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Ted Cruz

7 (6.5%)

Rick Santorum

16 (14.8%)

Michelle Bachmann

13 (12%)

Chris Christie

23 (21.3%)

Rand Paul

49 (45.4%)

Total Members Voted: 107

[Max White]

Malaise returns to Georgia.

I'm amazed just how many of your political figures are related somehow. Everybody is somebodies grandson or something like that.
Is sociopathy genetic?

[FearfulJesuit]

Malaise returns to Georgia.

I'm amazed just how many of your political figures are related somehow. Everybody is somebodies grandson or something like that.
Is sociopathy genetic?

Not in the case of Carter, I don't think. He's widely considered a pretty honest and decent guy, which was why his presidency was so ineffectual.

The real political dynasties, however, are legendary.

[Max White]

Even an honest and decent high up politician is likely to show sociopathic traits, it is just a social thing. Don't assume that they are all just insane mad men who enjoy violence, as the movies might have you believe. Many sociopaths are actually very ethical people, they are just exceptionally good at putting certain thought and emotions on the back burner, letting them roll ahead.

[FearfulJesuit]

Even an honest and decent high up politician is likely to show sociopathic traits, it is just a social thing. Don't assume that they are all just insane mad men who enjoy violence, as the movies might have you believe. Many sociopaths are actually very ethical people, they are just exceptionally good at putting certain thought and emotions on the back burner, letting them roll ahead.

Right. But that's basically why Carter's presidency was a failure- the guy couldn't just make a decision and go with it. He had to have all the information before him before making a decision, and it paralyzed him. He wasn't sociopathic enough, basically.

[Max White]

Ah, yea that will do it! Still, lots of family ties to be found.
Kind of ironic for a country that made a big deal of not liking royal families...

[Sheb]

But they're Presidential families! It's totally not the same thing.

[GlyphGryph]

Except the only way in which Carter's presidency was a failure was that he lost the next election. Politically, yeah, that's a failure... but his actual presidency only seems to have been a failure before of how much a large section of the population wanted it to be.

[Max White]

The problem with doing a good job but not selling it well to the public is that the next guy can roll in and make a point of undoing all that good work, and come out as a hero for it. I mean that is literally what our current Government was elected to do, simply because the last one let its dirty laundry air in public, and it gave the opposition the chance to make everything look bad in the public eye.

You can't just do a good job, you need to make everybody know you did such a good job that even thinking about destroying that legacy is a punishable offence. I imagine that if Obamacare doesn't become more publicly supported, the Republicans will drop it like its hot and actually look like good guys for it.

[Zangi]

Ah, yea that will do it! Still, lots of family ties to be found.
Kind of ironic for a country that made a big deal of not liking royal families...

All hail the Reagans.  They can do no wrong.

[10ebbor10]

The problem with doing a good job but not selling it well to the public is that the next guy can roll in and make a point of undoing all that good work, and come out as a hero for it. I mean that is literally what our current Government was elected to do, simply because the last one let its dirty laundry air in public, and it gave the opposition the chance to make everything look bad in the public eye.

You can't just do a good job, you need to make everybody know you did such a good job that even thinking about destroying that legacy is a punishable offence. I imagine that if Obamacare doesn't become more publicly supported, the Republicans will drop it like its hot and actually look like good guys for it.

Actually, you can skip the first part.

It's all about the marketing.

(Other interesting things is when politicians do long term planning. Party A gets in government, does long term planning, booted out because there're no apparent results. Party B gets in government, and gets praise for the results of the other's parties ideas.)

[GlyphGryph]

Ah, yea that will do it! Still, lots of family ties to be found.
Kind of ironic for a country that made a big deal of not liking royal families...

All hail the Reagans.  They can do no wrong.

The Reagan's may be popular, but come now - we all know the real reigning dynasty is the Kennedys.

[FearfulJesuit]

Reagan didn't really start a political dynasty. He was an actor for most of his career, and his parents weren't anything special. As for his kids, one is a right-wing talk radio host (Michael), one is a liberal TV talking head (Ron, who is an atheist to boot), one (Patti) made a career of starring in B-grade soap operas and posed nude for Playboy, and the only one to run for political office (Maureen) was defeated both times and died last decade. So until we see Ron running for office, that's it for the Reagan clan.

[SalmonGod]

Except the only way in which Carter's presidency was a failure was that he lost the next election. Politically, yeah, that's a failure... but his actual presidency only seems to have been a failure before of how much a large section of the population wanted it to be.

Yeah... I've heard it constantly repeated that Carter was a failure as a president, but I've never heard a single person explain why...

Reagan didn't really start a political dynasty. He was an actor for most of his career, and his parents weren't anything special. As for his kids, one is a right-wing talk radio host (Michael), one is a liberal TV talking head (Ron, who is an atheist to boot), one (Patti) made a career of starring in B-grade soap operas and posed nude for Playboy, and the only one to run for political office (Maureen) was defeated both times and died last decade. So until we see Ron running for office, that's it for the Reagan clan.

And how the hell did Reagan attain revered political status amongst the right, anyway?  Can we chalk it all up to his acting skills?  Because I've seen quotes from him that would make them fly into rage today.

[PTTG??]

He "won the cold war and lost his mind."

[MetalSlimeHunt]

And how the hell did Reagan attain revered political status amongst the right, anyway?  Can we chalk it all up to his acting skills?  Because I've seen quotes from him that would make them fly into rage today.

Mostly because he saved the Republican Party from total dissolution and brought about the true rise of the Religious Right. It was in bad enough straights already, having lost most elections since WWII, when Nixon came along. Nixon was competent enough, but then Watergate. Gerald Ford then proceeded to be an utterly terrible and unelected President, after pardoning Nixon's blatantly criminal activities. And that is how a (by 70's standards) radically environmentalist peanut farmer took the White House. America was one step away from the Republican Party shattering into a million little pieces and becoming a bunch of socialist hippie degenerates who desired the wrong kind of freedom. Reagan knew what he had to do. He would forge the grand holy alliance between the squabbling conservative Christians of America to create a fascist, theocratic moral majority and restore the white picket fence segregationist dream.

So yeah, that's not going to work twice, and as such the GOP has some major issues to work out if they expect to be electable again.