What? Over? Did you say 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!... It ain't over now, 'cause when the goin' gets tough, the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go! Come on...Bluto heads for the door, but he's got no troops behind him.
What the f--K happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts. huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst. 'oooh, we're afraid to go with you, Bluto, we might get in trouble. Well, just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this! Wormer, he's a dead man...It's at this point that Bluto's frat brother Otter (played by Tim Matheson) joins in; the end of his speech is where this op-ed from the WaPo's Jennifer Rubin picks up.
I think we have to go all out. I think this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!Rubin's Otter would be the man - or woman - who steps up and challenges Trump in a primary. After all, she notes, all the polls show Republicans overwhelmingly support the president, and the midterms show that distancing yourself from Trump doesn't bode well for your future. But, as Otter noted, sometimes that futile and stupid gesture is sometimes required and
A primary challenge to Trump would be quite helpful if the goal is to make certain he's not re-elected in 2020.
She outlines four reasons why this would be the case.
There's little downside to the effort itself. The challenger would lose, Trump would win; that's both likely and the worst that could happen. She compares this to horse racing, where the lead horse wears down the favorite, typically allowing a stablemate to come in and steal victory at the last moment. But, she points out, sometimes the lead horse actually wins. Possible 'lead horses'? She suggests Mitt Romney perhaps, or Jeff Flake - people who have enough stature of their own to stand up to, ridicule and provoke the president.
There's little downside to the effort itself. The challenger would lose, Trump would win; that's both likely and the worst that could happen. She compares this to horse racing, where the lead horse wears down the favorite, typically allowing a stablemate to come in and steal victory at the last moment. But, she points out, sometimes the lead horse actually wins. Possible 'lead horses'? She suggests Mitt Romney perhaps, or Jeff Flake - people who have enough stature of their own to stand up to, ridicule and provoke the president.
Primaries against a sitting president are funny things. She references Eugene McCarthy's loss to LBJ in 1968's New Hampshire primary and points to that as what prompted RFK to enter the race and Johnson to withdraw. The moral of that story, she says?
...you never know what will happen in a dynamic race and what the prospect of losing may have on an unpopular, besieged incumbent president.This week has reminded us that Trump cannot handle the pressure of Robert Mueller breathing down his neck and the potential for increased Congressional scrutiny, now that Dems have taken back the house. (note: the op-ed was written in mid-November).
Imagine if Mueller indicts Donald Trump Jr. or proves that Trump aide Roger Stone was plotting with WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange. Think about what Trump will do in the even of a damning Mueller report...Her point here, and I think it's completely valid, is that Trump will really lose it, perhaps doing something that finally will convince the Republicans that he's not ready for a primary, much less a second term. One example of 'losing it'? Pardoning everyone in sight, maybe quitting with a demand that VP Mike Pence would have to pardon everyone... scary stuff right there.
A primary run doesn't preclude a third-party run by a different candidate. In the event Trump does win the GOP nomination, a moderate Republican could challenge him via a third-party line.She quotes fellow WaPo writer David Weigel, talking about Ohio's John Kasich explaining how this could work.
Kasich was speculating on what it would take to break the two-party system wide open. He imagined a 2020 matchup between Trump and a left-wing Democrat that would create 'a vast ocean between the parties.'"That's the point at which a well-known moderate could enter the race and provide a viable alternative for both parties. As I read this I'm picturing the white horse appearing out of a cloud of smoke - but I can't figure out who's in the saddle...it could be Kasich, I guess. As Rubin notes,
Kasich occupies an enviable position. A non-candidate with high name ID can continue to criticize Trump and urge his fellow Republicans to hold Trump accountable for his rhetoric and actions.The bottom line, for Rubin? Folks leery of a second Trump term should be prepared to take whatever chance presents itself for taking him out before the nomination, or to find a moderate or centrist to hit him from the outside the two-party system.
You see, running against Trump in a primary may not be so futile or stupid after all.Otter - and Bluto - would approve.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!