The Iowa caucuses are coming up in about two weeks. Here’s a poll to see how good of a predictor you are, as well as who your favorite candidate is on the Republican and Democrat sides.
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Now, let’s talk about the Democrats.
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Wheat & Tares 
There seem to be 5 candidates with a realistic shot at being president. Two are really conservative, two are really liberal and one seems to be pretty centrist, even though he is running as an angry conservative populist. There is a wide range of politics to choose from even, among the contenders. Unfortunately, the two leaders for the party nominations are uber-slimely Donald Trump and career criminal Clinton.
I would much rather see (and the country would be far better served) a match up of Sanders against Cruz or Rubio. The choices would be very distinct, the leaders are far more sincere and trustworthy, and the candidates have demonstrated far better character.
I like Trump because he blew the political (cowards and criminals) establishment to pieces. Let him be the president. (Trump/Cruz).
El Oso I’m with you except I think Sanders/Rubio would be the candidates that have demonstrated character…..IMHO
Kristine A, I know it is not a very high bar, but the publicly demonstrated character of the 3 I mention far exceeds the two current leaders.
I also think other lower tier candidates have demonstrated good character, but they are not on the current radar since their chance of getting the nomination of their party is vanishingly small.
Rubio has his own spending scandal in Florida: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/us/politics/marco-rubio-finances-debt-loans-credit.html?_r=0
Cruz didn’t disclose campaign loans: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/us/politics/ted-cruz-wall-street-loan-senate-bid-2012.html
These aren’t high character guys, despite their protestations otherwise.
MH,
I was aware of all of the issues you linked when I made my statement. My comparison group is powerful national political figures. If you look at party nominees or runners-up, house and senate party leaders, as a group they look terrible. Romney and Ryan in 2012 stand out as some without any major scandal. John Boehner stands out as the only former House Speaker that I can remember without a major personal scandal. Rubio, Cruz and Sanders would rank first or second in ethics and character if grouped with all of the former Speakers that I recall. In the Senate they would all be fighting for first place with Tom Daschle on the Democratic leader side.
From what was publicly known on election day, the only one of the four on the major party tickets in 2008 that would not have been noticeably inferior in character to the 3 I mention was Sarah Palin.
Incomplete reporting of campaign loans is pretty small compared to most of the big wig scandals.
I’m a longtime Hillary fangirl. Fingers crossed this time around!