I love the idea of character traits as something to "advance" rather than "have".
Addressing Trump's controversial past statements about women, Baker writes, "Houston, we have a problem."
"Candidates shouldn't go near this ground other than to say that your wife or daughter is offended by what Trump said," Baker adds. "We do not want to re-engage the 'war on women' fight."
Interesting that they recognize they've been taking damage on that one. And yet, their base loves that fight.
I could see Trump going all the way if there was a significant terrorist attack in the weeks leading up to the election.
The thing about primaries is that there are a whole bunch of little election. Maybe they're all clustered this time?
I love that first quote.
"Trump has risen because voters see him as authentic, independent, direct, firm, -- and believe he can't be bought," Baker writes. .. "So we need to buy a candidate who can fake that really well."
Candidates shouldn't go near misogyny except to define women as wives and children. Got it.
Via Emerson, elsewhere, it's really jarring the extent to which all republican handwringing about Trump is centered on the belief that he is likely to lose (badly) in a general election. If they thought he could win, they'd have no problem with him. In fact, you often get the sense that he would be enthusiastically supported in that case.
8
In the case of the NRO, it's also a grudge match. They have called Trump a witless baboon, and he has made fun of Jonah Goldberg for being an incompetent ninny. Even avoiding a "Hitlery Clinton" catastrophe, a Trump presidency it would be a long 4/8 years for them.
Has any candidate in the modern era campaigned like Trump? From the snippets of his stump speeches you see on the news/blogs/comedy shows etc he seems to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy on petty feuds or whatever's caught his attention recently. Does he actually have a regular speech or does he just ramble on for an hour about his grievances?
he has made fun of Jonah Goldberg for being an incompetent ninny.
Well, you know about stopped clocks being right twice a day.
10: I'm torn between saying that it's still the silly season, and going back to my previous theory that Trump's popularity is so obvious that it's only surprising no one tried this strategy before. I'm certain that Mark Zuckerberg or a Walton could run a similar campaign if they wanted to and it would be doing as well or even better.
gingrich had so much more raw charisma, though. relatively.