Month: December 2014

There Are (at Least) 23 Good Reasons Why Jeb Bush Should Not Run for President

Buck Banks

Jeb+Bush+Romney+Accepts+Party+Nomination+Republican+Kn3kDhUu-o5l

Jeb Bush has made his intentions about running for the high office his father and brother occupied. Mother Jones magazine offers a scathing list of 23 reasons he should probably reconsider.

As the magazine puts it: “From questionable business dealings to allegations of philandering, the former Florida governor’s past is an opposition researcher’s dream.”

Republicans Don’t Have a Frontrunner for ’16

Buck Banks

Not even 10%

A new Monmouth University Poll finds that when GOP voters are asked to name who they would like to see as the party’s nominee for president, they volunteer more than a dozen names, with none exceeding 10% support. Contenders include Mitt Romney (8%), Ben Carson (7%), Chris Christie (7%), Jeb Bush (6%), Ted Cruz (5%), Rand Paul (5%), Mike Huckabee (3%), Scott Walker (3%), Bobby Jindal (2%), Rick Perry (2%), Marco Rubio (2%), and Rick Santorum (1%).

Majority of Americans Support CIA Torture Program

Buck Banks

49%

Of Americans believe that the CIA “did in fact torture suspected terrorists; 38% think its actions did not amount to torture, with the rest unsure. Regardless, the public by a broad 59% to 31% also says the agency’s interrogation actions were justified,” according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. “One reason is that 53% think these interrogations produced important information that could not have been obtained any other way. Just 31% reject this claim, a focus of the recent debate.”

Let’s Restart the Cycle of Hope and Disappointment

Buck Banks

At election time, candidates seduce us with promises to bring America together, but inevitably fall short and end up leaving office with the country more polarized than when they arrived. After blaming them for their failure to unite us, we turn to the next crop of presidential aspirants and the cycle of hope and disappointment begins all over again.

— Brendan Nyhan, writing for the New York Times’ The Upshot blog.

Who Knew David Koch Is a Social Liberal?

Buck Banks

I’m basically a libertarian, and I’m a conservative on economic matters, and I’m a social liberal. What I want these candidates to do is to support a balanced budget. I’m very worried that if the budget is not balanced that inflation could occur and the economy of our country could suffer terribly.

— Billionaire David Koch, a powerful donor in American conservative politics, telling ABC News that he’s a “social liberal” on issues like abortion and gay marriage even though most of the candidates he supports are not.