Columnist Charles Krauthammer said that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was “getting up there to the top tier” and that Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio have even odds of winning the nomination on Tuesday’s “O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel.
Krauthammer argued that while Rush Limbaugh’s praise of Walker helped, “it was the speech itself that changed things. The speech he made in Iowa this weekend, look, you know, there are those who are sort of running for the presidency, and there are those, and this is a very big field, who are either running for number two or a Fox show…the ones who are serious are the ones who impress audiences, and I think Rush is a very good reflection of the Republican constituents, he’s a perceptive guy, and I think Scott Walker is getting up there to the top tier.”
He also declared that “for Romney, I think it’s a mountain he can’t overcome. I’m not even sure he runs, perhaps he does, but I think it would be a mistake.” And “for Bush, it’s as if, he’s known, but, of course, it’s simply the unfortunate fact of his last name. If he had a different last name, he’d be perceived totally differently…you can be helped by your last name, nd hurt. With Bush, he’s definitely hurt by it.”
Regarding Ted Cruz, Krauthammer said “well, to my taste, what he’s done, he’s a very good rhetorician, I’m not sure he’s really accomplished very much. In fact, I would argue that his sort of stand with attitude, ‘I have to make a stand on x,’ has hurt the Republicans, particularly the shutdown in 2013. He is one of the best articulator[s] of conservatism, and that, of course, is a plus. I just have the sense that this time around, the fact that he is that new, and has not had a lot of accomplishments, will probably hurt him, and that he might have a better chance in another cycle.”
He added that Rand Paul “has been hurt by the fact that the war on terror…is simply not over” and that this would hurt Paul, “the most isolationist of the group, and that, I think, is not going to fly”
Krauthammer concluded by clarifying earlier remarks he made on Marco Rubio, explaining that he was betting the most money on Rubio because he was “something of a long shot, I think he probably has about the same chance, roughly, as Jeb. But the odds on Rubio are about 5 1/2 to 1, Jeb is about 2 to 1, so if you want to clean up in Vegas, you go with the long shot.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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