Possibly Running as an Independent

Jim Webb’s Trump Card?

Re: WSJ-Washington Wire (10/19/15)

“Call it the Trump approach. Seeing no discernible polling bump in his performance after last week’s Democratic debate, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb is trying a new tactic: threatening to mount a third-party campaign.”

Jim Webb’s Trump Card? Possibly Running as an Independent - Washington Wire - WSJ

 

Yeah, except who is he? If Trump runs 3rd party he eats up just enough Republican margin to maybe matter. Jim Webb does it and even Dems scratch their heads and wonder who that is while they cast for Hillary, Biden, or Sanders. This is just one last grasp at relevance by a campaign that never had a chance to begin with.

 

Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb will announce Tuesday that he will drop his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. I just watched his announcement of Fox...
Jim Webb to drop out of Democratic race - POLITICO

You're correct in that he (Webb) was a highly unlikely candidate for the Party's nomination. I noted that earlier in that Webb is not a fit (too moderate /conservative) for the democratic party. Nonetheless IMO ... a far more credible candidate than the other possible hopefuls (Clinton, Sanders, O'Malley, or Biden)...

 

I wonder how a third party Webb run might impact overall numbers. My suspicion is that he would harm the GOP vote more than the Democratic numbers. Because he's so moderate/conservative it's possible he might draw some centrist Republican votes as well as some conservative leaning undecided voters.

 

Webb's announcement video:
Jim Webb Drops Out of Democratic Race for President Video - ABC News

Re: Bloomberg Politics

“I’m not going away, I’m thinking of all my options,” Jim Webb tells reporters in Washington.

Says he will talk to voters before deciding on next steps

“I know the history of independent candidacies,” Webb says

Says U.S. political system no longer serves the interests of “vast majority” of Americans

U.S. democracy “under siege due to the power structure and the money that is financing both our political parties”
Jim Webb Drops Out of 2016 Democratic Presidential Race - Bloomberg Politics

 

An independent run by Webb might pull somewhat equally from both Parties. I also consider that the Dem Party has fundamentally written-off the southern democrat /more centrist leaning voter...

 

He might have been the worst one in the debate, and he's very unlikable.

 

His "campaign" was pretty anemic anyway.

 

How so? And is likability a more vital mannerism than one’s integrity, reputation, professional qualification and accomplishment, competency level, etc. when it comes to genuine leadership characteristics? Regrettably, with the low information voter (LIV) … congeniality and charismatic manipulation are the predictable traits deemed as more definitive, and of importance, in this electorate group’s flawed depiction of a true leader; such are weak measures as to actual leadership attributes. This mindset can/does put in place dark-side /ineffective leadership (e.g., defective character; leaders by title only)...

Note: I wouldn’t expect that Webb supporters will necessarily cast their votes for any of the other current Democratic Party nominee candidates, e.g., it is reasonably doubtful Webb supporters will cast their vote for Hillary Clinton in a General election. In my observation—Webb and Clinton leadership patterns are historically antithetical in comparison.

 

Are you suggesting that the Democrat party is so far left that the centrist GOP people will happily take Webb?

 

Neuhaus can answer your question directly; however, I’ll also address your question:

1. Yes the Dem Party has largely moved that far to the left.
2. Jim Webb had absolutely no chance to become the DP nominee within that setting.
3. An Independent campaign by Webb would likely pull votes from both Parties. Even so, there would not be enough Webb impact to affect a General election outcome one way or the other.

 

He was irrelevant as a Democratic candidate, he'd be even more so as an Independent.

 

I believe I already mention such...

That’s too bad though ... Webb would have been a far more credible presidential candidate than the remaining Dem candidates.

 

I believe that the GOP has moved quite far right and the Democratic party has moved left, but not to the extreme as the GOP.

So I believe centrists will vote for centrists whichever side of the aisle they fall on. And I believe there are a lot more centrists than we sometimes give society credit for.

 

I disagree; the Democrat Party has gone so far left, they're not even trying to hide the fact that they want Socialism in the United States.

They're apparently not students of history, as that's failed miserably in every country where it's been tried.

 

So, Canada, France, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, the UK, Sweden, Norway and Germany are all miserable failures?

OK, granted, they aren't all truly socialist they just have strong social programs (a far cry from the government controlling the means of production). But I'm unaware of a single Democratic candidate advocating for anything beyond stronger social programs. But I suppose their apparent failure was lost on me due to their utterly spanking us in rankings for healthcare quality, the happiness of citizens, accessibility to education and testing scores.

But since unbridled capitalism (outsourcing half of your government to for-profit companies that operate as monopolies) coupled with intense fear-mongering hasn't exactly worked out very well for us is there, perhaps, a country where it has worked? I mean, it worked wonders in Russia post-USSR, to be sure, but I mean somewhere else.

Because obviously providing education to our youth and healthcare to our citizens is the work of those damn dirty reds. Americans, well, true Americans have the decency to either become billionaires or, through their own laziness, die in utter poverty as they struggle to pay their bills with a repressive minimum wage.

Heck, raising the minimum wage and taking away all of those guns would turn us into...*gulp*...Australia. Can't have that.

 

Not true Socialist countries;

Canada - Parliamentary democracy
France - Democratic republic
Denmark - Constitutional monarchy
Iceland - Constitutional republic
Finland - Democratic republic
UK - Parliamentary democracy
Sweden - Constitutional monarchy
Norway - Constitutional monarchy
Germany - Federal republic

A better comparison would be Cuba, North Korea, and the People's Republic of China. How are things working out for the everyday citizens in those countries under the Socialist Utopia?

Besides, the Socialist aspects of the countries you listed, especially government-run health care, has been an abject failure. Where does almost everyone in the world want to go for major surgery or advanced medical procedures? The non-Socialist (for now) United States. A relative of mine in the UK lay on a gurney in the ER for almost 2 days before he was seen by a physician; my last visit to the ER, I waited less than 5 minutes.

It's worked fantastic in the United States, until the freedom-hating liberals started to infect government. Again, why are there so many people from all over the world who want to come to the US if their home countries are so wonderful?

Gun confiscation in Australia has had completely predictable results, the same as everywhere it's been tried; a huge increase in violent crime. Do you want to live in a society where the police knock on your door (or knock it down) to seize your private property, guaranteed by the Constitution?

 

So your remarks (re Canada, France, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, the UK, Sweden, Norway and Germany are all miserable failures) are in effect unrelated in connection with Bruce’s Socialism conclusion/s…

Laying off the cynical spin; I literally agree with we can’t have that (re Amendment II to the United States Constitution, as part of the first ten amendments confirmed in the Bill of Rights, e.g., the right to keep and bear arms.). But of course … Australia residence is a consideration Neuhaus. Have you thought about giving it (Australia) a try…?