Why Run For President?

Ted Cruz (left) and Rand Paul enter the presidential race for the Republican Nomination for president. (Drew Angerer Getty Images News)

Read or subscribe to all Tom Egelhoff’s Daily Blog Posts by Clicking Here

Yesterday Rand Paul tossed his hat into the ring to run for president on the Republican side of the aisle. Senator Ted Cruz added his name about two weeks ago.

John McCain might take another shot as well.

The logical assumption is that Hillary Clinton will also enter the race as the perceived front-runner for the Democrat Party.

Only Eighteen Short Months To Go

November 2016 we will elect the 45^th president of the United States — 18 months from now. That’s longer than the life span of some animals.

I don’t even want to think about presidential politics but the talking heads are going to make sure I know every utterance by every candidate on every issue between now and November 2016.

My head is already hurting just thinking about that. Why on earth would anyone want to be put under the microscopic inspection of our totally “unbiased” news media?

Let’s Review

Gary Hart, announces run for the presidency, invites press to follow him anywhere. They do. They follow him on his boat “Monkey Business,” along with companion Donna Rice for a quick affair. Race over.

John Edwards, rising star in the Democrat Party also had an affair with his film biographer Rielle Hunter, producing a child all while his wife was battling breast cancer. Kicked to the curb.

Godfather Pizza guru Herman Cain was the darling of YouTube. But sexual harassment charges and adultery would be his undoing. Joining the list of personal life casualties.

Why Run?

Why subject yourself to daily ridicule, name calling, and vilification. No matter what your political positions you’re bound to upset 50 percent of the voting public.

Your personal life becomes and open book. People from your hometown, college roommates, ex-employees, and anyone else looking for their 15 minutes of fame will address the cameras detailing your faults with obvious embellishment.

One reason to run I guess is that you would be in a very exclusive club. While there have been 44 presidential terms there have only been 43 physical presidents.

Grover Cleveland was elected twice with the administration of Benjamin Harrison serving in-between Cleveland’s terms. So Cleveland was the 22^nd and 24^th president.

Some Final Thoughts

The one thing that sends everyone over the cliff is the amount of money that has to be raised in order to win a nationwide race. It’s a staggering amount.

Close to one billion dollars will probably be spent before the embers die and a presidential Phoenix rises from the political ashes.

I guess there will be no shortage of topics for talk radio in the next 21 months.

Let the affairs, corruption, shady deals, payoffs, sexual harassment, bigotry, homophobia, emails, voter fraud and dirty tricks begin.

Where’s a good Watergate investigation when we need one?