Posted on 09/19/2015 7:56:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Republican presidential contest has taken many twists and turns through 2015, but one theme appears to be a constant, driving the dynamics of the race. GOP primary voters want an outsider, not a politician who currently holds, or who has ever held elected office. That point was reiterated after the Wednesday debates, when post-debate polls showed that Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, three candidates who have never held elected office, were in first, second and third place respectively. Combined they had won the allegiance of 58 percent of GOP voters, while none of the elected officials could do better than single digit support.
The narrative repeats itself over and over. Even when the deck is shuffled, and the lead changes hands, outsiders carry the day. A post-debate Voter gravity poll found Carly Fiorina passing Donald Trump in New Hampshire, but even as the top position switched hands, the poll still revealed that none of the Republicans who have held office could gain any traction. Fiorina, Trump and Carson were still leading the charge.
The Republican Party has spent the better part of the last decade conditioning GOP voters to hate the government. They have used anti-government rhetoric, sometimes with devastating effect, to win races against Democrats.
By casting Washington as the villain, and Democrats as the party of “big government”, Republicans were able to score decisive victories across the nation in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections. The Republican Party was less successful in the higher turnout 2012 presidential election, but they have nevertheless been able to stir up anti-government sentiment well enough to win both houses of Congress and to control most state legislatures. They also have won most of the Governor’s races over the past several election cycles.
The strategy, however, has proved double-edged for those Republicans running for president, who currently hold or have previously held elected office. Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, have become victims of their own success. The three men have built their political careers on attacking Washington and now that they have so thoroughly discredited the institution they serve in, they are the ironic victims of their own anti-Washington rhetoric.
Republican Governors and ex-Governors aren’t faring any better. While most of the GOP’s anti-government rhetoric has been aimed at the federal government, the average voter doesn’t necessarily make a clear distinction between state and federal authority. In their minds, if government is bad, it must all be bad.
As a consequence, a lot of Republicans who won election by capitalizing on anti-government messages are now reaping what they have sown. Republican voters have internalized their message to the point that it has rendered many of the original messengers virtually un-electable. Although Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul may never see the inside of the White House, they should be proud of themselves. They built this.
The Republicrats don’t act like the losing party when we ask them to act against the Demicans, they act like the COLLUSION PARTY.
Wonder if this leftist personally knows Conservatives
I think (or maybe just wishful thinking) there are a lot of Democrats that feel the same way and are supporting Trump who at this point are not even being counted... all their polls ask are Bernie or Hillary...
I keep hearing people complaining about not being able to understand their normally true blue mom or uncle or whoever supporting Trump...
I keep saying its not a Democrat or Republican thing, that instead, its a politician thing, Washington is what is broken... Maybe more Democrats, Republicans and Independents agree with that than I realized.
Guess you got me. You're so right. How stupid of me. All those millions of billionaires out there. Aren't they horrible people? Stealing from the common man to build their dynasties. Damned capitalist bastards. Bet you voted for Jerry Brown. And Obama. Once? Or twice? I'm betting twice. And you'd probably give him a third term if you could. You know, you really oughtta change your screen name to Lurker. Think it fits you to a tee.
Super-majorities are meaningless once you have a functional uniparty in power. The 2-party system is dead in America. The paradigm is outdated. The Congress we have is a gross dysfunctionality which has by design ceded all its constitutionally-granted authority to the Presidency and the Supreme Court. The “patriots” you speak of are all suborned and compromised once they reach Congress, which is when they get their “real” marching orders. And those have nothing to do with the voters.
GOPe has even LESS idea how to handle a problem like Maria...sorry could’nt resist to parody song from Sound of Music...I mean Trump.
Are these conservative principles?
1. TPA
2. Corker Bill “yea” vote
3. H1B visas by 500%
But I sympathize with Cruz on these items. He only did it because of pressure applied by rich donors. We really need to get money out of politics.
I have to disagree with the assumption that NO GOP person who is currently in office can now get elected.
Cruz just logged his latest $1 million .. just since the debate.
You can’t raise that kind of money if you are not saying what the public wants to hear - and you mean it.
See tagline.
I’ve been here 15 years. Hardly Lurking.
Suggestion: Respond without making an a$$ of yourself.
He has a 96% CR rating. I believe only Mike Lee is higher.
I don’t agree with every vote, but it’s difficult to find any politician whose every vote and every decision you will agree with.
And re: Corker. The real problem now is they are refusing to abide by it. Thanks, McConnell.
A friend likened America to the kid in an abusive family. Every two years, mom says “I’m not gonna let your dad keep beating you.” And the kid says “OK, mom.” This year, the kid figured out mom is an enabler and will never do anything to stop the beatings. Some of that realization is slopping over onto good folks like Cruz. And some of it is boosting folks who will immediately become enablers if they held the presidency.
Don’t be silly. The left knows exactly what is going on - they invented it (see the Rise of Obama) and are driving this whole thing via their media control - witness how they drove the last debate. They want a so-called outsider to face them in the general where they will win big over the neophyte Republican.
Which one of the three neophytes has a clue about how to run a local, state, or national campaign? Which one is prepared to go against the Hillary machine which is even now attempting to change voting patterns across the country to favor the Dems?
The three neophytes are nothing more than snake oil sales people - they’ve got great rhetoric, but after that its all downhill.
All the hoopla around them sounds a lot like the last two Presidential election where many Republicans and erstwhile conservatives voted for Obama on the hope and change/he’s black factors.
They are just as clueless as the RNC/GOPe on the matter - but the facade must be maintained.
So who was the source of those contributions? Care to find out?
Okay. So you aren’t a “Lurker”. Instead you’ve been an admitted agent in place for the past fifteen years. Care to defend your hit-and-run comment on billionaires? I didn’t think so. You’d rather bloviate about your favorite subject: You. And trash other Freepers with your barely-disguised profanity. Nice work Mr. California.
Keith Brekhus is clueless. He acts that the anti-government appeal was a false narrative made up to get votes and that the public has no reason to hate the government.
Of course, the left cannot win without false narratives, so maybe they assume there is not such thing as a true narrative.
Surely ye jest.
Nope.
I heard Boohoo on the radio this week lamenting that since Obama will veto any bill he doesn’t like, they won’t even bother to vote on one.
Cowards!
I want to see Trump deal with these whiners. That would be hilarious!
When they refuse to send him anti-illegal immigration legislation, you can bet he’ll go on a TV interview and name all the congressmen that won’t cooperate.
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