I wasn’t going to belabor the point, but there are now 37 million Spanish speakers in the U.S. (Pewresearch); their impact at the polls will be enormous going forward. Rubio and Cruz are playing the Hispanic (or is it Latino?) card for all they are worth. Bush, even with that name, can play it just as hard as they can. Unlike them he actually moved to Mexico, did business and married. The other two were accidentally born to Hispanic parents.

Yep, he’s got “Pesonality.” 🙂

Rubio’s appeal is that he reminds you of the whip smart kid next door who is aiming high, but without too much arrogance. Comes across as very earnest. That said, his resume to be President is a thin as tissue paper. But LIVs don’t care. They voted for Obama didn’t they?

Walker also has that likability. But he also has a resume as a successful governor in a highly unionized, mostly progressive state. That ain’t chickenfeed.

Now we have the Donald. I like a lot of the things that Trump is saying. The question is, “Can he deliver?” He’s got an ego as big as New York and Texas, but his belief that he can persuade Mexico to pay for building a wall on the border sounds like a Carny Barker trying to get the rubes in the tent to see the freak show. He’s been a big success, but he’s also had some big time failures. The MSM will be on his record like vultures on carrion. He will certainly add some color for as long as he lasts.

Carly is a non-politician like Trump, but without the showmanship – just quiet competence. I agree with her and the Donald when they say that many Americans are tired of the political class screwing things up. I believe Fiorina is a real dark horse. IMO, she will add a lot to the campaign, but if she starts polling too well, the MSM will certainly try to Palinize her. It may not be so easy this time.

I’m still keeping an open mind. It’s way early.

The only polls that count now are NH, IA and SC.

This race is already exhausting me.

His fluency on subjects ranging from conflicts in the South China Sea to flexible community-college credits is, quite simply, dazzling.

I have no deep personal knowledge of the subject, but Podhoretz has always struck me as highly knowledgeable and a straight shooter.

I say the following with no disrespect intended for Rubio or Fiorina:

The American electorate is highly propagandized and manipulated. There is a high degree of superficiality. The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.

The awful disastrous economy and Romney’s comparative extraordinary competence should have decided the last election.

Carly/Rubio, Rubio/Carly is not at all my preference.

But it would be more difficult to demonize them than all the others. They both seem to understand how they cannot be punching bags, and they both seem to be able to deal with it.

They might have a deep appeal to segments of the shallow.

Picture the relentless leftist garbage hurled every hour of the day for months on end. How much will the ignorant buy and how much will they let roll of their backs?

How effective will the parry be?

Too bad, the totalitarians and the black shriveled souls who run things are not going away. They have succeeded brilliantly for many, many years.

We all know, much worse than a traffic ticket, we are a joint or blowjob or nasty statement or divorce filing or harassment accusation away from electing HC at any moment during the campaign.

Marco and Fiorina atm look to be prepared for the inevitable.

The others, who knows. But not Jeb, Perry, Huckabee, Christie, Trump, Graham. Alas, sadly, probably not Cruz.

Walker? Eh … maybe.

And…I think you’re kidding yourself if you believe that minorities are flattered by a white guy marrying a minority. My brother married a Mexican. I have other relatives who have, and they vote for different people, just like you and me. The last thing on their minds is who they married, just like in their own relationships. People get married because they’re attracted to the other person. Jeb fell in love with a Mexican American woman, not all Mexican Americans. They’re smart enough to know the difference.

In all of these mixed families I’m associated with, the Mexicans aren’t running up to us white members gushing with pride because we stooped so low. You probably don’t realize how the implication sounds to a Mexican American- that they’re impressed with white person for lowering themselves to accept a Mexican when they could have had something else. I know you don’t mean it, but it sounds that way. Many of them are Republicans, and many are Democrats, for all the reasons white people are both.

And again — have you looked at Jeb Bush? I’m just saying. He looks like a big doofus. Hardly the ladies man.

I also by no means rule out something crazy happening here in the USA connected with ISIS.

(It’s funny how when I mention the last, even as a longshot hypothetical, my hardcore liberal friends just DO NOT want to go there.)