http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/10/28/primaries-are-what-keep-the-gop-out-of-the-white-house/

If they want to raise their polling status, there is only one way to do it, pay money to Main Stream Media to run political ads.

Carson utters self-evident Republican truths with pastoral equanimity.

Fiorina, as far as I can tell, says essentially the same things, but does so with aggressive, self-righteous conviction.
http://www.vox.com/2015/8/21/9186313/carly-fiorina-climate-wrong

The differences I can see are mainly differences of style, not substance, and this goes for every candidate with even a minuscule chance. Their policies are minor variations on a frightening theme.

Given that I gather Graham is one of the relatively more moderate contenders (along with Pataki & Christie) and thus seems a better alternative to me, I’m kinda hoping so.

* Comment #7 here :

http://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2015/10/27/how-low-will-the-next-republican-debate-go/

Um. Well, no. Uhg.

I thought it was pretty clear from all I read & heard early on (& from just knowing who Trump is)that Trump was a obvious joke candidate and that Jeb! (BUSH!!!) would very probably be the eventual Repub nominee. Sure Jeb! (BUSH!!!) had a megatonne of political baggage and wasn’t the best campaigner but well.. Rmoney ditto. (McCain too really.)

I’ve stuck to this understanding for a long time because surely it was going to be like last time with Mittens Rmoney where you have the early novelty candidates, the search for someone , anyone, other than an admittedly piss poor establishment figure who really had the unenthusiastic but solid backing of most of that mob.

But now, well, its looking less and less likely that the safe early bet is right. I am surprised Trump even entered the race for real and more surprised he’s kept going so well and hasn’t just imploded early on. Of course, it is still early .. yegods US elections go on forever! But.

Trump or Carson both strike me as appalling prospects from what I’ve read here and elsewhere notably Ed Brayton’s blog and in the media generally. I can’t see why they are so popular.

Trump seems such a transparently clownish narcissistic buffoon I am amazed he’s been able to fool anyone into voting for or supporting him. But that does seem to be happening.

Carson, well some of his comments have just been beyond appalling* and I really don’t see where his charm lies. He’s an obviously deluded Tea party conspiracy theorist who just has no grasp on reality and clearly advocates a Christian theocracy.

Surely, surely the majority of Americans, even the majority of Republicans are smarter and better than this? Surely they cannot actually nominate or have someone like either Trump or Carson win their Presidency? A position that effects the whole world incl. and esp. my nation which tends to follow the US lead in so many areas.

Yet then I read this and see these polls and those like them and, yeah, it looks worryingly, incredibly likely that the Repubs will be nominating one of these utter klowns** for the 2016 election.

I can only think and hope that if they do, it’ll be the Tea Party’s “extinction burst” and result in a whopping landslide for Hilary Clinton, who I do like and think will make a good POTUS.

Still, its scary that people this bad can be taken that seriously and get that close to that much power and influence on the world.

* See long long list here :

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/ben-carson-gifted-neurosurgeon-tea-party-conspiracy-theorist

** Spelling deliberate to differentiate them from the good funny type of clowns – and rodeo ones – who don’t deserve to be associated with these sociopathic laughable but not in a good way politicians.

If the wingnuts think that he will pliantly do their bidding while confusing Democrats with his Diversity-ness, he may have a shot.

Trump and Carson are both mostly there for atmospherics, but since the Republican party is all atmospherics anymore, these two have perforce moved center stage. At the end of the day, I’m guessing that the GOP will go with loudest, most foamy mouth every time. Carson is nutty enough, but he just can’t jump up and down and scream about it without scaring off the donors.

I wonder if this tendency of conservatives to dismiss the “also-rans” is just a manifestation of their adoration for “winners” and general disdain for anyone who doesn’t dominate their fellow man (especially when it comes to financial power, physical power, or military power).