Look at this list of people who have no chance of winning the Republican nomination:  Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckbee, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum … and that doesn’t count the other long-shots that may jump into the overcrowded clown car, such as Donald Trump. Some might put Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry in that group as well…

So why do they do it?  Why would they run when they must know they have no chance of winning?

A few reasons come to mind:

They love the attention. I recall someone criticizing candidate Obama once by saying he had a big ego, which made me respond, “No! Really?  Someone who thinks he can be Leader of the Free World has a big ego?  I am shocked!” Come on, big egos come with every politician. They love the attention or they wouldn’t be running.

Money. Candidates can raise a lot of money and live nice off it for a short period of time.  If they lose the nomination and remain politicians, they now have made new connections and can use the money for their own PAC and their next political campaign — or they can give the excess to another candidate who will then owe them a favor.

Promotion.  Running for President gets their name out there and keeps them in the news, which leads to book sales and  speaking engagements which will make them richer.

Auditioning for another job. If they run a good campaign anyway and get good press and appeal to a certain segment of society, they might get considered for the Vice Presidency or a cabinet position.

Auditioning for Fox News. Based on past history, failed candidates have a great shot of getting a cushy well-paying job at Fox News as a commentator.

So do these guys really think they can win? Perhaps a few of the more deluded ones, but the majority probably have other motives in mind.