Whom do you want to be the POTUS in 2017?

Bush is the only serious candidate, I think he will take the whole thing.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Jeb_Bush.htm.

Disagree

I think this Hillary chick seems pretty serious, even if the only people who really like her wear pants suits.

Disagree. 10 years ago, Trump was a very well respected businessman who was viewed as a serious contender for presidency if he ever decided to get directly involved in politics. It’s only after he became vocal on political issues that the world discovered he’s a wacko.

#Trumphasmyvote!

Why would he be seen as a political contender? Ten years ago he had no political experience, no obvious political support base, and unclear political affiliations. Not exactly presidency material.

Ask people who were polled back in 2011: A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released in March 2011 found Trump leading among potential contenders for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, one point ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. A Newsweek poll conducted in February 2011 showed Trump within a few points of Barack Obama, with many voters undecided in the November 2012 general election for president of the United States. A poll released in April 2011 by Public Policy Polling showed Trump having a nine-point lead in a potential contest for the Republican nomination for President of the United States while he was still actively considering a run.

Why have people been touting Ben Carson for a couple of years now? Why were Ross Perot, Steve Forbes and Ralph Nader all able to garner a decent amount of votes? Why is Carly Fiorina in the race? (Actually, why is she in the race?). How did Mitt Romney get elected governor? How did John Corzine get elected to the Senate? How did Ronald Reagan get elected governor? How did Michael Bloomberg get elected Mayor?

My guess is that people have a distaste for existing politicians and look for potential candidates who they think are not part of the political machine and have shown success in other endeavors.

If Herman Cain could be considered a “serious” candidate in 2012, Donald Trump 2005 could definitely be serious…

^ Cain was a serious candidate until the skeletons started crawling out of the closet.

Ross Perot, Steve Forbes, Ben Carson, Herman Cain, and Carly Fiorina (I’ll add Steve Wynn to your list) aren’t serious candidates either. People like these guys get buzz early on in the campaign season and are gone by the time the real contenders consolidate.

To be a serious candidate, you need to:

a) be a former governor or mayyyyyyybe a Senator

b) have a natural voting block of your own (social conservatives, working class whites, African Americans, etc.)

c) have charisma so that people actually see you as a likable candidate.

You need all three.

Can you direct me to part of the Constitution that covers this topic?

Certainly his skeletons paled in comparison to Bubba’s. Why didn’t Clinton’s candidacy get derailed?

Good question, and one I’m sure a lot of other politicians would like to know the answer to as well.

another reason economists get no respekt

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-06/this-economist-s-computer-model-is-forecasting-a-clinton-victory

^ Why get a job when you can sit home and collect?

WSJ reports that the labor force participation rate is 59.3%. Lowest in 31 years.

Nice chart igor555…seems you are comfortable drawing conclusions from time series relationships but “cause and effect” relationships not so much