“Chess
is Life” - Bobby Fischer
Politics
have long been seen as a game of chess. In keeping with that allegory, I
believe there is a strategic game being orchestrated to ensure the election of
a certain individual. Here I will outline my prediction for the 2016 presidential
election.
Disclaimer: I support none of these candidates so this is in no way an endorsement for any candidate.
Republican
side: Currently, Trump is the GOP front runner. While many think his candidacy
is a joke, he has a strategic purpose: he is being used to dissect the tea
party conservatives from the mainstream party. In parallel, Ted Cruz is being pushed
up in order for the religious vote to be dissected from the Trump supporters.
This will separate the far-right fiscal conservatives from the far-right
religious conservatives, which will lead to an implosion of what Reagan called
the two of the three legs of the Republican Party, leading the more extreme
sides of the party to be apathetic come primary time. This leaves a hole, which
Jeb/Rubio's progressive stance can “capitalize” on (see what I did there?).
Many major
republican backers have already sided with Rubio, since there is too
much negativity associated with the Bush name. Bush also comes across as inept,
out-of-touch and un-electable in the general election. Don’t forget, however, Rubio is
a Bush acolyte, so Rubio will still support the Bush-camp
initiatives.
Republican
nominee: Rubio
Democratic
side: Bernie Sanders has captured the hearts and minds of the nation for his
populist message of equal income distribution and a rejection of the
establishment elite. Major
entertainment stars have embraced him, and have made him the clear
choice for the younger, progressive vote who are fed up with mainstream
government, similar to Obama in ‘08. Unfortunately,
the Clinton political machine is just too strong and too tied to the
establishment to allow Sanders to gain the nomination. Hillary will
eventually win the nomination, thus disenfranchising the populist vote and
making them apathetic in the general election.
Democratic
nominee: Clinton
General
election: With the populist vote disenfranchised, the democratic vote will be
severely apathetic in the general election. Despite a historic campaign by
Hillary Clinton to become the first female president - the sexist, good ol' boy
regions of the country will not allow a woman to become elected. Plus
major women's rights political advocates such as Elizabeth Warren haven't
endorsed Clinton. Add to this the tainted Clinton name, the Benghazi
dirt on her hands, as well as the email scandal, and you have an un-electable
nominee. Rubio, on the other hand, will carry two
critical swing states, Florida and Ohio, with Ohio Governor Kasich as his VP. Rubio
also has a number of intangibles that will only add to his presidential run,
including a peculiar mix of youth and experience. As the youngest presidential
candidate, Rubio also frequently mentions his seat on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee as validation for his experience dealing with issues
overseas. He has already created what he calls the “Rubio
Doctrine,” (Something I highly disagree with BTW).
President:
Rubio
I will
once again state that I am completely against a Rubio presidency. He views war
as a preemptive measure and wants to assert American muscle by sending more
troops abroad. He is also a strong supporter of enforcing archaic drug war
polices and is opposed to universal rights to marry for all American citizens. (Here’s a
nice article that summarizes his views which I find off-putting)
Unfortunately,
there is a strategic game of chess that is going to make his candidacy
inevitable. The pawns have be placed, the knights have been defeated and this
one is one move away from checkmate.
