March 20, 2016

The embarrassing mad scramble of the serious people.

On "Meet the Press" today, Chuck Todd called attention to that NYT article we were talking about yesterday, about how GOP leaders are about to unleash a 100-day campaign to block Trump from getting the nomination. But, Todd said, "there is no strategy that they can unite around."

Molly Ball (of The Atlantic) said:
Well, and this whole thing has been a Keystone-Cops operation from the start. I mean, if there were a Republican establishment that had its stuff together...
Trump would say "shit together"...
...  and really wanted to make sure Donald Trump didn't get the nomination, the time would have been six months ago. Instead, they've been running around like chickens with their heads cut off, going in different directions. Even now, this is not unified. And the chances of stopping him are very, very small. And as Donald Trump said, you know, he's gotten a lot of flak for saying, "Oh, there'll be riots." But I think it's true that you can't just say to his voters, this large so-far plurality of the Republican party that you don't count, and that we're not going to listen to you. Donald Trump doesn't go away if there's some kind of weird contested convention and they take it away from him.
Todd observed that none of the GOP leaders were talking about actually trying to "woo the Trump voter." No, those are the people who are supposed to step back and wait until their betters manipulate things to produce a non-Trump candidate they're told to vote for. There's no plan to deal with the outrage and resentment these people will feel.

101 comments:

cubanbob said...

I find it intensely amusing in how the press is besides itself in joy with the Republicans trying get rid of Trump and studiously ignores the party with the real problem-the party whose front runner is the subject of a criminal investigation along with a national security breach the entire Navy could sail through. At least the Republican elders recognize they have a problem (albeit they don't understand the problem) while the Democrats are in deep denial.

n.n said...

The "best and brightest" and the "decent and polite" folks are trying to manipulate the situation to favor their special and peculiar interests. Good luck.

John A said...

At the national level, I do not think the GOP has had a "plan" since recruiting Eisenhower.

SteveR said...

Not matter where you place yourself on the moral, political or intellectual high ground, you are going to support a Hillary Clinton presidency, or you are not. All the other options are just fooling yourself. I'm not too interested in the bloviation. You tell me what you are going to do and I'll know all I need to know.

Bob Loblaw said...

I mean, if there were a Republican establishment that had its stuff together and really wanted to make sure Donald Trump didn't get the nomination, the time would have been six months ago.

Sixth months ago everyone in the Republican establishment was sure Trump would self destruct or be forgotten when Jeb Bush's bankroll started to tell. These people live in their own little beltway world, filtering out all information that doesn't fit their existing notions. That's why Trump exists in the first place.

Big Mike said...

Todd observed that none of the GOP leaders were talking about actually trying to "woo the Trump voter."

True that. And a serious blunder.

Laslo Spatula said...
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Laslo Spatula said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laslo Spatula said...

So:

Real Republican Man

and

The Slightly-Less-Than-Average-Intelligence Althouse Reader.

I Hit These Things and then Althouse discovers them anew in the 'Real' Press days later.

I get that she doesn't get my humor.

I don't get why she doesn't get my accuracy.

I am Laslo.

grimson said...

Todd observed that none of the GOP leaders were talking about actually trying to "woo the Trump voter."

Trump supporters appear to be neither wooable nor persuadable--for them it is Trump and only Trump, regardless of any position he takes at any given time. This raises the question of how they plan to vote down-ballot.

jg said...

This video on Bill+HRC's corruption has been getting a lot of play (unsourced but are allegations I've heard before): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kypl1MYuKDY

R should sit on it in hopes she actually gets the nomination (which is 95% sure anyway?).

jg said...

It's possible she's not even 10x more corrupt than average. Maybe only 6 or 7x.

Gahrie said...

Todd observed that none of the GOP leaders were talking about actually trying to "woo the Trump voter." No, those are the people who are supposed to step back and wait until their betters manipulate things to produce a non-Trump candidate they're told to vote for. There's no plan to deal with the outrage and resentment these people will feel.

Exactly.

Although, their confusion is almost understandable, because up until now, that worked for them. They still don't seem to realize that the only reason Trump exists is because of the outrage and resentment they have already caused by their failures and betrayals in the past. People figure if we are going to get shitty government we might as well get some enjoyment out of it.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Eric said...3/20/16, 6:56 PM

Sixth months ago everyone in the Republican establishment was sure Trump would self destruct or be forgotten when Jeb Bush's bankroll started to tell.

So it wouldn't have been necessary. People who aren't already in campaigns don't start these things unless they think things are going awry. It takes time for that to become apparent. Trump was believed to have a low floor (of around 20%) and a ceiling of around 30%. Then came San Bernardino. That got him a little bit higher.

The other candidates were all weak. Kasich picked his spots, and managed to run the gauntlet. Now manybe some didn't understand that money doesn't really mean anything, except when there's not enough.

Gahrie said...

The only way that the Establishment could possibly woo the Trump voter at this point would be for McConnell and Ryan to commit seppekku on the capital steps.

That would be a good start.

Sebastian said...

"There's no plan to deal with the outrage and resentment these people will feel." Is there a plan to deal with the outrage and resentment of the majority of Republicans who oppose Trump, if he comes out on top?

Birkel said...

One unalloyed positive that Donald Trump has delivered was getting rid of that troublesome Bush. If he can manage to get rid of a Clinton too, we could all count ourselves lucky.

Gahrie said...

Is there a plan to deal with the outrage and resentment of the majority of Republicans who oppose Trump, if he comes out on top?

I suggest telling them:

"See..that is what happens when you make campaign promises, attack the Tea Party and then roll over for the Democrats after being given two congressional landslides. Don't do it again you fuck ups."

mccullough said...

If Trump wins the nomination fair and square and many Repunlicans bolt, then too bad for them. The establishment put up their candidate, the tea party and evnqgelicals put up their candidate, and Trump won. Now the establishment and tea partiers and evangelicals who don't support Trump can stay home or they can coalesce around a wealthy third party candidate like Romney. Romney is worse than Trump for the evangelicals (Trump has taken a pretty size able chunk of evangelicals) and no better for Tea Partiers than Trump. Romney is an incompetent technocrat like Obama. The country club republicans can support Romney but they might as well support Hillary. True, she would propose to raise their taxes a little and Romney proposes to lower them a little. But other than that, the agree with Hillary on a lot of the issues -- amnesty, trade, and wars in the Middle East. They also agree with her on the social issues and also want to continue the PC McCarthyism. Romney's diatribe against Trump is no different than Hillary's. Probably a fair number of independents would vote for Romney as well, so he could get probably 25% of the popular vote with country. Pub republicans and independents. Then when the election is over the country club republicans could become Dems or go independent. But they can't go back to the national GOP because it will be gone. Tax cuts for the rich just isn't a national party platform anymore. And the culture war of abortion and gay marriage is over.

Michael K said...

Good column today by Glenn Reynolds on this very topic.

Brooks is, of course, horrified at Trump and his supporters, whom he finds childish, thuggish and contemptuous of the things that David Brooks likes about today’s America. It’s clear that he’d like a social/political revolution that was more refined, better-mannered, more focused on the Constitution and, well, more bourgeois as opposed to in-your-face and working class.

The thing is, we had that movement. It was the Tea Party movement. Unlike Brooks, I actually ventured out to “intermingle” with Tea Partiers at various events that I covered for PJTV.com, contributing commentary to the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Examiner. As I reported from one event in Nashville, “Pundits claim the tea partiers are angry — and they are — but the most striking thing about the atmosphere in Nashville was how cheerful everyone seemed to be. I spoke with dozens of people, and the responses were surprisingly similar.


Now you have Trump. The Tea Party were the Girondin Ministry. Now you have Georges Danton.

Be grateful it is not Robespierre, yet.

Bob Boyd said...

Who do they think they are? Hillary Clinton?

mccullough said...

Brooks is a big government conservative. He's into communitarianism and believes the government should help with it. He doesn't trust the people and thinks they need to be guided by the wisdom of elites.

mccullough said...

If Romney runs third party with support from party insiders then let the Dems run the federal government from top to bottom. Vote for Dems in the House and Senate. Any Republican who runs an ad against Trump, then Trump should support that persons Dem opponent and say he would rather deal with them.

Fabi said...

The Tea Partiers were so angry that they cleaned up after themselves, unlike the OWS scum.

Gahrie said...

Be grateful it is not Robespierre, yet.

I hear he shows up in Cleveland, at the convention.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Oh, there is a plan! Do not doubt that.
The plan involves forming a hands across NY & DC by Media elites on both the Repub and Dem side to loudly denounce Trump supporters as dangerous racists. The Repubs, lots of them, would rather lose the election than win with Trump. Some of them are taking a principeled stand based on what they think the long term impact on the party, some are lashing out against Trump as a person, and some are virtue-signaling for their elite friends. All agree, though, that Trump must be stopped AND that Trump supporters don't matter and should be neither listened to nor respected in any way.
If the Repub establishment was in any way willing to listen to and address the concerns of people who nmow support Trump then there would be no Trump now! They weren't, they still aren't, and their plan is to marginalize those people (adopting Leftist tactics and arguments to do so).
I don't know if it will work, but I am sure that is what they'll try.

MikeD said...

"There's no plan to deal with the outrage and resentment these people will feel." "These people" serving as, for many on the Right, what the African-American serves as for the Democrats. It's not your fault! Forces are mobilized against you! What hogwash! When both major political parties see free trade as a negative we're surely doomed. NRO's Kevin Williamson is pilloried there in comments for stating immutable truths (too lazy to link, wanna know, go there).
OK, here's a link to a book I read 8 years ago:
http://www.amazon.com/Splendid-Exchange-Trade-Shaped-World-ebook/dp/B006NZ9XTU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Michael K said...

"
Be grateful it is not Robespierre, yet.

I hear he shows up in Cleveland, at the convention."

I fear you may be right.

Bay Area Guy said...

Despite my skepticism of Trump, I am simpatico withTrump supporters. Once Trump modulates his tone a bit, he will become more effective (I hope)

Michael K said...

For those who haven't yet seen it, Here is Sir James Goldsmith, explaining Trump's trade ideas.

Bob Boyd said...

@ Michael K

I watched that after you put it up before. Very worthwhile. Thx.

Anonymous said...

Another assault at a Trump rally. This one is pretty vicious.

A man who reportedly punched and kicked a protestor at a rally for Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump was arrested and charged with assault with injury, ABC News reported Sunday.

Tony Pettway, who was allegedly seen in a video punching a protestor as he was being escorted out of a Trump rally Saturday in Arizona, was arrested at the event and charged before being released.

The protestor was wearing an American flag shirt and holding up a sign of Trump that said, "Trump is Bad for America."

Michael K said...

Amanda, did you even look at the video ? The black guy who tore up the sign and punched the guy in the flag shirt was the PROTESTOR! He was handcuffed and taken away by cops. Do you need glasses ?

Do you have a white car ? Or do you just assume nobody will follow your bullshit links ?

readering said...

Trump complaining he can't be expected to get a majority with 17 candidates at outset. But only 3 ever got delegates, and one of them gone. His bar is about 54 per cent from her on. If he can't achieve that against Cruz and Kaisich he's a very weak candidate who deserves his fate.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I thi k you have it wrong, Michael K. The flag shirt guy and woman behind him in the Klan hood were the protesters. The guy who punches and kicks flag shirt guy was presumably a non-protesting attendee.

He is a black man. Amanda says this assault is really bad and vicious, and using Leftist logic the only reason she would say that is her own racial prejudice against black people. Stop being so racist, Amanda!

Also, the guy abo got punched was walking up the aisle with a woman in a Klan hood. In any other context I am sure the Left would have no problem with a black person punching people dressed in Klan outfits (and screaming in their faces, etc) but since the Klan garb wearers now are Leftists suddenly that reaction is highly unacceptable (and, of course, Trump's fault).

Anonymous said...

MichaelK,
Of course I watched the damn video. No Michael the black guy who grabbed the sign and tore it was a Trump rally goer. The guy in the flag shirt was the protestor.

Anonymous said...
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FullMoon said...

Amanda says "Viscous attack"


"a vicious assault"
brutal, ferocious, savage, violent, dangerous, ruthless, remorseless, merciless, heartless, callous, cruel, harsh, cold-blooded, inhuman, fierce, barbarous, barbaric, brutish, bloodthirsty, fiendish, sadistic, monstrous, murderous, homicidal;

Anonymous said...


I don't care what the protestor was wearing or even saying. Civilized people attending a political rally of a Presidential candidate do not have a right to assault anyone. It was very vicious and what does the color of the skin of the attacker matter? If this guy would've assaulted someone out on the street you'd be outraged

Fabi said...

Amanda said:

@8:47 -- "This one is pretty vicious."
@9:11 -- "It was very vicious..."


Not only is the attack getting worse by the minute, according to Amanda, but the tense is changing, too! No reaction yet from her upscale Republican friends.

Anonymous said...

Mooner, I'm pretty sure if you were assaulted similarly, you be crying like a little girl. Playing tough guy on the Internet doesn't make you one.

Anonymous said...

Fabi, that goes for you too. If this guy would've kicked your ass for being your usual dishonorable internet creep, I bet you would've cried harder than the Mooner.

Fabi said...

Dishonorable Internet creep, Amanda? Like your nativist bigotry towards puti last night or your threats to stalk pm317 and to "Expect it.". Lulz

And I've never had my ass kicked, but please continue with your violent projections -- I expect nothing less from a progressive.

Anonymous said...

You've never had your ass kicked Fabi? I seriously doubt that seeing how dishonorably you behaved to Chuck who actually trusted your apology to him to be sincere. Most people who act the way you do tend to end up being on the recieving end of an ass whooping. Threats to "stalk" someone? Are you losing your mind? You are truly one creepy weird individual. Actually you seem to be unusually interested in addressing me several times a day, don't speak of stalkerish behavior to me when you do it on a daily basis. Do you wait to see when I'll be commenting? You seem to respond to my comments within minutes, that is strange.

Alex said...

Fabi & Amanda - you must be new here. This is not that kind of a blog.

Fabi said...

I hate that I'm still under your skin, Amanda. Most people who comment on blogs expect a little give-and-take without internalizing it as you have. I'll try to be nicer to you in the future since your ability to corral your emotional projections is only matched by your poor reading comprehension and unfamiliarity with reason. You can have the last word again, as you've demonstrated that it's very important to you.

Fabi said...

I've been here for years, Alex -- long enough to have seen dozens of multi-day tangles -- often including R&B, Drago, ARM, et al. Feel free to skip over my comments.

mccullough said...

Black Trump supporter beats up KKK protestor. Not your usual narrative

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

@Fabi,,
Oh blah blah blah, "give and take"? Who do you think you are speaking to here? I know your type, I've been commenting on blogs for many years and occasionally run across creeps like you. It was exceedingly evident from the very first over the top nasty comment directed at me. My instinct was to completely ignore you. I usually listen to my intuition about certain people, I gave you a chance, it was wasted on you. And yes, I will have the last word here. As I said yesterday, I find you reprehensible, your extreme behavior to people you disagree with illustrates your internal workings. A shrink can help you with that

Bob Loblaw said...
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Michael K said...

Amanda, did you even look at the video ? The black guy who tore up the sign and punched the guy in the flag shirt was the PROTESTOR! He was handcuffed and taken away by cops. Do you need glasses ?

Do you have a white cane ? Or do you just assume nobody will follow your bullshit links ?

Anonymous said...

The protestor wasn't a KKK member. As I understand it, he was holding up a sign that illustrated Trump as the white supremacist. The female protestor was the one with the hood on, also not a KKK member. I assume she was wearing the hood to illustrate Trump's endorsement by white supremacists. It wasn't the best way to protest and I suspect it may have been some sort of effort to actually incite rally goers. Not smart. Not the best way to protest.

Michael K said...

I watched the video. Not your version.

narciso said...

few people on 'meet the depressed ' are serious, take stevens and schmidt, one in merely a fool, the other a confirmed knave,

Anonymous said...

Jesus, Michael K.

For the second time now, the black guy was a Trump rally goer. The white guy in the flag shirt was the protestor.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/03/tucson-trump-rally-marred-by-violence.html

"Trump himself had called for the protesters to be removed from the rally after noticing the woman in the KKK hood, and on Sunday morning Trump suggested the protesters had the attack coming, telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that, “This happened to be an African American man who was very very incensed that someone a protester would be wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit.” That man, 32-year-old Tony Pettway, was arrested at the scene and charged with assault. Nothing else is known about Pettway, including whether he is a Trump supporter, as of midday Sunday."

FullMoon said...

Amanda, are you pretending to be stupid?

Anonymous said...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/protestors-block-ariz-road-stop-trump-rally-article-1.2570353

"Another day, another beatdown at a Trump rally.

With the GOP frontrunner on stage, a Trump supporter at a rally in Tucson viciously assaulted a protester who was being led away.

The disturbing melee pitted a kicking, punch-throwing Trump loyalist against Bryan Sanders, 33, a protester kicked out of the rally at 3 p.m. Saturday for chanting “liar” amid a rabid crowd. It was yet one more slice of mayhem following Trump and his screwball campaign across the country.

“I feel great that I'm not dead, but I am definitely in physical pain,” Sanders told the Daily News.

The Tucson resident is nursing a swollen jaw and bruised ribcage after his alleged attacker, Tony Pettway, 32, landed a brutal sucker punch to Sanders’ right jaw."

wild chicken said...

Yeah I'm not sure what actually happened and all, but I am outraged!! Someone must pay by god.

Michael K said...

The Daily News is certainly an unbiased source. HAHAHAHA

Michael K said...

Watched it again. Sorry. Not your version.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Birkel said...

Amanda:

When Democrats wear KKK gear, as they are wont to do, should they get a pass? Or is Democrat-KKK hate speech allowed in public?

Can you post the rules you follow, as a Democrat racist?

Anonymous said...

http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/03/20/video-probably-shouldnt-wear-kkk-hood-donald-trump-rally/

"A Trump protester was punched and kicked several times while being escorted out of a rally in Tucson, Ariz., by police.

Videos show a protester in an American flag shirt holding up a picture of Trump before being punched. Another protester walking right behind him is seen wearing a white KKK-style hood. Police immediately handcuffed the attacker, a black man."

http://rightwingnews.com/republicans/holy-crap-black-trump-supporter-in-tucson-beats-down-protester-crowd-goes-wild/

"Things turned violent in Tucson yesterday at a Donald Trump rally. They had already been tense in Phoenix as radical protesters blocked a freeway there and caused trouble any way they could. Sheriff Arpaio obliged them and carted most of them off to jail. In Tucson however, things got real. A couple of protesters (one with a KKK hood) were being led out of a rally by police officers when a black Trump supporter punched, kicked and stomped one of the protesters into the ground. Somehow that didn’t make Druge. Gee, I wonder why. The Trump supporter was arrested by police. I’m sure Trump will ride to the rescue with legal aide any moment now. I’ve warned about this anger and violence being ratcheted up on both sides."

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/03/wow-video-black-trump-supporter-stomps-anti-trump-protester-in-tucson/

"WOW!
A black Trump supporter in Tucson STOMPED an anti-Trump protester at the Donald Trump rally this afternoon."

Birkel said...

Wait! There was a black guy supporting Trump?

Amanda, are you breaking news here?

Birkel said...

Amanda:

Another rules question...

Since the black guy supports Donald Trump, can he no longer get upset at racist Democrats wearing KKK garb?

mccullough said...

Black Trump supporter beats racist KKK protestor. If the hood fits.

eddie willers said...

People figure if we are going to get shitty government we might as well get some enjoyment out of it.

That's worth a...Bingo!

Phil 314 said...

Michael (and all others who doubt Amanda)

Amanda, did you even look at the video ? The black guy who tore up the sign and punched the guy in the flag shirt was the PROTESTOR! He was handcuffed and taken away by cops. Do you need glasses ?

Amanda is correct. I was shocked to see the strange roll reversal. (i.e. black Trump supporter assaults white guy in a flag shirt) but this is apparently just another example of the unexpected in this campaign.

Quaestor said...

Amanda is correct. I was shocked to see the strange roll reversal. (i.e. black Trump supporter assaults white guy in a flag shirt) but this is apparently just another example of the unexpected in this campaign.

People who respect the flag don't sweat on it.

Quaestor said...

The only way that the Establishment could possibly woo the Trump voter at this point would be for McConnell and Ryan to commit seppekku on the capital steps.

Can't say I'd miss 'em too much. McConnell has needed a coup de grace for ages. Whenever I see him I wonder how a human manages to live without a chin...

It needs to be the full-fledged belly-cutting disembowelment. And none of that chickenshit decapitation crap either!

Bruce Hayden said...

Not sure why anyone here is surprised at Democrats wearing KKK hoods. The KKK has always been a Dem supporting/supported organization, since its founding in Reconstruction. What is apparently different here is a woman wearing a KKK hood - as I understand it, women weren't allowed in the active KKK, but presumably, there was some sort of auxiliary.

And, most Blacks were Republicans until LBJ and his Great Society, which, of course, bought them off, and simultaneously destroyed Black family structure.

Anonymous said...

The GOP plan right now looks something like this:

1. Stop Trump
2. ???
3. Win election

Not sure what the genius step 2 part of this plan will be, but given the performance to date of the party's strategists, it is likely to be worse than going with the pop TV icon the voters are picking. Is Jack Bauer available?

darrenoia said...

Trump voters apparently believe that:

The antidote to the Clintons... is an old Clinton crony who had a nice long chat with Bill before entering the race and agrees with them on almost everything.

The antidote to the GOP establishment that only cares about the donor class... is a member of the Democrat donor class.

The antidote to insufficiently conservative candidates... is the least conservative candidate in the race and perhaps in party history.

The antidote to illegal immigration... is the candidate who has repeatedly flip-flopped on H1-Bs, married an H1-B holder, and repeatedly employed illegal immigrants when Americans were lined up to do the jobs.

The antidote to empty promises and lies... is a candidate who shifts his positions from day to day and speaks documentable lies at a record rate.

The antidote to people who don't care about the little guy... is a billionaire candidate with a record of fleecing people with cons and using eminent domain to make himself richer at the expense of the less fortunate.

The antidote to letting Hillary continue Obama's devastation of the constitution and the country... Is to let a lifelong Democrat destroy the Republican party opposition from within.

The antidote to hubristic technocratic incompetence... is hubristic, straightforward, no-nothing incompetence.

If you don't want to collude to hand the keys to the party to the Democrat who is dividing it to conquer it, then you are somehow the one who doesn't get it and is insufficiently pure.

It would all be laughable if the con weren't working on enough GOP voters to almost put him over the top.

Gahrie said...

darrenoia apparently believes that the antidote to Trump is to continue to lie to, insult and ignore the base while cutting deals with the Democrats.

The antidote to Trump is to waste two historic landslide congressional victories and attempt to explain it with the excuse that the media will be mean to you.

The antidote is to continue to insult the base while ignoring the only credible alternative until literally the last minute.

The antidote to Trump is to threaten to steal the nomination from Trump at the convention with a bunch of Washington rules lawyers. (yeah..that won't piss anyone off)

Gahrie said...

It would all be laughable if the Establishment weren't still too fucking clueless to understand what is really happening.

Bob Loblaw said...

It needs to be the full-fledged belly-cutting disembowelment. And none of that chickenshit decapitation crap either!

He would only do it if it helped the Democrats somehow.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Bangville? I think I'd like to live there. Maybe I already do.

tim in vermont said...

If what happened is that somebody wore a KKK outfit hoping to provoke violence and got punched by a black man, my advice to said black man is demand a jury trial.

mezzrow said...

It takes a black man to recognize a minstrel act when he sees it. The beat down was his review. It will all be blamed on my racism and that of Donald Trump.

Then Trump will be elected President and millions will ask, "how did this happen, how could this happen?"

Other events will come to bear on this situation. Carry on.

tim in vermont said...

Wasn't a man who happened to be black and wearing a Trump T-shirt killed to death in Chicago? Not important.

Brando said...

If they were that serious about stopping Trump, they'd have gotten behind Cruz by now. The fact that they didn't shows this is more about going "on the record" as opposing Trump in advance of the disaster he will bring about. This isn't much different than the "hard core conservatives" (the Erick Erickson types) of the 2012 cycle who railed about what a poor nominee Romney would be, so they could say they were right afterwards.

There's no chance to stop him from getting nominated, certainly not if the anti-Trump faction is divided by Cruz conservatives and the moderates.

tim in vermont said...

Jesus Himself would have thought about punching the guy.

tim in vermont said...

Maybe people weren't buying what Cruz was selling and he should have dropped out? Naah!

Darcy said...

Fascinating. I love/hate this. I love that the Establishment is embarrassed and scrambling. Unfortunately, I agree with Ace that Trump's nomination is going to deliver even more power to the Establishment when he takes the whole ticket down in enormous flames with him on election day. To quote Trump: Sad!

Quaestor said...

According to the Salt Lake Tribune Ted Cruz has praised Utah Senator Mike Lee for his devotion to the Constitution in terms that strike me as enigmatic at best. He compared Lee to Tolkien's pathetic monster known as Gollum. "For Mike , the Constitution is 'my precious.'" he said.

What a bizarre metaphor. One or more of three possibilities is true. Either: (1) Cruz isn't quite as brilliant as conventional wisdom has it, (2) Cruz has little appreciation of the material he's citing (see 1), or (3) Cruz has idiots on his campaign staff (see 1).

Cruz has also chained himself wrist and ankle to the ever volatile Glenn Beck, who is apparently in the throes of yet another catastrophic psychic crisis, having greeted Cruz as prophecy made manifest... That's cool. I can't think of a better way to win over the evangelicals, can you?

If the GOP elites have a Plan A that involves Ted Cruz supplanting The Donald at the eleventh hour they can kiss it goodbye. Maybe they should skip the A-List plans go directly to Plan 9 (Ah, yes, the resurrection of the dead.)

Anonymous said...

"Wasn't a man who happened to be black and wearing a Trump T-shirt killed to death in Chicago? Not important"

No.

Snopes

"Fake news reports that an African-American supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump died after being shot at a chaotic Chicago rally."

MadisonMan said...

I don't see how GOP Leaders can woo Trump Voters, as GOP Leaders have consistently ignored that part of the electorate for how many election cycles? And now those voters are suddenly going to think you are paying attention? I think not.

Anonymous said...

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865650513/Poll-Utah-would-vote-for-a-Democrat-for-president-over-Trump.html

"Poll: Utah would vote for a Democrat for president over Trump

Also surprising is the number of Utahns who said they wouldn't vote if Trump were on the ballot. Sixteen percent said they'd skip the election if Trump and Clinton were their ballot choices, while 9 percent said they wouldn't vote if it was a Trump-Sanders matchup.

Both Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich would beat either Democratic candidate in Utah, the poll found. Sanders came closest against Cruz, with 39 percent of Utahns backing Sanders to 53 percent for Cruz.

The Democratic candidates fare even better against Trump among Utah's many unaffiliated voters. Clinton would win Utah by 17 points, the poll found, while Sanders would see a 36-point victory if the election were held today. The margin of error for unaffiliated voters is nearly 7 percent.

MadisonMan said...

That's interesting Amanda, because polls have been so accurate so far, so certainly one that reports results from 500 "random" Utahns will be reflective of the entire state.

tim in vermont said...

Amanda is right, it was a hoax, as a prize I will search around ebay for a KKK outfit for her to wear around to "make points "

Brando said...

"The Democratic candidates fare even better against Trump among Utah's many unaffiliated voters. Clinton would win Utah by 17 points, the poll found, while Sanders would see a 36-point victory if the election were held today. The margin of error for unaffiliated voters is nearly 7 percent."

I think Trump is very unpopular among the general electorate right now (to be losing handily to Hillary is quite a feat, when even Cruz is beating her by a couple points) but a lot of sorting is going to take place between now and November. GOP voters (like those Utahans) more likely will gravitate back to their party, and Dems are going to side with theirs.

But if the current trend holds and Trump can't bring his party together this will be a disaster for the GOP. Losing the Senate will be a given, and the House might even be up for grabs. Imagine Hillary with a Democratic Congress to go along with her agenda.

Id' say the GOP deserves all of this, but the American people definitely don't deserve it.

Alexander said...

I like the part where the GOPe mask comes off, and Trump wins anyway.

They were always the enemy - this fundamentally changes nothing. The only difference is they have openly declared it.

Birkel said...

tim in vermont:

Amanda doesn't need a new one.

CStanley said...

Darrenoia @ 1:23 am: +100

Gahrie: there is no antidote to Trump, that is the problem. Can you (or any other Trump supporter) look at Darrenoia's list and tell us what part of it isn't accurate?

Brando said...

"Gahrie: there is no antidote to Trump, that is the problem. Can you (or any other Trump supporter) look at Darrenoia's list and tell us what part of it isn't accurate?"

I think that's just it--Trump fans point out--rightly--that the "business as usual" GOP has long held onto an old playbook that doesn't work anymore, and has done little to curb leftist excesses. But a lot of us are equally disaffected yet see Trump as a way to make a bad problem far worse, like dumping oil on a fire.

Gahrie said...

Can you (or any other Trump supporter) look at Darrenoia's list and tell us what part of it isn't accurate?

You're asking the wrong guy...I've been taking shit for comparing Trump to Hitler. I think you have to be crazy to support Trump. But that is just it, the Establishment hacks have finally pushed the base so hard that they are irrational in their anger....and guess what? Calling them irrational just pisses them off more, and makes them more committed to Trump.

I support Cruz, and have ever since Carly dropped out. If the Establishment truly gave a shit about anything beyond protecting their own personal power, they would have united behind Cruz months ago.

Anthony said...

Well, they don't call it the Stupid Party for nothing.

Gahrie said...

Here's a clue Establishment:

Saying "hey vote for our guy, because their guy is worse" doesn't work anymore. You wore it out over the last thirty years. Frankly, we're having a hard time telling you apart anymore.

If the Republican performance the last 8 years is the best we can hope for, break out the marshmallows.



Darcy said...

It would all be immensely more amusing to me if I wasn't convinced that the corrupt establishment GOP was only going to benefit in the end from Trump's impending disaster.

James Pawlak said...

I thought the photo was of the Chicago Police Department at the Trump rally.