This is not a unique dichotomy, but the contrast is probably sharper than at any time in the past 50 years. A large majority of the population now thinks the country is headed in the wrong direction, yet Hillary Clinton retains strong support as a woman and former First Lady. The GOP is fragmented by numerous candidates across an insider/outsider spectrum.
Absent some spectacular intervening events, the 2016 Presidential election will boil down to a contest between the known and the unknown. Hillary represents a steady, but safe, march towards mediocrity, whereas all of the GOP candidates promise significant, but largely unspecified, change. Who will win out?
The answer may depend on who is better able to demonize the other side in the minds of malleable voters (i.e., a contest between the devil you know and the devil you don't know). Rarely has general discontent run at such a high level, but its ultimate expression will not be know until November.
In the meantime, Republicans will have to make their choice. The old calculation of ideology vs. electability may no longer be valid (if it ever was). Even Reagan's historic election in 1980 provided, at most, a temporary respite from America's continuing decline. Given the established political order's built-in house advantage, hedging their bets by selecting the most "acceptable" candidate is, ultimately, a losing proposition.
Absent some spectacular intervening events, the 2016 Presidential election will boil down to a contest between the known and the unknown. Hillary represents a steady, but safe, march towards mediocrity, whereas all of the GOP candidates promise significant, but largely unspecified, change. Who will win out?
The answer may depend on who is better able to demonize the other side in the minds of malleable voters (i.e., a contest between the devil you know and the devil you don't know). Rarely has general discontent run at such a high level, but its ultimate expression will not be know until November.
In the meantime, Republicans will have to make their choice. The old calculation of ideology vs. electability may no longer be valid (if it ever was). Even Reagan's historic election in 1980 provided, at most, a temporary respite from America's continuing decline. Given the established political order's built-in house advantage, hedging their bets by selecting the most "acceptable" candidate is, ultimately, a losing proposition.
