The GOP Primary: The Good, the Bad, and the Annoying

Townhall.com ^ | December 21, 201 | Kurt Schlichter

[Kaslin]

The blobby Republican primary field is finally beginning to take shape, but sadly that shape is a mushroom cloud. For Donald Trump and his fans, that's a metaphor that refers to a nuclear explosion. You people seem to think that knowing about H-bomb stuff means you are part of the Great GOP Establishment Conspiracy.

This is the week we learned that knowing about the nuclear triad is unnecessary. You only have to know that "nuclear, the power, the devastation, is very important…."

I was in Vegas for the debate, and the main takeaway is that it's better to watch it at home. Besides the obvious fact that you can't switch over to a Gilligan's Island rerun every time Kasich opens up his sanctimony hole, you can't get a drink at the theater. A GOP debate is 1000 percent less interesting without cabernet. The second is that anything their hero says causes high-pitched shrieks of delight from Rand Paul's supporters. Both of them.

Yes, it's time to start culling the herd. With nine candidates on stage for the main debate (I didn't attend the kiddie table debate partly because I didn't want to and partly because I had something better to do which involved blackjack), you don't get to hear enough from the people you want to hear from and you hear too much from the people you don't want to hear from. In the case of Ted Cruz, you hear too much from the guy you want to hear more from.

I like Ted Cruz I gave him money and after the debate attended a small fundraiser for him at a private home in my town. He's the closest thing to the guy I'd be supporting if I had picked someone yet. He started out his campaign off-putting to normal people (as lawyers usually are) and has worked hard to be more of a calm, pleasant, and funny family man than the monstrous caricature the media has tried to sketch. But he's got a ways to go. Did you know he went to Harvard Law? Well, like any other Harvard Law grad, if you listen to him for 30 seconds, you will. You can have a Harvard Law grad doing a closing argument on the most insignificant rear-ender whiplash case and it'll go something like, "And the evidence shows that Mr. Smith's car went through the red light, a red light not unlike the one just outside Harvard Law School, which I attended."

Cruz is brilliant, and the problem is that he talks at people like he's a brilliant guy. Not "with." "At." When he kept filibustering through the buzzers and Wolf Blitzer's pleas, most of the audience was stifling the urge to yell, "Be quiet it's Kasich's turn to talk!" Yeah, it was “Let Kasich talk" bad. Lawyer to lawyer, Ted, less talking, more listening.

But what Cruz says is pretty good. The big concern out there is that he's a neo-isolationist, but he can cure any confusion about that with the eight words all conservatives long to hear: "My Secretary of State will be John Bolton!" Then he should add, "And my UN ambassador will be Richard Grennell!" This will make conservatives seek a cigarette and cuddling, while the liberal head explosions it will cause would qualify these statements as the fourth leg of the Triad.

In contrast, Marco Rubio said (eloquently) stuff that may very well end his campaign. He spent a long time discussing laudable goals about border security and so forth, but the punchline was that, in the end, illegal aliens are going to get to become citizens. Talk about tone deaf; a huge part of what initially fueled Trump was the fact that as much as the GOP establishment inexplicably loves the suicidal idea of turning lawbreakers into 11 million new Democrats, actual Republican voters are just not down with it.

I could support Rubio his foreign policy is solid and polls consistently show him best situated to beat that sexual abuser-enabling libfascist harridan. But until he says, "Let me be unequivocal: No illegal alien will ever become a U.S. citizen unless he goes home and starts the immigration process over," he's not getting my primary vote. Nor, I suspect, will he get many others.

Rubio is the new Jeb, at least in the minds of some. Where Trumpkins used to respond to any criticism of The Donald with accusations that you are shilling for GOPe posterboy Jeb, now it's that you're shilling for GOPe posterboy Marco. But Marco isn't Jeb. Marco beat on Trump. Trump, in turn, beat on Jeb. Jeb's gone from terrible to just sad. Trump swatted him away like Marmaduke punting the Taco Bell Chihuahua with his massive paw. Why is Jeb still putting himself through this humiliation? To quote Private Hudson, “Game over, man, game over.”

Christie had a generally good night, not that it's going to help. He has a terrific way of ignoring the people on stage with him and talking directly to the audience. Unfortunately, when the audience looks back it sees him hugging Barack Obama. And that's something a conservative just can't unsee.

Rand Paul used to have a point, adding some libertarian color to the party. But his original foreign policy was essentially unserious, and his current turn toward a more muscular assertion of American leadership is unconvincing. You get the impression Rand really wants to be talking about the menace of chemtrails.

Carly Fiorina is continuing her run for vice president and I wish her well. Ben Carson remains a great doctor and a wonderful man, but voters are moving on. And John Kasich is still in the toilet; he had a bad night on stage and off because he is still annoying including to donors.

And then there's Donald Trump. Now he's playing footsie with dictators. His followers think that it's brilliant diplomacy to allow himself to be flattered into submission by a KGB thug trained in deception and disinformation. I think it's a dammed embarrassment.

In the end, I expect one of the Cuban-Americans to win the nomination it's inconceivable that Republicans will offer Donald Trump as their candidate for a position requiring him to have his short fingers hovering over The Button. But then, in Trump's favor, Hillary considers at least half of all Americans her enemy. In fact, this is in everyone on that stage's favor. This woman is a monster whose combination of stupidity, greed, and venom means a Hillary Clinton presidency could literally tear this country apart. So at the end of the day we Republicans need to get serious and get down to the business at hand beating her.

[MNJohnnie]

After 27 years of Bush/Clinton/Bush/Obama wanting to play “Emperor of Earth” from the Oval Ofice perhaps a little America 1st from the next President might be a good thing.

[House Atreides]

I think that Kurt woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Plus, he likely lost at blackjack and that put him in a bad mood.

[skeeter]

This woman is a monster whose combination of stupidity, greed, and venom means a Hillary Clinton presidency could literally tear this country apart. So at the end of the day we Republicans need to get serious and get down to the business at hand beating her.

[Liz]

Cruz' problem is that he loves the sound of his voice. The debate audience exercised admirable self-control by not screaming "shut up, already" as he ignored the buzzers and the moderators frantic signals to give someone else a chance to speak.

Showboating....that's what led to the humiliating defeat of Boehner's second Eric Levin.

If you didn't know Cruz graduated Harvard Law, just wait a second....and he'll repeat it again, and again, and again. Seems he looked in the mirror on graduation day and saw a president looking back at him.

He seems to be forever gloating about being a Canadian Latino running w/ the big guys.

[Hugin]

“I could support Rubio his foreign policy is solid and polls consistently show him best situated to beat that sexual abuser-enabling libfascist harridan.”

Sorry, supporting the McCain-Hillary plan to turn Libya and Syria over to jihadists, and start a war with Russia while we’re at it is not “solid” foreign policy. Frankly it scares the hell out of me. As Trump said, “Tough and stupid, that’s the worst”.

[House Atreides]

I see you included some of your fellow anti-Cruz jihadists in your post’s addressees. I guess it’s time for the jihadists to get out of bed and the jihad against Cruz to begin a new week?

[Liz]

Tough and stupid, thats the worst. (Donald Trump quotable)

[libbylu]

Funny, I don’t remember Cruzever saying Harvard. I bet he has been planning on being POTUS since age 12,13. I think he will.
This is the dude who wrote the article about trump, girlfriend not who you want to marry. I saw him on CNN debate day.
My favorite takeaway:
His followers think that it’s brilliant diplomacy to allow himself to be flattered into submission by a KGB thug trained in deception and disinformation. I think it’s a dammed embarrassment.

[Flintlock]

“THE TRIAD”—?????

Is THAT all ya got????

(And BTW—NOBODY—wants any more Mexicans here. NOT even the Mexicans already here.)

[Flintlock]

“THE TRIAD”—?????

Is THAT all ya got????

(And BTW—NOBODY—wants any more Mexicans here. NOT even the Mexicans already here.)

[Liz]

Nice piece by Schlichter....his only error is dissing Putin’s observations on Trump.

While Christians worldwide are being massacred....just b/c they are Christins.... and Donald Trump has stepped up to be counted ......we need to understand that Putin is the only one w/ power who is defending Christians against radical Islamic terrorism.

[Liz]

Cruz and Rubio should be disqualified out of the race----besides being consistently annoying----and b/c of their birthplace.

----Article II, Section 1 of the united States Constitution. No person except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.

[Duchess47]

Thank you. Count me as another who agrees with you. Neither one is a natural born citizen.

[skeeter]

They probably believe they’re changing minds with their tedious postings.

[Night Hides Not]

After 27 years of Bush/Clinton/Bush/Obama wanting to play "Emperor of Earth" from the Oval Ofice perhaps a little America 1st from the next President might be a good thing.

Although Cruz is at the top of my short list, I can think of no better way of giving the finger to the Uniparty than electing Donald Trump POTUS.

There is no #3 for me.

[MNJohnnie]

Mega dittos!

[Yosemitest]

CRUZ in contrast with Marco Rubio:

TED CRUZ STOOD WITH Jeff Sessions and Steve King,
while Marco Rubio stood with Barack Obama and Chuck Schemer !

They can't stop CRUZ.
Source:

... Cruz even indicated he would back deporting those who came here illegally -- another proposal he has usually rebuffed.

"I would enforce the law," Cruz said, explaining that he would first deport criminals without proper papers.
"Federal immigration law provides that
if someone is here illegally and is apprehended,
that they should be sent back to their home country."

Cruz has recently begun stressing that he believes the number of undocumented immigrants would decrease with strict border enforcement.
...

"The only people I'm under fire from are reporters who want to throw rocks," Cruz said in Harlan.
"Once we've demonstrated that we can solve the problem, then we can have a conversation about what to do about whatever people remain illegally."

The Rubio campaign ...
"He has attempted to muddy the waters," Cruz said on the stage. "Where there was a battle over amnesty
and some chose, like Sen. Rubio to stand with Barack Obama and Chuck Schemer
and support a massive amnesty plan.
Others chose to stand with Jeff Sessions and Steve King and the American people
and secure the border."

[Redleg Duke]

I watched Kurt on Fox News. He has to be one of the premier assholes on Fox, and that is saying something!

[Redleg Duke]

I watched Kurt on Fox News. He has to be one of the premier assholes on Fox, and that is saying something!