Pages

Sunday, May 8, 2016

GOP Civil War Has Just Begun

GOP military historian Max Boot endorses Donald Trump. Or does he?

"Within a 24-hour period this week, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich dropped out the 2016 presidential race. Their exit left the real estate magnate as the contest’s last declared man standing — “the least qualified major party nominee in American history,” according to military historian and Republican advisor Max Boot."

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/06/the-primary-battle-is-over-but-the-gop-civil-war-has-just-begun/

Oops, I guess he doesn't. Let's try this again.

Max Boot endorses Hillary Clinton. She ought to put out ads with his comments and reference it early and often.

The GOP foreign policy establishment has a tough choice. It will be shutout with a Democratic victory in November. But many like Boot worry what the long term effect of Trump will be on the GOP brand.

"In a series of interviews with FP, eight of the GOP’s national security cadre from Reagan to Obama said Trump’s inevitable nomination is forcing them to choose between several unappealing options: Abstain. Break with the GOP and back Trump’s likely general election opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Democrat. Hold out for a third-party candidate, however quixotic. Or “hold their nose,” as former George W. Bush administration official John Bellinger put it, and potentially serve a President Trump.

"Any scenario but the last could result in effective exile to the “desert” outside the White House for the next four years at least, said Bryan McGrath, a retired naval officer. McGrath, along with Eliot Cohen, who served in the Defense and State departments for both Bush presidents, organized more than 100 GOP national security colleagues to sign a March letter vowing to “prevent” Trump’s election."

"Several say Trump’s nomination could mean a Republican electoral drought, at least, and the total collapse of the GOP, at worst."

"The real concern is that Trump comes to define the Republican Party,” said Boot, a senior defense advisor to McCain, Romney, and most recently Florida Sen. Marco Rubio before he dropped out in March.

"If he’s not thoroughly repudiated in November, and the party is not cleansed of his stench, then we are going to lose an entire generation of Americans.”

It seems to me that many of the Republicans are not just presuming a Trump loss, they are actively desiring it. Certainly believing as Booth does, that he's the most unqualified nominee of either party in history, how can they not?

This is why so much of this is just letting Trump punch himself out.

http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/05/donald-trump-party-unity-my-ass.html

His absolute inability to get the party behind him is like punching himself in the face again and again.

After all, he is not going to be many defenders even from his own party unlike Hillary who will have the entire party behind her.


3 comments:

  1. Beck and Levin are both still anti-Trump. Beck asked his listeners how they'd feel if Cruz eventually supported Trump. They said they can't believe that would happen, or if it did they would feel betrayed and "start to question everyting." ... I notice Levin too is thanking Cruz for all he's done for conservatives. It'll be fun to hear his howls of outrage once Cruz becomes a Trumpster.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What's fun is it's going to force every so-called conservative to choose. And there's real danger in making the wrong choice. They had it so simple up to now: just always be as conservative as possible. Now there's real danger they won't be forgiven if they make the wrong choice.

      Delete
  2. Mike, the tone of despair in this piece by Erickson is delicious:
    http://theresurgent.com/the-data-shows-disaster/
    But as Gary Johnson of the Libertarian party points out: there's zero chance of a 3rd party (other than an established party like the Libertarians) of getting on the ballot in anything like any kind of plausible fraction of the 50 states before the election. Johnson said, it doesn't matter how much money you sink into the problem, it just can't be done at this late date.

    ReplyDelete