August 12, 2023

"I wouldn’t sign the pledge. Why would I sign a pledge if there are people on there that I wouldn’t have?"

"I wouldn't have certain people as, you know, somebody that I endorse. So they want you to sign a pledge. I can name three or four people that I wouldn't support for president. So right there, there's a problem right there. There's a problem."

I think they want Trump to debate — if he doesn't show up to take a public beating, how is any other candidate supposed to make any headway? — but they were also trying to burden any attempt he might make at a third party run. So, obviously, he says no. He doesn't need the debate. But look what they have now. Since Trump is so far ahead and likely to win the nomination, all these other candidates will be pledged to support him. What good did this pledge requirement do? 

88 comments:

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

Well, it did showcase that Trump is all ego. But we already knew that, as well.

Snoooze. Trump will be the nominee and he will lose. As planned. Again.

RideSpaceMountain said...

I lean more DeSantis than Trump, but I side with Donald on this one. It's beyond obvious the debates are going to be a soviet era struggle session for both parties and he's the target. Why on earth would anyone sign up for that? There are no guarantees they could offer that a reasonable man would take seriously.

It is quite literally the world against one man. The deep state/uniparty alliance will never forgive him raising the veil. Ever.

Kate said...

Three or four people Trump wouldn't support? Haha! Dish it!

The man writes his name on his plane. His brand has value. Why would he give it for free to someone he can't stand?

Narayanan said...

What good did this pledge requirement do?
=========
shows and proves to TPTB abject renunciation of one's own freedom to speak out = ready for slaughter

Big Mike said...

Since Trump is so far ahead and likely to win the nomination, all these other candidates will be pledged to support him. What good did this pledge requirement do?

@Althouse, you ask a question, but you answered it yourself in the statement just before.

Narayanan said...

= suicide pact

Narayanan said...

What good did this pledge requirement do?
=========
shows and proves to TPTB abject renunciation of one's own freedom to speak out = ready for slaughter, euthanasia suicide pact

Sally327 said...

I think the pledge idea was clever, taking the concept of mutuality into account. If one candidate rejects the pledge it frees the others from having to support him. This way if Trump does win the nomination --and I'm fascinated by how otherwise smart people assert he is so far ahead when not a single vote has been cast yet--the other candidates can take the position that they are not obligated to support him as nominee because he refused to support them.

Buckwheathikes said...

Pledges are meaningless, and Trump is right to forgo them. The Republican Party should not be about loyalty oaths. That's for Nazi's and other Democrat Party types.

You know what I want to see out of a potential Republican nominee: I want the candidates to talk about the bribes that our current President has been taking and about his entire criminal family. Who are you going to appoint Attorney General and what crimes is that person prepared to prosecute Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and the rest of the Biden Crime Syndicate for. Who are you going to appoint to the State Department and how many Communists are getting shitcanned on Day One? The FBI has been committing crimes, but there's been no arrests. What do you intend to do about that?

That's what I want to hear. I don't want Ron DeSantis talking about Trump. I want Ron DeSantis to explain how he's going to clean up and close down the Democrat Party using our RICO laws. If he cannot talk about that and name names then I'm not interested in his candidacy.

Breezy said...

Trump’s base is yuge and growing. They’d have to support him regardless of the pledge. If/when he wins the general they’d be looking for a seat in his administration.

Mr Wibble said...

The risk isn't that Trump will lose, it's that the gop establishment will pull some bs to block Trump from the nomination, using the legal problems as an excuse.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Bernie signed the pledge and it turned out to be the least protest thing for a protest candidate to do.

mikee said...

Hey, how can the Republicans lose gracefully in the manner of Dole, McCain, Romney, et al., if the last guy to win ugly won't play along? And worse, when he did win, he didn't even let the opposition write the first landmark bill of his administration like GW Bush did with Teddy and No Child Left Behind. How ungracious!

mikee said...

Hey, how can the Republicans lose gracefully in the manner of Dole, McCain, Romney, et al., if the last guy to win ugly won't play along? And worse, when he did win, he didn't even let the opposition write the first landmark bill of his administration like GW Bush did with Teddy and No Child Left Behind. How ungracious!

Aggie said...

Republicans now using the Democrat's playbook since 2016 - 'but but but why won't you let us hold you to a double standard that we violate in bad faith, in real time, all the time?' Has everybody else agreed to full-throated support for 4 years, if Trump is the elected candidate? I think not.

JAORE said...

There is a reason the voting booth is private.

Limited blogger said...

The 'debate' will be 90 minutes of also rans throwing poop at President Trump.

Who wants to endorse that?

rehajm said...

He’s right. How stupid it is for the GOP to require it. Some. of those candidates are Democrats. Idiots…

Sebastian said...

"What good did this pledge requirement do?"

Illustrate Luttig's point.

Chuck said...

Lol. Great blog post.

What a shitshow. There is no realistic reason to think that Trump won't get the nomination. But let's just suppose that as a result of his ongoing legal cataclysm, Trump is somehow denied the nomination. In that case does a-n-y-o-n-e think that Trump would in any way concede the result and support another nominee? Trump would keep running and fundraising, as an independent. Either that, or Trump would extract an iron-clad promise that the unlikely GOP nominee would pardon Trump. And just think of that; a GOP party-nominee, running without the frenetic support of the OnlyTrump base, yet running on an explicit promise of pardoning Trump. And even then, what good would a Presidential (federal) pardon be, in New York or Georgia or Michigan?

And that brings us to the first big debate question of the 2024 GOP primary season: "Will you pardon Donald Trump if you become President?"

Bob Boyd said...

It's not a game, Governor.
It's not about a political party, it's about America. And the Republican party is very much on probation with its voting base. Why would I want Trump to pledge to support someone I will not vote for? Because there are a number of candidates who I will not vote for under any circumstances. Any nominee should have to earn Trump's support just like they have to earn my support in the general. They should have to earn DeSantis' support too, not take it for granted.
The GOP establishment still doesn't get it. They still have this attitude of, The rubes will have to keep voting for us no matter who we nominate, whether we keep our promises or not. Where else are they going to go? That's how they got Trump in the first place.
Maybe they think that won't happen again because they'll have made such an example of Trump that no more unapproved outsiders will ever take them on again.
I'm surprised DeSantis keeps fucking up like this. I keep thinking he gets it, then he comes out with something like this. Loyalty has to be earned. Trust has to be earned. The GOP has a long way to go to be trusted and inspire loyalty again. They need to lose this sense of entitlement.
You want a pledge? How about the Pledge of Allegiance? Let's start with that and see how it goes.

Temujin said...

RNC leadership is still mired in the 1970s. And even though they continue to get their butts kicked by an obviously insane and corrupt party (Democrats), they keep voting in the same leaders and paying for the same strategists to give them direction. Some people are getting very wealthy off of the GOP for doing a lousy job. I guess that's SOP in DC.

Leland said...

They made him do this in 2016, but when it became obvious Trump would win, the GOP put all their backing on last place Kasich. From that point on, the GOP ignored the majority of their voters and blamed Trump for it. I don’t blame Trump at all for ignoring them this time.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Christy has said he would not support Trump yet I saw that he qualified for the debate. If only there were people on the ground who could, I don’t know, ask questions and write about this stuff in an informative and objective way. I’d welcome new information instead of the usual Trumpcentric recycled information. New information would be helpful. We could call it “news.”

Mark said...

Hilarious. The RNC just painted itself into a pledge corner.

Ampersand said...

Lots of votèrs will have to reluctantly support the less bad candidate in the election. Might as well be explicit about it.

Rich said...

Ron DeSantis will have ample opportunity to show at the debate how dislikable he is.

Saint Croix said...

I can name three or four people that I wouldn't support for president. So right there, there's a problem right there.

in other words...

"I can name three or four people that might beat me for the Republican nomination"

doesn't sound very confident!

it's a mistake for him to avoid the debates and TV

bad move, in my opinion

gilbar said...

all these other candidates will be pledged to support him.

Nope! the "pledge" will be EXACTLY like the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact..
ALL Parties are BOUND to it.. AS LONG AS.. The outcome is their favored outcome.

If (WHEN!) Trump is nominated; ALL the "pledges" will be able to say: "TAKE BACKS!!"
The "pledge" won't have any more binding force, than the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would if a republican 'won' the popular vote. The is ONLY the Single Standard.
And the Single Standard says: "DEMOCRATS ALWAYS WIN"

for Mike Pence, a "pledge" is not his concern.. RAYTHEON is his only concern

Dave Begley said...

"if he doesn't show up to take a public beating, how is any other candidate supposed to make any headway?"

Vivek will be the clear winner. He is astounding. That I can tell you.

rhhardin said...

My experience with pledges is Sunday School, the early sign that God loves money. The Sunday School passed out the pledge forms, called talking past the sale.

Not only attend every week but bring money.

Tom Grey said...

It means they "have" to support Trump, because of the pledge ... so they have, as Dems so often have, plausible deniability. With their Dem & Deep State college grad (/liberal) neighbors and many colleagues.

Doesn't hurt Trump - the Rep non-Trumpers will either vote AGAINST the Dems, eg for Trump but publicly anti-Dem, or become much less relevant. Like where is Liz Cheney now?
(Liz who?)

Dude1394 said...

As if they actually would. This is typical Ronna McDaniel/Mitch McConnell machinations. Don’t play.

MikeD said...

So far, this seems to assume facts not yet in evidence. Also so far, the anti and pro DJT forces continue to be-clown themselves.

Mary Beth said...

I thought Trump usually did well in debates, so I wouldn't assume he would take a beating. It's better for all the candidates for him to not be there. He has little to gain by debating and the other candidates will have a chance to talk without Trump hoovering up all the attention.

Dave Begley said...

Follow-up to my earlier comment. Without Trump hogging all the attention AND sucking the oxygen out of the room, it will allow Vivek to dominate. And, yes, I mean dominate.

Trump is too confident.

And, despite the facts and law, he will be convicted in DC federal court. The idea that he could win the GOP nomination while sitting in federal prison is absurd. Normally, once people are sentenced in federal court they go to jail and don't remain free while an appeal is pending.

People will come to realize that and Vivek will be the nominee.

Trump has such bad judgment. We know that from Tucker's interview with the Chief of the Capitol Police. January 6 was all a set-up and Trump walked right into it.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I think they want Trump to debate...

With Biden pretty much sidelined due to his age and corruption scandals, they are going to need fresh video of Trump to splice up and spin.

traditionalguy said...

Orange Man smart.

Jupiter said...

"What good did this pledge requirement do?"

Well, to quote a great American,

"... Trump is so far ahead and likely to win the nomination, all these other candidates will be pledged to support him."

wild chicken said...

What a great way to get out of it all. TV networks hardest hit, media hacks left homeless.

Again: Trump, you magnificent bastard!

YoungHegelian said...

This time, the questions about Hunter Biden’s conduct may be harder for the White House to dismiss as politically motivated. They may even break out of the conservative echo chamber to the general public..

Oh, sure, the NYT's is going to believe that the Bidens are corrupt when they find a Manila envelope full of cash that has "Chinese Bribe Money For Joe Biden" scrawled on it and not before. They would never, ever give a Republican the benefit of all these doubts.

In a way, this claim that there's no link to Joe is really insulting to the Bidens. It's like saying we think you guys are so fucking stupid that you couldn't set up an influence selling ring to foreign powers without being so blatant about it that we'd all see it.

I'm sure the use if cryptocurrency has now made international bribery much harder to trace and that even the laggards like the Bidens are in on it.

Quaestor said...

What good did this pledge requirement do?

It has shown Donald Trump to be fundamentally honest. He won't support a RINO, at least someone who fits that description in Trump's estimation, and he makes that clear with his refusal to sign a pledge he attests cannot keep in good conscience. Can that be said of all those who have so pledged? Why hasn't Mike Pense been put to the question? Or Chris Christie? Does former spook Will Hurd have the courage to openly abrogate his sworn duty?

Darkisland said...

Did Christie sign the pledge? I assume yes since he is in the debate.

Someone needs to ask him if he will support president emeritus Trump should he be the candidate.

I think he has previously said he wouldn't.

So which (support/not support) is a lie?

John Henry

Rabel said...

"Historically, political parties have avoided holding presidential primary elections if they are already in control of the White House."

Oh my goodness. I see that the reporter was a "Server at Crickets Bar And Grill" in Waco back in 2016." I'm betting he sucked at that too.

Fox was almost a solid news source at one time. Never quite got there and now, aside from the shift leftward, with their extensive use of "digital reporters" is reaching "local alternative weekly" levels of quality.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

'You don't take your ball and go home'

If it's up to Biden, Trump won't ever get to "go home". WTF is he talking about?

Quaestor said...

I haven't seen the text of the pledge. Sir Thomas More studied the Oath of Supremacy with a clever lawyer's gimlet eye in the hope of finding a way to sware the oath and not compromise his religious scruples but without success. Until I know the exact wording of the so-called pledge I cannot condemn it. However, given the slippery character of some of the announced candidates, I imagine it to be highly conditional and internally contradictory. For argument's sake, let's assume it's a coward's oath like a skeptic making a sacred promise to believe in Bigfoot if the creature is proven to exist.

robother said...

Who cares about a Republican loyalty pledge? If they really wanted to get him, they should demand he pledge to quit working for Putin. And stop beating Melania.

Michael K said...

They are all running for VP. If the election turns out the same as 2020, even if Biden or Govern or Hair Gel wins without much cheating, the VP candidate will be able to unite the GOP next time. Ramaswamy is the best in my opinion.

rcocean said...

C'mon we went through this in 2015-2016. Everyone badgered Trump and he finally pledged to support the others if they won the nomination. And then almost all the others candidates (jeb, Kasich, Fionrina, Haley, etc.) turned around and broke their pledge and refused to support Trump.

And others in GOPe refused to speak at the convention, refused to campaign for him, and/or called on Trump to drop out in OCtober 2016 and hand the Presidency to Hillary.

So, the pledge means ZERO. And Pence, Christie, and Asa Hutchinson, have already been so extreme in their attacks on Trump, there's no way they will support him. Despite what they "Pledge" now.

Sean Gleeson said...

I was wondering, what is the exact wording of the pledge? Does it in fact say the signator promises to endorse the GOP nominee? Because I agree with Trump, I couldn't sign that either. Who could, in good conscience, pledge to endorse an unknown person?

On the other hand, if the pledge is to "support" the nominee, I could easily sign that, even if he ends up being someone I could not endorse. On the day of his nomination, I could swing by his campaign website and PayPal him $1.00. This would discharge my obligation to give him my "support," and I could endorse one of his opponents or run against him.

Sean Gleeson said...

Following up on my comment, I found the exact wording of the pledge: "I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the Republican presidential nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden." Since all it promises is an unquantified amount of "support," I could sign that.

I conclude that Trump actually has no desire to be in that debate, and is scapegoating the pledge.

madAsHell said...

Didn't James Comey talk about a loyalty pledge requested by Trump??

Why do these people want pledges?? It's like they can't trust each other.

I've had a front row seat in schizophrenic theater for many years, and they want binding letters. They want assurances.

I don't like the third party talk. Ross Perot got played.

Ya' know.....I'm just sure there is a passage in the Bible that describes this kind of madness. Let me think, it will come to me.

Gunner said...

Didn't half the dorks who lost to Trump in 2016 say they wouldn't vote for him after the Access Hollywood tape? Fake Conservatives like Fiorina, Kasich etc.?

The pledge means nothing. They will break it to vote for Biden immediately and no one will attack them over it.

NMObjectivist said...

Without Trump at the debate it will be boring.

The Vault Dweller said...

Which would get more viewers? A 2024 Republican Presidential primary debate without Trump, or a Townhall with Trump, assuming both are aired at the same time?

Chuck said...

A fun question for Trump: "Sir, you say that there are three or four people whom you 'wouldn't have.' Who are they, and who are the people whom you 'would have'?"

But while it is a fun question, it's probably a pointless one. Trump generally doesn't clarify his trash talk. I don't expect he would say who he favors or disfavors. But there can't possibly be anyone to whom Trump would ever actually concede. There's effectively no one Trump "would have." Trump is for Trump, full stop.

Perhaps Trump's verbal tic in this case is a tell. A tell, that Trump's operative question at this point is who would he have as a 2024 running mate?

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Interesting that Trump prefers Biden to several of the Republican candidates. Really, don’t we all feel that way with regard to some or all of the Republican candidates?

Gahrie said...

If I was Trump I'd hold a rally just down the road from the debate and see who draws the larger audience.

The Godfather said...

Trump is "so far ahead"? The race hasn't STARTED! You're talking about pre-race polls. What the polls show at this point is that most Republicans have heard of Trump (big surprise!) and have a favorable opinion of him -- at least compared to Biden. Again, no surprise. The Democrat machine WANTS Trump to be the nominee (as they did in 2016), but this time they figure to tie him up in court so he can't campaign. If they try hard enough, they'll probably assure his election. So far most Americans haven't yet figured out what the Democrats are doing, but when they do, watch out!
The worst outcome for the Democrats is a DeSantis nomination. The Democrats don't appear to know that, but Trump knows it.

Mason G said...

"He doesn't need the debate."

Is there anybody aside from someone who's been in a coma the last 10 years who doesn't have an opinion about Trump, where a debate would make a difference? His supporters are on his side because he fights for them, they're not going to change their minds. Neither are the people who hate him for reasons. A debate won't change anything.

cubanbob said...

There is no upside for Trump. Why do it. None of the other candidates would do it if they had Trump's numbers. The debates are always gotcha questions with similar replies. If they were substantive issues questions and every candidate was asked the same question and stick only to relevant replies to the question it might make the debates useful for the voters.

farmgirl said...

I think I’ll pee my pants!!!
Very astute, Althouse lol:0)
They’re locking in to support him!

Be best.
America xoxo

Doug Hasler said...

Does anyone really believe that Trump would support a GOP nominee (other than himself) even if he did sign the pledge? It is simply not in his nature. If he were beaten in the primary -- fair and square -- he would proceed to do anything and everything to tear down the GOP nominee, and destroy the Republican Party. Not a doubt in my mind.

I understand that Trump is lapping the field, at present. I could point out the Rudy Giuliani, Scott Walker, Rick Perry, etc. seemed to be the clear favorite in past GOP primaries only to crash and burn early in the primary process. Trump, of course, has defied the law of gravity in countless ways in his past campaigns . . . saying, and doing things that would have ended the campaigns of other candidates.

With these indictments (and more to come), a Democratic President who is bound and determined to seek a 2nd term, real issues of great importance hanging in the balance (a near-peer rival in China, with a leader who is committed to supplanting the US while rapidly increasing the capabilities of their armaments, and nuclear capabilities; a porous southern border where illegal crossings are controlled not by the US, but by Mexican drug cartels; an administration which is making every effort to shut down the use of fossil fuels while "investing" federal funds in wind turbines and solar which are insufficient to provide adequate power to meet the needs of a modern economy . . . and on, and on, and on. This is a Presidential election cycle which we have never seen before.

Can it really be said that the GOP nomination process is "over" in August of the year prior to the election months before the first official ballot is cast?

chickelit said...

Part unity is the issue. Trump doesn’t believe in it. The Dems don’t either. The Dems actively undermine Dem party candidates who don’t fall in line. Candidates like RFK, Jr are seen as a threat instead of a voice enlarging the Party. The modern D-Party deserves to fail and I sincerely hope it does.

Static Ping said...

I was always under the assumption that the serious Republican candidates are only there to step in if Trump is forced out, or for some reason the voters abandon him. (This is opposed to the candidates running for vanity, or to make money from the campaign, or are delusional.) This is similar to what is happening on the Democratic side where Newsom is basically running but is not officially running in case Biden is forced out. There's no real advantage for Trump to agree to support any other candidate, at least not at this time, and not being one to be restrained by niceties he is not going to pretend. It is one of Trump's biggest strengths and worst weaknesses.

Of course, the other Republican candidates want him to take part in the debates, given their main chance of changing the situation is either beat up Trump in the debates and/or do very well in the debates in front of the large audience that Trump would command.

Mr. Majestyk said...

Apparently, in a June townhall on CNN, Christie said that, ifvelected president, he would keep Christopher Wray as FBI Director. Based on that alone, no other GOP presidential candidate should be willing to sign the pledge.

Mountain Maven said...

Textbook narcissist. No allegiance to anything.. it's all an act.

Kevin said...

They are all running for VP.

If Trump wins, Christie should be forced to do the job.

Kevin said...

Trump took the oath last time.

Ted Cruz took the convention stage and told everyone to vote their conscience.

iowan2 said...

Dems dont go through with the public shaming.

Dems send out their Capos and threaten them with knee capping or worse. All very much inside the family, not public humiliation,(thats is they disobey)

jim said...

I would hand in my signed pledge with an amendment stating that I would only support others who had also signed the pledge.

jim said...

Why would I be bound by a pledge to support someone who will not make the same pledge.

It seems to be another case of special rules for Trump only.

Saint Croix said...

OT comment:

I notice the diversity of high-value commentary is particularly strong on this thread.

I also noticed that Althouse left the blog alone for much of Saturday, in the afternoon and night.

So this one was stuck at 0 comments for a while. Nobody's answer was influenced by anybody else's answer.

Now we can see what everybody thought on first impression.

This morning we've got about 60+ comments, and I find myself wanting to read every single one of them, and not skip over anybody.

Cool!

wendybar said...

What Bob Boyd said @ 9:03 AM

wendybar said...

"Part unity is the issue. Trump doesn’t believe in it. The Dems don’t either."

And you think Establishment republicans do?? Go back to sleep. They sure didn't show it to the Tea Party or to Trump and his supporters yet.

gilbar said...

where is Liz Cheney now?

I googled (DuckDuck'd) this, and.. THE FIRST THING THAT CAM UP, WAS
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/liz-cheney-is-she-joining-the-democratic-party/ar-AA17854V

Serious Question.. Do THIS, surprise ANYONE? Any one, at all?

Narayanan said...

Vivek will be the clear winner. He is astounding. That I can tell you.
=============
he can astound entire nations by rapping his answers during debates!!

Narayanan said...

Trump has such bad judgment. We know that from Tucker's interview with the Chief of the Capitol Police. January 6 was all a set-up and Trump walked right into it.
=========
during Campaign2016 there was much talk of Trump getting inside OODA loop.

what if walking into J6-Trap was such getting into OODA?
it gave the country a chance to see DC-Politics Naked -
though it could also be lesson wasted

Rich said...

Re: Vivek Ramaswamy

Mike Bloomberg is worth more than $50B, was a 3 term New York City Mayor, has tons of name recognition and got trounced in a Presidential election Mr Ramaswamy stands no chance

Looking forward to Donald Trump’s nickname for this one, he’s certainly about to find out how unwoke the GOP is the hard way.

D.D. Driver said...

"Well, it did showcase that Trump is all ego. But we already knew that, as well.

Snoooze. Trump will be the nominee and he will lose. As planned. Again."

He's the one that calls others "RINOs." Trump will get thumped in the general. He'll win the primary. Who cares? So did Hershel Walker. You either love Trump or hate him, and there are more haters than lovers. Last time around there were 80 million of them. They hate him so much that they voted for the guy who failed the third grade and is tugging on the West side of the Bell Curve.

The only viable move for the GOP at this point is an ugly Civil War, but it's gotta happen unless you want to see years and years of stupid Hershel Walker bullshit. The only reason the GOP doesn't control the Senate is because of Trump. Grow some balls and kick him out of the party. He's not loyal. He tanked two Georgia Senate races already. He's a big spending authoritarian dipshit who started a fight with his own party for not [checks notes] giving a away mOre FrEE MOneY to people who didn't need it long after it was clear that COVID was no longer a threat.

Let him run his third party insurgency campaign and get a respectable 20% like Ross Perot. You will probably lose in 2024, but with Trump there is a 100% you lose. But, there is at least there is a chance you could start to rebuild goodwill with independents and traditional conservatives. I never vote Republican but Biden is so terrible that I would hold my nose and vote GOP this year if the candidate wasn't Trump (or Trump-like).

I hate seeing our country become a banana republic, and right now, I have zero doubt that a second Trump administrations would be focused on payback and prosecuting his enemies. My problem is NOT that we "wrong guy" running our banana republic. I want someone committed to the rule of law and upholding our Constitution. Trump has already spoken out in favor or "terminating" the rules in the Constitution when he doesn't get his way.

Keep doing the same shit and you will lose. Trump has won a single election (by the skin of his teeth). That's it. His electoral record is abysmal. Keep doing the same shit over and over and expect different results. And then cry like big babies when he doesn't win again.

Rabel said...

Sally327 said...

"I think the pledge idea was clever, taking the concept of mutuality into account. If one candidate rejects the pledge it frees the others from having to support him."

Here's the pledge:

"I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden. I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party."

There is no allowance for mutuality. The Governor has two options - Support Trump or go back on his word.

Alexander said...

"Where has the party unity gone," the Never-Trumper cries out in anguish.

walter said...

"DeSantis pounces!"

Mason G said...

""Where has the party unity gone," the Never-Trumper cries out in anguish."

Party unity, GOP style: "We won't do shit for you (now or ever) or support your preferred candidates (in fact, we'll sabotage them at every opportunity) but vote for us, anyway. Because, you know- unity."

Witness said...

there is no party

Old and slow said...

" Blogger Rich said...
Mike Bloomberg is worth more than $50B, was a 3 term New York City Mayor, has tons of name recognition and got trounced in a Presidential election Mr Ramaswamy stands no chance"

Two things: Bloomberg was never in a presidential election. He stalled early in the primaries, and second, he's an asshole and that was clear to all. Ramaswamy is a longshot, I agree about that, but he is smart and likeable. Really quite unlike Bloomberg in every way. Though I'm not surprised to see you conflate them. Look Rich/Chuck, your problem is that you are boring, and add little to the conversation.

Drago said...

D.D. Driver: "I never vote Republican..."

Also D.D. Driver: "I hate seeing our country become a banana republic,..."

LOL

Drago said...

The magic NeverTrump, "respectable republican" appeal-to-the-moderates "republican" ticket of Liz Cheney and Lisa Murkowski awaits a Draft Movement to bring them aboard for the certain general election win.

I mean, talk about a dreamy "independent white educated" suburban women ticket for the ages! I can already hear the tabulator machines ringing up ballot after ballot for those hard charging honeys! The sweet sweet smell of victory and generational realignment for a reborn GOPe juggernaut!

Goosebump Alert!

But how to get past the horrific, much more diverse (icky!), working class horribles, walmart shopping, deplorable and irredeemable America Firsters? The GOPe should simply proclaim the GOP an "invitation only party" and declare Trump and any previous publicly known Trump supporters banned.

That is such a well thought out plan and is precisely the unwritten go forward GOPe plan that I am surprised it hasnt been announced yet.

Probably waiting for their dem allies to complete the corrupt lawfare jailing of Trump first.