Dana Milbank roused me here by claiming that Democrats should not want Trump to win the GOP
nomination.
"All signs suggest Trump would be an electoral disaster for Republicans, but I won’t join those who for that reason want him to be the Republican nominee. The important thing is not what’s best for Democrats but what’s best for the country — and that means not having a race-baiting demagogue as the nominee of a major party."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/many-democrats-want-to-face-trump-in-november-theyre-wrong/2016/04/15/4eeae3f2-030a-11e6-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html
I disagree entirely. First of all, what's good for the Democratic party is what's good for the country in this point of time. I have wanted to see Trump win the nomination since July of last year. When most of the Dana Milbank types were telling us no way was Trump any more than a boomlet on the level of Rick Perry, Herman Cain, or Newt Gingrich.
Ok, two reasons I want Trump.
1. It will be great for the Democratic party. Milbank's problem is he's hedging:
"On the stump, Cruz talks about how Jimmy Carter supposedly “endorsed” Trump by saying Trump is “malleable” and Cruz is “not malleable.” But Cruz is malleable, in one way: He won’t let ideology get in the way of his ambition. (His straddle on the Senate immigration bill was artful, positioning himself to say he was for it if it succeeded but against it if it didn’t.) If he were to become president, his all-consuming ambition would drive him to succeed, which would mean jettisoning unpopular proposals. Cruz believes in Cruz — not in the tea party agenda he opportunistically rode to power."
He's worrying what happens if Trump wins. But Trump is not going to win. You take the odds here. And I don't get this idea that Cruz is an opportunist as if Trump isn't?!
Cruz seems a lot more ideologically rigid than Trump. Remember this is the Senator who singlehandedly shutdown the government in 2013 against the wishes of his entire party.
2. The second reason I want Trump is that the GOP needs a real shock to their system. Nominating Trump will do this. It will also split the party in half.
My problem with Milbank is he greatly underestimates how dysfunctional the pre Trump GOP was. Trump is what is needed to finally chasten the GOP.
The beauty of Trump is he represents mud in the eye of the conservative intelligentsia. He's not really prolife-which is why he messed up the question about penalties.
He's not a supply sider and doesn't want to dismantle Social Security and Medicare.
And no matter how bad Trump were, he'd get little support from the GOP Congress. A normal GOP President with a Congress behind him is a lot more dangerous than Trump who'd be totally isolated.
Trump would largely be ineffective for the same reason Bernie-and probably Cruz would be. He'd be isolated. Don't get me wrong-a Cruz nomination would be pretty good as well.
But if you're a Dem, you've got to want Hillary-Trump. If you don't, I just don't understand.
Milbank's conceit here is that if the GOP could somehow nominate Cruz, they will go back to being how they were before Trump. But that was awful.
nomination.
"All signs suggest Trump would be an electoral disaster for Republicans, but I won’t join those who for that reason want him to be the Republican nominee. The important thing is not what’s best for Democrats but what’s best for the country — and that means not having a race-baiting demagogue as the nominee of a major party."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/many-democrats-want-to-face-trump-in-november-theyre-wrong/2016/04/15/4eeae3f2-030a-11e6-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html
I disagree entirely. First of all, what's good for the Democratic party is what's good for the country in this point of time. I have wanted to see Trump win the nomination since July of last year. When most of the Dana Milbank types were telling us no way was Trump any more than a boomlet on the level of Rick Perry, Herman Cain, or Newt Gingrich.
Ok, two reasons I want Trump.
1. It will be great for the Democratic party. Milbank's problem is he's hedging:
"On the stump, Cruz talks about how Jimmy Carter supposedly “endorsed” Trump by saying Trump is “malleable” and Cruz is “not malleable.” But Cruz is malleable, in one way: He won’t let ideology get in the way of his ambition. (His straddle on the Senate immigration bill was artful, positioning himself to say he was for it if it succeeded but against it if it didn’t.) If he were to become president, his all-consuming ambition would drive him to succeed, which would mean jettisoning unpopular proposals. Cruz believes in Cruz — not in the tea party agenda he opportunistically rode to power."
He's worrying what happens if Trump wins. But Trump is not going to win. You take the odds here. And I don't get this idea that Cruz is an opportunist as if Trump isn't?!
Cruz seems a lot more ideologically rigid than Trump. Remember this is the Senator who singlehandedly shutdown the government in 2013 against the wishes of his entire party.
2. The second reason I want Trump is that the GOP needs a real shock to their system. Nominating Trump will do this. It will also split the party in half.
My problem with Milbank is he greatly underestimates how dysfunctional the pre Trump GOP was. Trump is what is needed to finally chasten the GOP.
The beauty of Trump is he represents mud in the eye of the conservative intelligentsia. He's not really prolife-which is why he messed up the question about penalties.
He's not a supply sider and doesn't want to dismantle Social Security and Medicare.
And no matter how bad Trump were, he'd get little support from the GOP Congress. A normal GOP President with a Congress behind him is a lot more dangerous than Trump who'd be totally isolated.
Trump would largely be ineffective for the same reason Bernie-and probably Cruz would be. He'd be isolated. Don't get me wrong-a Cruz nomination would be pretty good as well.
But if you're a Dem, you've got to want Hillary-Trump. If you don't, I just don't understand.
Milbank's conceit here is that if the GOP could somehow nominate Cruz, they will go back to being how they were before Trump. But that was awful.
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