Posted on 01/25/2016 9:21:13 AM PST by 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.
... Was Trump ever in elected office, unlike the Republicans who were and have worked with Democrats on destroying America for the past 50 years.
Silly, DT has always floated with the wind. His only core principal is self promotion.
I know it is out of style but some voters still look at candidate’s past. Oh wait.. I forgot. Trump supporters only look at other candidate’s past.
“Latest (hourly?) bash-Trump piece from NR.”
We can expect a few more Trump bashing articles from the RINO publication NR today.
You’re right. Trump has no voting history to compare. But he does have a political contribution record, which is 75% Republican and 25% Democrat, according to Trump supporters.
Does Cruz’s voting record approach that percentage?
So because Trump has never run for office before, we are supposed to ignore all of the things he supported both verbally and financially for decades that are completely in opposition to everything conservatives believe? We are supposed to act like they never existed and can provide us with no insight into what he would do and how he would govern if elected?
The goal is to defeat and “replace” the establishment. Simply put, if this can be accomplished the party will be pulled in a new direction. Ideally, this means the party is pulled to the right. A Cruz win will move the party to the right, a Trump win pulls the party towards Populism/Nationalism. That’s good concerning immigration (at least his most recent views) and he can co opt some working class voters with his trade rhetoric, but once the establishment is “defeated” they will consume Trump because he doesn’t have any core. Cruz would move the party to the right as a whole.
Must be boring over at that consistent place.
Trick question:
Which is worse? Being the one who has been bought & paid for (ahem)?
or Being the one who has (PAST TENSE) paid?
I don't know if I buy this. One would think a NYC businessman would have a higher Democratic investment shall we say. Politics is one thing Business completely different.
I, too, think civility is almost always the right rule to follow.
I have gone from a Cruz supporter to a realist. He was losing, he wasn’t attacking, and his plan didn’t seem to be getting him closer to his goal.
He has 7 days to change this around in Iowa, and then the following week in NH.
If I’m wrong, I’ll be eating a lot of crow. I don’t think I’m wrong.
The numbers are from a Trump supporter, Lumper20. They said they were from the official FEC website. I gave him the benefit of doubt. If you doubt the numbers, bring it up with them.
So we are back to “all good businessmen bribe politicians, so it’s OK”, are we? Do the Koch brothers have a similar contribution track record? They are reasonably successful. And well known, like Trump. And considered so evil by the Democrats that they put their attacks on the record in the Congressional Record. If anyone needs to smooth rough edges with the in power Democrats, it would be them.
If Trump did advance his business interests by contributing to those opposing his party’s candidates with 25% of his total contributions, what does that say about him in general?
Out of respect for Jim Robinson, I will not post the ButtHurt Report Form graphic.
Another ‘in kind’ campaign contribution from the National Review?
NO Bribes are illegal. But a businessman needs to get things done in a timely manner. As Trump said he gives so when he calls someone-someone actually picks up the phone. Look ALL big business ventures donate and generally to both sides of the aisle.
Ted Cruz is stupid here is his latest -
Des Moines Register â @DMRegister
.@TerryBranstad calls attack ads work of ‘desperate politicians’ http://dmreg.co/23ouDQd #IAcaucus via @brianneDMR
10:01 AM - 25 Jan 2016
Cruz is running ad against Terry Branstad.
So Trump helped a candidate oppose his own party’s candidates for personal gain, and you’re OK with that?
All do it? Prove it. My argument is based on facts. You should do the same.
New ARG IA has Trump 33 (+4), Cruz 26 (+1)
It’s important not to forget that only a few weeks ago, Trump singularly upset the whole election apple cart!
Trump set the national agenda by opposing illegal immigration and bringing up other issues that the GOPe and their allies desperately wanted to avoid, and now they can’t.
The GOPe was not prepared for this, and as a consequence they don’t have a clue about what to do, hence their almost universal collapse into a pile of quivering jello, flip-flopping like a bag of Mexican jumping beans dumped on a hot griddle.
Trump has exposed those who pretend to be conservative but are really just fronts for big money establishment campaign donors who purchase their candidates with campaign “donations”.
Trump, by actually being a real man, has exposed the other candidates (Cruz excepting of course) and their allies for the weak little sniveling sellouts that they really are.
Trump’s vociferous truth-telling and fearless neutering of the kommie media have been the catalyst that triggered a massive revolt amongst conservative voters who are infuriated at the GOPe Congress doing absolutely ZERO to stop Obama’s agenda, and suddenly the GOP RINO leadership is in full blown panic mode and in full blown retreat, and the SMALL conservative House contingent smelt blood in the water, took heart, and charged in against a weakened, frightened and paralyzed GOPe leadership, and Boehner was taken out as a sacrificial lamb.
Trump is absolutely correct when he says that without Trump in the race, everything would be same-ol’, same-ol. The Joyful Tippy-Toes Turtle would be creeping closer to the finish line, Boehner would still be safely ensconced as Speaker, and there would be no mention of illegal immigration are any of the issues surrounding it by any politician in either party, other than possibly how critical it would be to pass immigration “reform”.
The media are loath to make the connection, but it’s obvious that the Boehner resignation was yet another falling domino, toppling due to the Trump Effect, because Trump’s unabashed truth-telling and fearless neutering of the kommie media triggered a revolt amongst the great unwashed GOP masses which emboldened a few conservative Congress critters to grow a few pairs.
And our nation wouldn’t even be having ANY of these conversations about illegal immigration and the myriad of other Obammunist issues destroying our country if it wasn’t for Trump. Instead, we’d simply be debating which RINO, GOPe squish would be least likely to be stomped by Hillary, and the GOPe would once again be exhorting the “base” about how critical it is for us to once again vote for the “lesser of two evils”, that is, vote for the GOPe side of the Uniparty coin.
And do note that ALL of the oligarchs and plutocrats are frightened to death of Donald Trump because the billionaires and millionaires can’t buy him like all of the other politicians they routinely purchase, because Trump doesn’t need nor want their money, and the kommie media is frightened to death of him because he isn’t afraid of them either, the bottom line being that Donald Trump can not be controlled by the rich and powerful or the corrupt media, so for anyone who is truly for campaign finance reform and wants to take money out of politics, voting for Trump is the only reasonable choice.
President Trump is really the last hope for this country: if he can’t undo any of the damage wrought by the Obammunists, the U.S.A. is done.
So least we forget, the above, and much more, are called “The Trump Effect”.
I will try to find how many Fortune 500 donate to Political parties.
Re>So Trump helped a candidate oppose his own partyâs candidates for personal gain, and youâre OK with that?
You mean Democrats versus Republican. Sorry can't see any difference. They all vote the same.
Yes, but when Tom Sowell, Brent Bozell and Andy McCarthy do it, it's called "Trump bashing."
Welcome to our Brave New World!
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