Posted on 10/20/2016 8:51:19 PM PDT by upchuck
A wave of apprehension and anguish swept the Republican Party on Thursday, with many GOP leaders alarmed by Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the outcome of the election and concluding that it is probably too late to salvage his flailing presidential campaign.
As the Republican nominee reeled from a turbulent performance in the final debate here in Las Vegas, his party’s embattled senators and House members scrambled to protect their seats and preserve the GOP’s congressional majorities against what Republicans privately acknowledge could be a landslide victory for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
With 19 days until the election, the Republican Party is in a state of historic turmoil, encapsulated by Trump’s extraordinary debate declaration that he would leave the nation in “suspense” about whether he would recognize the results from an election he has claimed will be “rigged” or even “stolen.”
The immediate responses from GOP officials were divergent and vague, with no clear strategy on how to handle Trump’s threat. The candidate was defiant and would not back away from his position, telling a roaring crowd Thursday in Ohio that he would accept the results “if I win” — and reserving his right to legally challenge the results should he fall short.
For seasoned Republicans who have watched Trump warily as a general-election candidate, the aftermath of Wednesday’s debate brought a feeling of finality.
“The campaign is over,” said Steve Schmidt, a Trump critic and former senior strategist on George W. Bush’s and John McCain’s presidential campaigns.
Calling a refusal to accept the election results “disqualifying,” Schmidt added: “The question is, how close will Clinton get to 400 electoral votes? She’ll be north of 350, and she’s trending towards 400 — and the trend line is taking place in very red states like Georgia, Texas and Arizona.”
Who is that guy?
Newspaper industry is dying... ‘cause they fought for ‘prizes’ rather than the respect of their readers’... That said, considering how much the Washington Post hates conservatives we’re all charmed by their great ‘concern’...
Wasting his money?? The amount of money Jeff Bezos spent to buy the Washington Post is analogous to you blowing a wad of cash you found in an old pair of pants.
AMEN
Washington Post, of course.
If I might offer a small caveat: yes, the GOP in Congress, otherwise known as part of The Oligarchy, has been feckless. That does not discount the efforts of a few bright lights such as Gowdy, Cruz, Chaffetz, etc. I would like to see these bright lights encouraged. I would happily eliminate the “go-along-to-get-along” leadership if only to see these few brave constitutionalists prosper.
For what?
What on earth does anyone need a Republican congress for?
I like the way you are thinking.
GOP isn’t working with Trump now, nor are they working with their own base now.
They are working against both.
What makes you think that they are all of a sudden going to change their ways if Trump is elected?
He better not concede no matter what!
Those “Bright lights you mention” did NOTHING.
They didn’t even lift a finger to do anything other than pretend like they were doing something.
Their record of actual achievement = 0.
Oh wait, I’m wrong, sorry, they funded the Democrat agenda.
But outside of that, 0.
I’ve seen this referred to several times over the years. I believe it to be true.
Steve Schidt is a world class campaign loser.
Pray America wakes
Um... To Repeal ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank? To abolish the CFPB? To reform the tax code? To appoint conservative justices? To rebuild the military? To team up with Russia and destroy ISIS?
Read the Constitution. The American president does not rule by decree. He needs congress!
If Trump wins, and the GOP loses the congress, then, for the next two years, Trump's persuasion skills will meet their ultimate test. Can he talk over the heads of congress and the MSM and persuade the people to throw the bums out in 2018 and give him a congress he can work with? Will the American people be that patient? Or will they give up and go gimmee Progressive, making Trump a one-termer?
I worry about the polls and the soundness of the American voters after electing Obama twice, but if the reason people aren’t voting for Trump is because he says the system is rigged and he’s going to wait and see how election goes, that is simply stupid on the part of some and malevolent on the part of the hysteria mongers. Why should one say in advance one would accept results regardless of what level of fraud that actually occurs? And Democrats like Gore didn’t accept the 2000 results. People are dumb.
Unwise to throw Congressional seats to the Dems. Have a sense of proportion.
Those things would be lovely, but I have no idea at all why you think a Republican congress would do anything of the sort.
I further have no idea why you think that a Republican congress would work with Trump in any way or do anything that their base thinks they will do or expects them to do.
Here’s what I think is going to happen.
The media is going to take every opportunity to manufacture outrage and tempests in a teapot against Trump, just as they have attempted to do since the day he announced and have continued to do through last night in saying that he committed political suicide at the debate.
And as soon as the sniveling, scurrying rats of congress, Democrat and Republican, think that enough outrage has been generated, they will turn on him just as they did with the grab ‘em by the pussy audio tape, only this time they will impeach him and remove him from office.
And to be quite frank, the only way that doesn’t happen is if we march up there real angry like and stop them.
If we succeed in electing Trump, we are going to be at war with our own government for the foreseeable future, and it is not going to be pretty.
They do not want to give up power. It is going to have to be taken from them.
You have a very astute analysis of the current political situation.
Translation: We at the Compost are bracing for a Trump victory and can’t even claim it was rigged!
A Republican congress may be worthless, but consider a Democrat congress instead.
And as soon as the sniveling, scurrying rats of congress, Democrat and Republican, think that enough outrage has been generated, they will turn on him just as they did with the grab ‘em by the pussy audio tape, only this time they will impeach him and remove him from office.
Trump will handle them. They'll be thankful they're still in office and will be willing to work with the new president. He's not worth $10b because he doesn't know how to work with people. The Washington slime are more malleable than you think. And Trump knows how to handle them.
The point is to give him the best possible odds. And that requires keeping Democrats out of power to the extent possible.
As a voter, the way you do that is to hold your nose and vote straight Republican!
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