Allah:
The key bit comes at 5:40 of the clip. Money line: “I always had a great relationship with Harry Reid. And frankly, if I weren’t running for office I’d be able to deal with her [Pelosi], I’d be able to deal with Reid, I’d be able to deal with anybody.” This point has been made often, most recently by Andy McCarthy, but it can’t be repeated enough: This guy is on the verge of beating Ted Cruz as an “outsider” by touting his record of cronyism. How can you be anti-establishment, wonders McCarthy, when you’re crowing about your history of essentially bribing politicians, including politicians from the other party? It’s a perfect complement to Trump, the least socially conservative candidate in the Republican field, landing the endorsement of the son of the man who founded the Moral Majority. Trump’s success is like a flashing road sign, “Republicans don’t actually care about most of the things they claim to care about.”
Three points. One: To reiterate the takeaway from last night’s post, Trump feels free to tout his chumminess with Pelosi et al. only because he has absolute confidence that there’s nothing he could say or do that would alienate his base. (In this case, the right side of his base, although it’s the right who’ll decide Iowa.) Cruz’s brand as a full-spectrum conservative is a form of accountability: If he’s elected and tacks towards the center, he can be held to account for why his principles don’t match his actions. Trump’s brand is a total lack of accountability. My fans won’t abandon me no matter what I do in office, he says, and he’s testing that theory by talking up his relationships with Democratic villains in crunch time before a conservative electorate goes to vote. Not even a centrist like Kasich would tout his relationships with Pelosi and Schumer, not even in order to draw a contrast with Cruz’s obstructionism. Trump does it because he thinks his cult of personality will forgive him anything. And they will — but are there enough of them to beat Cruz in Iowa? If there are, how might a president who’s convinced he’s unaccountable to anyone behave in office?
Two: I don’t understand how Trump fans reconcile the fact that this guy spent six months running as a strong man, who’d impose his will on Washington through a combination of charisma, an electoral mandate, and raw executive power, but has spent most of the last month touting his willingness and ability to make deals with every Democrat in Washington, as if Pelosi and Schumer will accede to his demands out of sheer admiration for his testicular fortitude. Neither one of them’s going to care if Trump wins big in the fall; their base is the left, not centrist Democrats, and the left despises Trump. In particular, Schumer will be eager to show the left as the Democrats’ new leader in the Senate that he’ll drive a hard bargain for their agenda, especially knowing how eager Trump will be to prove he can broker deals. Meanwhile, if Trump turns into the “radical centrist” everyone expects as president, he’ll gradually lose the support of House conservatives, creating a new headache for Paul Ryan in building a coalition that can get to 218. Point being, Trump will have to work much harder than he expects to make enough people happy in Congress to move legislation. And it’ll take plenty of palm-greasing. One of the reasons earmarks were such a curse word for grassroots conservatives even though they were a tiny part of the federal budget is what they symbolized about Washington culture — namely, federal money being doled out to special interests in the name of brokering legislative compromises that frequently left no one happy. The logic of Trump’s “I’ll make deals!” pitch is that the earmark mentality would be back in force. It’s nice that he’s finally starting to level with his fans that he won’t be the Green Lantern as president (unless he gets frustrated by gridlock and decides to go Full Metal Obama with executive power), but I hope they know what that means.
It’s sad that the GOP has descended to the point of trying to vilify its current front-runner to the point that many people right here on this forum will refuse to vote for him if he wins the nomination. How about debating the issues? Remember Reagan’s 11th commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.
@Dreadnought: As he unloads on any opponent that happens to come up in the polls using Democratic taking points some of us are wondering how much of a republican he really is, not to say I would not exercise my right to vote against a democrat or socialist.
It could be hillarious to see Sanders in the Whitehouse should someone Jump the fence, no SS (forgive the socialist pun) needed just old Bernie telling them to get off his lawn.
Gee, Curt, you’ll go to any lengths to attack Trump, won’t you?
“a strong man, who’d impose his will on Washington through a combination of charisma, an electoral mandate, and raw executive power, but has spent most of the last month touting his willingness and ability to make deals”
Trump has always done this. When you make a deal from a position of strength, you get more of what you want out of the deal.
“Trump, the least socially conservative candidate in the Republican field, landing the endorsement of the son of the man who founded the Moral Majority.”
Maybe that’s what Trump supporters want, a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. We want someone who will watch over our nation, without watching our neighbors in their bedroom.
“I always had a great relationship with Harry Reid. And frankly, if I weren’t running for office I’d be able to deal with her [Pelosi], I’d be able to deal with Reid, I’d be able to deal with anybody.”
Trump feels free to tout his chumminess with Pelosi et al. only because he has absolute confidence that there’s nothing he could say or do that would alienate his base.
Or maybe it’s because his base lacks the purity that you insist on. Maybe, just maybe, Trump is getting support from people all over the political map because we see him as the opposite of Obama, as someone who can actually unite this nation. Trump is offering all of his supporters something that we want, to make this nation great again while leaving it’s citizens the fark alone!
No, Trump isn’t perfect, and his supporters don’t expect him to be. But he’s good enough for us.
And we’re getting pretty damned tired of being denigrated as ignorant, stupid and gullible by the “perfect” people who hate him.
One other thing that I’ve noticed about Trump supporters, they’re not like the petulant children with both feet on the wah-wah pedal, threatening to vote for Hillary if their candidate doesn’t win the primaries. I haven’t heard one Trump supporter threaten that, because they understand that second best is better than Hillary, and the interests of this nation overrule their own hurt feelings. Unlike so many “pure” Republicans. I am confident that if Cruz gets the nomination, he will also get the presidency. With the help of today’s Trump supporters.
Trump is burning all the bridges to the GOP and building them to democrats. Fantastic.
@Petercat: Welcome back, I think the Don messed up he has alienated the only GOP channel on TV why? because he truly did not forgive Ms Kelly for a legitimate question. Everybody knew the only card Hillary has is the Gender card and when she tried to use it with the Don she was body slammed I loved him calling her an enabler, she scurried off fast on that battle. You know I back Cruz, but don’t think any less of Dons backers, we should not be slapping each other just because we see candidates differently.For me it is too early for Don to self destruct I dont want to see it, for if nothing else people who couldn’t care less to vote are interested now.
I see nothing wrong with having speaking relationships with Democrats and liberals as long as he is, as he says he is, going to be making them accept the deals he proposes. However, history tells us exactly what Pelosi (Reid is supposed to be gone) will do in the way of bipartisan cooperation, especially as long as the liberals have the media in their pocket.
He is beginning to give the impression that he is allowing the impervious front runner status go to his head.
@DrJohn: Speaking as a life long “Kennedy Dem” I like Rubio/Kasich ticket over Clinton or Sanders. I believe many Dems. and Indies feel the same way.
I SINCERELY doubt many Dems. would ever vote for Trump—or Cruz.
@kitt: #5
Hi, Kitt!
“I think the Don messed up he has alienated the only GOP channel on TV why? because he truly did not forgive Ms Kelly for a legitimate question.”
I think it’s more that he just doesn’t want to deal with her partisan abuse.
He wasn’t insisting that Fox appoint a moderator that was in the tank for him, just that they remove one that is clearly hostile.
Fox refused to make the deal, so he removed himself- and a good bit of income- from Fox.
I don’t think that this will hurt him with his supporters, who aren’t as dumb as the elite seem to believe.
@Rich Wheeler: #7
“I SINCERELY doubt many Dems. would ever vote for Trump—or Cruz.”
I don’t know, Rich. I think the fact that Trump is a social Liberal will appeal to a lot of Dems and independents.
@Petercat: There is an entire Dems for Trump movement. Nothing about Trumps run has been predictable, so his numbers could go up again. My bro in law and sis wont be coming over for the debate, they dont have cable, no Don no date. More popcorn for me.
@kitt: #10
Yay! Popcorn!
http://cat-man-dancing.deviantart.com/art/The-Gentle-Wolf-016-573339984
Popcorn and baked potatoes… the only justification you need to own a microwave.
@Petercat: There is the beverage button to heat the water for instant cocoa, I thought they all well last night.
@kitt: #12
There is that. I make coffee a gallon at a time, add a cup of creamer and a cup of sugar, and stick it in the refrigerator.
When I want a cup, NUKE TIME!
Sometimes I add a spoonful of chocolate powder.
Chocolate and caffeine… what more could you want on a cold morning?