Why Donald Trump Dropped the Ball in Iowa

vanity | February 2, 2016 | Nathan Bedford

[ilgipper]

I think you have it about right. In the final two weeks before Iowa, he re-allied himself with the Washington establishment figures and trashed the most bold conservative in Washington. A guy conservatives have rallied around. Going on offense against Cruz is expected. The vitriol of nastiness and the attacks matching the left/GOPe was enough to change the entire story about Trump. He proved for the moment he is not one of us, but rather one of them. He’s still in position to make a run, but if he had taken a different course in the final weeks, he could have won and been nearly inevitable.

[LibFreeUSA]

-"I’m not sure Trump actually wants to be president."

What is giving you doubts?

[CA Conservative]

Like Huckabee and Santorum, before Cruz, all three candidates came out of Iowa with a win but no strong foundation in the upcoming states.

You really need to do more research before commenting. There have been many articles talking about the level of Cruz's infrastructure in the upcoming states. He even has a strong organization in California, which is the last primary of the season. Of all of the candidates, Cruz is the one who has spent the most time and effort laying the foundation for a strong GOTV in all of the primary states at least through March 15th.

[cornfedcowboy]

I am concerned that Trump might appear a loser.

[MEG33]

Amen

[Political Junkie Too]

Like all narcissists rookies he abandoned his friends and betrayed his supporters immediately it was more profitable to seduce a new group of potential friends, supporters and voters.

That's a little harsh for a close second place, don't you think?

In keeping with your analogy, I fixed it for you.

-PJ

[ConservativeWarrior]

How do I get into the Cruz-dementia club?

Is a disbelief of reality required? Then never mind.

Trump came within 1 delegate of Cruz with very little effort and money. It’s all coasting for him from here.

[taxcontrol]

I am a Cruz supporter.

He got one extra delegate. All the “votes” don’t count towards the nomination, only delegates. One more delegate out of the 1,200+ needed for the nomination.

Trump got 7 delegates, Rubio got 7 delegates,

For Cruz it was a slightly favorable TIE.

[Colofornian]

Iowa was a three way tie. Cruz got 8 delegates, Trump 7 and Rubio got 7. Cruz didn’t win, and Trump nor Rubio lost. It was a tie.

ALL: If the Broncos beat the Panthers by a point in the SuperBowl, I'd be wary of Taxcontrol's potential posting that the game was a "tie."

[richardtavor]

I remind everyone that the best dealmaker ever was Satan. It didn’t work out well for mankind. Trump’s bromance with Carl Icahn says a lot. For those who have never had dealings with or against Icahn, he is just as ruthless as Gordon Gecko in the movie “Wall Street.” I have many friends that had their careers destroyed by him, and not because they were bad companies, but because he just decided he had to have them, and carve them up like turkeys and sell the parts...Icahn was the consummate model for the ‘Hostile Takeover’. Perhaps some feel like in order to win, we must sacrifice everything to do so. I understand that business model, but I do not agree with it. If that is the person that Trump heralds, watch out. Conservatism will win out in the long run.

[Colofornian]

I am concerned that Trump might appear a loser.

A candidate should represent his constituency well. So what better way to represent l_ _ _ _ s?

[zerosix]

Not all NYers Love Trump. I know a few and claim Trump doesn’t speak for them - maybe his upper East Siders but again not all.

[Wilderness Conservative]

I just thought Trump lost because Iowa picks losers.

[Alas Babylon!]

And proved he could withstand the worst sh!+storm flung at him in any primary contest ever.

Hyperbole much?

Seriously, though, what are you comparing this to? There have been many, many contests in the past. This one is mild compared to the Adams-Jefferson battles of the campaign of 1796!

[Colofornian]

Trump started to betray conservatives before he had even won a single vote.

This, of course, assumes he was committed/loyal to any conservative cause to begin with.

* He was openly pro-abortion 1999-2011.
* He ran with the gambling industry in Atlantic City before bankrupting himself & many investors.
* He said in 2000 that Republicans were wrong on gun related issues.
* He said in 2000 he was in favor of universal healthcare.
(IoW, to know the "real" Trump just hit the rewind button 15-16 years)

[sickoflibs]

RE:”Not all NYers Love Trump. I know a few and claim Trump doesn't speak for them - maybe his upper East Siders but again not all.”

If it wasn't for Trump on Sept 11 the Empire State building would have been next.

And the Brooklyn Bridge.

It was his Speech at ground zero that calmed down the survivors....his leadership...NYC values

[PGalt]

Interesting analysis; thread.

HOORAY Trump
HOORAY Cruz

[zerosix]

glad to hear that i thought it was mostly Rudy but glad to hear he and Pataki weren’t the only New Yorkers!

[Dr. Sivana]

It was a better bang for his buck compared to Cruz who spend 2 years and huge amounts of money for 4 percent win.

In a way, Trump has spent 30 years developing and projecting a persona that gave him a huge head start in name recognition. People already know who Donald Trump is, outaside of wonks like us and our nemeses at DU and maybe high-information voters in Texas, Ted Cruz was an unknown.

Trump's persona earned him unbelieveable gobs of free media exposure, mostly positive, at least to anti-Obama, anti-establishment types.

Trump has also framed the debate, forcing a spotlight on illegal immigration, which Pat Buchanan and Tom Tancredo failed in doing, and Bush, McCain and Romney had no interest in doing. So in that way, he is already a winner. He has tied John Ellis Bush in particular and the Establishment/consultant class generally in knots.

Despite the friction in the time before the caucus, I (a Cruz supporter) appreciate that Trump created breathing room for Cruz to succeed, and has also helped create a media environment where if Cruz fights back, he's not the only one, because Trump does it louder and has the means to hurt his opponents that Cruz does not have, because Cruz did not invest 30 years in building that persona.

Trump is not my first choice, but I do believe he loves our country, and the election is better thanks to his role in it.

[napscoordinator]

In some way you are right as far as exposure but Iowa was a tough sell for Donald Trump even with notoriety. I actually think this is good. With Hillary expecting a coronation, I actually thought that Trump was going to get one to and that really isn't good. So now Trump has to work for the nomination instead of it being handed to him. I think that is good for everyone. If Trump would have won last night, the primary would have been over and really the more debates and especially answers that Trump will have to give will just make him stronger in the end which is good for all of us.