Will we see another (former) First Lady run for President within the next 100

[Bo]

I've said it before, but Jeb will do much better than anyone thought.  He can win Florida, maybe Ohio, and beat Obama.  Heck, Hillary won primaries on her last name Clinton despite her so-called executive leadership experience as a Senator.  I think Jeb would be a far stronger presdential candidate.  We'll have to see how he does on the trail, but he has far stronger voter name recognition than Romney, since most voters outside of Michigan and Mass, have never heard of romney or don't care about him at all.

I can guarantee you Jeb won't win the 2012 GOP primaries or even run in 2012 for that matter.

[milhouse24]

I've said it before, but Jeb will do much better than anyone thought.  He can win Florida, maybe Ohio, and beat Obama.  Heck, Hillary won primaries on her last name Clinton despite her so-called executive leadership experience as a Senator.  I think Jeb would be a far stronger presdential candidate.  We'll have to see how he does on the trail, but he has far stronger voter name recognition than Romney, since most voters outside of Michigan and Mass, have never heard of romney or don't care about him at all.

I can guarantee you Jeb won't win the 2012 GOP primaries or even run in 2012 for that matter.

He'll probably wait until 2016 but he would be fairly old then.  How do you know for sure, have you talked to him?  If things go sour in 2010, then Jeb will be tempted to run.  It would be handed to him by the GOP.

[feeblepizza]

I think that Hillary and Michelle are the only viable FLOTUS-to-POTUS contenders. I think that Hillary will definatley run in 2016, and Michelle may do so as well, inducing another set of Obama/Clinton primaries.

As for future contenders? Who knows.

[cpeeks]

Served? No screwed this country, lol and there will never ever, ever be a Bush elected to anything again.

I agree on the latter possibly but the Bushes are the all American family.

Northeastern wealthy elitists? Hardly an all- american family. Do you honestly say this bs to try an anger people?

It's certainly angering you.

At first it did, until I realized some things about you, and now it doesnt. Its comical.

I wouldn't be too sure a Bush would never be elected again. Sure Bush Jr. really screwed up but Bush Sr. was pretty unpopular too and his son was elected just 8 years later. Some Bush in the future might rehabilitate the family legacy. And I agree with cpeeks that a multi-millionaire family of Northeastern elitists is not the typical American family.

They know what it takes to get to the top with how far Bush Sr. went. I agree that it would be hard for a Bush to make it into the white house again but Bush Jr. today would be a good match against Obama with how bad he's doing.

LOL What? You must be joking. Bush Sr. got to where he was because of his father Prescott Bush. Ever heard of him? He was Wall Street Banker, and a U.S.Senator from Conneticut.

[Bo]

I think that Hillary and Michelle are the only viable FLOTUS-to-POTUS contenders. I think that Hillary will definatley run in 2016, and Michelle may do so as well, inducing another set of Obama/Clinton primaries.

As for future contenders? Who knows.

Michelle won't run in 2016. I seriously doubt she has what it takes to run at all, and even if she did, she would wait to run (just like Hillary did). I mean, even Hillary, with all her ambition, didn't run for President in 2000.

[Bo]

So the first lady gets 8 years as First Lady and then another 8 years as President.  Sounds awesome to me!  16 years as co-President!  Nepotism is great.

How do you know the First Lady won't get four years as first Lady and four years as President?

[Beet]

So the first lady gets 8 years as First Lady and then another 8 years as President.  Sounds awesome to me!  16 years as co-President!  Nepotism is great.

How do you know the First Lady won't get four years as first Lady and four years as President?

Because the First Lady is Hillary Clinton duh, she is First Lady for the rest of eternity, Michelle Obama is only Second Lady. Also, since Clinton and Bush got re-elected it means that no one will ever be defeated for re-election ever again.

</snark>

[Bo]

I've said it before, but Jeb will do much better than anyone thought.  He can win Florida, maybe Ohio, and beat Obama.  Heck, Hillary won primaries on her last name Clinton despite her so-called executive leadership experience as a Senator.  I think Jeb would be a far stronger presdential candidate.  We'll have to see how he does on the trail, but he has far stronger voter name recognition than Romney, since most voters outside of Michigan and Mass, have never heard of romney or don't care about him at all.

I can guarantee you Jeb won't win the 2012 GOP primaries or even run in 2012 for that matter.

He'll probably wait until 2016 but he would be fairly old then.  How do you know for sure, have you talked to him?  If things go sour in 2010, then Jeb will be tempted to run.  It would be handed to him by the GOP.

I'm pretty certain Jeb won't run in 2012 because the economy will be recovering by that point and because most people will still remember his brother's horrible Presidency. Jeb had a good opportunity to win a Senate seat in Florida this year, but he decided not to run. His chances of winning the Presidency will be much smaller, and I doubt he would want to subject himself to the stresses of campaigning just to lose the nomination. Also, I'm not sure the GOP is very fond of dynasties. After two Bushes as President over the last 20 years, I think the GOP would want someone new to nominate. I mean, part of the reason why Obama beat Hillary is because many people wanted someone new to be the next Democratic President. In 2016, Jeb won't be that old (he'll be 63, just two years older than Hillary in 2008). However, by that point I think Jeb will leave politics completely and just focus more on his private life and career. Thus, I think it's unlikely Jeb will ever run for President. Jeb's best shot at the Oval Office would have been in 2000, had he won the Florida Governorship in 1994.

[milhouse24]

LOL What? You must be joking. Bush Sr. got to where he was because of his father Prescott Bush. Ever heard of him? He was Wall Street Banker, and a U.S.Senator from Conneticut.

Isn't that the point - that the family name/connections knows how to maneuver the GOP to get nominated to the Presidency.  Just replace the name Bush with Kennedy, and then you'll understand how even despised political families get re-elected time and again.  

The GOP rewards party loyalty and legacies and the next in line with the good resume.  Jeb Bush had a completely successful 8 year term as governor of Florida and his leadership was on his merits and not because his family helped him govern.  

Just like Crist was mentioned as a Presidential/VP contender because he governs Florida, Jeb is equally or more valuable because of his Florida success.  Jeb will run for the nomination by 2016, bet on it, and he would win the nomination.

Also, GWB deserved the presidency more so than Bush Sr ever did.  Bush Sr. was a one-term congressman who became CIA director.  He was a foreign policy expert but had no feel for elective politics, winning voters, or governing domestic policy.  AT least Dubya was a successful 2 term governor and was an eager campaigner, even if by the slimmest margins.

[milhouse24]

So the first lady gets 8 years as First Lady and then another 8 years as President.  Sounds awesome to me!  16 years as co-President!  Nepotism is great.

How do you know the First Lady won't get four years as first Lady and four years as President?

Brilliant, then her husband would have lost re-election, but his wife would run a third time in his place?

[milhouse24]

I've said it before, but Jeb will do much better than anyone thought.  He can win Florida, maybe Ohio, and beat Obama.  Heck, Hillary won primaries on her last name Clinton despite her so-called executive leadership experience as a Senator.  I think Jeb would be a far stronger presdential candidate.  We'll have to see how he does on the trail, but he has far stronger voter name recognition than Romney, since most voters outside of Michigan and Mass, have never heard of romney or don't care about him at all.

I can guarantee you Jeb won't win the 2012 GOP primaries or even run in 2012 for that matter.

He'll probably wait until 2016 but he would be fairly old then.  How do you know for sure, have you talked to him?  If things go sour in 2010, then Jeb will be tempted to run.  It would be handed to him by the GOP.

I'm pretty certain Jeb won't run in 2012 because the economy will be recovering by that point and because most people will still remember his brother's horrible Presidency. Jeb had a good opportunity to win a Senate seat in Florida this year, but he decided not to run. His chances of winning the Presidency will be much smaller, and I doubt he would want to subject himself to the stresses of campaigning just to lose the nomination. Also, I'm not sure the GOP is very fond of dynasties. After two Bushes as President over the last 20 years, I think the GOP would want someone new to nominate. I mean, part of the reason why Obama beat Hillary is because many people wanted someone new to be the next Democratic President. In 2016, Jeb won't be that old (he'll be 63, just two years older than Hillary in 2008). However, by that point I think Jeb will leave politics completely and just focus more on his private life and career. Thus, I think it's unlikely Jeb will ever run for President. Jeb's best shot at the Oval Office would have been in 2000, had he won the Florida Governorship in 1994.

Jeb didn't run for Senate because Senators rarely become president, and he would have difficulty running against Obama/Dem as a Senator in 2012 or 2016.  I think he would like the nomination even if he loses the general.  Romney wants the nomination and will probably lose the general election. But with Jeb, he can actually grind out the win by winning Swing States like Florida and Ohio.  It won't be a landslide, but GWB never got a landslide either.  There is anti-legacy/incumbent sentiment but name another popular 2 term governor?  Mitch and Haley and T-Paw are okay.  If he does forgo the Presidency, he would be an asset as VP in winning Florida, which is more positive than the other negatives.

[Bo]

I've said it before, but Jeb will do much better than anyone thought.  He can win Florida, maybe Ohio, and beat Obama.  Heck, Hillary won primaries on her last name Clinton despite her so-called executive leadership experience as a Senator.  I think Jeb would be a far stronger presdential candidate.  We'll have to see how he does on the trail, but he has far stronger voter name recognition than Romney, since most voters outside of Michigan and Mass, have never heard of romney or don't care about him at all.

I can guarantee you Jeb won't win the 2012 GOP primaries or even run in 2012 for that matter.

He'll probably wait until 2016 but he would be fairly old then.  How do you know for sure, have you talked to him?  If things go sour in 2010, then Jeb will be tempted to run.  It would be handed to him by the GOP.

I'm pretty certain Jeb won't run in 2012 because the economy will be recovering by that point and because most people will still remember his brother's horrible Presidency. Jeb had a good opportunity to win a Senate seat in Florida this year, but he decided not to run. His chances of winning the Presidency will be much smaller, and I doubt he would want to subject himself to the stresses of campaigning just to lose the nomination. Also, I'm not sure the GOP is very fond of dynasties. After two Bushes as President over the last 20 years, I think the GOP would want someone new to nominate. I mean, part of the reason why Obama beat Hillary is because many people wanted someone new to be the next Democratic President. In 2016, Jeb won't be that old (he'll be 63, just two years older than Hillary in 2008). However, by that point I think Jeb will leave politics completely and just focus more on his private life and career. Thus, I think it's unlikely Jeb will ever run for President. Jeb's best shot at the Oval Office would have been in 2000, had he won the Florida Governorship in 1994.

Jeb didn't run for Senate because Senators rarely become president, and he would have difficulty running against Obama/Dem as a Senator in 2012 or 2016.  I think he would like the nomination even if he loses the general.  Romney wants the nomination and will probably lose the general election. But with Jeb, he can actually grind out the win by winning Swing States like Florida and Ohio.  It won't be a landslide, but GWB never got a landslide either.  There is anti-legacy/incumbent sentiment but name another popular 2 term governor?  Mitch and Haley and T-Paw are okay.  If he does forgo the Presidency, he would be an asset as VP in winning Florida, which is more positive than the other negatives.

Jodi Rell, John Hoeven, and Joe Manchin are all pretty popular two term Governors. So Jeb isn't the only one in that category. And VPs aren't typically picked because they can win a certain state--the last time that happened was when Dukakis picked Bensten in an effort to win Texas in 1988. They are typically picked to compensate for something that the President is lacking (experience, charisma, appeal to a particular group). To be honest, I think Jeb would be too toxic as a VP pick due to his last name alone. The eventual GOP nominee in 2012 would have many other reliable, conservative choices to pick from for VP, and thus I doubt Jeb would be the VP pick.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

I hope not.

[milhouse24]

I've said it before, but Jeb will do much better than anyone thought.  He can win Florida, maybe Ohio, and beat Obama.  Heck, Hillary won primaries on her last name Clinton despite her so-called executive leadership experience as a Senator.  I think Jeb would be a far stronger presdential candidate.  We'll have to see how he does on the trail, but he has far stronger voter name recognition than Romney, since most voters outside of Michigan and Mass, have never heard of romney or don't care about him at all.

I can guarantee you Jeb won't win the 2012 GOP primaries or even run in 2012 for that matter.

He'll probably wait until 2016 but he would be fairly old then.  How do you know for sure, have you talked to him?  If things go sour in 2010, then Jeb will be tempted to run.  It would be handed to him by the GOP.

I'm pretty certain Jeb won't run in 2012 because the economy will be recovering by that point and because most people will still remember his brother's horrible Presidency. Jeb had a good opportunity to win a Senate seat in Florida this year, but he decided not to run. His chances of winning the Presidency will be much smaller, and I doubt he would want to subject himself to the stresses of campaigning just to lose the nomination. Also, I'm not sure the GOP is very fond of dynasties. After two Bushes as President over the last 20 years, I think the GOP would want someone new to nominate. I mean, part of the reason why Obama beat Hillary is because many people wanted someone new to be the next Democratic President. In 2016, Jeb won't be that old (he'll be 63, just two years older than Hillary in 2008). However, by that point I think Jeb will leave politics completely and just focus more on his private life and career. Thus, I think it's unlikely Jeb will ever run for President. Jeb's best shot at the Oval Office would have been in 2000, had he won the Florida Governorship in 1994.

Jeb didn't run for Senate because Senators rarely become president, and he would have difficulty running against Obama/Dem as a Senator in 2012 or 2016.  I think he would like the nomination even if he loses the general.  Romney wants the nomination and will probably lose the general election. But with Jeb, he can actually grind out the win by winning Swing States like Florida and Ohio.  It won't be a landslide, but GWB never got a landslide either.  There is anti-legacy/incumbent sentiment but name another popular 2 term governor?  Mitch and Haley and T-Paw are okay.  If he does forgo the Presidency, he would be an asset as VP in winning Florida, which is more positive than the other negatives.

Jodi Rell, John Hoeven, and Joe Manchin are all pretty popular two term Governors. So Jeb isn't the only one in that category. And VPs aren't typically picked because they can win a certain state--the last time that happened was when Dukakis picked Bensten in an effort to win Texas in 1988. They are typically picked to compensate for something that the President is lacking (experience, charisma, appeal to a particular group). To be honest, I think Jeb would be too toxic as a VP pick due to his last name alone. The eventual GOP nominee in 2012 would have many other reliable, conservative choices to pick from for VP, and thus I doubt Jeb would be the VP pick.

I would argue that the most essential quality of the VP is to help win the election, by winning his state and other swing states, and being an experienced politician capable of taking over in an emergency.  You are completely wrong that the Dukakis would win Texas over GHWBush who was actually from Texas and served as a congressman.  There was zero chance Bush would lose Texas.  The past winning VP have all won their home states - Biden, Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Bush, etc.  It would be foolish, futile, and a waste of campaign energy to pick a VP from an unwinnable state, unless there was no other qualified VP candidates.
In these close elections, its too risky to pick an unhelpful VP like Palin, Edwards, Lieberman, Kemp, etc.  Every state counts, unless you win in a blowout.  Otherwise, a VP is just a warm body.
Do you think people in Florida think Jeb is toxic?  Are they too dumb to tell the difference between Bush brothers and their Own governor?  I admit that nepotism is a risky move but Jeb has earned his job.  Jeb is a moderate and is married to a Mexican wife.  He will bring in Hispanic voters away from DEmocrats.  Dubya was a dumb cowboy who relied on Neo-con foreign policy.  Iraq is winding down and I think voters would not be anti-Iraq in 2012 like they were in 2008.  Smart independent voters will know that Jeb is not a Neo-con.

[Bo]

I've said it before, but Jeb will do much better than anyone thought.  He can win Florida, maybe Ohio, and beat Obama.  Heck, Hillary won primaries on her last name Clinton despite her so-called executive leadership experience as a Senator.  I think Jeb would be a far stronger presdential candidate.  We'll have to see how he does on the trail, but he has far stronger voter name recognition than Romney, since most voters outside of Michigan and Mass, have never heard of romney or don't care about him at all.

I can guarantee you Jeb won't win the 2012 GOP primaries or even run in 2012 for that matter.

He'll probably wait until 2016 but he would be fairly old then.  How do you know for sure, have you talked to him?  If things go sour in 2010, then Jeb will be tempted to run.  It would be handed to him by the GOP.

I'm pretty certain Jeb won't run in 2012 because the economy will be recovering by that point and because most people will still remember his brother's horrible Presidency. Jeb had a good opportunity to win a Senate seat in Florida this year, but he decided not to run. His chances of winning the Presidency will be much smaller, and I doubt he would want to subject himself to the stresses of campaigning just to lose the nomination. Also, I'm not sure the GOP is very fond of dynasties. After two Bushes as President over the last 20 years, I think the GOP would want someone new to nominate. I mean, part of the reason why Obama beat Hillary is because many people wanted someone new to be the next Democratic President. In 2016, Jeb won't be that old (he'll be 63, just two years older than Hillary in 2008). However, by that point I think Jeb will leave politics completely and just focus more on his private life and career. Thus, I think it's unlikely Jeb will ever run for President. Jeb's best shot at the Oval Office would have been in 2000, had he won the Florida Governorship in 1994.

Jeb didn't run for Senate because Senators rarely become president, and he would have difficulty running against Obama/Dem as a Senator in 2012 or 2016.  I think he would like the nomination even if he loses the general.  Romney wants the nomination and will probably lose the general election. But with Jeb, he can actually grind out the win by winning Swing States like Florida and Ohio.  It won't be a landslide, but GWB never got a landslide either.  There is anti-legacy/incumbent sentiment but name another popular 2 term governor?  Mitch and Haley and T-Paw are okay.  If he does forgo the Presidency, he would be an asset as VP in winning Florida, which is more positive than the other negatives.

Jodi Rell, John Hoeven, and Joe Manchin are all pretty popular two term Governors. So Jeb isn't the only one in that category. And VPs aren't typically picked because they can win a certain state--the last time that happened was when Dukakis picked Bensten in an effort to win Texas in 1988. They are typically picked to compensate for something that the President is lacking (experience, charisma, appeal to a particular group). To be honest, I think Jeb would be too toxic as a VP pick due to his last name alone. The eventual GOP nominee in 2012 would have many other reliable, conservative choices to pick from for VP, and thus I doubt Jeb would be the VP pick.

I would argue that the most essential quality of the VP is to help win the election, by winning his state and other swing states, and being an experienced politician capable of taking over in an emergency.  You are completely wrong that the Dukakis would win Texas over GHWBush who was actually from Texas and served as a congressman.  There was zero chance Bush would lose Texas.  The past winning VP have all won their home states - Biden, Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Bush, etc.  It would be foolish, futile, and a waste of campaign energy to pick a VP from an unwinnable state, unless there was no other qualified VP candidates.
In these close elections, its too risky to pick an unhelpful VP like Palin, Edwards, Lieberman, Kemp, etc.  Every state counts, unless you win in a blowout.  Otherwise, a VP is just a warm body.
Do you think people in Florida think Jeb is toxic?  Are they too dumb to tell the difference between Bush brothers and their Own governor?  I admit that nepotism is a risky move but Jeb has earned his job.  Jeb is a moderate and is married to a Mexican wife.  He will bring in Hispanic voters away from DEmocrats.  Dubya was a dumb cowboy who relied on Neo-con foreign policy.  Iraq is winding down and I think voters would not be anti-Iraq in 2012 like they were in 2008.  Smart independent voters will know that Jeb is not a Neo-con.

People in Florida don't think Jeb is toxic, but many people in other states might. A lot of voters are very stupid. They would just see "Bush" on the ballot and immediately think "bad." And Jeb is hardly a moderate--he pursued very conservative policies as Governor. Jeb's Latino wife might help a very small amount with Latino voters, but I don't think she will add more than a couple percent to the GOP at most. And most people right now dislike GWB for screwing over our economy, rather than for the Iraq War. Thus, if Jeb is the nominee (or even the VP nominee), Obama can say "Bush screwed over our economy. I began to fix it. Reelect me, and the economy will continue to improve. Elect the Republicans again and the economy will go straight downhill the same way it did last time." And frankly, that's a very convincing argument to many voters.

[President Mitt]

These threads are useless.

[milhouse24]

I would argue that the most essential quality of the VP is to help win the election, by winning his state and other swing states, and being an experienced politician capable of taking over in an emergency.  You are completely wrong that the Dukakis would win Texas over GHWBush who was actually from Texas and served as a congressman.  There was zero chance Bush would lose Texas.  The past winning VP have all won their home states - Biden, Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Bush, etc.  It would be foolish, futile, and a waste of campaign energy to pick a VP from an unwinnable state, unless there was no other qualified VP candidates.
In these close elections, its too risky to pick an unhelpful VP like Palin, Edwards, Lieberman, Kemp, etc.  Every state counts, unless you win in a blowout.  Otherwise, a VP is just a warm body.
Do you think people in Florida think Jeb is toxic?  Are they too dumb to tell the difference between Bush brothers and their Own governor?  I admit that nepotism is a risky move but Jeb has earned his job.  Jeb is a moderate and is married to a Mexican wife.  He will bring in Hispanic voters away from DEmocrats.  Dubya was a dumb cowboy who relied on Neo-con foreign policy.  Iraq is winding down and I think voters would not be anti-Iraq in 2012 like they were in 2008.  Smart independent voters will know that Jeb is not a Neo-con.

People in Florida don't think Jeb is toxic, but many people in other states might. A lot of voters are very stupid. They would just see "Bush" on the ballot and immediately think "bad." And Jeb is hardly a moderate--he pursued very conservative policies as Governor. Jeb's Latino wife might help a very small amount with Latino voters, but I don't think she will add more than a couple percent to the GOP at most. And most people right now dislike GWB for screwing over our economy, rather than for the Iraq War. Thus, if Jeb is the nominee (or even the VP nominee), Obama can say "Bush screwed over our economy. I began to fix it. Reelect me, and the economy will continue to improve. Elect the Republicans again and the economy will go straight downhill the same way it did last time." And frankly, that's a very convincing argument to many voters.

Jeb is a risky pick, but there are a lot of stupid voters who would vote for Bush out of habit, religious affiliation, and southern values.  If the GOP wins Florida, it can win the election, correct?  Then it has to pick up Ohio as well.  It doesn't matter what non-swing state voters think.  Besides, Dubya was known more for his Iraq failures than wall street, because Obama is dealing with the Economic problems now.  Jeb can say he is a competent leader, unlike his brother, and pursue better economic policies than Obama.  Most Rich people are Republicans and they prefer the GOP candidate vs. Obama, unless it was McCain (who created campaign finance restrictions).

I take it you are not a Tea Party member, and therefore do not realize that Obama is losing the Economic issue with Big Spending.  Dubya spent big-time on the Iraq War and that is why Independents left the GOP.  Now Obama is spending on Health Care, Bailouts, etc. and many middle-class independents are sick of govt spending, and Jeb can say he will stop spending.  Just say "No New Taxes" and he wins the election, just like his Dad!