What about Bob?

[underpants]

As much as we novice political watchers continue looking at this Republican lot of candidates we have slowly been coming to the realization that one of these bozos is actually going to get the nomination. Even the media seems to be waiting for the real candidate to suddenly appear. There is an unmistakeable down note in every news story or conversation of "No, REALLY. Who is actually going to be their nominee?"

How could this be?

Part of the answer is in what is missing.

Bob McDonnell is missing.
It was supposed to McDonnell and Jeb and maybe Rand Paul. All the others would make their announcements, go to a debate or two, and then fade away.

We can detail the things wrong with McDonnell but he was the (their) PERFECT candidate - squeaky squeaky clean, Commonwealth's Attorney experience (law and order), National Guardsman (pictures in cammos), a daughter who served, Executive experience, evangelical Christian, from the battleground state of Virginia too - absolutely perfect. Made for TV perfect.

But he, and his wife, couldn't wait. For the last two years he should have been pulling in his fat Richmond law firm lobbyist money and being a "rainmaker" as Larry Sabato says like all the other former Virginia Governors. All the qualities listed above and now he's RICH and SUCCESFUL.

It was his for the taking and without him they had nothing to fill the void. And we are looking at a crowd of poo flingers one of whom will actually get at least 40% of the national vote.

Bob just couldn't get past the baby steps.

[HassleCat]

1. He did us a favor, I guess.

By eliminating a viable candidate (himself) he helps us and leaves his party with nothing.

[underpants]

2. Yes, he did exactly that

[Blus4u]

3. He would have been as piss poor a candidate as any of the rest of them.

Better he weeded himself out before he hit the national stage an escalated his graft.

Peace

[underpants]

4. I resoectfully disagree

The first time I saw a McDonnell for Gov TV ad I said out loud "Who is this guy?" realizing he was going to be tough to beat here in Va.

On a national stage he would have just done what Carson is doing - stand as still as possible and let everything swirl around you. There would have been some Teabagger backlash at McDonnell but I think he was their key to get back to their game plan - get the product early and start selling it nationwide.

My two cents.

[FSogol]

7. No way. He was dangerous the same way Reagan was. He was a RW radical that

could talk like a sensible Pro-America Moderate while enriching himself and friends while destroying everything America stands for.

We dodged a major bullet.

[FSogol]

5. The worse thing about Bob: He was a radical republican that could talk like a sensible moderate.

Reagan had the same skill and the Country still hasn't fully recovered.

Thankfully Bob and family couldn't hold off on their grifting ways to get to the WH.

We'll crack open a good bottle of something the day he reports to prison.

[underpants]

10. Yep FS

He was the perfect product. The media would have adored him and created at least 3 points for him in the GE.

I never liked him but I know a sellable political product when I see one.

Trust me, there we s lot of corks popping when he finally goes to jail. Dem and Repubs I know are done with him, her, and "the soap opera" as it was called by everyone here.

[lame54]

6. It was never going to be Rand Paul

[FSogol]

8. Thankfully. Fuck Rand Paul!

[underpants]

9. Two points

1. I saw Paul as a good Gen Election candidate. Of their lot he was the best in connecting through the TV. My opinion.

2. He could have pulled the Libertarian Teabagger element in especially as a VP candidate.

i included him because he was well positioned to be the almost nominee and use that for the rest of his career. That's what I meant.

[Tipperary]

11. Very true.