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2016 GOP Dream Team -- a little of bit of this, a little bit of that

The current GOP primary field is exciting and diverse, with respect to life experience, cultural/regional background and ideology:

  • Rand Paul (opthalmologist, Presbyterian, Libertarian)
  • Ted Cruz (lawyer, Southern Baptist, Tea Party, Cuban-Canadian)
  • Ben Carson (neurosurgeon, Seventh Day Adventist, Constitutional Conservative, Detroit, MI)
  • Allen West (US Army Lt. Col. retd., Tea Party, Georgia)
  • Mitt Romney (Private equity/venture capital, Mormon, Moderate, Michigan)
  • Jeb Bush (Real estate, Roman Catholic, Moderate, Texan)
  • Chris Christie (Lawyer, Roman Catholic, Moderate, New Jersey)
  • Scott Walker (Politico, Nondenominational Evangelical, Moderate)
  • Nikki Haley (Accounting, Methodism, Indian-American from South Carolina)
  • Bobby Jindal (Roman Catholic, Indian-American from Louisiana)
  • Mike Huckabee (pastor, Southern Baptist, Arkansas)
  • Mike Pence (Attorney, Evangelical, Indiana)
  • Rick Perry (Air Force capt., Nondenominational Evangelical, Texas)
  • Susana Martinez (Attorney, Roman Catholic, Mexican-American from Texas)
  • Brian Sandoval (Attorney, Roman Catholic, California)
  • Rick Santorum (Attorney, Roman Catholic)
  • Marco Rubio (Lawyer, Roman Catholic, Cuban-American)
  • Paul Ryan (Roman Catholic, Randian/Objectivist/Libertarian)
  • Condi Rice (Political Scientist/Diplomat, Presbyterian, Foreign-Policy Hawk)


They range from libertarians to centrists to social conservatives to policy wonks to foreign-policy hawks. A long, drawn-out primary season would split the electorate and would be a self-defeating war of attrition. Instead, I suggest that the entire field should join forces and compete as a team. The President, VP and the Cabinet comprise an Executive Team of about 22, or more. It would be awesome if these people can get in a room and decide a couple of front-runners for President, along with picking appropriate persons for Cabinet roles. Then, the primary voters can be asked to vote after a couple of public discussions and/or debates. No TV ads, attack ads, etc. Following this, the Presidential candidate (say, Rand Paul) can then assemble the team consisting of all the others, and focus on winning the elections and righting the nation according to a simple agenda : (a) balance the budget; (b) protect Constitutional freedoms, (c) reduce the size, scope and reach of the federal government, (d) reduce taxes and simplify the tax code, and, last but definitely not least, (e) audit the Fed, normalize interest rates, and guide the dollar to normalcy by ending QE-based inflation (which is a tax on the poor).


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