Republican Primary May Be Bloody
Today’s “Morning Edition” on NPR featured an interview with former Illinois Republican Congressman Joe Walsh regarding his candidacy for the 2020 GOP presidential nomination.
Before we get to a few key moments, we need to acknowledge that Walsh, by virtue of some of his comments, has shown that he’s almost as deeply racist and insensitive as Trump himself. While he’s clearly more honest and sane, all this probably renders him unelectable. But what gives the content of this interview particular value is the indication that the Republican primary is going to be one of the most fiery in U.S. history.
Snippets:
Our campaign slogan is “be brave.” I believe Donald Trump is fundamentally unfit. And I believe most Republicans are sick and tired of all of his ugly tweets and his lies and everything. I believe they believe that privately. I believe they’re afraid to say that publicly. And so we’re going to spend this campaign trying to get them all to come out and say with me publicly that he’s unfit.
Interviewer Rachel Martin asked him, “You voted for him, though, in the 2016 election. What changed your mind? What made you believe he is fundamentally unfit?” He replied:
When I voted for Trump in 2016, I didn’t love him. I didn’t like him. He wasn’t Hillary. Over the course of the first year, it became clear to me that the president of the United States lies – I mean lies virtually every time he opens his mouth. And then finally, Rachel, Helsinki 2018 was when he officially lost me. He stood in front of the world and said, I believe Putin and not my own people.
The final point I’ll make, Rachel: this guy is a clear and present danger to this country. Is there a better Republican that could have stepped up to say that? Maybe. But where is he or she? Am I a flawed candidate? Hell yes. But I’ve got the message that this president’s unfit that needs to be heard.
What to make of the fact that a member of the president’s own party is willing to put the truth on the table, i.e., that the President of the United States “lies virtually every time he opens his mouth,” and is morally and mentally/emotionally unfit to serve? Actually, I don’t know; we’re in uncharted territory, putting it politely. But it sounds like a hell of a hot way to start a campaign.
Craig,
Desperately clutching at straws, or in this case, men made of straw.
Every poll indicates the President has the absolute support of 80-6 % percent of GOP rank and file members.
Despite many of the party elite heartily disliking Donald Trump, it would be electoral suicide to oppose him without incurring the fury of rank and file GOP members.
Joe Walsh is a pathetic loser. A sad , one-term failure in Congress who couldn’t keep his radio show profitable. Walsh lost his seat in 2012 to Tammy Duckworth.
It’s a great misfortune for America that people of the caliber of Senator Duckworth are excluded from running for President, simply because they weren’t born in the USA.
If Senator Duckworth were able to be the Democrat candidate in 2020 the President would be in for a much tougher fight to retain office. (had she been the candidate instead of Clinton the 2016 election may have been very different).
President Trump was elected because of the vacuum created by the failure of establishment politics to represent the blue collar class and “American” interests. President Trump’s populist appeal was a result of so many voters believing they were betrayed by the Washington elite.
The opposition to him thus far has been largely inadequate, incompetent and often deranged.
It doesn’t matter whether ‘Never Trumpers’ emerge from the Democrats or embittered GOP malcontents, it’s not good enough just to be anti-Trump.
A winning candidate must convince the American people Trump’s policies are ‘wrong’, not just offensive or disruptive.
To beat Trump a candidate must convince the American people to willingly accept globalization, loss of the trade war with China and America becoming second fiddle to an increasingly nationalistic and belligerent China. They must also convince Americans to agree with a p of “open borders”, a
Otherwise, Trump wins. He wins, not because of who he is, but what he does and stands for. His is a crude message, but candid and honest.
The message is uncompromising, clear and uncomplicated. He is an unapologetic nationalist.
The problem all sophisticated candidates have against a populist, is seeming elitist or patronizing in comparison. Trying to explain complex and complicated policies in detail often creates the impression of weakness or compromise.
Worse, when those opposing populists try to embrace some more nationalistic rhetoric, they just look like shifty hypocrites.
Ask the average person to you agree climate change is real and sea-levels will rise as the scientists claim, and feeling embarrassed, they will agree.
However, ask them if the would like to by a house on the beach if they could afford it, and they will jump at the chance!
That’s the problem for the Democrats. The Democrats must explain in ever more unconvincing detail why people should pay more tax for stuff they may need, but don’t want, all Trump has to do is say, “everyone should have an American beach house!”.
The point is, he doesn’t even have to accomplish his boasts,(He didn’t lie, he didn’t promise a beach house just siad everyone should have one). As long as he tries, his supporters will stay with him. So far his success rate is pretty good. No one really cares if he upsets foreign leaders, (most Americans are secretly delighted),
One by one, with the exception of China and Iran, the President has prevailed over formidable opposition. He’s curtailed and contained Russian and North Korean aggression. Dealt with the Syrian crisis and forced NATO and other Western allies to pay their share of the cost.
He re-negotiated the difficult NAFTA treaty to America’s benefit, something the pundits said was impossible. Reduced the federal bureaucracy, and brought back blue collar employment.
Even his fight on the Southern Border is a modest success as nations like Mexico and Guatemala reluctantly agree to commit large scale manpower to stem the flow of illegal migrants before they reach the US.
His supporters say, he’s crazy like a fox. It can’t be denied Donald Trump is a shrewd and astute expert when it comes to wielding a carrot and stick.
If all the Democrats have is inconsequential oddities like Joe Walsh to hang their hopes on, then they have already lost.