Too many people are running for president.

For anyone with a half-functioning frontal lobe, it’s clear that either Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis will be the Republican nominee. I think it’s even possible that Nikki Haley or Mike Pence will top November’s tickets due to a highly unlikely chain of events.

But why is Francis Suarez running? What does Doug Bergham think his odds are going to be? Does Rick Scott think he needs a fourth Floridian in this race? Can Asa Hutchinson read polls? And who the heck is Will Hurd?

Not all of them are bad candidates. I really like what Vivek Ramaswamy says. But he has no intention of becoming president. We all know that, and I’m sure he knows it too. (Related: Key: Nikki Haley Can’t Win The Republican Primary, So Why Is She Running?)

It honestly sucks to see grown-ups getting intoxicated with applause and donations after I explain how to do a job I could never do. Maybe we should give CNN’s City Hall to the Burger King crowned kid who’s making big plans about how to rule Narnia. He has as many chances to succeed as Larry Elder and is just as good in the game.

“Today there seems to be no obvious downside to running for president and ‘losing’. It’s tempting to ‘lose’.” Charles CW Cook I have written When I submitted to National Review in April, the field was much smaller than it is today. “[E]Even those without our hopes can get a bigger contract on the radio, earn a bigger income, get a higher speaking fee on the street, and many other benefits just by participating. Guaranteed. “

So how do you solve that problem? Easy. If you run for president and lose the primary, you have to cut off one of his fingers.

Some would say that this solution is too lenient and that we should demand a full countermeasure. seppuku. i disagree. Some of the unsuccessful candidates go on to do good work in other elected offices. Think Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz.

Others manage to win the presidency in subsequent attempts. President Reagan ran unsuccessfully in 1968 and 1976, so he had eight fingers when he moved to the White House. Joe Biden, who declined in 1988 and 2008, would also be down by double digits. Which is worse, having his four fingers on each hand, or his five on one side and his three on the other?

Good luck, Rick… https://t.co/OwwM8epSvb pic.twitter.com/HYNRKGXmlU

— Grayson Key (@hemingquay) June 22, 2023

There is a certain nobility to it. You make a concession, double knock back your whiskey, nibble on a wooden spoon, make sure you have enough towels on hand, and reach for your cigar cutter.

There are many reasons to run for president. Push your own policy proposals, get a spotshot on the debate stage (*cough* Chris Christie), or try to drag the final candidate further right or left. For some candidates, these goals may justify losing a finger. You can’t promote your book or build a mailing list. (Related article: ‘Don’t Count Me Out’: Fox host Chris Christie talks about possible presidential inauguration)

For a candidate seriously aspiring to take control of the nuclear code, the federal bureaucracy, and the world’s largest economy, taking single-digit risks is perfectly reasonable. People with that level of ambition are usually willing to make sacrifices for it. This is a given. The great tragic writers understood that people who go too far risk their own destruction.

Our vast field of preliminary candidates encourages the display of presidential-sized ego, but with none of the seriousness or commitment that should accompany it. Not only does genuine ambition come at no cost, but empty bragging pays well. Such frivolous self-agreement is not good for our politics and culture.

Even if you shoot at the moon and miss it, you will not be able to land among the stars. Either burn up in the atmosphere or freeze in the endless vacuum of space. That’s why we admire people who literally shoot to the moon. A random guy who poses in a spacesuit with no intention of boarding the shuttle deserves such praise.

Now, obviously, you can’t force a failed presidential candidate to actually cut off a finger. But other steps can be taken to keep inviable job seekers out of the competition.Congress can pass laws ban election campaigning No sooner than 12 months before Election Day, you can prevent candidates from spending months in the spotlight until a single vote is cast. Each state was only able to put the top five candidates on the primary ballot. There is a possibility that the parties will return to the smoke-filled room again, reducing the chances of grooming themselves in front of the news cameras.

Of course, all of these proposals have drawbacks. But if that means we don’t have to see anything called “Perry Johnson” pretending to run for president anymore, then I’m open to any of them.

Grayson Key is the editor of the Daily Caller.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.