Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

So very ready.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Open Thread: Another Cunning GOP Plan!…

Open Thread: Another Cunning GOP Plan!…

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… Assuming one spells ‘cunning’ D-E-S-P-E-R-A-T-E. You’d think even the GOP Establishment would have realized by now that Bill Kristol is not to be trusted with sharp edges or political campaigns, but, per the NYTimes:

Republican leaders adamantly opposed to Donald J. Trump’s candidacy are preparing a 100-day campaign to deny him the presidential nomination, starting with an aggressive battle in Wisconsin’s April 5 primary and extending into the summer, with a delegate-by-delegate lobbying effort that would cast Mr. Trump as a calamitous choice for the general election.

Recognizing that Mr. Trump has seized a formidable advantage in the race, they say that an effort to block him would rely on an array of desperation measures, the political equivalent of guerrilla fighting.

There is no longer room for error or delay, the anti-Trump forces say, and without a flawlessly executed plan of attack, he could well become unstoppable.

But should that effort falter, leading conservatives are prepared to field an independent candidate in the general election, to defend Republican principles and offer traditional conservatives an alternative to Mr. Trump’s hard-edged populism. They described their plans in interviews after Mr. Trump’s victories last Tuesday in Florida and three other states.

The names of a few well-known conservatives have been offered up in recent days as potential third-party standard-bearers, and William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, has circulated a memo to a small number of conservative allies detailing the process by which an independent candidate could get on general-election ballots across the country.

Among the recruits under discussion are Tom Coburn, a former Oklahoma senator who has told associates that he would be open to running, and Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who was suggested as a possible third-party candidate at a meeting of conservative activists on Thursday in Washington….

Because Rick Perry is still hoping for a comeback from his ‘oops’ moment, and Tom Coburn wants to push his much-mocked 2004 comments about lesbianism in Oklahoma high schools a little further down his Google search profile, I guess. More good news for Democrats, from the same article:

… David McIntosh, president of the conservative Club for Growth, which has spent millions on ads attacking Mr. Trump, said his group met on Wednesday and concluded it was still possible to avert Mr. Trump’s nomination. The group plans a comprehensive study of Trump supporters to sharpen a message aimed at driving them away from him.

“This is still a winnable race for a free-market conservative that’s not Donald Trump,” Mr. McIntosh said, adding, “It’s not a layup, but there’s a clear path to victory.”…

Mr. Trump’s hand has been strengthened by disagreements within the stop-Trump forces, which fall along familiar lines: Conservative activists are uneasy with the party establishment and favor Mr. Cruz, while many Republican elites have warmed to Mr. Kasich, recoiling from those they perceive as ideological purists…

Every dollar they throw into taking down the Short-Fingered Shouter is a dollar not spent attacking Democrats. As a lifelong Dem myself, it’s heartwarming to watch a circular firing squad from the outside, for once!

Reader Interactions

84Comments

  4. 4.

    satby

    Anyone but Drumpf will piss off a significant portion of formerly reliable Republican voters. Please proceed, Republicans.

  5. 5.

    Major Major Major Major

    Any Netflix or Hulu recommendations? I need something that isn’t the following:

    11/22/63
    Jessica Jones
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
    Sword Art Online
    Sleepy Hollow
    Daredevil
    Anything Tina Fey (seen ’em all)

    Something along the lines of Don’t Trust The B*tch, perhaps?

  6. 6.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    29%Bushwood Country Club

    I think a Judge Smails/Ted Baxter ticket would beat any of those proposed by Wrong Way.

    Clarence Thomas as a presidential candidate. The second dumbest thing Kristol ever said will always be an out-of-sight distance behind Everything He Said About Iraq, but this is stiff competition with “Steve, you really ought to think about the Governor of Alaska…” Of course, that is a thing that happened. The Thomas campaign never will.
    Then again, if you had asked me about Trump being the nominee even three months ago, I would have said that would never happen.

  7. 7.

    Peale

    So a candidate who the voters already passed up? And a senator probably indistinguishable from Ted Cruz?

  8. 8.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Major Major Major Major: I don’t know if Veep is on Hulu, but it’s worth a look, IMHO. Is the original Briish House of Cards still on Netflix? I think it’s fantastic, if you haven’t seen it.

  11. 11.

    Yutsano

    @MattF: Always room for improvement I say. Bonus infrastructure stimulus!

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I really would like to think sometimes Kristol is trolling, then I remember he’s still mightily convinced his shit never stinks.

  14. 14.

    trollhattan

    I’m really liking this Judge Garland fellow. Via the White House.

    I’ve been a public elementary school teacher for 29 years. In all that time, I’ve never known a more dedicated volunteer than Judge Merrick Garland.

    That’s why it was such a joy to see President Obama name him to serve on the Supreme Court.

    Now, as a teacher, I come across a lot of people who talk about putting children first. But Judge Garland is someone who puts his words into action.

    I met Judge Garland nearly 10 years ago when I started teaching at the same elementary school in D.C. where he volunteers. He wanted to find a way he could make the most impact on the lives of children in need, so he offered his time as a tutor.

    He came down to our school every other week, working one-on-one with students for an hour during the day to help them with reading, math, or any other lesson. After doing this week after week for 10 years, he’s now the longest serving volunteer tutor I’ve seen at this school.

    For me, this is about so much more than tutoring. It’s about our children having another adult in their lives who encourages them when they need it, supports them when they falter, and tells them to never give up on their dreams.

    I’ll tell you what I appreciate most about this man: He never asks for recognition, or fanfare. He just does what he committed to do. He even convinced some of his staff to volunteer too, so now we have a whole group of volunteers that come down from his office to help.

    Now, that’s character. I think our world would be a much better place if we had more people as committed to the idea of service as Judge Garland.

    Thank you for listening,

    Charlene

    Charlene Wilburn
    Washington, D.C.

    Am guessing Nino used to visit D.C. area orphanages to play rousing rounds of kick-the-waif.

  15. 15.

    sad

    Regardless of what you are thinking, their actions would stop “the election was stolen” response. And thereby undermine an excuse for an overthrow.
    So, mayby they’re trying to save democracy. Not the election.

  16. 16.

    Peale

    Also, too. Wouldn’t a cunning plan be sneaky, or do they not know that if we can hear them, Trump probably can, too?

  17. 17.

    trollhattan

    @Major Major Major Major: “Love” on Netflix has its moments, and I’m smitten by Gillian Jacobs. Paul Rust is an acquired taste, but cringe-worthy is always a challenge. The Aussie roommate has some memorable lines.

  19. 19.

    Yutsano

    @Amir Khalid: Republicans fall in line. Every. Single. Time. Even for Trump. They may not be saying so now, but he has a guaranteed 43-45% floor and just needs to work the margins in key states. It’s the working the margins part I see him struggling with mightily.

  20. 20.

    MattF

    @Yutsano: It’s been true in the past that elections are decided on the margins, but I’m not persuaded that’s true this time. Where are the margins, anyhow?

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    Checking this series of eBooks out from the library was going so well until I ran into yet another one that’s already checked out. Gah. At least I’m next in line for it.

  23. 23.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Yutsano: I can’t remember on whose blog I saw some speculation that Trump could put Georgia in play. I don’t know what numbers they were looking at, but I do remember from 2012 some people saying that GA was much more likely ‘purple’ state than Texas
    ETA: by which I mean to say that I agree about Trump’s floor on the popular vote, but I think the electoral votes might have a wider spread.

  24. 24.

    trollhattan

    @Yutsano:
    Pretty much, yup. Trump is a challenge to…uh…package and it’s not going to make any difference come November. Christmas ain’t coming early for the Republicans.

  25. 25.

    Timurid

    So…

    If people of color are your enemies
    If non-Christians are your enemies
    If gays are your enemies
    If most women are your enemies
    And now most straight white males are your enemies

    …you’re not a political party anymore. You’re a cabal.
    So I guess it’s time to crank up the earthquake machine or the ninja army or whatever.
    Because the options you have left within the system are jack and shit.

  28. 28.

    inventor

    The thing is: A third party run almost guarantees a Democrat will win the Presidency, but may not help down ticket Democrats. Whereas, a Trump nomination, without an “independent Republican” bid, may keep some Republican voters home and give coattails to the Democratic nominee.

  30. 30.

    Marc

    @Major Major Major Major: If you just want something for one night, I’d recommend “Three Days of the Condor’. A movie made in the classic style – what is set up in reel one, pays off in reel two – plus it is still a bit relevant today (unfortunately).

  32. 32.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @inventor: I would love to see the support they get running on, essentially, the Marco Rubio platform, tax cuts for the rich, ‘pro-life’ absolutism, turning back the clock on SSM, and reinvading Syriana.

  33. 33.

    Yutsano

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Texas can go purple if the Latino/minority vote starts showing up in numbers relative to their population. The fact that this hasn’t happened yet makes me wonder what all keeps that from happening other than the tangled web of familial relationships that can happen with citizens with family on both sides of the border. There’s other dynamics in Texas keeping that from happening now and I’m not familiar enough with them to figure out why. Some political scientist is probably missing on a PhD goldmine there.

    @MattF: There’s always 45% that is a reliable Dem/Rep split. Usually. This race could throw out all the records depending on who the nominees end up being. Except I don’t think Clinton is as weak as others think.

    @trollhattan: I’m pretty sure the RNC is looking at President and thinking it’s not gonna happen this year. I am pretty sure R PR BS is gonna be out of a job after this whole cycle is over and that if Trump is the nominee outright the downticket races are in YUUUUUGE trouble.

  34. 34.

    Major Major Major Major

    In honor of Trump rallies, tonight’s Mountain Goats song is “Fire Editorial.”

    Two blinded in Detroit!
    Something must be done
    Jaws dropping at ringside
    In the blood tide
    When the fireball hits

    Down Indiana way
    Make ’em check their guns
    Real tears when it’s over
    Smell the sulfur
    When the dark vault splits

    Lord of the hidden pocket knife
    Tawdry dreams all come to life
    Save yourselves
    Save this town, save everything not nailed down

    War in Ontario! Dead before the bell
    Crushed hopes of the young breed
    All the best bleed
    All the proud boys break

    Who will stand before the flood?
    Who will mop up all the blood?
    Who alone?
    Skin, bone, steel, stone
    Swim or drown
    Save this town, save everything not nailed down

  35. 35.

    Amir Khalid

    @MattF:
    With Trump as Republican nominee, who the fish knows if the party can even reach its usual mid-to-high-forties percentage, let alone get to fight for the margins? I don’t see den Donald convincing Americans that they need him to save them from Hillary. She’s running as the Democratic party’s safe-pair-of-hands candidate, after all, and the other way around looks far more likely.

    As for the third-party thing in the NYT story, considering Rick Perry to front a third-party campaign is pretty much the sort of brain fart one expects from Bill Kristol.

  38. 38.

    NickM

    I’m wondering what people here think about the anti-Trump protests. On the one hand, I’m glad that thousands of people are showing they’re not intimidated by fascists showing their true colors. I’m usually in favor of direct actions like strikes or protests. But I wonder in the current atmosphere if it energizes the fascists more, by allowing the chances for real hippie-punching followed by the media on cue doing even more metaphorical hippie-punching.

  39. 39.

    trollhattan

    @? Martin:
    I love those goofy, shrieky little deathtrap cars, even if the races themselves aren’t terribly dramatic. Bleeding-edge technology on display, only earthbound (mostly).

  41. 41.

    trollhattan

    @NickM:
    I’m for them, so long as they don’t “go rogue.” High time there was a vocal counter-narrative to the Trump rabble. The bulk of teabaggers were fair-weather shouters that quickly melted into the woodwork once the “fun” ended and the Trumpsters are basically the same folks.

  42. 42.

    Yutsano

    @NickM: My big worry: someone is going to get killed. And the media will turn themselves into the biggest Trump suck-ups you will ever see in your life to not lay the blame squarely with him. And it will STILL get him more votes because that’s what this base wants. I can’t see that ending well. Otherwise I’m squarely on the side of those who feel the need to protest.

  46. 46.

    RaflW

    There is no longer room for error or delay, the anti-Trump forces say, and without a flawlessly executed plan of attack, he could well become unstoppable.

    The only thing the GOP can do flawlessly, without error or delay, is fleece people. Since this effort actually requires planning, tactics, cunning, and effort, they are doomed to fail. The GOP hasn’t been able to govern in at least 16 years. Why can nobody in the press be bothered to put that together? (Yeah, I know the answer).

    ETA: And considering Rick Perry as the standard-bearer for an I.R., 3rd party run? Bwahahahaa.
    Like I said, they are doomed.

  49. 49.

    ? Martin

    @Mike J: Yeah, that was pretty ugly. Walks away unharmed – not surprised. F1’s most noble trait is their attention to safety.

    This race may have just come to Lewis.

  50. 50.

    patroclus

    I had never seen that Tom Coburn lesbian comment – thanks! What a bigoted douche!

    Peaceful protests are good things generally. And when Muslim-banning, millions-deporting, civilian-targeting, warmongering, Hispanic-demonizing, waterboarding, women’s freedom-destroying, immigrant-bashing, crypto-fascist blowhards are serious candidates for high office, it seems downright mandatory. The protestors, though, need to be careful to actually be peaceful and exercise free speech, rather than veering into violence.

  51. 51.

    ? Martin

    Oh right, they get to treat this as a stop. Well, Lewis is going to need to dig deep here.

  54. 54.

    Splitting Image

    @inventor:

    The thing is: A third party run almost guarantees a Democrat will win the Presidency, but may not help down ticket Democrats. Whereas, a Trump nomination, without an “independent Republican” bid, may keep some Republican voters home and give coattails to the Democratic nominee.

    Depends on how messy things get. If Cruz weren’t in the picture and everyone in the party establishment were coalescing around Kasich, I’d agree with you. If they are still squabbling in August over whether the anti-Trump should be a Real True Christian guy or a Chamber of Commerce guy (or worse, whether they should just fall in behind Trump), the rank and file aren’t going to know who to follow. At that point, conventional wisdom about where the Republican floor is goes out the window.

  56. 56.

    Keith P.

    Bushwood Country Club LOL!

    Remember when the GOP decided to front-load the process so their final candidate wouldn’t be mortally wounded going into the general election? Yeah, me too.

  57. 57.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Give it up, Hillary, you’ve lost Big Hollywood

    Hollywood ReporterVerified account
    ‏@ THR
    Scott Baio Endorses Donald Trump: “He Speaks Like I Speak

  60. 60.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    People may not know this, but Kristol is a midget.

    He’s tinier than Lil’ Marco.

    He just wouldn’t look good on a presidential stage. (photo)

  65. 65.

    CaseyL

    Contrariwise, I read another article today, can’t remember where (I got there via a link), that claimed the GOP’s congressional and donor cadres have reached the final stage of grief: talking about coalescing around Trump, not fighting him anymore since fighting him only makes him stronger.

    So the Kristol et al. “Republican leaders” are whistling past the graveyard. No one outside their stenographers in the MSM is taking them seriously.

    Which is a pity. A GOP bloodbath at the national convention would be the best thing ever.

  67. 67.

    James E Powell

    @trollhattan:

    I disagree, with respect. We really don’t need a counter-narrative. Trump isn’t persuading anyone; he’s just rallying the same brigades of bigots that every Republican since Reagan needed in order to compete in national elections.

    I think of the public protests as opportunities for bad things to happen.

  68. 68.

    Llelldorin

    @Major Major Major Major:

    If you want something about as far in tone from Sword Art Online as humanly possible, there’s always The Devil is a Part-Timer. The subtitling is pretty dubious on Netflix, though, compared to the Funimation stream.

  69. 69.

    akryan

    They must know that what they’re doing is just helping Trump. The more they attack him, the more it makes Trump supporters hunker down against the establishment. Every single attack ad may as well be an endorsement.

  70. 70.

    sinnedbackwards

    @Yutsano: I recall reading that if the eligible Hispanic electorate in Texas had turned out at the same % as in California, Obama would have lost in 2012 by 3 %. Chew on it.

    Thankfully, Pete Wilson, to secure a momentary advantage many years ago, secured not only a heavily Democratic Hispanic vote in California, but a highly participating, motivated one.

    Trump is Coyote’s gift to Democrats, Progressives, and America.

  71. 71.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Major Major Major Major: If you’re in the mood for anime and you want to see a common trope (the Magical Girl and cute mascot) taken round the corner and given the wall-to-wall beating it so obviously deserves then Magical Madoka should be right up your street.

    Comparisons between Trump and a Certain Character in the story are coincidental.

  72. 72.

    craigie

    leading conservatives are prepared to field an independent candidate in the general election, to defend Republican principles

    I honestly have no idea what these “principles” might be, or where they have been hiding them these several decades.

  73. 73.

    Frank Wilhoit

    Anyone who could be put forward would have to be Trump, Now With Less Trump: in other words, all of the issues, less of the personality.

    It has to be someone from the Congressional Party, because they are the ones who are really running the show.

    So the choice depends on what the Top Issue is imagined to be. If it is immigration, then Steve King. If it is Hillary, then Trey Gowdy. If it is Christian Dominion, then…hmm. I’m not sure who. But I don’t think Christian Dominion is the Top Issue.

    But here is one thing for sure. The next time you hear anyone talking about “throwing the election into the House”, do this. Prepare in advance by getting 538 of those little round ornamental aquarium rocks, one for each vote in the Electoral College. Put them in a soft but resilient bag. Now comes the very important part: take out one rock for each electoral vote that Ross Perot got. Then tie the bag medium tight and whoever it was who talked about throwing the election into the House, hit them in the back of the neck with it.

  75. 75.

    TriassicSands

    If GOP elite creates a third party to run against Trump, what will it be called?

    The Republiklan Party? Or maybe just the Klan. A tight-knit group of like-minded racists.

    Or they could look back in history and revive the famous No Nothing Party. A perfect fit. And millions of Americans would immediately identify with that name.

  76. 76.

    feebog

    @sinnedbackwards:

    I recall reading that if the eligible Hispanic electorate in Texas had turned out at the same % as in California, Obama would have lost in 2012 by 3 %.

    I have a young friend who is quite active in Voto Latino. They work very hard to get young latinos registered and involved. They are aiming to increase the already considerable influence of latinos in the California Democratic Party.

  77. 77.

    maryQ

    I sincerely wish them great luck, and hope that they succeed in splitting off the overt racists from the people that just thought it was fun to feed red meat to the racists for fifty years while restructuring the tax code in their favor and dismantling the New Deal.
    President Clinton. This time, without banging the interns. Has a nice ring to it.

  80. 80.

    karen marie

    When I read Kristol’s tweet, I assumed he was trying to be funny. He’s serious? OMG, he (and those who take him seriously) have jumped the shark.

  83. 83.

    maryQ

    We do understand, don’t we, that these folks are not in it to win it. They actually know that they are doomed. This Independent Republican nonsense is not about electing the next President. It is about keeping Trump from winning without having to vote for Hilary. After all of the nonsense they have spewed about The Clintons and Democrats in general, even if they don’t believe half of it, they can’t tell people to vote for Clinton. So by running a sacrificial “Independent Republican” who THEY KNOW WILL NOT WIN, they can prevent a Trump presidency without having to admit to anyone that they know damn well that Hilary Clinton will be a good President.

  84. 84.

    PWhite

    Once Trump changes the name of the GOP to the name of the party his platform descends from-the Know Nothings-the new party can just call itself the Republican Party.

    Of course, I would prefer that name be held over for philosophical descendants of Lincoln and TR.

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