Posted on 02/18/2020 4:13:07 AM PST by EyesOfTX
NeverTrumpers: the single dumbest special interest group on the planet. – In an election year characterized by mind-numbing stupidity, some people still manage to stand out. Some guy named Neal Simon, writing at the NeverTrumper website called “The Bulwark,” published a piece on Monday that will go down in infamy as the single most profoundly stupid opinion piece of the 2020 election season.
The headline of the piece is so desperately stupid that one doesn’t even really need to get into the guts of the thing. But here at the Campaign Update, we like to get into the guts of all varieties of media stupidity and mendacity, even media from people who formerly pretended to be conservatives. So, let’s take a dive into this particular monstrosity.
First, the headline, which pretty much tells you all you need to know about this particular nitwit:
“Romney-Bloomberg: The Unity Ticket America Deserves” Holy crap. I swear I don’t make this stuff up.
The first and most obvious fallacy involved here is that a ticket made up of a turncoat Republican who already lost one run for the presidency and another turncoat Republican now pretending to be a Democrat who is in the process of alienating pretty much every minority and special interest group in the country would “unify” anyone outside of Bill Kristol’s living room, where Mr. Simon has apparently spent too many evenings sipping cheap brandy and smoking White Owls.
Think about it: In the past week alone, opposition researchers for the other Democrat presidential contenders have dug up past Bloomberg comments that have insulted, demeaned and alienated the following segments of American society:
African-Americans Women Latinos Farmers Teachers Unions Civil Libertarians
True, he hasn’t gotten around to Muslims, Catholics, Jews and the LGBTQ+ community, but given Bloomberg’s real nature as a horrible human being, it seems like just a matter of time, doesn’t it?
But Simon thinks, hey, Bloomberg’s got billions of dollars, so he can single-handedly make a third party effort with a turncoat loser like Romney viable just by going around and paying everyone off:
Under the current system, presidential candidates in the general election need at least 15 percent support in select polls to make the debate stage. Since this arbitrary benchmark was enacted, no third party or independent candidate has been able to qualify. Much of this is due to a lack of access to capital. Estimates show that it would cost $266 million to achieve this benchmark in the general election phase of a presidential run—a feat only an independent candidate who is self-funded is likely to achieve.
So, what does Romney bring to the ticket? Why, his party affiliation, of course. No, really, I swear I did not make that up:
Another barrier to entry that independent candidates face is they do not have the name recognition that affiliating with a major party grants.
Mitt Romney would solve both of these problems.
Simon even goes on to talk about all the “credibility” Romney has with Republicans, especially the Republican “moderates.” He fails to consider that you could gather all of the Republicans with whom Romney still possesses even a modicum of “credibility” into Bill Kristol’s aforementioned living room, which really isn’t all that big a space. You wouldn’t even have to move the furniture around.
President Trump’s approval rating among Republicans has been at all-time highs for many months now, with 90% or more regularly approving of his conduct in office. Even highly-biased public opinion polls that still cling to their 2012 party affiliation models – which results in systematic over-sampling of Democrats – put Trump’s approval among GOPers no lower than the mid-80s.
Meanwhile, Mini-Mike has already spent more than $300 million to get himself just into the mid-teens in national polls in the Democrat nominating race. As I mentioned yesterday, he is currently not favored to win a single state on Super Tuesday according to the model used by 538.com. Romney himself is so utterly divisive that the Republicans in his home state of Utah are considering multiple resolutions demanding that he resign from office at their upcoming state convention.
But this, in Simon’s mind, is the “unity ticket” Americans are looking for?
Here is who Simon and the people at “The Bulwark” really are: Angry ex-Republicans who are desperate to convince Romney, Bloomberg or someone else who can get their hands on big money to run an insurgent campaign designed to siphon votes away from the President who exposed them for what they really are. These people are not looking for “unity” or anything remotely resembling that concept. These are people who have spent the last four years doing everything they can to attack the duly-elected President who marginalized them and divide the country against him.
If America really “deserves” a third-party ticket made up of a traitorous snake like Mitt Romney and a hubris-driven oligarch like Michael Bloomberg, then America is well and truly screwed.
Fortunately for America, though, the truth is that Mr. Simon and his friends at “The Bulwark” are just a bunch of irrelevant clowns, screaming from the rafters as the tide of history passes them by.
God Bless America.
That is all.
It makes it convenient for Soro’s......only cutting one check for both idiots.
Scorched earth humor. I love it.
I may be in a tiny minority but I’m not in the least concerned about Bloomberg getting any traction, much less winning the nomination. He can buy attention, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into votes.
What I am worried about is what he might do with his billions, AFTER losing in the primary season. If he wants to he can make a lot of trouble.
I’m a big fan of Neal Simon, but he should stick to writing plays. I especially liked “The Odd Couple”.
Oh...Neil Simon...not Neal...
Never mind.
He'll just buy all available advertising time not already under contract and even the Conservatives will love the invisible hand at work.
What trouble when it fosters an increase in rates for private corporations?
Bulwark? Should rename their site to Bullwork.
It sounds like Romney’s idea
does he run that website?
In my opinion if your going to have a unity ticket it has to be Clinton/Romney.....oh please,please,please…...
It’s a dream ticket. Nobody on either side would ever dream of voting for it.
Mr Magic Underpants is finished politically.
His traitorous betrayal of the President won’t be forgotten with voters.
Would love to see it.
Two birds/one stone.
Politically speaking.
All potential third party campaigns will work to the benefit of Trump’s reelection. This one (which unfortunately won’t happen, of course) would be a great help, siphoning dozens of votes from the Dem loser ticket.
“cheap brandy and white owls” RINO elites.
Strategically, I think we should support it, if Bernie’s the nominee. Bloomberg will syphon more votes from the Dems than Romney will the GOP. At least, I think so.
I spelled siphon wrong. Sigh.
Willard and the Little Rat 2020.
Let them try it. The results would be laughable to us, watching them go down in flames. And it would destroy Romney politically, once and for all.
Exactly! A ticket where any voter can despise both candidates. They need to form the Idiot Elitists party.
They have something in common. They both used to be Republicans.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.