Republicans should use a known candidate for President in 2016

from The Gray Area:

The 2016 Presidential playing field is, of course, already being batted around immediately following the 2014 mid-term elections. The left says there is Talent Gap at the top at the GOP. And, after tonight’s political speech on immigration by President Obama, the left will focus everything for the next two years on “the next President can re-write this executive order” just as easily as President Obama initiated it tonight. Thereby focusing every Latino voter on 2016 and voting against a Republican candidate.

Karl Rove today listed 23 names currently viewed as planning to run or possibly could decide to run for the Republican nomination for President. But who will comprise the best Republican ticket.

Two years out, it is my view that the best possible ticket for Republicans in 2016 is Mitt Romney with one of the following VP candidates; Ben Carson, New Mexico Gov. Suzanna Martinez, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, or Sen Marco Rubio, in no particular order of priority.

Why Romney again? How many people who did not vote for Romney in 2012 wish they had? Quite a few. The election results were a surprise to the entire nation, remember. And, Romney was less than 400,000 votes away from victory as a result of close losses in critical states like Ohio, Virginia, Florida, etc. News since then has confirmed the misleading nature of the Democrats and President Obama’s campaign on many issues. Romney’s positions during the campaign can be restated as accurate 4 years later, including his warning about Russia, and will resound well against the public’s renewed distrust of President Obama. This data will be impossible to ignore by voters, no matter how the mainstream media, who will most certainly, play it down. He is a much stronger candidate now than in 2012 and one that is known. He has acted Presidential since the election and that will show well for him. Plus, the Republicans do not need to spend this Presidential election cycle educating the voters on the merits of a new flag bearer. With Romney, they can continue to build on his positive perception.

Yes, the Tea Party and other Republicans who are at whits end after 8 years of the destruction of America under President Obama will want a more hardcore conservative candidate. But, the elections of 2014 should have convinced everyone, that conservative principles espoused by responsible professionals, will win the day. Efforts to bring them in to vote for Romney will require the likes of Rand Paul and Ted Cruz campaigning hard for the ticket.

As for the VP slot, my choices are pretty obvious. Ben Carson is the darling of the Tea Party, a proven anti-Obama and anti-Obamacare advocate and strong black conservative with a clear understanding of understanding the issues facing black Americans and how the policies of the Democrats for the last 50 years have made them worse. Oh, and he is a brain surgeon!

Gov Martinez and Sen. Rubio would help in the Latino community where President Obama political speech tonight will put Republicans on the defensive. Martinez would provide a nice balance to the “first woman President” argument that will certainly lead Hillary Clinton’s campaign message. Rubio will help in the swing state of Florida as well.

Gov Kasich won big in Ohio, another swing state and his support is broad based in that state. His policy record is strong in Ohio and the reason for his broad based support. In order to win the White House in 2016, Republicans must win Ohio.

Certainly a lot will happen in the next two years for both Democrats and Republicans. Obviously one is that Romney may not run. But, from this far off vantage point in November, 2014, I like any of the above Republican Presidential ticket combinations for the 2016 campaign.