Althouse: Laughably lame headline at The New Republic.

February 28, 2018

Laughably lame headline at The New Republic.

"How Trump Wins Reelection/Last year, it seemed certain that he would be a one-term president—if he even lasted that long. But he has a plausible path to victory in 2020."

49 comments:

Comanche Voter said...: I'd say that there is a good chance that The New Republic is all wee wee'd up--to borrow a term from their all time BFF bestest Prezzy ever.; 2/28/18, 9:34 AM
Jaq said...: I keep thinking of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The next billy goat to cross the bridge is going to be the one who can beat Trump!; 2/28/18, 9:38 AM
Fernandinande said...: Meet the New Republic
Same as the Old Republic

Jeet Heer sez:
"Trump and his allies have crafted a fantasy version of the Russia story that’s worthy of a pulp novel. In their narrative, Trump is a besieged president, fending off a “deep state” conspiracy led by holdovers from President Barack Obama’s administration, who are spreading lies that are eagerly echoed by the “Fake News” media."; 2/28/18, 9:41 AM
fivewheels said...: If you're one of those people for whom the last 10 things that "seemed certain" didn't happen, why don't you ever take a lesson from that? Doesn't that fit the definition of insanity?; 2/28/18, 9:41 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Yeah and year before last he seemed to be a big loser who had no path to victory. Thanks DNC-Media complex for your salient and sane perspective.; 2/28/18, 9:45 AM
YoungHegelian said...: Uhhhm, isn't Trump's path to re-election pretty much the same path that got him elected to office the first time?

Gosh-a-rooney, forgive me gettin' all logical & fee-lo-sof-i-cal & stuff, but isn't the best indication that something is possible is that it's actually occurred at least once?; 2/28/18, 9:54 AM
Jim Gust said...: He'll be running against Michelle Obama, who will be more formidable than Hillary was. No experience, but also no baggage.

Should be interesting; 2/28/18, 9:54 AM
Michael K said...: The Democrats are starting to recognize that things might not be going their way.

I see no way that they can dismount this tiger of base insanity anytime soon.; 2/28/18, 9:58 AM
Fabi said...: When you say Michelle has no baggage, are you referencing Michelle Obama?; 2/28/18, 9:59 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Eh. 2020 is a long way away; I'd not start counting my chickens before they come home to roost for any politician.; 2/28/18, 10:05 AM
MikeR said...: Given that he's done pretty much what he said he'd do, plus some dumb tweets, what rational person could think "Last year, it seemed certain that he would be a one-term president—if he even lasted that long"?; 2/28/18, 10:09 AM
MadisonMan said...: The 'Path to Victory' is somewhat constrained by the opponent.

No need to click that article to learn absolutely nothing. Thinking "Trump will be a 1-term President" at any point during his Presidency can only be described as: Wishful Thinking for Democrats and RINOs.; 2/28/18, 10:16 AM
JAORE said...: Michelle has no baggage?

Just because the press is a willing bellman to carry her baggage does not mean it does not exist.; 2/28/18, 10:17 AM
Nonapod said...: I'll never not be a little confused by people who apparently make grand, hopeful assumptions (wishcasting) despite having their hopes brutally dashed many times in the past. If you live long enough and you're not an idiot, you should be able to notice a basic truth: One should never assume anything when attempting to predict what may happen in the future. This goes for both sides in politics (Trump supporters shouldn't assume that Trump will coast easily to victory either).

The fact that the writer of this piece assumes that the readers will all assume that there's no way Trump could win reelection is pretty telling. Everyone simply assumed that Hillary Clinton would win too. And then when she didn't, reality became distorted in the minds of millions of people on the left. And as we all now know, things can get weird when reality fails to meet with expectations of large masses of people. Why are people so willing to allow themselves to be deluded? I'm sure there must be a good evolutionary reason for it.; 2/28/18, 10:22 AM
traditionalguy said...: This early announcement is Trump's pre-emptive strike against the Mitt Romney wing's RINO assault forces forming up as we speak. He wants the pols commitments now while he can still use a thumbs up or thumbs down on 2018 midterm. It is the art of the deal in action. Trump inherited a GOP filled with pols that have been as long on the take from the Soros/Clinton/Bush families as the Dems have been. But those money men power strings have been cut in the last 3 months, and when the old Families pull on them this time, nothing's gonna happen.; 2/28/18, 10:23 AM
buwaya said...: I (and a lot of others, led of course by Angelo Codevilla) were way ahead of Jeet Heer, saying exactly that about a "deep state" conspiracy long before Trump was even elected.

Its not a Trump idea, but a long standing one. An obvious one in fact, with ancient roots.; 2/28/18, 10:23 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Typical Faux analysis:

"Trump was destined to lose, but then he did X,Y, & Z, and now he might win!"

Better analysis:

Then, Trump had 50-50 shot at winning re-election. Shit happened. And now he still has a 50-50 shot at winning.

That's why you have to ignore and/or mock most political punditry. They pontificate about shit, but they don't know shit.; 2/28/18, 10:23 AM
Michael K said...: Trump inherited a GOP filled with pols that have been as long on the take from the Soros/Clinton/Bush families as the Dems have been.

When they call, there might not be anyone to answer.; 2/28/18, 10:25 AM
Big Mike said...: Maybe the Democrats can try again with the unbeatable Hillary Clinton as their candidate?; 2/28/18, 10:34 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Trump can be challenged in the primaries, but it will have to be one candidate doing so- more than one, and you get the same result as last time. Now, who thinks the Republican establishment can clear the field that way?; 2/28/18, 10:44 AM
AllenS said...: Michelle Obama's campaign slogan: For the second time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country; 2/28/18, 10:44 AM
traditionalguy said...: The Dems could have the 17 candidate horse race coming. The Clinton Foundation will run Hillary if she can still walk and talk, or if not, it will run McAuliffe. The rest of the 17 will come from Rich guys, such as Steyer, and celebrities, such as Ophra. The California pol candidates and the black pol candidates are done for. They are not that important because the Dems already have that demographic in the bag.; 2/28/18, 10:47 AM
PackerBronco said...: Blogger Jim Gust said...
He'll be running against Michelle Obama, who will be more formidable than Hillary was. No experience, but also no baggage.

2/28/18, 9:54 AM

But Trump will be more formidable too. If after 4 years the country is in good shape and he continues to put forward a populist-conservative agenda, the Dems will be struggling to come up with a reason not to give me another 4 years. Which means they'll fall back on the argument that he's a despicable human being; but if that argument didn't work in the GOP primaries and it didn't work in the 2016 general, why would work in the 2020 elections when he is running on a string of accomplishments?; 2/28/18, 10:52 AM
grackle said...: How Trump Wins Reelection/Last year, it seemed certain that he would be a one-term president—if he even lasted that long. But he has a plausible path to victory in 2020.

Translation: We have tried for a solid year to bring him down but fake news bounces off him like nothing! We have no idea how he does it and no idea of how to stop him. And the tweets are driving us crazy! If he would just … stop … the … tweets …; 2/28/18, 11:08 AM
n.n said...: In the fifth trimester since his inauguration, and overcoming diverse efforts, foreign and domestic, to abort his administration, he has a viable path to 2020.; 2/28/18, 11:14 AM
cubanbob said...: For the Democrats to have a chance first thing they have to do is stop acting crazy. So far there is no indication of that happening.
It's not a high hurdle but if they can't manage that then they have no chance. The Democrats confuse Obama's personal likability with the electorate's approval of his policies. His policies were so popular he lost the Congress and despite getting reelected he couldn't reclaim the Congress. So what did the Democrat's offer the electorate? In the primaries a choice between a Communist and a criminal, grifter and traitor who has less charm and integrity than Nixon. And who did they lose to? The one candidate they helped to win in the primaries on the premise they couldn't lose to him. But they did. Who are the presumptive candidates the Democrats supposedly fielding? Dumb, dumber and more left than Hillary Clinton. Yes Democrats, do tell the electorate the extra money the Republicans put in the pockets of the average person is crumbs and they are better stewards of your money than you and that the Russians brainwashed you in a massive, brilliantly and diabolically conceived collusion scheme to elect a would be Nazi who at any moment will start marching you off to the camps if you don't get woke and vote Democrat.; 2/28/18, 11:25 AM
Sam L. said...: Nat Review, it be SCARED of the FUTURE!; 2/28/18, 11:45 AM
eric said...: I think it all comes down to who the Democrats run.

If they run a fresh, young, newer face of the Democrat Party (like Obama and Bill Clinton were when they were elected) then Dems have a good chance.

If they run someone who has been around awhile, like John Kerry or Hillary Clinton or even the AlGore, they'll probably lose.

Democrats have a much better shot running an unknown. The media isn't going to vet them and the rest of us won't know enough to dislike them.; 2/28/18, 11:58 AM
tcrosse said...: If the economy continues to hum, the Democrats will have to run on a policy other than restoration of the status quo ante Trump.; 2/28/18, 12:10 PM
Billy Hill said...: There will be enormous pressure on Michelle Obama to run, because a large segment of their base and a sizable percentage of their establishment will believe that she is their best hope to defeat Trump, now that Oprah has turned them down flat. But what they fail to recognize is that despite their loud and hysterical demands that he treat her like a delicate flower, he will toss away the kid gloves, and punch her hard and often. Calling him a racist for doing so won't work. Been there, done that. The Democrats and the media have inoculated him against those charges, and a whole host of others, because their desperation induced them to employ the kitchen sink strategy early and often, and he's still standing. His popularity is inching up despite their best efforts, in fact, while their credibility is scraping the bottom of the barrel and still falling.; 2/28/18, 12:14 PM
Wilbur said...: Plus, it's always possible that Uncle Bernie may end up third party, like the Greens. Especially if he runs in the Dem primaries and gets aced out again. Heh, heh.; 2/28/18, 12:20 PM
Michael K said...: There will be enormous pressure on Michelle Obama to run, because a large segment of their base and a sizable percentage of their establishment will believe that she is their best hope to defeat Trump,

She actually has a lot of baggage.The story of how she got a $300k job turning welfare cases away from U of Chicago Hospitals will be just one.

She also has some angry black woman baggage from her college and law school years.; 2/28/18, 12:36 PM
FullMoon said...: Greatest entertainment ever would be to see Trump come up with a plan to win California.
Would have to somehow get blacks and hispanics on his side.

Obama lowered the bar because of minimal political qualifications.
Trump lowered it even further because of no political experiance at all. Also, Trump making it more difficult.
Anyone can run now and I think Trump has oped door to celebrity presidents. George Clooney has been laying groundwork for awhile by saying right things and marrying attractive intelligent woman.; 2/28/18, 12:42 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: The Democratic Party has a political strategy to flip back the under-employed voters in the Rust Belt states so that they resume voting Democrat in 2020. The strategy has the following key elements:

* Advocate the establishment of sanctuary cities for illegal aliens

* Make racism accusations against anyone who questions Democrat policies

* Prove that Trump colluded secretly with Putin to steal the 2016 election

* Try to repeal the Second Amendment

* Try to make the US economy more socialist

* Block Congressional actions to increase federal spending on infrastructure projects.; 2/28/18, 12:47 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Yancey Ward at 10:44 AM
Trump can be challenged in the primaries ...

I voted for Cruz in the previous primary race, and I would vote for him again if he ran against Trump in the next primary race.

If Trump becomes squishy on immigration, gun control and other issues, Cruz might be able to challenge Trump effectively.; 2/28/18, 1:07 PM
Achilles said...: Mike Sylwester said...

If Trump becomes squishy on immigration, gun control and other issues, Cruz might be able to challenge Trump effectively.

If any of this happened Republicans would get wiped out. I started the primary season supporting Cruz. Cruz demonstrated he is great in the senate or on the supreme court, but utterly incapable of connecting with voters. He would lose against any democrat because he can't deal with the media.

Trump is talking about arming teachers and is the only person in DC holding any sort of line on immigration.

I expect a CC reciprocity bill during the election year after the democrats cave on immigration. Trump knows what will get him re-elected better than we do. Trump is far more popular than Obama was at this point of his presidency.

It is time people started giving him some credit. He is clearly one of the most effective presidents we have had in a long time. He is objectively out-performing Reagan in a more hostile environment than Reagan faced.; 2/28/18, 1:32 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: @Achilles,

It is time people started giving him some credit. He is clearly one of the most effective presidents we have had in a long time. He is objectively out-performing Reagan in a more hostile environment than Reagan faced.

For you philosophical, utopian Conservatives out there -- the Heritage Foundation says that Trump has gotten more conservative stuff done than Reagan.

"“We’re blown away,” Binion said in an interview. Trump, he said, “is very active, very conservative, and very effective.”

At this point, any purported "Conservative" who still objects to Trump, is totally clueless, and probably not too conservative, either.; 2/28/18, 2:41 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Achilles at 1:32 PM
Cruz demonstrated he is great in the senate or on the supreme court, but utterly incapable of connecting with voters.

Cruz got himself elected to the US Senate.

In the 2016 primary race, he was the last candidate standing against Trump.

Therefore I don't agree with you that he is "utterly incapable of connecting with voters".; 2/28/18, 2:59 PM
PackerBronco said...: Blogger Michael K said...
There will be enormous pressure on Michelle Obama to run, because a large segment of their base and a sizable percentage of their establishment will believe that she is their best hope to defeat Trump,

She'll be popular as long as she's not political. However, once she runs, that dynamic goes away. Besides, I can't think of anyone who would be inclined to vote for Trump that would decide to switch his or her vote because of Michelle. So the votes she'll be getting will be people who were voting against Trump in any case.; 2/28/18, 3:05 PM
Anonymous said...: I hope Michelle runs as I think she would get smoked. She's a total lightweight to begin with, and a scolding angry female black person on top of that. Nobody I know would vote for four years of that.; 2/28/18, 3:34 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: She'll be popular as long as she's not political.

Exactly. Ditto for Oprah.

Sure, we like these two ladies -- Now.

But once they commit to raising my taxes and encouraging the continued flow illegal immigrants, well, watch those poll numbers go south.; 2/28/18, 3:44 PM
Matt Sablan said...: If anyone pushes to primary Trump, that's probably the same as surrendering the election.; 2/28/18, 4:02 PM
tcrosse said...: Michelle for President means putting her hubby back in the White House. No thanks. But I would love to see a Michelle-Hillary primary battle.; 2/28/18, 4:10 PM
Sebastian said...: Michelle? If that's not the sign from God Oprah has been waiting for, I don't know what is.; 2/28/18, 4:20 PM
Clyde said...: "Last year it seemed certain that he would be a one-term president -- if he even lasted that long." If your only sources of news were CNN, MSNBC and the rest of the drive-by media, who were breathing their own exhaust. Strangely enough, their vivid fantasy lives are not moored in reality.; 2/28/18, 4:37 PM
Clyde said...: eric said...
Democrats have a much better shot running an unknown. The media isn't going to vet them and the rest of us won't know enough to dislike them.

That's how Obama got elected. Sort of like Pelosi's "you have to pass the bill to find out what's in it," only it's "you have to elect the Democrat to find out what s/he really believes and what policies s/he will try to promulgate." In other words, a pig in a poke. And you never want to buy a pig in a poke.; 2/28/18, 4:46 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Mike K
She actually has a lot of baggage.The story of how she got a $300k job turning welfare cases away from U of Chicago Hospitals will be just one.

Another question is why Michelle Obama's license to practice law has been inactive since 1993.
From the ARDC, a.k.a. Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the State of Illinois regarding Michelle's registration as an attorney:
Illinois Registration Status:Voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law - Last Registered Year: 1993. Why, after only four years as an attorney, did her law license become inactive? Inquiring minds want to know.; 2/28/18, 6:42 PM
RonF said...: I have continuously marveled at apparently serious people, some of whom hold high elected office, who kept predicting that Pres. Trump would not last 6 months or 9 months or a year or whatever in office; often claiming that he was going to get indicted/impeached. It's ludicrous how people keep denying reality more than a year into his Presidency.; 2/28/18, 7:52 PM
Gk1 said...: That's their best candidate, Michelle Obama? Good lord we need a plumber not the plumber's wife. Are democrats too slow to figure that out?; 3/2/18, 1:00 AM