Almost Everybody Is Running for President

It does seem an attempt to solve problems no one believes the country really has or is likely to get. It also seems to mean to do that by government that no one, had they completed a well rounded education, should believe is suited to solve them.  In the past a well rounded education was considered a good thing, now it's often viewed with suspicion of "shrinking" the economy.

Still, and with all the candidates so far and all those likely to appear, some good choices remain without good representation.

In 1964 Kurt Vonnegut, often considered a "good" writer despite an apparent and thorough lack of formality, in a short piece wrote,

Until six years ago [1958], the Democratic poll watchers and the Republican poll watchers were all Republicans. Now the Democratic poll watchers are Democrats. The consequences of this revolution have not been nearly as awful as expected -- so far.

The focus of the various campaigns of both parties appears to be what your country can and should do for you, which if John Kennedy had believed he at least managed to disguise it.  These days, leaders have dropped even the pretense of leadership. That includes not only political leaders but religious leaders too. They brazenly ask to follow the crowd.  Now, not only are the people expected to believe government can do anything and everything for them, but that they have a right to expect others to pay for it.  The only disguise is that it isn't really doing anything except redistributing wealth, which it was never supposed to do anyway.

The assembled punditry often describes the problem of candidates as running for party votes in the primaries and shifting in the general election to appeal more to the opposition. It is a bigger problem on paper than is often the case in practice, especially this round.  The problem for Republican candidates today is how to get the votes of all the Republicans who, if the election were held today, would vote for Hillary Clinton, and if the election were held anytime whatsoever would likely vote for Hillary Clinton.  To make that worse, they can't appeal to their own base because they don't have one.  The rhetoric does abound that government is too big and needs to be cut back, but it is only rhetoric so far.

Those hardy souls who really believe in private property and strict marriage laws as outlined by a god and trampled underfoot by government when it gets too big, those hardy souls who can wipe their own noses, thank you anyway without the government's help, aren't showing up much. It must make the candidates trying to appeal to them nervous. Hardy souls, where are you hiding?

It will be interesting to watch to see whether the rhetoric ever gets ignited by any passion.  Otherwise Hillary Clinton is your next president and Bill will have a room in White House again.  Republican candidates probably should make it clear they are not Bob Dole, John McCain or Mitt Romney, but they need to do that without mentioning those names.

For Ted Cruz, he has the right message but needs much more experience, depth and finesse. Also he is considered a poser by some, and as misrepresenting the message.

For Jeb Bush, he has to develop an image of other than the "bull in a china shop" he got stuck with somehow. There's plenty of time, but he should start soon.

For Marco Rubio, reviving the American Dream shouldn't be a problem, beating Hillary Clinton at it just might be.

For Rand Paul, there are not many real libertarians in either the Republican or Democratic parties. They are mostly phantoms fought by the forces of big government. If you play that role, big government will fight you and win. Don't forget to not be Bob Dole.

For Dr. Ben Carson, be careful not to run against religion. It is not the problem. Don't confuse Christianity, as often practiced, with religion.

For Mike Huckabee, good luck, Godspeed, and keep me in mind for VP. I'm just joking about the VP part.

For Carly Fiorina, maybe being a bit like Mitt Romney, business leader, wouldn't hurt in your case.

For Rick Santorum, get someone with a degree in economics on your staff. Plenty would like that very much.

For George Pataki, what they say about former governors making the best presidents does not apply in your case. Don't forget to not be Bob Dole.

For Rick Perry, take the same advice as given to Marco Rubio.

For Lindsey Graham, from time to time the sword can be mightier than the pen, but it is usually not more efficient, and the effects are not as lasting.

For Hillary Clinton, tell people you invented the internet. Just kidding, I did. Okay, I didn't either, but I did write a good article on TCP/IP and net neutrality.

For Bernie Sanders, Lincoln Chaffee, Martin O'Malley et al., there is no rule against political debates being entertaining. See whether you can liven things up.

Conservatives do have a winning game. Republicans do have a winning game. What they don't have quite yet is someone who can put a name on it and lead it.

Becasue this article was published June 14, it does not have advice for the candidates who entered the race since.  Those might be addressed in additions to this article here and or in other articles.  Stay tuned or check my Facebook page for notices.