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Webb Considers Independent Run
Jim Webb has been a senator, Secretary of the Navy, combat Marine, filmmaker, and successful author. But his most unlikely role is campaigning to be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016.
You could see a man of his experience running in the ’60s or even the ’90s. But today’s Democratic party boasts of its contempt for the traditional martial honor that Webb represents.
Though progressives showily insist that they adore our troops, you saw the instinctive contempt during the first Democratic debate. When the moderator asked candidates to list the enemy they are most proud of, Webb was the only person not to name one of his fellow Americans.
He pointed instead to the Vietnamese soldier who threw a grenade at Webb. Then a First Lieutenant, Webb shot the soldier, pushed away a fellow Marine, and flung his body between the grenade and his comrade.
Beltway journos gasped then giggled at Webb’s mention of combat experience, so much so that the candidate’s son felt the need to defend his honor in an op-ed. In 2016, people actually need to defend the honor of a war hero for being awarded the Navy Cross. If he had declared his biggest enemy was a white male veteran, the same critics would have applauded.
Belatedly recognizing that he is woefully out of step with a progressive party, and still suspicious of the GOP to which he once belonged, Webb is considering a run as an independent.
Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb will consider an independent bid for president amid protests by the candidate that the Democratic Party rigged last week’s debate for Hillary Clinton.
Webb’s campaign emailed out details to a press conference for Tuesday at the National Press Club with the subject line: “Jim Webb to consider independent run.” During last week’s debate, he only had the chance to speak for 15 minutes compared to about 30 minutes for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, according to NPR.
“It was rigged in terms of who was going to get the time on the floor by the way that Anderson Cooper was selecting people to supposedly respond to something someone else said,” Webb told the audience last week at an event for the Council on Foreign Relations.
Granted, Webb hasn’t exactly been tearing it up in the polls. But in a year of outsiders, a military hero who has abandoned both parties and wants to represent forgotten blue collar workers could make a significant impact in a close race.
Published in General
I suspect, given the state of Republican candidates that Webb has a better chance of stealing Republican votes than Democratic ones. For him it is one more chance to play the useful idiot.
Webb will run if the DNC wants to limit the blue collar votes in key states that will go to a populist republican. He is a complete party guy who believes in big government.
If Trump or Carson get the nod, or even Cruz, you will see a shadow funded Jim Webb run in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida.
This is a good question. Maybe because Hillary is worrying him, and the Lurking Biden doesn’t seem a whole lot better? That is, for the nation?
Why does anyone run for President? It seems insanely exhausting and unpleasant.
Wow…really? (I am clearly not Machiavellian enough for political conversations…)
Perhaps not, but he’s fine with too many idiotic policies.
I think he would steal the votes of reasonable dems that might otherwise crossover to us.
So your theory is that he deliberately allowed himself to be recruited in order to act as a potential spoiler at a later date?
Interesting. But is that just intuition? Or do you have something more meaty to back that up?
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>A Trump-Webb independent ticket would be the judgment that I’m afraid the contemporary GOP might just deserve.</p>— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DouthatNYT/status/656227129751961600″>October 19, 2015</a></blockquote>
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call it informed intuition. he has no reason to run otherwise.
Amen brother. I will knock on doors for the man if those other two fraudsters are the nominees.
There’s a lot more people who know about Webb today than knew about him a year ago. It’s good for any future career he might be interested in, it’s good for his book sales, and it’s probably helpful to his kids. The possibility of a run is terrifying, but it’s not certain, just as with Trump.
Third party candidates drain votes from both sides, but not equally.
Thus, Ross Perot, who campaigned primarily on the deficit, cost Bush, the best President since Coolidge on the deficit, the 1992 election. Ralph Nader cost Gore, the most environmentalist Presidential nominee, the 2000 election. Libertarian candidates routinely cost free market candidates (eg. Cuccinelli, Love) their elections.
In this instance, Webb’s strongest appeal is to those who identify as rural white working class men; there aren’t many politicians who explicitly appeal to whites as victims. In most Presidential elections, he’d draw more from our side than from theirs. In states like Ohio where there is a strong racial divide, a strong urban/ liberal divide, and a significant gender gap, his impact would be stronger than in others. In a Presidential election dominated by Clinton’s identity, the gender gap seems likely to be even larger than normal, meaning that Webb’s vote would be even worse for us.
Pass.
I’ve enjoyed at least two of his books. One has a part in which the protagonist is riding a motorcycle across Vietnam. Very evocative. It swims up in my consciousness occasionally…
Good novelist, yes. Good president: well, if elected he would not be the worst ever, that much I know.
I think the comments on this thread would lead Webb to be more inclined to run than otherwise.
I must interrupt this Webb love fest to remind everyone that Jim Webb voted for Obamacare. For me, that’s enough to dismiss him. Then there’s the radio interview I heard with him and a guy named David Burd on Washington Post radio (now back to WTOP) in D.C. The two of them ripped into Ronald Reagan while yucking it up. He also refused to shake W’s hand at the White House. I can forgive that last one.
If anything, he’s a right-leaning Democrat and there’s no longer room for someone like that in the Democrat Party. And he ain’t no conservative either.
He is a senator who voted for Obamacare….the crook thing may be debatable. :)
The problem is he’s either a lunatic or worse. Every sane thing he says only confirms the magnitude of the unsaid lunacy or evil that overrides to provide his party affiliation.
Jon & Kate,
I’m sorry but Webb simply does not qualify as a current Democrat. He lacks the essential INSANE!!! characteristics.
Also he doesn’t have a visible tattoo.
Jim Webb doesn’t pass the insanity requirement or the male bimbo requirement.
Just forget it Webb!
Regards,
Jim
Now official: Webb is sick of the Democrats.
He’s a crank.
I’d just like to point out that I called this over a year ago.
I think he will run and not only that but someone will break free from the GOP and do the same. I think everyone is starting to realize that they have no path to a 51% majority so the game is changing. How do you triangulate is such a way as to get as many other folks into this mess as it takes to get your candidate to the top of the heap?
The progressives have won. There is no cohesive culture here anymore.
Give him five minutes, and he’ll change political parties again. Not the first or second time for him. He’s an opportunist and not what you want in a political leader.
Whiskey Sam – He’s no Churchill, but how many times did Sir Winston change parties?
OK, who’s pretending to be Troy this time?
Twice. He changed after already being an office holder both times. Webb changed parties specifically to have a chance at office and would be doing so again.