Gearing up for 2016

While the most ambitious would-be Presidents are already jockeying for position, it's important to remember that "He who starts first, runs out of gas first." Or, in the case of presidential campaigns, runs out of money/ideas/supporters, &c.

I haven't settled on any candidate yet. There are a number of people I like a lot, but I have to acknowledge that some are "yesterday's men" who have no hope of being elected in 2016. There are those who have distinguished themselves locally, but have, as yet, nothing to offer on a national or international stage. Their time will come, but not by 2016.There are those who have attracted national attention and approbation, but are just not "presidential" enough to represent the United States of America on an international stage.

In 2008, Obama promised a lot and delivered little. The 2012 election was an open goal, but not only did the GOP run the wrong way, but they fumbled the ball as well. We can only hope that doesn't happen in 2016.

So what should progressive Republicans be looking for?

1. People who are not afraid to be Republican, or afraid to be progressive.

Recently, Republicans have either tried to look like moderate Democrats, or appeared not to be engaged in the same contest, country or century.

2. Local Republicans should ensure - no, they should demand - that no Democrat runs unopposed no matter how bad the odds are. This isn't throwing money away; just collect enough names to get on the ballot. The electorate has the right to a choice. Republicans have let them down on this, badly, for decades.

3. Don't treat the American public like stupid children. Tell them what's what. Tell them how you're going to fix it, or at least make it a little better.

Look at Obama's list of what he was going to do from 2008. It wasn't just the Republicans that stopped him; it was his own lack of understanding of the issues. His advisors should have reined him in, but they thought it didn't matter. Now his presidency looks worse than Jimmy Carter's. Obama's been a veritable Warren G. Harding: no one knew where he came from, and no one knew what he was doing.

4. Most states have several dozen Republican organizations, very few of which talk to each other. Getting better coordination is a top-down and bottom-up activity. Get on with it. [It took my local Republican club a year and a half to deposit my membership check.]

5. Look for people who act like winners - election winners. People who can make others feel good about being Americans again, but not through the usual anodyne phrases. Somneone who can credibly say that they balanced budgets with good social care are possible, but on a realistic scale. Someone who says that schools can be better, but that children and parents will have to do some work. Someone who knows that 50% of children will always be below average and doesn't pretend otherwise.

Want a platform?

The GOP could do worse than addressing the points made in the first 10 minutes of episode one of The Newsroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqOYBabXmA