John Heilemann: Republican Presidential Field Weakest Anybody Has Seen In Our Lifetime
New York Magazine's John Heilemann on Friday said the Republican presidential field is the weakest anybody has seen in our lifetime.
This absurd statement was made on the syndicated "Chris Matthews Show" in a segment about which GOPers will be throwing their name into the ring in the coming months before next year's elections (video follows with transcript and commentary):
JOHN HEILEMANN, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Here are some facts. One fact is that the Republican field is the weakest field that anybody has seen - and Republicans all agree on that - that anybody has seen that in our lifetime.
There are so many ways to look at this absurd comment they're almost too many to count.
Let's start with how this field doesn't currently differ all that much from the 2008 version with the obvious exemption of John McCain's absence, and he lost to Barack Obama in the biggest landslide a Republican presidential nominee has suffered since Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford.
As such, you can't in all honesty say this field is any worse than the one just three years ago.
Prior to that, 1996, when the primary candidates were Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Arlen Specter, and Pat Buchanan, was far worse than what's available to Republican voters now.
But in reality, that's all irrelevant, for the name of the game for liberal media members like Heilemann is to do everything possible to keep his readers and Matthews' viewers from thinking anyone has a prayer of beating Obama in 2012.
The press are once again trying to orchestrate a self-fulfilling prophecy: by continually calling Obama a shoo in, they hope the public will agree with them thereby making it more likely to come true.
The second-coming of Ronald Reagan could emerge in the next few months, and these folks would find flaws in him or her like a gemologist inspecting a diamond found in a Cracker Jacks box.
With this in mind, readers and viewers need to remind themselves to not take any criticism of a potential Republican presidential candidate by people like Heilemann at all seriously.
It's like asking a newly-divorced individual to rate his or her former spouse.
In the words of President George H.W. Bush, it wouldn't be prudent.
- Noel Sheppard's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
Really??? Is somebody
Submitted by killa37 on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 1:46am.
Really??? Is somebody running?? Am I missing out on something here?? These dorks are RESENTLESS in their quest for pushing Boy Blunder - they put him there, and they are going to die trying to keep him there!!!
All I can say is that we'd BETTER put somebody out there in 2012 who is ready , willing, able, capable, confindent, and unafraid of the staggering amount of BS that the left is going to throw their way. In fact...............I want somebody who will say F**K YOU, or at least in so many words, and just stick to their (our) guns.
This country is on the ropes, with a standing 8 count, and the referee is counting fast and cheating for the other side..............so we've got to be in shape - mean, lean, and clean.
Character Assassination
Submitted by txradioguy on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 1:55am.
The left also wants the Republicans to name their candidates now so the smear campaign can begin early. Idiots like matthews and Heilman would LOVE to have a prominent name they could apply the Sarah Palin treatment to a full two years before the next election. They GOP wisely hasn't done this and it's leading the formerly mainstream media types to falsely predict that the GOP field is "weak".
Comments like these coming
Submitted by Captain Repus on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 2:40am.
Comments like these coming from someone who looks and acts like a short-bus assistant navigator on a show hosted by a sexually conflicted political assasin only adds to the moronic image of these idiots.
Perhaps this political genius has missed the multitude of polls showing that Obammy would be defeated by the very WEAKEST Republican candidate - GENERIC GOP OPPONENT
but not all of the people all of the time
Submitted by MidAmerica on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 7:31am.
This time around obama won't have the luxury of the anti-Republican vote and will have to deal with an anti-obama vote. That's the difference between being a challenger candidate and an incumbant candidate.
By running to the center (in perception) obama is trying to become a challenger cadidate again by attempting to fool people into believing he is someone new and he will try to avoid acknowledging his Liberal record since becoming President.
hhhhmmm.... just like a those on the Left almost always have to do to get electedl, run as a centrist, govern as a Liberal.
Dead on target, Noel!
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 8:19am.
the name of the game for liberal media members like Heilemann is to do everything possible to keep his readers and Matthews' viewers from thinking anyone has a prayer of beating Obama in 2012.
To repeat my comment from yesterday:
The drum that the media will beat for the next 20 months:
Obama is unbeatable.
Heilemann and his cohorts seem to think that Obama's "charisma" is enough and no one else can match it.
Well, when the economy and the housing market are still in the tank, and it's plain that Obama isn't the healer and messiah he was portrayed to be., it's going to be difficult to keep blaming it on Bush. I think even a lot of Democrats will be "exhausted of defending [him]."
This is why we need to target individuals in LSM
Submitted by gwalt on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 8:49am.
This is a perfect example of why we need to "Alinsky" the media. Call them out by name, not network, not MSM---but call them what they are---Matthews, Couric, Lauer etc. The sooner we start doing this and putting attention on them and not the Republican field we can change the game. Until that happens, defense will not work. Start a fund and we will donate to see Couric and Lauer and Matthews on billboards with Biased, Liberal---Don't Trust Them-----captioned underneath. Hammer them day in day out calling out their bias and under-reporting (Planned Parenthood, DOJ BPP, Pigford).
"A lot of briefing for a 2 hr. special with Dan Rather. Saw the show & wonder why we bothered". Ronald Reagan
John McCane is not running right?
Submitted by dostrow on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 8:50am.
So right there the field is 100% percent better
Heileman is paid for his analysys
and i get zilch
Funny, but the potential crop
Submitted by Newsbusterbrown on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 9:32am.
Funny, but the potential crop of GOP candidates might be the best that we have ever had in decades. I think the Democrats, deep down, know this, too.
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
Presidential debates....
Submitted by adamsmith on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 10:41am.
This upcoming election will be won during the debates. ANY Republican that can debate and can recall all the disasters of this administration is a shoe-in. Just naming the moves Obamalinsky and Co. have made that are unconstitutional and harmful to the nation will sink Zero in any debate. He's already lost the "Coal" vote, the Gulf of Mexico states' vote(shutting down 70,000 jobs in the oil industry since the BP incident), the Independent vote, the far left vote, and a lot that I've forgotten. Obama beat McCain 63 million votes to 57 million. Just take away the Independents that voted for him once but not again, and mathematically Obama can't win. I'm on the fence about Sarah Palin, I'm not a big supporter nor am I a detractor. Many people have claimed she can win the nomination but not the general. If she was to face Obama, she would destroy him, as he can't use a teleprompter, and she's ballsey enough to throw all his BS right back into his face. He can't stand on a record of his accomplishments when nearly 20% of Americans are out of work. He'll either look like a Communist hell bent on destroying the Constitution, or a completely inept moron.
So, field of losers or not, the Republicans can't lose unless they stand disunited. All votes count, and all should be against Obama and his Communist regime....
Leadership in the land
Submitted by A pen on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 10:46am.
Unlike the progressives and RINO's who have no respect for the US of A there are those who can lead and who have earned respect. You only need fear them when you LIE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnrIppYp8y4
The liberals are PETRIFIED.
Submitted by johnsonl on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 10:54am.
The liberals are PETRIFIED. They are like dogs, being forced into the car for a trip to the vet. They know what's coming.
Again....
Submitted by Spoker on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 10:57am.
This would be beginning to get funny if it were not so predictable. The liberals and their media lackeys accessing the potential opposition for 2012 as if their opinion has any bearing on the matter. I wonder what the next chant will be after 'No one is worthy! No one is worthy!' runs its course?
P.S.
Submitted by Spoker on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 11:03am.
P.S. Having a crystal clear memory of every President since DDE, it is my contention that our current CIC is the weakest, least qualified, least competent leader in the last 50 years. Now will someone give me a By-Line.
He is ugly,---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 9:39pm.
has jug ears, his second in command is stupid, and his wife is a fashion catastrophe. Oh, I thought that said "bye" line.Well, all we've really seen
Submitted by tampamom25 on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 11:06am.
Well, all we've really seen so far is the same old, same old people. Romney, Gingrich.....come on Republicans, you can do better than this. The midterm elections should have clued you in that people are ready for real change, Constitutional leadership, someone who can articulate truths and has the courage to live up to what he says. We're tired of our way of life being flushed down the toilet because someone believes in redistribution of wealth, and tired of government getting bigger and more intrusive every day. Where are the Thomas Jeffersons and Benjamin Franklins of our day? Or aren't there any out there???Hmmm...didn't libs make
Submitted by Beukeboom on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 11:19am.
Hmmm...didn't libs make similar claims about this time during the Carter Presidency? And look was happened then.
Huh?
Submitted by fenngibbon on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 11:22am.
"[John McCain] lost to Barack Obama in the biggest landslide a Republican presidential nominee has suffered since Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford."
The election of 1976 was pretty close (Clinton's victories in 1992 and 1996 were much bigger). I think you mean it was the worst thumping for a Republican since LBJ clobbered Goldwater in 1964.
By the way, I'm glad to see that you think, as I do, that Heilemann is absurd not because the weakness claim but because of the "in our lifetime" idiocy. I, too, rememer 1996, with it's inspiring "Meh, Dole. Whatever." Personally, I thought the Republicans should have gone with Strom Thurmond. The slogans practically wrote themselves: "Oh, what the hell: Thurmond!" "Thurmond: He only runs in years that are multiples of 48," "Welcome a new century with a president who lived most of the last one," etc.
I also thought the word
Submitted by stratman on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 5:46pm.
I also thought the word "landslide" was hyperbolic. "Margin" would be more accurate.
Also, Bob Dole lost by a greater margin, both popular and electoral college vote, than Gerald Ford. While Dole received a few hundred thousand more votes than McCain, he did better than J. Reb in electoral college votes.
(source)
I don't know how anyone can say the field is weak when there is no field yet. People have to declare their candidacy first in order to be a part of the "field". Pure propaganda.
Obama
Submitted by PrimalElements on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 11:23am.
Which the least of the bunch is far more qualified than the Thief in Chief.
Propaganda Machine
Submitted by HopeChangeInAZ on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 12:07pm.
Let the propaganda begin! This is just the beginning of the disinformation that will be bombarding us from now until the 2012 election. The Democrats know they are in trouble so they will be pulling out all the stops to stem the fallout that started in 2010. Remember their motto..."the end justifies the means"!
Of course why anyone really cares what Chris Matthews and his guests have to say is a bit beyond me. Of course the 10-15% of the looney left will always enjoy listening to this idealogue and his guests but really, does anyone else care? Matthew's viewing numbers speak for itself and the truth is, we would all be much better off if the other 85-90% of us just ignored him.