The Iowa Establishment’s Unprincipled Effort to Save its Precious Caucus From Ted Cruz

National Review ^ | January 25, 2016 | David French

[Hawthorn]

>> once the establishment is "defeated" they will consume Trump <<

I don't think they'll need to "consume" him, because Trump is already an establishment member in good standing, wherein he holds the position of Court Jester.

I mean, how can a thrice-married billionaire from Manhattan, who has an Ivy-league degree and who hob-nobs with the Clintons, claim to be an outsider? If you believe he is, then the joke's on you.

Anyway, I suspect that if he should be elected, Don's current "conservative" positions will be dismissed as quickly as somebody who gets fired on The Apprentice -- in which case the joke's on all of us.

[5thGenTexan]

Did I say local nonprofits? Did I say publicly traded corporations? No, I said politicians. And I said private parties.

Trump's companies are not running for President. And Trump's companies' nonprofit donations ar not being discussed or questions. The data being discussed are Donald Trump's personal political contributions, as defined by the FEC.

[5thGenTexan]

And Trump has made it very clear he is a Republican. So he falls into your all group.

[kevao]

Yes, but when Tom Sowell, Brent Bozell and Andy McCarthy do it, it's called "Trump bashing."

The problem is, these three, plus the other 19 from the NRO article, are extremely selective about whose past they'll delve into. Selective to the point of dereliction.

Where was such analysis of Romney in 2012 or McCain in 2008? Where were these guys you mentioned back then?

The NRO22, by "vetting" Trump in 2016 after not just ignoring, but inventing Romney's and McCain's conservative bona-fides, have revealed themselves as charlatans.

[Hawthorn]

>> Where was such analysis of Romney in 2012 or McCain in 2008? <<

Totally irrelevant. Two wrongs (or three wrongs) never make a right.

[kevao]

Totally irrelevant to you perhaps, but not to their credibility. Overlook their disingenuousness if you wish. But I’m not going to be told how to vote by a cabal of hypocrites who not long ago advocated for “conservatives” the likes of Romney and McCain.

[IC Ken]

Re>And Trump has made it very clear he is a Republican. So he falls into your all group

He has my vote that is for sure. I would vote for Cruz over Hillary or Sanders. If the bazaar happened I could vote for Jeb over Hillary but would need to be medicated first.

[jwalsh07]

I asked that same question here over the weekend and never got a reply. My reply is that they are equally culpable.

[entropy12]

Wrong conclusion. The GOP establishment sees the hand writing on the wall. (Trump+Cruz) > (all others combined).

So they are choosing what they think is lesser of the two evils, Trump & Cruz. They hate Cruz even more than Trump.

[x]

The complaint in the past was that Iowa winners didn't go anywhere nationally -- Huckabee, Santorum, etc -- so it wasn't a good barometer for the rest of the country.

Now that's supposed to have been a plus?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Silly, DT has always floated with the wind. His only core principal is self promotion.

Has he held office though. Has he actively worked with Democrats on supporting leftist policies that are destroying this country now, as Republicans have done for the past 50+ years.

[i_robot73]

But, then how will the candidates be able to pander to each State as they seek election? /I 1/2 joke

Long as the primaries aren’t like the general and we get 7-day voting, 365 absentee voting, etc. Rife for fraud and nary a care in the world that is exists.