I belong to several conservative web pages and follow the conversations on a regular basis. Republican and conservative voters (not necessarily the same thing) are already at each other's throats over which candidate they believe is best, arguing - even to the point of personally attacking other Republicans/conservatives who disagree with them.
Mitt Romney, a Republican establishment favorite, was in the lead in many polls and according to the main stream media. Jeb Bush was a close second. Many old time Republican voters were in favor of either Mitt or Jeb. These two are comfortable to them. They are "old party." Mitt's business experience would help the economy (his best qualification) and Jeb would be a chip off the old block. But Mitt dropped out before he began. And Jeb is not much like his father and brother. Both the elder Bushes had their problems but Jeb is the one who is the furthest left of the family. He is for Common Core, amnesty, and lax border/immigration security. He said recently that if elected he would govern the way Lyndon Johnson did. Not a smart thing for a Republican to say before an election in which the right is looking for a conservative leader.
Every candidate has an issue with which someone disagrees. Ted Cruz has been declared ineligible by the Facebook Constitutional scholars. Rand Paul is somewhat of an isolationist, rather weak on illegal immigration, and even on radical Islam.
Scott Walker, the most successful conservative governor to come along in several years, is being criticized as being "pro open borders" because he said we need to work to improve our immigration system so more people can "come here legally." People somehow believe he's now pro-amnesty.
Ben Carson once said he personally doesn't think people in urban areas need semi-automatic weapons so he is now anti-Second Amendment.
Sarah Palin, the darling of many conservatives, is still beloved by all. But Sarah Palin did nothing in the last 7 years to prepare for the Presidency, should she decide to run. She resigned from the governorship of Alaska following the failed VP run in 2008, saying that her continued presence in office was causing too many problems for Alaska. Whether her reasons were honorable or she was getting away from an ugly situation matters not to the main stream media and the left. Palin has been labeled a quitter and it will be used against her (successfully, I believe) during any campaign.
Rick Santorum will probably enter the race again but his fundraising wasn't adequate in 2012 and probably won't be this time either. He's a nice guy and a great father but I don't believe he bonds with the general public for some reason.
Rick Perry, former governor of Texas, might also run. Perry had a bad day last year in the debates and lost early. And while he put Texas National Guard troops on the border to help stem the influx of illegals last year, his administration allows in-state tuition for illegals already here.
Lt. Col. Allen West, in my opinion, is an excellent conservative candidate. But he was forced to retire from the Army because of harsh interrogation techniques that were deemed unacceptable by his superiors - even though they saved some of his men who were captured by the enemy.
There are Republican/conservative voters who will read this and disagree with me about one candidate or another. There will be others who will chastise me for forgetting to list the candidate they like here. Honestly, there are so many potential candidates that I can't keep track of them all.
The big difference between Republican/conservatives and liberal/progressive/Democrats is that the Democrats aren't fighting over who the candidate might be. Hillary is the definite front runner but Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have been mentioned as potential candidates as well. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Vermont Sen.Bernie Sanders and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb have also spoken publicly about the possibility.
Democrats aren't attacking each other over who the candidate might be. They are sitting back and allowing things to shape naturally. At election time they will vote for the Democrat candidate without hesitation and will not sit home just because the candidate isn't the one they personally wanted. And that's one of the reasons Republicans lose elections. (Many Republican voters stayed home in 2012 because they didn't like Romney. And look what we got instead.)
As I have said before - there is no perfect candidate. Republicans/conservatives are really only hurting themselves with the bickering, arguing and personal attacks over the various candidates. My suggestion would be for everyone to step back, create a list of the candidates you support the most and be ready to move from one to the next should your favorite not make the cut in the primaries. Then go out and work to support your favorite for as long as he/she is in the fight.
It's really that simple. And stop attacking those who disagree with you. They are your fellow Republicans/conservatives and they are trying to help prevent another four years of Democrat
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