Theodore's World

So, this "debate" becomes a free political ad for Newt Gingrich. Unless Trump tears him a new one. I am completely confused by these debates. The candidates flock to debates moderated by liberal media types. These moderators plan ambushes to trip up the candidates and their answers and attacks on each other will provide ammo for future attacks by obama. But they decline a debate moderated by a somewhat conservative, free market businessman. Huh?? WTF! Are these Repubs suicide bent. What am I missing here? Clue me in. I am confused.

Here is a Clue.
The rest of the country was sick of bending knee to liberal New Yorkers. They had lost many of the elections since the nineteenth century. The country rebelled in 1964 and nominated Berry Goldwater horrifying New York liberals who had the fix in for Nielsen Rockefeller.
The Partys' central committees pulled out all of the election fixing techniques. First Barry Goldwater was removed from the ballots because he was born in Arizona Territory before it was a state. While Goldwater was going to the Supreme Court trying to get back on the ballots, which he never did in some locations, the Democrats stuffed the ballot boxes and registered the dead. The Supreme Court was too slow acting according to many Democrat election officials and Gold water never got on those ballots at all. The RNC did almost nothing about the ballot box stuffing that year and as a direct result of not being on all the ballots Goldwater suffered the biggest defeat since Al Smith.
The New York Republicans have ever since tried to use Goldwater's loss as a sign that all conservatives are sure losers. This is despite Goldwater not being as conservative as Ronald Reagan.
That year marked the high point of liberal Democrat control of the media.

Nice recap of 1964, Avitar.

Seasons' greetings.

Barry Goldwater was also a plain speaker that never held back. Never.

We could use more brusque no-nonsense straight shooters in Washington today.

When scorched earth, dry-as-Arizona Goldwater would come up with gems like these and say them in public (remember their were no TelePrompTers, speeches were made from memory, and words whether spoken or written always matter):

"Sometimes I think this country would be better off if we could just saw off the Eastern Seaboard and let it float out to sea", and

We have better more accurate nuclear bombs than the Soviets and we should "lob one into the men's room of the Kremlin".

You love it, but when you're running for President of all 50 states, making public statements like these, and so many more, make it hard to succeed in a national election.

Barry Goldwater ran a self defeating general campaign in late 1964, and the funeral of Republican Herbert Hoover a week before the election which reminded many of the Great Depression only 30 years earlier didn't help either.

Thank you everyone so much., I really appreciate your input so much.

Thank you Avitar. I didn't know that about Goldwater.

In this case - if I may add my two cents - I think the candidates are dropping out because they are afraid The Donald will ask about the birth certificate.

Just my opinion.

Living in a very Red state one gets the feeling people are fed up with the grid lock in Washington. Even worse are the cast of clowns who want to win the Republican nomination. The Nastiness of all the players from top to bottom is disgusting. I hear it all the time “we didn’t vote for a change in the mid terms to end up with grid lock”. Most want to vote out the new blood because they haven’t lived up
To their promises. As one rancher said over coffee they haven’t done squat and if they were working for me they would be kicking a can going down the road looking for a new job. Unless one lives in the land of OZ you know life is a compromise and it doesn’t always go your way. Only 5 year olds believe that it does. The best description of the legislature I have heard was they resemble Zombies or the walking dead. They don’t know what work is. Try riding on Horseback in blowing snow looking for sick cattle
10 or 12 hours a day. Yes that was Horseback not some cracker ass ATV.