Few even mentioned his name, and the new federal indictment he faces was completely ignored, as Republican candidates for president tried in Iowa Sunday to present themselves as Donald Trump alternatives.
Never let Republicans forget they were duped by a new York millionaire half-wit mafioso underling.
This is always the thing that really gets me. How do these guys identify in any way with a rich, yuppie, NYC real estate sleaze ball? He feels like exactly the kind of guy these people hate, but here we are. A guy who never had to work a day in his life, has had multiple infidelities, I don’t even think the dude went to church?
Just had to play the right dog whistle and he tapped into something.
The only way this strategy makes sense is if these people are not even trying to defeat Trump in the primary. They are only running to elevate their brands for a future run.
Or hoping he somehow gets disqualified, or says the wrong thing and makes his rabid base turn on him
Or maybe they’re hoping he’ll flee to Russia
Basically, Trump is playing a dangerous game, and there’s several ways it could go wrong. None of these guys can beat Trump, but if Trump goes down for any other reason they want to be waiting in the wings as second-best in the eyes of his followers. But in the meantime they don’t want to just get completely consumed by him, and they want to appeal to moderates.
If Trump perceives them as a threat, he’ll turn on them.
If they try to ride Trump’s coattails, he’ll use them and then abandon them like everyone else.
Their best bet is to not directly confront Trump but also not fall under his shadow. Supportive, but separate.
I think it’s important to remember that not all conservatives are dumb idiots who got super into following a charlatan. A lot of them are, don’t get me wrong.
But a lot of them are selfish, religious bigots who want to violently control others. They’re not valid or dumb, they’re cruel.
Don’t let them get away with anything by cultivating the idea they’re just sheep. There are wolves among them too.
Remember folks, republicans might be able to get rid of trump but they will never get rid of trumpism. Trump merely removed the veil of decency republicans had carefully worn for decades to expose what the party really stands for.
I wonder what William F. Buckley would say about the Trump presidency, what with his doing everything he could to make conservatives sound intellectual…
Trump needs to be buried deep enough that he’s not a threat as an independent, and so they can win over some “swing” voters, but they don’t want to alienate his supporters. This is going to get really awkward.
