Posted on 08/03/2015 9:01:29 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Alternate headline: “Blogger loses all interest in Thursday’s GOP debate.”
I’m less interested in watching Trump throw punches than seeing who’ll throw the first punch at him. Most people would say “Perry,” but Perry’s fallen out of the top 10 in polling thanks to the announcement bounce that Kasich got. Unless something changes in the next 24 hours he’ll be relegated to the JV debate at 5 p.m. Who picks a fight with Trump in the main event, then? Jeb doesn’t need to do it to get noticed. Rubio, maybe? Paul?
“I’m not a debater. These politicians — I always say, they’re all talk, no action. They debate all the time. … We’ll see what happens. Who knows?” Trump said on ABC’s “This Week.” He added: “I don’t think I’m going to be throwing punches. I’m not looking to attack them.”
When asked about criticisms he has leveled at competitors, Trump said he had made his comments as a “counterpunch.”
“I think I’m a nice person, I really do,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I’d like to discuss the issues. I’m not looking to take anybody out or be nasty to anybody.”
When he says he doesn’t intend to throw any punches, I think he means it in a “I don’t start fights, I finish them” sort of way. If he gets attacked first, he’ll swing back. But of course, that’s BS: He’s going to swing at Jeb no matter what. Which makes the Bush people very, very happy.
“The longer [Trumpmania] goes, the greater the panic is going to build,” said Alex Castellanos, a longtime Republican strategist. “And that means you may not have the luxury to flirt with an undeveloped, budding candidate. Trump has set the Republican Party on fire, and if you’re going to put that fire out you don’t have time to waste. You’re going to have to grab the biggest blanket you got and throw it, and right now that’s Jeb.”…
Privately, Mr. Bush’s top strategists, who have become increasingly fixated on halting Mr. Walker, believe that Mr. Trump is nothing short of a godsend. That is because Mr. Trump is drawing support from voters — blue-collar, less-educated, more conservative — who are unlikely ever to support Mr. Bush but are essential to Mr. Walker’s candidacy.
What complicates matters for Mr. Walker, and any of the other Republicans vying for that restive conservative base, is that they will have difficulty matching the bluster or promises of Mr. Trump because he does not operate within the conventional boundaries of political discourse.
If you criticize Trump on Twitter, one of his fans will instantly fire back that you’re in the tank for Jeb. What other reason could there be to object to the Donald? Meanwhile, he’s singlehandedly clearing the field of alternatives to Bush 3.0. (Just as he’d clear the field for Hillary if he ends up running as an independent.) In fact, he’s doing such a nice job for Bush that I think Team Jeb has no choice but to go after him early at the debates to make sure their guy remains in Trump’s crosshairs. If Bush takes an above-it-all approach and tries to ignore Trump, that leaves one of his rivals with an opportunity to pick a fight with Trump instead. Imagine the fawning “Sistah Souljah” callbacks that’ll be written the day after if, say, Marco Rubio seizes the moment and calls out Trump for his “rapist” comment about Mexicans before Bush can. As much as the “serious” candidates would prefer to pretend Trump isn’t there, the prisoner’s-dilemma logic of the media coverage means they can’t.
The irony is, it would be clever if Trump were true to his word and didn’t end up scrapping with anyone at the debates. Everyone has the same expectation: He won’t prepare at all; he’ll spout a bunch of vague nonsense about his secret “terrific” ObamaCare replacement plan and how he’d make Putin cower on foreign power; he’ll call the rest of the field “losers” and end up insulting a few of them personally onstage; and the media will pronounce the whole thing a circus afterward, followed by a bunch of handwringing about what the RNC can do to keep Trump out of the second debate. Imagine if, instead, he surprised everyone by quietly preparing, refusing to take his opponents’ bait, and giving some substantive policy answers. Viewers would be pleasantly surprised and anyone onstage who took a shot at him would seem petty and diminished by comparison. It’s the smartest thing he could to make himself a semi-serious candidate this fall. But then, who wants to listen to Trump talk policy? And how could his policies possibly satisfy his fan base? He’s already gone “mushy” and “incoherent” on his signature issue of immigration. The mushier he gets, the more his supporters will bolt.
Via the Standard, here he is reminding populists everywhere that he was “very, very establishment” until, coincidentally enough, he decided to run.
Who has Fox put up as the quisling GOPe lock-step moderator and/or panelists?
Megyn, Wallace and can’t remember the other guy.
What ever happened to wanting to hear detailed positions on the issues?
Good.
I get it that the debate is an opportunity Trump should (and will) take to appear as a statesman, but if he’s challenged (and that may be done purposefully by one of the many also-rans — though at their own peril) Trump needs to strike a balance between passion and statesmanship. I expect he will.
Any candidate attempting to throw punches at Trump would at this point in the campaign be playing a fools game, a real test of wisdom.
Trump has already built in a defense around the debates he said I don’t know I might be terrible at debating, a preemptive tactic, all the others will have to be very very careful and good, not Cruz though he will be cool, calm, precise and confident.
Rush gave an interesting theory about the debate. He said he thinks there has to be some fireworks - typical Trump - otherwise, it will be a ho-hum, run-of-the-mill boring debate. I guess I agree with Rush about one thing - Trump doesn’t do well as one of the 10 - he owns the stage and the narrative. He tells others to jump, and they ask how high. (my words - not Rush’s). He doesn’t like being one of the 10 - he is the alpha male.
And they wonder why Trump is leading. Keep on insulting the electorate jackasses.
Yes, these "producers" and "net tax payers" --- Americans who value their country, their tradition, their way of life - the American ideal of exceptionalism. They're all just rabble and idiots Jebito can't be bothered with. He's nothing but a misplaced Mexican.
HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa
Jeb is going to be pissed when he finds out nobody up on that stage gives a shit that he can speak Spanish.
WOW!!
Look at how the media has changed the narrative, very slightly, but enough to put Trump on the defensive. The media has found something to beat Trump over the head with, and it will be never ending unless Trump goes on the offensive over this.
Trump says, “I don’t think I’m going to be throwing punches. I’m not looking to attack them.”
Trump NEVER threw the first punch. He has always been defending himself from punches thrown at him by the msm, GOPe, and democrats; and many of those punches thrown at Trump were low blows and dishonest, so he came back at them hard.
Trump needs to make this clear. He hasn’t thrown the first mudballs, but if he gets thrown at him, he has every right to throw some back!!
Trump will be blindsided—By Fox commentators Sharp Questions and the others—lead by Rick Perry and Hucleberry—will attack to paint Trump as an evil Clown who hates Mexicans, women, and Vets.It will be a “Lets get Trump” show, “Lets knock Trump out of the race” gambit. He will have no chance to address his agenda—it will be a bloodbath—on live TV. Trump better be ready!
I suspect the other candidates are going to try to gang up on Donald.
And Trump says, "Go ahead.....Make my day!"
Well. That may be the intended case for Republican establishment. But consider this. What problem has he had in “addressing his agenda” in the past month or two? He’s been muzzled because of criticism of his statements and positions that I’m not aware of?
It is Trump’s dogged I-don’t-give-a-shit-what-you-say response and an even more insistent stance on sticking with his words. As far as the rest of the panel up on that stage, there’d be maybe one or two who could make that claim and not have to depend on “I did this before I did that” defense.
I think you may be thinking too parochially in terms of Republican dogma and campaign execution. The reason Trump is where he’s at now is because the conventional appeaser rules aren’t in his playbook.
Sorry, I just don’t buy it.
That's what these debates have turned into. Who got in the best shot at another. Makes for good entertainment, not good debate.
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