Posted on 03/29/2016 2:21:34 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Plenty of buzz about this last night, especially among anti-Trumpers struck by the coincidence of Trump superfan Newt criticizing him publicly on the same day that an even bigger superfan, Ann Coulter, called Trump mental in an interview. (Matt Drudge, yet another superfan, is leading as I write this with the news of Trumps campaign manager being arrested for battery.) Are Trumps cheerleaders heading for the lifeboats because they know something we dont?
Nah. Theyre still onboard, theyre just alarmed that the captain wont steer away from that iceberg that keeps getting closer. Trumps fans within the commentariat have, I think, convinced themselves that his boorishness is strategic, something he can turn on and off at will to command the media. Its served him well but now, facing a de facto head to head race with Cruz, he should be sealing the deal by shifting to a more low-key presidential approach. Reassure Republican undecideds in the remaining primaries that youre up to the job. Impress delegates at the convention that you wont be a loose cannon as nominee. Attract swing voters in the general election by demonstrating that the vulgar, street-fighting Trump of the primaries was a persona adopted for electoral advantage, one that will be discarded to defeat a new opponent in Hillary Clinton. I think its dawning on Newt (and Coulter in the other clip) that maybe the boorishness isnt strategic. Maybe its who Trump is. Maybe he cant resist attacking Heidi Cruz, no matter how obviously stupid that is, because hes spent his life being rewarded for boorish aggressiveness that supposedly proves his alpha-male dominance. What youre seeing, in other words, is Gingrich contemplating possibly for the first time that Trumps campaign really might turn into a dumpster fire in November because hes too indisciplined and too much of an egomaniac to fiddle with a dangerous approach thats worked for him in other contexts. Ben Domenechs got it right:
At exactly the moment Trump ought to be transforming himself into a unifying figure, he is ensuring that is all the more difficult by stooping to baseless personal attacks and driving down his numbers among Republican women and social conservatives. In failing to recognize the importance of delegates and in engaging in these unnecessary personal attacks, Trump decreases his potential to win the nomination on the first ballot. If Trump is actually beaten because of these decisions it shows hes not ready to lead a party anyway
Coulter is a lot of things, but shes no dummy. She understands that by politicizing Heidi Cruzs depression and her appearance, Trump is hurting his ability to ever receive the support of a growing portion of Republican women, particularly social conservatives and evangelicals.
Until very recently, Cruz said repeatedly that hed honor his pledge this fall to support the GOP nominee. Lately hes stopped because, uh, how could he not when Trumps taking shots at his wife? Thats a microcosm of how a presumptive nominee is throwing away support he desperately needs to win in November. Why cant Trump lay off when even his own fans are telling him hes making a mistake? David Brooks has a theory:
Trumps misogyny, on the other hand, has a commercial flavor. The central arena of life is male competition. Women are objects men use to win points in that competition. The purpose of a womans body is to reflect status on a man. One way to emasculate a rival man is to insult or conquer his woman
Its not quite right to say that Trump is a throwback to midcentury sexism. At least in those days negative behavior toward women and family members was restrained by the chivalry code. Political candidates didnt go attacking their rivals wives based on their looks. Trumps objectification is uncontrolled. Its pure ego competition with a pornogrified flavor.
In this way, Trump represents the spread of something brutal. He takes economic anxiety and turns it into sexual hostility. He effectively tells men: You may be struggling, but at least youre better than women, Mexicans and Muslims.
And hell take that credo into battle against the would-be first woman president. The question unasked of Newt and Coulter is why they didnt expect Trump to eventually take a cheap shot at Cruzs wife given the sort of attitude Brooks describes, which Trump has harbored for decades. Why is there a note of frustration in backing (or all but backing, in Newts case) a guy whos had this priced into his stock all along? Its like watching a Cruz fan get exasperated that he keeps talking about faith and religious liberty. Thats who he is; if you dont like it, youre backing the wrong candidate. And its a lead-pipe cinch that this is who Trump will continue to be: If hes the nominee, the odds that he wont eventually attack Hillary Clinton in some sexist manner during the general election campaign are basically zero. Obama famously said in one of his books that the Hopenchange phenomenon was due in part to his fans projecting their own personal ideals onto him, as a blank slate. But theres a weird, surprising element of that too with Trump, who should be the opposite of a blank slate after 40 years in the public eye. He is who he is, which is who hes always been, yet here are Newt and Ann discovering nine months into his campaign that the nasty attacks on Twitter arent just some media kabuki hes performing to dominate the morning chat shows and impress his savvier acolytes within the political class. It just may be that he really is temperamentally unfit for office.
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
I guess Newt changed his mind about that possible Trump endorsement.
Newt has always been part of the Establishment no matter how right he is in his thinking and doing, he is still part of them.
Or, maybe he’s just saying what he believes.
Newt Gingrich: The Establishments Conservative
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/2810-newt-gingrich-the-establishments-conservative
27 November 2009
Self-proclaimed conservative Newt Gingrich could be the next Republican candidate for President, but with his unconstitutional track record, will he be right for America?
I don’t think this is a turn on Trump... its a pretty honest analysis. Trump’s response over the attack on his wife was silly, and probably poorly advised.
It is amazing that if someone offers their honest assessment of something, but it doesn’t go along with a perceived narrative that must mean they are now for or against something.
Brooklyn boys hit back when hit, just their nature. Besides, Gingrich lost me when he sat on the couch with Pelosi yammering about Global warming in an ad.
I like Newt but strongly disagree with him on this.
Amen to that. And twice as hard.
Didn’t read the article but on those two tweets he is correct. Just a mistake.
He had to respond, and all he said was “spill the beans on Heidi.” And for all we know, there may be beans we haven’t floated to the surface.
The Melania photo was likely purchased months ago and was being saved for the ripe moment.
The Cruz Mistress Crises -#theThing was heavily rumored to be released. So Cruzs team sent out the Trump photo as a preemptive strike to soften the blowback for Cruz. The bonus was mocking the outrage and being able to blame Trump for retaliatory treatment.
And, theres proof on the celebrity gossip blogs. The first challenge to find a cheating POTUS candidate was in August 2015. It was supposed to be with a journalist. Another challenge was issued (but reworded more specific) in December 2015. Hundreds of comments or tips were sent in to their sleuths. And POTUS was solved to be Cruz 12/15, BTW. Only difference is the mistress was supposed to be a lobbyist. So maybe theres another guy, yet to be outed. Or maybe a mistress yet to be uncovered.
Team Cruz likely received a 48 hour notice from the Enquirer. That is how they dealt with Sarah Palins daughter and Levi Johnson. They informed both families and Sarah was forced to disclose Bristols condition. But they did give her the courtesy of the heads-up.
LOL, and I know that even though I am not a Brooklyn boy. Their reputation precedes them. Actually only went to New York City twice in my life. Too many people for my liking.
So, I guess Trump is just supposed to sit back and allow the slime ball Cruz to post copyrighted pictures of his wife without standing up for her. What a bunch of weak, girly men we have in this country.
Uniparty In Action
“He had to respond...”
Well, no. No he didn’t. Not like that. Maybe it’s just me, but responding like that meant knowingly dragging out a long and very ugly distraction ... Nero is fiddling.
I have never seen anyone work harder then you do to get hillary elected. When this is all over, I’ll make sure that is never forgotten.
Bml
Turns on him?
It seems he’s just saying he thinks it was a bad idea to do that.
I can’t see how it could be helpful.
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