Thursday, March 31, 2016

The Combover Whisperers

Jim Geraghty goes to the cutlery drawer and pulls out the long knives:
Technically we’re supposed to welcome previous Trump fans-turned-foes with open arms. But barring some miraculous comeback by Ted Cruz, the Trump campaign will have cost the Republican Party the presidency after eight years of Obama, and perhaps the Senate and even the House – and Scalia’s replacement on the Court as well. Years of effort spent attempting to dispel the accusations of inherent Republican misogyny, xenophobia, hypocrisy, ignorance and blind rage have been undone by Trump’s campaign. And every Trump advocate in front of a camera had a hand in this.  
We’re not just gonna hug it out. 
I checked the calendar. It's March 31. We are still several months away from the general election. It's reasonable to assume any damage Trump has done can be mitigated. Still, Geraghty makes an important point about Trump's media cheerleaders:
Donald Trump didn’t suddenly change in the past few days, weeks or months. He’s the same guy he always was, the same guy that most of us in the conservative movement and GOP have been staunchly opposing for the past year. He didn’t abruptly become reckless, obnoxious, ill-informed, erratic, hot-tempered, pathologically dishonest, narcissistic, crude and catastrophically unqualified for the presidency overnight. He’s always been that guy, and you denied it and ignored it and hand-waved it away and made excuses every step of the way because you were convinced that you were so much smarter than the rest of us. You were so certain that you had received some superior wavelength giving you special insight into the Donald; only you could tell that it was all an act.
J'accuse! Yes, we should call out the Ann Coulters and Newt Gingriches and the Matt Drudges. They aren't nearly as smart as they thought they were. And yet, and yet. . . this bit of dialogue from "The Princess Bride" sticks in my mind:
Grandpa: It was ten days to the wedding. The King still lived, but Buttercup's nightmares were growing steadily worse.
The Grandson: See, didn't I tell you she'd never marry that rotten Humperdinck?
Grandpa: Yes, you're very smart. Shut up.
Conservatives are used to recriminations -- we've had experience galore with it in the last two election cycles. It's too soon for that. Hillary Clinton is still likely to be the nominee for the Democrats. She is a weak candidate and corrupt to the core. She can be defeated and she richly deserves it. The story is not concluded. Eyes on the prize. And while we're at it:


17 comments:

Gino said...

What state will a Ted Cruz win that Romney didn't?

The GOP needs to die. Ive said that already. Trump will get that job done. And for that, I will thank him.

W.B. Picklesworth said...

Years of effort spent attempting to dispel the accusations of inherent Republican misogyny, xenophobia, hypocrisy, ignorance and blind rage have been undone by Trump’s campaign.

I call BS. Those charges were there because they were useful; they weren't especially true, nor were they going away. Geraghty and Charlie Brown the kicker have a lot in common if he things that headway was being made.

The frustration of Trump supporters came from somewhere. The GOP has only exacerbated their problems this year. That's not on Trump. That's their own weakness and corruption.

Mr. D said...

What state will a Ted Cruz win that Romney didn't?

Maybe none. Maybe several. We may find out. Or maybe Trump will right the ship. I don't see a lot of evidence he will, though

The GOP needs to die. Ive said that already. Trump will get that job done. And for that, I will thank him.

I've heard you. I get it. In some ways, I even agree. The Democrats were at a similar juncture in 1992, but somehow Bill Clinton won. The GOP may deserve to die. That doesn't mean Hillary Clinton deserves to win. Choose the form of your destructor.

The frustration of Trump supporters came from somewhere. The GOP has only exacerbated their problems this year. That's not on Trump. That's their own weakness and corruption.

Right, and that frustration is largely justifiable. What's on Trump is that he has been exploiting the frustration without having a coherent game plan for dealing with the entirely legitimate grievances that his supporters have. Winging it will not work.

Gino said...

Hillary deserves to win against a GOPe that deserves to die, preferably in a fire, before a jeering crowd...

Mr. D said...

Hillary deserves to win against a GOPe that deserves to die, preferably in a fire, before a jeering crowd...

With all due respect, bullshit. Whatever the GOPe's faults, in no way should Hillary Clinton be elected president. She is the most fundamentally corrupt person to seek the office that I have seen. If we have to have a Democrat, I'd far prefer Sanders, who is an idiot but not fundamentally corrupt.

W.B. Picklesworth said...

Hilary is worse than anything the GOP has to offer, but it's largely a systemic thing. Given her identity, the system is not interested in holding her to account. That's a very good reason NOT to elect her. Of course she will be spectacularly corrupt. And of course the press won't hold her responsible. This isn't exactly a recipe for renewal.

But neither is electing the GOPe. I think the whole point is it needs to die in order for something else to rise. The thing about Trump is he began to give voice to some of the ways that many people are rejecting the status quo in private. There are many, many people who despise political correctness and the violence that it has done and is doing to our society. No conservative party that ignores this will do squat. There needs to be frank talk. And when the race card comes out, and the cry bullies weep and demand, this new party needs to be able to say, politely or otherwise, "Go eff yourself." The incapacity to speak frankly is killing us and it will get worse until it is confronted and overcome.

Can you imagine the GOPe doing that? Geraghty shows that he doesn't get it. He imagines that he and his kind were slowly earning the respect of liberals. That's about the most idiotic thing I've ever heard. It's completely backwards. The reality is that the guns will even be pointed at Democrats who aren't radical enough.

Mr. D said...

You want frank talk? Scalia is dead. Heller hangs in the balance. Citizens United, too. That's the first two amendments of the Bill of Rights. Where the #@%$ will the frank talk come from once those two items are rendered a dead letter? There won't be any renewal if we let those two things go by the board.

I'm not 100% sold on Ted Cruz, but I do think he gets it. He called out McConnell on the floor of the senate. The GOPe hates him, but they are stuck with him now. And he has a plan.

I don't give a flying fig about Geraghty's sack dance. I care about stopping the Democrats from changing the courts for a generation or more. I care about a federal government that will backstop the cry bullies you want addressed. The hour is late.

Bike Bubba said...

I want Cruz and Kasich both on the ticket. And then a good prosecution of Hilliary, the IRS, and a bunch of others the DOJ hasn't been able to see fit to prosecute over the past 7 years.

Mr. D said...

Not sure what Kasich gets you, but that's okay. If Cruz prevails, I think a more likely bet is Fiorina, Susana Martinez or Nikki Haley.

Gino said...

and i ask again: what states do you expect to carry that Romney did not? answer this before you go on about Hillary doesnt deserve, yadda yadda... Heller, garble,garble... Citizens United, blah,blah...

as for bringing back the constitution... LOLOLOLOL... who you gonna teach it to? the left controls the schools and the education system, the democrats control the media, progressives control 1/2 the churches... and you expect to reprogram a majority of the electorate every 4 yrs within a few quick months????

the constitution is gone. it means nothing that you think it does, and with 80% of the labor force sold down the river by a 'constitution minded' GOPe, i dont care anymore. its a 'first world problem' so to speak, and most of us dont live in that world anymore. (we were evicted)

Bike Bubba said...

Which states? I think a Cruz/Kasich ticket that pays attention to immigration has a great chance in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and outside chances in WI/MN/MI. Big issue is that you've got to make Hilliary's corruption stick so well that even Democrats can't hold their noses anymore.

If you get that done, you'll get New England and California for her, and that's it.

Bike Bubba said...

Here's what Kasich gets you; he's someone polls say that the middle trusts. So you build a platform halfway between Cruz and Kasich/Rubio. But I guess you would get a lot of that with the ladies you recommend.

Mr. D said...

and i ask again: what states do you expect to carry that Romney did not? answer this before you go on about Hillary doesnt deserve, yadda yadda... Heller, garble,garble... Citizens United, blah,blah...

I don't know if he can win any states. I don't that Trump can win any states. But I'd sure the hell like to see some Republican take the argument to Hillary Clinton. And for goodness sake, Hillary's worthiness to be president is a separate question from whether her opponent will win.

as for bringing back the constitution... LOLOLOLOL... who you gonna teach it to? the left controls the schools and the education system, the democrats control the media, progressives control 1/2 the churches... and you expect to reprogram a majority of the electorate every 4 yrs within a few quick months????

No, I don't expect to reprogram a majority of the electorate. But I'm sure the hell not going to give up. Bringing back the constitution may not happen in my lifetime. I bet it won't, actually. But if you concede, it will never come back. I realize that, as a Californian, you've had one boot on your throat and another up your ass for a generation now. I'm not there yet and I'll keep fighting.

the constitution is gone. it means nothing that you think it does, and with 80% of the labor force sold down the river by a 'constitution minded' GOPe, i dont care anymore.

As you wish. You don't have to fight, or care. That's your choice. I'm not prepared to accept my fate just yet.

Gino said...

I realize that, as a Californian, you've had one boot on your throat and another up your ass for a generation now.

ROTFLMAO... and thats exactly what it feels like... until you just give in to the rapist so it doesnt hurt as much.

Chuckwagon Boy said...

The bloated DT ship is starting to list.... http://thefederalist.com/2016/03/31/trump-is-taking-on-water/

Bike Bubba said...

Chuckwagon; really, it's not that Drumpf's campaign is taking on water, but rather that the ship is slowing to where the bilge pumps can no longer keep up. He's always had some tremendous negatives among women (and the sane).

Chuckwagon Boy said...

Bike Bubba, very good point, sir :)