PREDICTIONS ON THE PRESIDENTIAL RACES

My prediction is that it will be Ohio Gov. John Kasich against Hillary Clinton, but the primary elections are a long ways off

Looking at the Republican and Democratic races for President, it may be too early to make any predictions on the outcomes, but here I go anyway.

I predict that when the smoke clears, Ohio Gov. John Kasich will be the Republican candidate and Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic candidate.

Let’s start with the Democrats. Bernie Sanders has been drawing huge cheering audiences wherever he speaks, but he is unelectable. Hillary will either be forced to quit over her email scandals, or she will survive. When Hillary insists she’s done nothing wrong, she sounds like President Nixon saying, “I’m not a crook.” However, I predict she will survive. I think those email scandals are behind Joe Biden’s possible entry into the fray. If Biden becomes a candidate he will give Hillary a run for her money, but I do not believe he will beat her. If Hillary is forced to quit, Biden will be the Democratic nominee, and he will be a formidable candidate, not the buffoon he has often been painted as.

Now for the Republican scramble. Donald Trump has been wowing voters and leads in all the polls, but I believe he will flame out by primary election day. Even if he doesn’t, the Republican Party will never nominate The Donald as their presidential candidate. In that event, his ego may lead him to run as an independent candidate with disastrous results for the Republican nominee.

Jeb Bush, my choice, has been a big disappointment. He looks like a poor campaigner and doesn’t seem to connect with the voters. Rand Paul, like his father before him, attracts the libertarians, but they are too few to help him get the nomination. Rick Perry blew it four years ago and, although he could have been a credible candidate, he’s toast already. Rick Santorum, like Perry, is history. Lindsey Graham would be a good nominee, but he is not catching on with the voters.

Marco Rubio, appeals to Latinos and conservatives, and has a shot at the Republican nomination. But Rubio’s appeal to Latinos is offset by the Republican stand on immigration. Mike Huckabee appeals to Christian conservatives, and while I think he would make a good president, he doesn’t have enough supporters to get the nomination. Former three-term New York Gov. George Pataki isn’t catching on with the voters. Likewise, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Ted Cruz seems to be fading in the polls. Carly Fiorina is rising in the polls but she is not a very good campaigner.

Ben Carson is very likable and high in the polls, but he’s black and people have had their fill of a likable black president. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, like Marco Rubio, has a shot at the Republican nomination. Chris Christie has been undone by the New Jersey ‘Bridgegate’ scandal and the Obama hug. Ohio Gov. John Kasich appeals to both conservatives and moderates, and has been rising in the polls. In my opinion, Kasich would be a good president who would be able to work well with many congressional Democrats. So far however, all the candidates have been overshadowed by Donald Trump.

There are a bunch of other Republican candidates that no one outside of their family members and friends has ever heard of and who don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.

I predict that when all the smoke has cleared, Trump will have flamed out and John Kasich will be the Republican nominee. Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic candidate.

If he gets the nomination, Kasich may choose Carly Fiorina or Ben Carson as a running mate. Clinton could choose Bernie Sanders as a running mate, but I doubt she will do so.

Now for the 2016 election results: The winner is ….. I hate to say this ….. Hillary Clinton.

Kasich will make it a close race, but the Republicans will lose no matter who their candidate is because they have driven off three important voter blocks - women, blacks and Latinos. They have lost the women’s vote with their bedrock stands on abortion and contraception. They are seen by blacks as anti-minority and their immigration pronouncements have angered Latinos. Thus Hillary will be the winner. And if Trump runs as an independent, she’ll win by a landslide.

What scares me most about Hillary as President is that during her term she will be able to appoint several Supreme Court justices, and you can bet they will all be far-lefties like Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

But like I said, the primary elections are a long ways off, and my predictions can turn out to be all wet.