Jeb! has transformed into Jeb which may soon transform into Jeb?.
3) George Pataki (up 1 spot): While this guy has less chance of being the party's nominee than I do of being Halle Berry's next husband, I do think he is one of the most rational candidates the GOP has to offer this year. Being elected as a Republican in liberal New York, he has a history of working with politicians across the aisle; like Lindsey Graham, isn't anti-science; and has even called for Kim Davis to be fired for refusing to comply with federal law. Yes, it's reached the point where one of the most reasonable GOP candidates is that way because he's against breaking the law.
2) Rand Paul (no change): The Kentucky senator had another underwhelming performance last night, and I have a feeling his campaign isn't going to last too much longer, but I still appreciate his more progressive positions in a number of areas, such as: Prison reform, police reform, drug reform, anti-war (war as a last option), and anti-spying (Patriot Act). Unfortunately, the "Stand With Rand" slogan may soon be "Sit With Rand And Watch The Debates With A Joint In Hand."
1) John Kasich (no change): As I've said for a while, the Ohio governor comes across as the only realist among all the GOP candidates. He even recently called out many of the other candidates for their ridiculous policy ideas. It's a shame conservatives haven't warmed up to this outsider (as far as GOP candidates go) like they have the labeled outsiders (as far as the political spectrum goes). Sadly, GOP candidates that make sense seem to poll much worse than those that sound bat-sh*t crazy. If Kasich is still in the race by the time the next debate rolls around, I sincerely hope he refers to his opponents as just that, "bat-sh*t crazy."
My hopeful 2016 presidential election: Democrat Bernie Sanders vs. Republican John Kasich (same as before)
My predicted 2016 presidential election: Democrat Hillary Clinton vs. Republican Marco Rubio (switched from Jeb Bush to Marco Rubio)
Comments
Post a Comment