Republicans Can’t Avoid the Question of Who Should Be President

We have tried our best to keep our coverage focused on this fascinating primary process. But with six days until the next primary in New York and with the parameters of the final primaries relatively well set, now is a good a time for a slight pivot toward the general election. Today, we will not look at possible general election matchups but instead look at those who are running from the reality of the general election.

The following CNN report http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/12/politics/republican-convention-2016/index.html suggests that several high-profile Republicans, including Jeb Bush and Senators Kelly Ayotte and Richard Burr, don’t plan to attend the Republican convention in Cleveland. This might make a certain amount of political sense, particularly for candidates in potentially close races. At the same time for a politician to avoid the question of who should be the President is a little like the early 1960s duck-and-cover method for avoiding a nuclear explosion -- just because you hide under your desk doesn’t mean you won’t get blown away in the inevitable blast.

In race after race, the advice for how to survive in hyper-partisan times is to focus on local issues and avoid the national skid. When everyone is talking about A and you insist on talking about C or D, however, it is not likely to work. Every Republican running for office, whether they attend the Cleveland convention or not, needs a good answer on whom they think should be President. It is not certain that any answer will work but even harmful clarity is better than the pathetic confusion that some people are thinking of going with.

Although you might try and avoid being at the center of a bad story, the storm will come to you regardless of what else you try to do.  This is a question that must be answered.