July 24, 2023

"They’re experiencing a brutal wake-up call that the party is not interested in hearing critiques of Trump."

"The Trump challengers’ candidacies have been astonishingly poor and learned nothing from 2016. When the leading candidate gets indicted and all of his opponents besides Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson just echo his fake persecution complex talking points, it’s going to be hard to beat him."

What did Tim Miller learn from 2016? Doesn't seem like much. What does he think the other candidates are supposed to do about the indictments?
Trump’s opponents within the party are running out of time and ideas. Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman, said: “They were all hoping that Trump’s legal troubles would kick him to the side of the road but every indictment or potential indictment just strengthens him among the base, eats up all the oxygen in the room and makes him the likely nominee. They’re probably as frustrated as can be."... 
Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, suggests that Never Trumpers coalesced around DeSantis too soon. “The strategy shouldn’t have been necessarily backing that horse but sitting out a little bit to see how the field settled, to see if someone would emerge. Then you come in.... The party was unwilling in the first instance to have a come to Jesus meeting with all the candidates other than Trump and say, ‘OK, I get it, y’all want to be president but none of you is going to get there if you all stand so I need one of you to do that duty. So that means the rest of you get behind that one. ‘Is it Nikki? [Haley] We’re all behind Nikki. Is it Christie? We’re all behind Christie. But one of you.’ And so that’s the word we send out to the party faithful … At the end of the day, this game is about winning general elections, not winning primaries and the Republican party is stuck on winning primaries to prove a point. And what’s that point? Oh, we lose general elections.”...

87 comments:

Rabel said...

"fake persecution complex"

To Hell with this guy.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Big Orange and the twenty-seven dwarfs.

Robert Cook said...

The dumb yokels who support Trump--and they're dumb yokels by definition if they support Trump, however intelligent and sophisticated some of them may appear--support him the way religious fanatics abase themselves to their god, the way beaten wives and girlfriends defend the boyfriends and husbands who beat and torture them, the way junkies crave the drug that's destroying them, the way lemmings follow each other in a rushing horde over cliffs, the way zombies mindlessly attend only to the commands of he who has bewitched them.

There is no way to recall Trump idolators from their fallen state or to arouse them from the trance under which they are enslaved.

Ficta said...

Holy Jeezum Crow! He just comes right out and says a smoke filled back room should pick the nominee. These assholes really think somebody stole their toy. To Hell with this guy.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The corrupt left have created a damned if they do - damned if they don't loop.

Admit the corrupt mob-democrat left have weaponized the FBI and DOJ - oh no!
Admit Trump steps on his dick. Oh no!

Trump is being politically targeted for so-called crimes the left get away with on a daily basis.

Trump is a buffoon who walks into most of it. Trump is a demcoxirat-get-out-the vote super star.
The left - from PBS to CNN to the on-air talent at Microsoft NBC to...[...] they all get off on obsessing over Trump, non-stop Trump-hate, and the walls that are forever closing in around him.

The left will get their wish - Trump will be the nominee.

Buckwheathikes said...

The Republican Party is stuck on watching the returns come in on election night.

Not counting the returns. Watching them. Watching others count them.

And really, the most important part of returns is the counting. Not the watching.

And Republicans aren't the ones counting. So they will continue losing.

Douglas B. Levene said...

“And what’s that point? Oh, we lose general elections.”— Bingo.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Lea said...

If only another candidate, Republican or Democrat, would adopt Trump's positions on trade, immigration, and foreign policy and show an equal determination to fight for those positions against all established opposition, then maybe someone would emerge whom lower-class voters would prefer to Trump. Provided he were better mannered, I certainly would.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Supporting Trump is nothing compared to the blind moral degeneracy of the left's support of the Crook Biden family.

Douglas B. Levene said...

Do I think we should get rid of primaries and go back to smoke-filled room? Yes. The campaign reform movement of the 1970s, including both the campaign finance piece and the substitution of primaries for smoke-filled rooms, has been a failure. The only really good president to come out of it was Reagan. I suppose the Democrats might say that by their lights, Clinton and Obama were successful presidents and they were products of popular primaries. Well, let them keep their primaries. They’ll probably end up with fruitcake Bobby Jr. as their candidate this year. I prefer letting the party leaders, who actually care about the party, pick candidates to represent the party, versus voters who don’t care at all about the GOP.

rcocean said...

Never Trumpers gave us President Joe Biden. You want 4 more years of Biden, just keep attacking Trump.

93 percent of Republicans voted for Trump in 2020. The "NeverTrumpers" get media time because they represent the SEVEN PERCENT of Republicans that would rather lose than help Trump.

Biden is using his ultra-leftwing DoJ to destroy his Primary Republican Opponent. The guy he barely beat (assuming the election was honest) in 2020, and could easily lose to in 2024. Its unheard of for a US POTUS to do this. So, why aren't the DC Republicans screaming "Bloody Murder"? Easy. They're losers. And many of them, like Yeb!, Asa, Kasich, Hogan, Mitch, Romney, Ryan, etc. aren't conservative. They're liberals who like Tax cuts for the rich. They LOVE Biden.

The MSM is gaslighting us on every issue. Instead of saying "Why is Biden using lawfare to destroy his political opposition? Thats not Democracy" They say, "Why aren't the Republicans joining Biden in destroying Trump?" Its crazy!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I love it.

The indictments are being read correctly by right leaning voters.

Biden’s attempt to change the outcome of the party’s nomination is bound to fail.

It’s so funny. Dems accuse Trump of doing the very thing they do.

rcocean said...

BTW, imagine quoting Yeb's communication director or Michele Steele on "How to win". Its laughable. Steele was a disaster as RNC head. We lost under him and he was forced out.

And he later confessed he'd voted for Obama and Biden!

mccullough said...

Six months is a long time.

Robert Cook said...

"Never Trumpers gave us President Joe Biden. You want 4 more years of Biden, just keep attacking Trump."

As bad as Biden is, he's not as as Trump. The real tragedy is that we have fallen to the point where such miserable men (and candidates) as Trump and Biden are the choices between whom we must choose, (for those not willing to vote third party, as I do, and will).

tim in vermont said...

Never Trump GOP is dead to me.

hombre said...

Only an inordinately stupid person can look at Trump's experiences since he announced his candidacy and conclude that he has not been persecuted.

A large percentage of Americans, non-Democrats, still believe in fair play and gravitate toward Trump because he is being persecuted. RFK Jr. is trying to capitalize on this sentiment by complaining that the media treats him worse than it treats Trump.This will only be slightly helpful in a Democrat primary since most Democrats are amoral and indifferent to justice and fair play.

Tina Trent said...

Tim Miller is a sleazy operative paid by the Koch network to hoodwink elderly Republican voters. Even in the world of political consultants, he's a real piece of work. Anything that comes out of his mouth has to be assumed to be an incitement to a lie.

I've met him a few times. He is so contemptuous and angry that I can't imagine how he does his job schmoozing the press, unless his little enforcer act actually works on them -- or their common hatred of Trump.

tim in vermont said...

It’s just possible Cookie, that the midwit critiques of Trump, which are repeated ad nauseum, are missing some important points, and it’s not always obvious which side is playing the cult here, but my money is on the people cheering on Biden as he inches us closer to WW3 every day, when just a couple of years ago the same people were raving that Trump was doing that when in fact he stopped the war mongers who are now ascendant, from starting any new wars.

rehajm said...

They were all hoping that Trump’s legal troubles would kick him to the side of the road…

It says They but he means We

Kevin said...

They were all hoping that Trump’s legal troubles would kick him to the side of the road

1. More Trump indictments.

2. More Hunter/Joe interference.

3. More support for Trump.

4. More bewilderment by the Uniparty.

Tina Trent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mark said...

Obnoxious Fat Guy has learned nothing in the last ten years and has been irrelevant for longer than that. Still, he thinks insulting his opponents is the way to go even though he knows that NO ONE except the media like him (not even his family does).

The other candidates have wised up about Trump, though.

Tina Trent said...

Robert Cook: I don't take politicians seriously. I take issues seriously. I take strategies seriously. It makes one less morose while sloshing through the muck. I'm not a happy warrior, and neither are you, but maybe we should try it more.

Mark said...

Never Trumpers gave us President Joe Biden

Next, the Forever Trumpers will give us President Kamala Harris.

Face it, not enough people will vote Trump in a general election.

Kate said...

What @Luke Lea said.

Be a decent human being, stop massaging the politics, and learn from the best of Trump's policies. I'm baffled that none of the wannabes can manage this.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Mind reading BS.

I think most of the candidates (not Chris Christie) are appalled by the corrupt legal mob-tactics of the left. DeSantis has said so many times. of course to Ever-Trumpers - it's never good enough. It's kiss Trump's butt, or else. All while Trump calls DeSantis silly names and craps all over him.

The day when phrases "never-Trumper" on the Right, and "mis-information" on the radical left- get tossed on the trash heap - will be a day to celebrate.

I won't miss the word "escalator" either.

Jupiter said...

Well, they could all jump in the ocean. Or they could resign themselves to running for VP. Is four years so long to wait?

AMDG said...

Blogger rcocean said...
Never Trumpers gave us President Joe Biden. You want 4 more years of Biden, just keep attacking Trump.

93 percent of Republicans voted for Trump in 2020. The "NeverTrumpers" get media time because they represent the SEVEN PERCENT of Republicans that would rather lose than help Trump.

Biden is using his ultra-leftwing DoJ to destroy his Primary Republican Opponent. The guy he barely beat (assuming the election was honest) in 2020, and could easily lose to in 2024. Its unheard of for a US POTUS to do this. So, why aren't the DC Republicans screaming "Bloody Murder"? Easy. They're losers. And many of them, like Yeb!, Asa, Kasich, Hogan, Mitch, Romney, Ryan, etc. aren't conservative. They're liberals who like Tax cuts for the rich. They LOVE Biden.

The MSM is gaslighting us on every issue. Instead of saying "Why is Biden using lawfare to destroy his political opposition? Thats not Democracy" They say, "Why aren't the Republicans joining Biden in destroying Trump?" Its crazy!

7/24/23, 9:57 AM

————————

No, Trump gave us 4 (and possibly) 8 years of Joe Biden. He also gave us Senators Warnock, Ossoff, and Festerman. The Fat Tub of Goo gave us The American Recovery Act, The Inflation Reduction Plan and more idiots judges than you can shake a stick at.

The issue that the tRump Swabs fail to address is how does Trump improve his standing with independents.

The dilemma is that the fan service that sends chills up the tRump Swans legs (victimhood, “I am the retribution”, etc.) are the very things that make him unelectable to independents.

There are two politicians that are more unpopular than Joe Biden - Donald “Ballotbox Poison” Trump and Kamala “Kneepads” Harris.

Mr Wibble said...

The GOPe wants to blame Trump for losses, but their losses stem from decades of mismanagement at the state and local levels. When your strategy to win is simply to be not as bad as the dems and hope that moderates flock to your candidate, you tend to attract squishy candidates. You also lose a lot of the knowledge and infrastructure to turn out the vote when needed.

Leland said...

Yeah, I whole lot of lessons not learned. I’m with Ficta, and the morons that still bitterly cling to smoke filled rooms can go get fucked a bit more often. The room picked the Bush’s, Dole, McCain, and Romney, and thought that since only the Bush’s could win the general, they’d pick another one. HW lost to a then outsider in Clinton, W would have lost if not for the fear of a Al Gore or John Kerry presidency. The smoke filled room even hated DeSantis when he first ran for governor.

How about letting the primary process do what it is supposed to do and backing the eventual winner, as the GOP demanded Trump do in 2016? If you individually want to back a horse, then try being persuasive on the issues rather than the singular issue that you think you can pick a winner. Hell, the entire horse racing complex relies on chumps like you thinking you can predict the winner in advance.

As for Trump, he’s winning because the Democrats have chosen to elevate him. If Republicans wanted to stop it; they would do everything in their power to shut down the sham persecution of Trump. Because the message to would-be Republican voters is that if nobody else will say “STOP”, then they’ll do it at the ballot box. If even that doesn’t work, it won’t matter anyway. And if you can explain why not impeaching Biden is better than impeaching him, then you should know why the judicial persecution of Trump needs to stop. Don’t tell people that the alternatives won’t have Trump’s baggage, because no one is buying that BS anymore. The winning alternative to Trump became Biden, and the never-Trumpers backed Biden over Trump. When Biden ran out of his own baggage, his administration would steal more from the luggage carrousel.

Dave Begley said...

This is now it will go down.

Trump will be indicted in DC federal court and be convicted. FL is a toss-up. But he will win the GOP nomination. He will badly lose to Gavin Newsome.

Joe will drop his campaign as the bribery stuff is just too much. Donors will pull their cash. Senile is okay. Open bribery is too much.

Secretary Pete and Gretchen Witless will enter the race, but FB and Google want Gavin so he will be the nominee.

We are totally and completely fucked.

If Ron or Vivek was the GOP nominee, the GOP would have a chance. Women just HATE Trump. Trump is going to drag this country into the gutter. I don't know how we can recover.

I'm 90% confident.

Michael K said...

The issue that the tRump Swabs fail to address is how does Trump improve his standing with independents.

The dilemma is that the fan service that sends chills up the tRump Swans legs (victimhood, “I am the retribution”, etc.) are the very things that make him unelectable to independents.

There are two politicians that are more unpopular than Joe Biden - Donald “Ballotbox Poison” Trump and Kamala “Kneepads” Harris.


Notice no mention of inflation, gas prices, strategic petroleum reserve, war in Ukraine, wide open border with 5 million unknowns flooding the country, exporting oil and gas, 3% unemployment in blacks, prosperity and peace ?

BlackjohnX said...

Follow on to Cook's first comment: Sorta like all those who believe in the Climate Change religion.

Dave Begley said...

The thing Trump people don't get is that woman HATE him. That will never change. I meet all sorts of women who just despise him.

Don't forget that headline from NYC federal court, "Federal judge finds that Trump is a rapist. Common parlance doctrine invoked."

tim in vermont said...

If it doesn’t bother you that the ballot printer in heavily Republican precincts in AZ suddenly developed a settings problem that made the ballots unreadable, and that the elections offices, run by Democrats had a “ heat map” on the wall showing where Republicans voted most heavily, you don’t care about democracy.

If it doesn’t bother you that ballots were provided in insufficient numbers to heavily Republican precincts in PA, you are content to allow our elections to be rigged and decided by fraud.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

AMDG brings the sobriety.

tRump's tru beleivers will have none of it.

rhhardin said...

Multiple candidates splitting the opposition vote means Trump wins.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Trump is anti-fragile.

The more you try to tear him apart, the stronger he gets.

Old and slow said...

Jeb! Bush's communications director you say? That fella' knows his onions! I'll say that.

Big Mike said...

What did Tim Miller learn from 2016? Doesn't seem like much. What does he think the other candidates are supposed to do about the indictments?

They're supposed to say that the charges are bogus -- which they are -- and that Biden has done worse -- which he has -- and, finally, that once the Deep State has disposed of Donald Trump they will come after whoever is leading in the polling at that point. And they will repeat until no one electable is left to campaign.

Easy peasy.

gilbar said...

Tim Miller, "who was communications director for Jeb Bush’s 2016 campaign,

Jeb Bush?? i think i've heard of him! HOW many delegates did he win in all the primaries?

Big Mike said...

No, Trump gave us 4 (and possibly) 8 years of Joe Biden. He also gave us Senators Warnock, Ossoff, and Festerman. The Fat Tub of Goo gave us The American Recovery Act, The Inflation Reduction Plan and more idiots judges than you can shake a stick at.

@AMDG, you're not entirely wrong. In backing Mehmet Oz it seems to me that Trump was listening to Sean Hannity and not paying enough attention to the candidate's likelihood of winning in November. I don't much care for the man, and I'm pretty dismissive of Trump's raw political acumen. But until one of his challengers can make the case that he will be able to address the problems caused by Bidenomics, I see us as stuck with him.

So many people are saying and writing that Donald Trump is certain to lose in November 2024. From where I sit giving the nomination to anyone not prepared to credibly address economic policy then the loss in November 2024 is even more certain.

Drago said...

Kate: "What @Luke Lea said.

Be a decent human being, stop massaging the politics, and learn from the best of Trump's policies. I'm baffled that none of the wannabes can manage this."

That's just it: with the exception of Vivek, the other candidates and their funders and their staffers want nothing to do with any of Trump's policies.

Trump supporters understand that clearly.

Buffoonish Never Trumpers, like an AMDG who is often indistinguishable from an MSNBC guest, really believe they can keep lying with the "we can have Trunp policies without Trump drama!" pitch that literally no one is falling for any longer.

A very large chunk of the GOP base voters (a plurality? slight majority?) has been stabbed too many times in the back by AMDG's heroic, "respectable", non-walmart shopping republicans and these base voters refuse to play the patsy any longer.

And Levene is explicitly calling for McConnell, McCarthy and Ronna McDaniel to select the party nominee in a back room!

AMDG and Levene: What a perfect bookend commenting combo that perfectly illustrate how the GOP got here in the first place.

Gee, its a real mystery why so many voters aren't listening to these idiots any longer.

A real mystery indeed.

Sebastian said...

"What did Tim Miller learn from 2016? Doesn't seem like much"

Progs don't have to. 2016 was a fluke, and Trump was easily neutralized by the deep state and the GOPe. Then he turned into the ideal prog tool as a losing loser in 2020 and 2022--TDS works, and more poeple hate him than love him. Then he still drew support of a plurality of GOPers who want to keep losing with their man, so there's nothing for progs to do but add a little fuel to the dumpster fire and stand back.

Ficta said...

@AMDG The message is clear: if you want to win, you cannot ignore a large fraction of the Republican Party. If you do, they'll stay home, or they'll vote for Ross Perot, and you'll lose.

If the Justice Department mounts a coup against their choice, you scream bloody murder. You don't sigh in relief and say "Thank God that guy's gone". That is how you lost Georgia.

But, hey, you call them nasty names, so you're not gonna make it with anyone anyhow. "I hate you. Vote for me." is not a winning strategy.

rcocean said...

Trump is going to be the nominee. There will be two choices in 2024, assuming nobody dies of old age, Trump or Biden. Keep on attacking Trump and you'll get more Biden.

In 2020 and 2016, the "Never trumpers" refused to support trump. Many supported Hillary or Biden. They're now doing the same thing in 2024. They're even playing the "Trump can't win card". Y'know like they did in 2016.

Here's my question to all those "concerned" that Trump will lose. You didn't care in 2020 and 2016, when you refused to support the Republican Nominee. Why should I believe you when you say you want to win in 2024?

And 10 points for not taking my question out of context. Which you will do.

MB said...

Michael Steele needs to understand that some of us have a problem with the concept of "party faithful". The Party has not been faithful to its voters. It wants us to turn out and vote for whomever they select but tries to destroy the one president we selected.

I changed my registration from Republican after Romney's loss. Neither he nor the party seemed to really be trying. I almost switched back when Trump was running, but the party fought him too much. They still think that I should want what they tell me to want.

Gunner said...

Most of these Never Republican/Trump losers are permanent Democrats now. They support Drag Queen Everything and Open Borders. They think George Floyd is the new MLK. They are fully cucked.

The Crack Emcee said...

The Macho Response is all there is, and there is nothing else

Drago said...

HBTPFH: "I think most of the candidates (not Chris Christie) are appalled by the corrupt legal mob-tactics of the left."

LOL

The corrupt legal mob tactics of the left is the very rationale for the DeSantis campaign.

Milo Minderbinder said...

The others, the R pretenders, are supposed to decry the left’s patently obvious lawfare prosecution strategy for the corruption it is because if they don’t fight it tooth-and-nail now, the left will use it on them. The arrogance of the RNC and DNC is stupefying.

Drago said...

Mr Wibble: "The GOPe wants to blame Trump for losses, but their losses stem from decades of mismanagement at the state and local levels. When your strategy to win is simply to be not as bad as the dems and hope that moderates flock to your candidate, you tend to attract squishy candidates. You also lose a lot of the knowledge and infrastructure to turn out the vote when needed."

Mr Wibble brings the sobriety.

The Never Trump GOPe suckups will have none of it.

NMObjectivist said...

Alt:
"They’re experiencing a brutal wake-up call that the party is not interested in hearing critiques of Biden."

wendybar said...

The Rinos can pick whomever they want, but the base is done with them. We are sick and tired of getting lectured to, lied to, and told that if we vote for them, things will be different this time. They NEVER fight for us. Trump does. Period. Without Trump fighting for us, why bother wasting our time for the same old, same old. The only one to end all of the craziness of the left IS Trump. Period.

wendybar said...

HEAR!! HEAR!! Leland @ 10:48 AM Perfect last sentence!!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Ficts:

"I hate you. Vote for me." is not a winning strategy.

Trump and his everists think it is.

wendybar said...

Dave Begley said...
The thing Trump people don't get is that woman HATE him. That will never change. I meet all sorts of women who just despise him.


I know quite a few women, myself included that think Trump was one of the best Presidents in our lifetimes. Sorry the women you know hate so much. Maybe they need to get help for that.

wendybar said...

Ficta said...
@AMDG The message is clear: if you want to win, you cannot ignore a large fraction of the Republican Party. If you do, they'll stay home, or they'll vote for Ross Perot, and you'll lose.

If the Justice Department mounts a coup against their choice, you scream bloody murder. You don't sigh in relief and say "Thank God that guy's gone". That is how you lost Georgia.

But, hey, you call them nasty names, so you're not gonna make it with anyone anyhow. "I hate you. Vote for me." is not a winning strategy.

7/24/23, 11:25 AM

THIS..THIS....THIS!!!!

wendybar said...

Ficta said...
@AMDG The message is clear: if you want to win, you cannot ignore a large fraction of the Republican Party. If you do, they'll stay home, or they'll vote for Ross Perot, and you'll lose.

If the Justice Department mounts a coup against their choice, you scream bloody murder. You don't sigh in relief and say "Thank God that guy's gone". That is how you lost Georgia.

But, hey, you call them nasty names, so you're not gonna make it with anyone anyhow. "I hate you. Vote for me." is not a winning strategy.

7/24/23, 11:25 AM

THIS..THIS....THIS!!!!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Buffoonish Drago - the ultimate Ever-Trump tRupmpswab - will call you "MSNBC" or worse if you do not obey the command to adore Trump. Blindly. Even Trump's bad moves are super-duper amazing 3-D chess moves, to the blind faith Ever-Trumpers. dRago takes his que-s from master Bubble Gum card name-calling billionaire Trump. Butt kiss Trump, or you're an MSNBC McConnelltard Romney McCain Ryan Jeb.

Again - Trump and his supporters hate you - but vote Trump.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

rcocean - Trump will not win in 2024. and it has nothing to do with so-called Never-Trumpers.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Tim in Vermont:

If it doesn’t bother you that the ballot printer in heavily Republican precincts in AZ suddenly developed a settings problem that made the ballots unreadable, and that the elections offices, run by Democrats had a “ heat map” on the wall showing where Republicans voted most heavily, you don’t care about democracy.

If it doesn’t bother you that ballots were provided in insufficient numbers to heavily Republican precincts in PA, you are content to allow our elections to be rigged and decided by fraud.

----------------------

It bothers me a great deal. I've said over and over I think the corrupt left are cheaters. Why not? They stand behind their crook Biden without a blink.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

After Hillary lost to Trump in 2016, the collective mob media-hack loyalist corrupt power-left said to themselves "We will never let this happen again."

They mean it. With Trump especially, and probably any other candidate. Still - a candidate who can appeal to the masses could prove the best fight against the left's crook cheat machine. I'm not sure who that is - it could even be RFK jr. (why the left desperate want him stopped)

Trump will be the nominee with the left want him to be - and they do. A crippled Trump will do nicely - thank you very much.

Drago said...

Hunter Biden's tax payer funded Hooker: "Ficts:

"I hate you. Vote for me." is not a winning strategy.

Trump and his everists think it is."

Trump never insults republican voters.

The GOPe squishes and their GOPe "leaders" do it every single day, and have for decades.

Congratulations HBTPFH! Those voters now believe you...and they are voting accordingly.

Side note: to this very day HBTPFH has never even attempted to address why DeSantis was a Paul Ryan clone in the House nor why it is DeSantis cannot secure a bigger % of the non-Trump primary vote.

To even ask such questions sends HBTPFH right over the edge.

Yancey Ward said...

I would prefer DeSantis as the candidate, but he would not win the general election. No GOP candidate can overcome the mail-in-ballot advantage the Democrats have seized- until the Republican Party finds a way fight back against that, they will be locked out of the White House.

Seriously- all you never-Trumpers- find me a path to the White House that doesn't look like 2016's election? Which states did Obama win in 2012 that a non-Trump candidate has even a 10% chance of winning in a Presidential election? Sure, Florida and Ohio, but what others? And you must find others, since Obama didn't need to win Florida and Ohio in 2012- they were cherries on top. Hell, Romney could have won Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, and New Hampshire, and still lost the election- that is how deep the Republicans' hole was before mail-in-voting spread like COVID-19 in 2020. It is only worse now since Arizona and Georgia are no longer reliably Republican- the hole is much, much deeper going into 2024.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

There is no way to recall Trump idolators from their fallen state or to arouse them from the trance under which they are enslaved.

Let me translate Rob's screed to English: "These damn conservatives can't quit Trump."

Of course voters who favor Trump now could be easily persuadable by Vivek or Desantis if Trump was not running, but Trump is running and so why risk choosing someone who might follow his lead when when we can have the proven real deal? Factors unique to Trump vs the rest of the giant field:

*Proven chief executive who put USA on the path to peace and prosperity
*Only president in my lifetime who did NOT start a war
*Is uniquely positioned to root out the Deep State actors who have been rigging elections since 2016
*Nobody drives progressives and ultra-lefties crazier than Trump, and as Sun Tzu teaches putting your enemy on their back foot before the battle is the best preamble to engagement
*Trump is NOT beholden to China or the GOPe and rejects the global warming hysteria entirely
*Consummate communicator able to generate TV friendly soundbites without even trying
*"he fights"

tim in vermont said...

I would rather have Joe Biden for president than a co-opted Republican, pre-approved by the Democrats, captive to the donors.

"If we nominate somebody the Democrats don't hate, they won't cheat to win!"

Face facts, our elections are largely run on the "honor system," it's an "attack on democracy" to even suggest that we verify a vote, and there are trillions of dollars at stake.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Trump will be indicted in DC federal court and be convicted

Sure Dave. And it'll all get done before the election, right? That's stupid.

Caroline said...

Republicans of all stripes have called out Orange Man when appropriate. Name a Dem who has expressed even the slightest twinge over Bidens many, many, many dirty deals.

Ficta said...

"Trump and his supporters hate you - but vote Trump."

Trump voters don't care if the Bulwark staff don't vote for Trump. There aren't enough of them to matter. But hell, Trump voters don't really care about winning, not just to win, not anymore. They'll vote for someone they trust or they won't vote. Is this a William Jennings Bryan problem for the GOP? Could be.

I don't know how the GOPe/Never Trump types think they're going to win the General, never mind the Primary, without the support of Trump's voters. It's almost like they don't care about winning either.

I actually think DeSantis kind of understands this. He may have to wait another four years, though. And he has some dubious "friends". But he has to get money from somewhere. It's a conundrum. But, hey, that's politics.

Leland said...

Thanks Wendybar. I had just listened to a podcast on this subject, and like a few others here, I'm bored of the "he can't win" argument being proposed by those who cannot even offer a viable alternative that could win a primary. I'm not beholden to any politician, a lesson I learned 3 decades ago. But in that same period of time, only one President has moved the ball in my preferred direction on the issues that matter to me. I'll give that guy a vote if he wants it.

"I don't know how the GOPe/Never Trump types think they're going to win the General, never mind the Primary, without the support of Trump's voters. It's almost like they don't care about winning either."

On a roll, Ficta. Never Trumpers haven't won a primary in the past decade. Nobody is giving them concessions by maintaining their losing position.

I was pro-DeSantis before much of the campaigning really started. My pro-position was because of his demonstrated ability to govern in Florida and respond to the people that put him in office. At the national level, I need to see a bit more. I understand he doesn't need to "defend" Trump, but you are not going to win anything letting Democrats continue their behavior. You can attack that behavior with fervor.

rcocean said...

Good everyone agrees the Nevertrumpers are irrelevant. Nothing they say or do seems to matter. Wonder why they keep talkng and writing? Or why they are constantly being quoted and on TV.

My suggestion: Just stop writing a bunch of anti-Trump bullshit and save everyone time. Or just write:

"Blah Blah I hate Trump and don't care who wins."

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Trump would rather Biden be president, too.

Rabel said...

Here is the letter from 2016 signed by "50 senior Republican national security officials from past administrations" cited in the Guardian article (not to be confused with the letter signed by 51 intelligence experts calling the Biden laptop Russian disinfo).

None of their hysterical fears panned out. Many of the names will ring a bell. Some are paid tools, some are wrapped up so tightly in the media bubble that they have lost their ability to see through the propaganda they read in the Post and the Times every day, and some are self-interested posers.

A few are simply fools.

The complaint about torture is rich considering how many are Bush men.

Andrew said...

Please clap.

boatbuilder said...

Michael Steele and Tim Miller fail to recognize that the reason that people don't vote for Jeb Bush and Chris Christie and Nikki Haley is because they are Jeb Bush and Chris Christie and Nikki Haley. Theyre isn't a ready-made block of the electorate (or at least there is not a very large one) that is going to vote for whoever the Republicans but forth.
There is a very large block of people who are really sick and tired of DC (and increasingly state) political power taking their money, throwing it away on things they neither want nor believe in, controlling their lives and telling them to shut up if they voice their concerns.
Those people will vote for Trump, or for someone else who stands in opposition to the political class.
Disantis is trying to walk the tightrope of telling those people that they are right and that he's their guy, without saying that they should dump Trump (and without, so far, convincing them that he's not a made member of the political class himself). The rest of them, with the exception of Ramaswami, are just more of the same.

Chuck said...

Althouse: "What did Tim Miller learn from 2016? Doesn't seem like much."

Au contraire. Tim Miller learned the most from 2016. Tim learned what Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Tim Scott, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, Kevin McCarthy and way too many others to list SHOULD have learned. That Trump, unopposed, would be the ruination of the GOP. And that given how feral Trump is, and given how sociopathic his base of support is, any opposition to Trump had better meet those problems squarely.

So Tim went full, unapologetic, unrestrained, deeply-thought, passionately argued, Anti-Trump.

What would it take, for someone like David Axelrod or David Plouffe or Robby Mook or Donna Brazile to abandon the Democratic Party and support Republicans? What sort of moral collapse on their side would be required for them to take that political tack? That's what Tim has done.

I have no idea where Althouse gets her information on Tim Miller. Maybe she doesn't have much information on Tim Miller and doesn't feel like she needs much. Althouse wasn't a Republican, by her own account. She doesn't watch MSNBC, where Tim regularly appears and answers questions. By Althouse's own account, she doesn't watch MSNBC. And I don't know if Althouse reads The Bulwark online. I get the distinct whiff of "contempt" every time The Bulwark comes up in her blog posts or in comments.

Anyway, Tim Miller is a particularly valuable commentator these days, where the greatest existential threat to the United States of America is another Donald Trump term in office.

boatbuilder said...

Rabel--Thanks for that.

I see a lot of names of big supporters of Biden's Ukrainian adventures.

I don't see any who have admitted they were wrong about Trump.

But we are supposed to trust them, because they are "senior officials."

Drago said...

rcocean: "My suggestion: Just stop writing a bunch of anti-Trump bullshit and save everyone time. Or just write:

"Blah Blah I hate Trump and don't care who wins."
7/24/23, 1:56 PM

And right on cue....

Hunter Biden's tax payer funded Hooker: "Trump would rather Biden be president, too."
7/24/23, 4:05 PM

Sure HBTPFH. Sure.

rcocean, they simply can't help themselves and they, like AMDG, have completely internalized the democratical talking points and frameworks.

Leland provides a succinct and powerful summary that helps explain where we are:

Leland: "I'm not beholden to any politician, a lesson I learned 3 decades ago. But in that same period of time, only one President has moved the ball in my preferred direction on the issues that matter to me. I'll give that guy a vote if he wants it."

The NeverTrump GOPe-humpers (if I may borrow and modify an oft seen term at Althouse) have devolved into pretending and arguing, quite passionately, that Trump accomplished nothing and so we need to toss him overboard at the height of the battle for the republic and replace him with the choice of....the very people that undermined Trump, act as a uniparty with the dems and hate our guts.

You know what?

I think I'll pass on that option.

Drago said...

Andrew: "Please clap."

Classic.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

from the first time I fell in love with trump as he rode down the escalator. oh that escalator.
Build a wall, he said. A big beautiful wall. Make Mexico pay for it. hahaha.
oh Hannity - STFU.

now what, Sean?

July 19, 2023
Trump’s Endorsement Got DeSantis Nothing

Donald Trump is indignant that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would dare run for president when he KNOWS Trump is running. According to the former president and big baby, this is a betrayal of epic proportions because Trump endorsed DeSantis during his first gubernatorial run. (Whereas winning the presidency by promising to build a wall, and then reneging, is a trifle, hardly worth mentioning.)

The actual history of Trump's endorsement. LOLZ

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

dRAgo - the top bubble gum card collecting Trump-Humper--> has this to say: 'Trump has zero flaws. glah glah glah. You uni-party McConnell tards.'
Scaramuchi Sessions! Trump now says Hilary is "Lovely Hillary." The women who created the fake Russian collusion waste of time is "lovely". Isn't that lovely? Obey, you Trump Humpers.

and DeSanctamonious is a meatball.



Drago said...

Hunter Biden's tax payer funded Hooker: "dRAgo - the top bubble gum card collecting Trump-Humper--> has this to say: 'Trump has zero flaws. glah glah glah. You uni-party McConnell tards.'
Scaramuchi Sessions! Trump now says Hilary is "Lovely Hillary." The women who created the fake Russian collusion waste of time is "lovely". Isn't that lovely? Obey, you Trump Humpers."

I defy anyone to make any sense out of this gibberish.

Rusty said...

Meade.
Chuck seems to have an unhealthy attraction to your wife. Apparently he thinks he's a lawyer and knows the law.(Pfft). If you see a strange vehicle with Michigan plates cruising your neighborhood, call the coppers.

Tina Trent said...

OK Chuck. You may love the Jebbers who want to destroy what's left of the middle class and the safety net for the working and poor by throwing open our borders, legalizing all drugs, and emptying the prisons.

Just admit it. Because this is what Tim Miller stands for, that pinch-faced toad. This is what Jeb stands for, and what the Koch Foundations stand for, and the Soros Foundations stand for -- united against the mere idea of the United States and united in destroying the rest of us. Is Trump the answer? That's a different question.

You have no idea what --or whom -- you're talking about. Where do you even stand on actual issues?