In the next few days I’ll rate the 8 leading GOP candidates for the 2016 Nomination as reported by RealClearPolitics on 6 August 2015. I will rate four criteria; potential to change our nation, electability, personal integrity, and past performance. I will score them from 0 to 3. The ratings will be color-coded as follows.

Blue = Excellent (3 pts) – Implies candidate is solidly better than most of the GOP and all of the Dems.
Green = Good (2 pts) – Implies candidate is better than GOP average and probably all Dems.
Yellow = Low Pass (1 pt) – Candidate is on the low end of the GOP and is not impressive.
Red = Terrible (0 pts) – Denotes a very nice person who does not need to serve as POTUS.

I begin with Donald Trump. I rate Mr. Trump as Red. THE DONALD makes enemies the way Trabant used to manufacture lemons. I don’t think 50% of the GOP hates the man yet, but they are getting less and less eager to have him grace their convocations with his presence. Mitt Romney had no women troubles compared to THE DONALD. Mr. Trump needs to be more like Cruz, Rubio and Walker. He needs to be nicer like Senator Rubio and, like Governor Walker and Senator Cruz; able to really speak from the heart without also talking from the gutter. We read in James I that we cannot do the Lord’s work if we let anger get the better of our hearts. THE DONALD perhaps needs to go and read The Book.

I’m rating Jeb Bush a Yellow. He could easily change that to a Green. Somewhere within JEB is a guy who whipped the Florida Democratic Party in two gubernatorial elections. He is letting his family connections and donors define him thus far and this will bury him before he even gets nominated if he doesn’t get out of his bubble and make me believe he is a principled Conservative with a fire in his belly to take the POTUS position by the horns and make positive American History.

Scott Walker considers “QUIT” a four-letter word. He fights and wins amongst electorates that typically like their Republicans on the half-shell. He speaks direct, simple concepts in easy, comprehensible language. He displays worldly wisdom minus the slick and nauseating guile. He connects. I like the guy. He’s solid. If he played rugby, I’d enjoy packing down with him. He gives me confidence that he has my back. I rate Scott Walker a Blue. And I give him a Red and a White as well if the red wasn’t at the bottom of the scale.

Mike Huckabee polls 4th. I rate him a Green on Electability. His work as a TV Personality and a Minister help him immensely. Huckabee is in his comfort zone with a mic in his hand and the cameras pointed in his direction. He knows how to sermonize well enough to deliver his message in a pleasing and enlightening fashion. He needs to demonstrate knowledge and interest in areas outside of the modern culture war to be considered well-rounded enough to win over a majority of the public.

Ben Carson could do stand-up when the politics fails to work out for him. I’d enjoy having a beer with the guy even against Doctor’s Orders. Decent man, likeable guy, not knowledgeable enough about politics to craft a dominant, winning campaign. I give him a Yellow but encourage him strongly to consider becoming America’s next Surgeon General.

[mc_name name=’Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’C001098′ ] would gleefully eviscerate Martin O’ Malley or Hillary Rodham Clinton. He believes what he is saying, he speaks with certitude and credibility and still retains a sizeable amount of humanity. He has a genuine flair and instinct for drama that helps his cause. He is more like Barack Obama in this aspect of politics than he would ever willingly admit. He looks the part, he talks the part and he is a smart enough man to know what he is talking about while he is speaking in character. He also has to overcome a public perception of radicalism that has been meticulously crafted by his enemies in both major political parties. He would be further hamstrung by the ankle-biters within his own party whom he has antagonized by having actual morals and beliefs that he has flamboyantly defended. [mc_name name=’Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’M000355′ ] would rather pee on Ted Cruz’s grave than see him elected POTUS. I’ll have to stick with Green here because the GOP is a mediocracy that eats its own most stalwart champions.

If you ever feel of sick of the nasty, overbearing and conceited bureaucracy that is a hallmark of Barack Obama’s tenure in office, [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] may well be your GOP candidate. He wins the “I’m not King Richard” Award in the current GOP field. He rates a solid Green because even when I disagree with him on some core issues, I do like and respect the man. It’s not just a sales pitch. Senator Rubio shows a genuine respect for others that is woefully absent from a lot of American political culture. If he were mad at a female debate moderator, I could see him criticizing her in a tone of regret and offering her advice on how to improve that made her look evil or stupid but in the nicest and most affable way possible. It’s a kindness that could kill an opponent that pushes the outrage button. Marco Rubio will be a very tough out for anyone the Dems put up as a nominee.

The last candidate rated is the Great Libertarian Hope, [mc_name name=’Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’P000603′ ]. Senator Paul intrigues people not usually willing to listen to GOP candidates. He will show and talk before audiences that GOP-E types shun and perhaps fear. On the other hand, he inspires a certain antipathy from non-libertarian members of the GOP coalition. I rate Senator Paul a Yellow unless he begins to demonstrate that he is bringing new members into the GOP faster than he is disillusioning those who were already part of the family.

This concludes part 2 out of 4. In my previous edition of the series I discussed ability to change America. Next I discuss personal integrity.