re: #69 Indy GOP Refugee

I don’t care if it’s the same families. Was GHWB’s time comparable to GWB? I’d say hell no. Apart from party, little in common. I find it illustartive of how we use all the wrong criteria. Jeb Smith would poll okay as a long standing governor and republican. Jeb Bush?! Not a freaking chance.

Would Hilary’s admin be like Bills” No, how could it possibly be? The only fair poll would be Hilary Jones Vs Jeb Smith.

Can we go by substance, experience and ethics someday maybe? Holding a guys (or ladies) family against him or her is the same mistaken logic as racism.

Imagine Johnson had a grandson. And had served well as a Senator or Governor. Should Republicans or Democrats old enough to have seen & disliked Johnson hold is against the grandson?

I couldn’t disagree more. An elected president has already built relationships with monied donors and power brokers during his or her campaign. That president will build more of those relationships during his or her term in office. Some of those relationships remain after the president leaves office. Anyone related to that president who chooses to run for office already has a built in advantage over other candidates. That the relationships may come with quid pro quos of their own is another reason that I’m skeptical of dynastic politics. Moreover, the well connected by name candidate will almost certainly diminish the chances that a better though less connected candidate will prevail.

You mentioned Hillary Clinton and she’s a perfect example. She was an undistinguished Senator, ran a laughably bad campaign in ‘08, and then served as an undistinguished Secretary of State. Yet her name is the one most mentioned for 2016. Would she have even been elected to the Senate or appointed to the cabinet if her last name wasn’t Clinton? I doubt it. Are their other electable Democrats who might better serve the ends of the Democratic party? Possibly, though we may never know for the reasons I mentioned above.