Can the 2016 field top the 2012 field? It's going to be quite a battle.
Sometime early in 2015, a horde of Republicans will stop being coy about their intention to run for president and actually launch campaigns. It's easy to list some of their names: Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Scott Walker, Rick Perry. And if you know the names, chances are you can name something they're known for—for instance, respectively, bullying traffic jammer, thinks the government shouldn't be able to make business owners serve black people if they don't want to, union-busting, "oops." But there is so much more out there. For one thing,
Chris Christie's bullying didn't start with a traffic jam, and it can be awfully hard to remember how many of
Scott Walker's people have been convicted in a John Doe investigation (the number is six). In addition to that, there are more potential candidates (so many more), and each and every one of them has a record that deserves serious scrutiny.
If you want to know what breed of political nightmare is coming down the pike, American Bridge has got a resource for you in its 2016 scouting report. Nearly 200 pages on 20 candidates, all the way down to hilariously long shots like John Bolton and Ben Carson, the report is a useful reminder of the stuff you might have forgotten about the big names (remember Christie's travel expenses?) and an introduction to candidates you might not know as well (while a state legislator, Nikki Haley was given a highly paid and ethically questionable job as a hospital fundraiser).
One thing is clear: The 2016 Republican presidential primary is sure to be entertaining. Especially if you like horror movies.