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

National Review ^ | January 25, 2016 | David French

[Isara]

Every morning the Washington Post sends out an email called the "Daily 202." It's generally excellent, and while I wouldn't turn to its writers for information on the Tea Party or news about the latest trends in conservative thought, they often have their finger on the pulse of the political establishment. This morning's headline got my attention - cementing a trend that I've been writing about for more than a week. The establishment is moving to Trump, and the Iowa GOP establishment is moving even faster. Why? I'll let the headline tell you: "Iowa leaders, worried about the credibility of the caucuses, tip the scale for Trump over Cruz."

Yes, now it's about saving the precious Iowa caucus - that quadrennial pander-fest where politicians go scampering to Iowa to pledge their allegiance to biofuels and make promises to homeschoolers that they never intend to keep. It's special interest politics at its worst, but - by golly - Terry Branstad and Chuck Grassley are going to use it help make America great again:

Key establishment figures appear to be subtly tipping the scales toward Trump, partly because they worry about the consequences of a Cruz victory for the Hawkeye State's legitimacy.

Chuck Grassley, the senior senator, spoke at Trump's rally in Pella on Saturday. Standing behind a "Trump" podium, he echoed the frontrunner's campaign slogan and spoke about "once again" making America great. "I want Mr. Trump to know that I appreciate his support for me and most importantly for Iowa being first in the nation, our all-important Iowa caucus," Grassley told the crowd of about 500.

Then Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann showed up at Trump's rally on Sunday in Muscatine, saying he will support The Donald "one thousand percent, period" if he wins the caucuses.

Gov. Terry Branstad, who said last week he wants Cruz to lose and whose son is running the anti-Cruz campaign funded by the agriculture industry, even went deer hunting with Trump's son, Donald Jr.

Wait just a minute. For years the line about Iowa has been that it serves as a natural corrective to elite preferences. Candidates have to go from town to town, talking to groups of voters as small as five or six, and make the case in humble settings that they deserve to lead the free world. In the 2012 cycle, Rick Santorum went from speaking to rooms full of empty chairs to toppling establishment favorite Mitt Romney in the caucuses and almost winning the whole darn primary.

But that's the old thinking. The new conventional wisdom is that Iowa fails unless it replicates the national polls - so long as the polling leader loves ethanol. The mask has dropped. The rest of the country now should understand what has long been true. The Iowa caucus exists not to give underdogs a shot and introduce humbling direct contact between candidates and voters but rather to preserve Iowa's outsized influence over public policy and public opinion.

I will say this for Branstad, Grassley, and Kaufmann - I think they're properly grasping the very high stakes next Monday night. If Trump wins, he will be extremely hard to stop. He'll go to New Hampshire (where he's enjoyed double-digit leads for months) with increased momentum, and it's hard to see that slowing down if goes to South Carolina with two big victories in his pocket. The Iowa caucuses are yuuuuuge this year, and Iowa leaders want them to stay huge. Conservatism be dammed.

[Isara]

Your handy, dandy Trump vs. Cruz comparison chart!

Simply click each policy or issue to read the back-story.

Policy or Issue	Trump	Cruz
In 2013, supported Amnesty for all 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S.	Yes	No
In 2000, supported an Assault Weapons Ban	Yes	No
In 2015, supported "touchback" Amnesty for every illegal alien in the U.S.	Yes	No
In 2000, supported Partial-Birth Abortion	Yes	No
In 2015, lied to gun media about his past support for an Assault Weapons Ban	Yes	No
Supports seizure of private property by the government using Eminent Domain (Kelo)	Yes	No
Supports Mitch McConnell's habitual lies to constituents and fellow GOP Senators	Yes	No
Currently courting and being courted by GOP establishment	Yes	No
Currently supports crony capitalism: billions in taxpayer ethanol subsidies	Yes	No
In 2000, supported Extended Waiting Periods to Acquire Firearms	Yes	No
Amount of debt owed to bankers	Many billions	$1 million
Amount donated to the bogus Clinton "Foundation"	$100,000	0
Endorsed by GOPe icon Bob Dole, who thought Ronald Reagan was "too fringe"	Yes	No
Number of bankruptcies declared by firms he led	4	0
Amount of debt defaulted on	$4.7 billion	$0.00
Number of times married	3	1
Number of "birther" conspiracy theories circulated	2	0
Praised/endorsed Communist for Mayor of New York	Yes	No
Spends virtually every waking moment on social media	Yes	No
Appears to shift his position on important issues literally overnight	?	No
A guy so stable, sober and poised that you want his finger on the button	?	Yep

[sparklite2]

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Was Trump ever in elected office, unlike the Republicans who were and have worked with Democrats on destroying America for the past 50 years.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The primaries ought to be like the general election. All of them should be held on the same day and let the chips fall where they may.

[Yashcheritsiy]

Unprincipled...unprincipled...I don’t think that word means what National Review thinks it means.

[Steve_Seattle]

This has been slowly developing for several weeks, i.e., Trump is becoming the (admittedly, belated) choice of the GOP establishment. I wonder if this development will cause any of his fans to question his conservative credentials.

[LS]

Latest (hourly?) bash-Trump piece from NR.

[smoothsailing]

Poor thing, so much hate, so little time....

[sparklite2]

We’re making progress, though.
What is bashing now was banning
in the past.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

If you have archives of Trump sponsoring or signing leftist legislation while in elective office, let me know and I’ll promptly discontinue my support for him.

[MHT]

Amen! I find it insane that Republicans in those primary states don’t vote on the same day as the Dims. What a way to let them practice their voting fraud techniques in advance of the general election!

[IC Ken]

How did Cruz vote on the Corker bill? How did Trump?

[jwalsh07]

No but he did buy lots of liberals and RINO’s.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Not the same as being in elective office, “working together” with my Democrat friends across the aisle.

[iontheball]

These National Review writers are getting more squirrelly every day. Now they have flipped the tables, calling those who support Trump in Iowa the establishment, when in fact NR represents the establishment. The reverse, upside down logic comes right out of the liberal play book on politics and it is a good laugh because they think they are too smart by half. Also note NR is on the Washington Compost’s morning mailing list which sets forth the daily MSM propaganda talking points.

[Harpotoo]

I don’t want the mus-scum hordes invading the EU here, I want America’s economic health restored, I want our borders reinstated, I want generational welfare reinstated by obummer stopped and Trump is the only one with the Brains and Balls to do so.

[Harpotoo]

One day the establishment wants Jeb, then rubio, then cruz, then Trump, then rubio, then Trump.
Riddle me this, has Trump Trumpeted Doles endorsement yet?

[Harpotoo]

BLM?

[libstripper]

Just remember, Lee went to Grant to negotiate his surrender.

[20yearsofinternet]

Bob Dole is supporting Yeb!, he simply said that Trump would do a better job than Cruz if he wins. It wasn’t an endorsement at all, despite what the Cruznadians desperate to push this “Trump is an establishment favorite” narrative might suggest.