Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Republican candidates get Trumped
Politico ^ | July 21, 2015 | Hadas Gold

Posted on 07/21/2015 8:17:59 PM PDT by Reno89519

The GOP field wants to talk about their ideas for America. But the media only wants to talk about one thing: Donald Trump.

Gov. John Kasich formally announced his White House bid at the Ohio State University on Monday afternoon, pitching himself as a serious conservative with a résumé that outclasses anyone else in the Republican field. But just as he wrapped up, his fellow GOP candidate Donald Trump was giving out Sen. Lindsey Graham’s personal cellphone number at a rally in South Carolina.

Kasich got Trumped.

Last week in Camden, New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie rolled out his vision for the future of criminal justice reform, a thoughtful synthesis of liberal and conservative ideas about community policing.

He got Trumped.

On Tuesday, Rand Paul even brought out a chainsaw, wood chipper and fire to destroy the U.S. tax code. He also announced a plan to defund Planned Parenthood.

Trumped and Trumped.

Jeb Bush’s economic policy speech? Trumped. Scott Walker’s $26 million money haul? Trumped. Carly Fiorina’s attack on Hillary Clinton? Marco Rubio’s thoughts on Iran? Bobby Jindal in general? Trumped, Trumped, Trumped.

Just 35 days since the brash real-estate mogul launched his presidential campaign with all the subtlety of a rhinoceros, Republican candidates have been gasping for air, choked off from media access and desperate to break out beyond an egomaniacal celebrity who is polling better than most of the field. The early jostling has a special urgency this year: The first GOP debate on Aug. 6 is just two weeks away, and only 10 candidates will make the cut.

The contenders have taken different tactical approaches. Some, like former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Graham, have attacked Trump with abandon, calling him a “jackass” (Graham) and telling him to drop out of the race (Perry) in response to Trump saying Sen. John McCain is “not a war hero” because he was captured. Top-tier candidates like Bush have taken a subtler approach, calling Trump’s language divisive while avoiding getting down and dirty with a world-class mud wrestler.

But every time any of them manages to get a little attention, Trump ups the ante.

Christie’s proposal for criminal justice reform drew on the many programs he brought to the streets of New Jersey and called for a compassionate approach to criminals who have been locked away for minor crimes. After delivering a detailed speech and touring a halfway house, he was ready for some tough questions about his take on a policy issue that has become the subject of intense national debate. Except that’s not what the press wanted to talk to him about.

“After the drug rehab round table, the only questions from the gaggle were about Donald Trump,” said Samantha Smith, a Christie campaign spokesperson.

Bush, who is second in the polls after Trump but is blowing away his rivals in the money race, laid out his vision of limited government on Monday, pledging to fight Washington’s bloat and extend the ban on former members of Congress going into lobbying.

“It got a little news. Not as much as Donald Trump,” Bush said on Tuesday at a campaign event in South Carolina. His first question after the panel? Trump.

Bush’s expression visibly soured.

“I respect the sentiments that people feel when they hear Trump talk,” Bush said. “The problem with Mr. Trump’s language is it’s divisive, it’s ugly, it’s mean-spirited.”

Walker, who is fighting for the top tier along with Bush and, well, Trump, has had a number of big policy moments in the past week, from signing a 20-week abortion ban in Wisconsin to saying he’d tear up the Iran nuclear deal on “Day One” as president to signing an executive order allowing National Guard members to carry guns while on duty.

Despite a sit-down interview withKelly O’Donnell of “NBC Nightly News,” the clip shown on Sunday’s “NBC Nightly News”? Walker responding to Trump.

In the interview, Walker said he tried to stay away from talking about his Republican rivals. Then he talked about Trump.

“I say on policy any of them can speak for themselves, but when it becomes personal like this, not just against John McCain, but really to me, that’s a swipe at any of our American heroes, particularly those who were taken as prisoners of war. At a minimum, he needs to apologize.”

A spokesperson for Walker declined to comment.

On Tuesday morning, just before Trump broadcast his cellphone number to the world, Graham called President Barack Obama “the Neville Chamberlain of our time” — ordinarily the kind of torqued-up rhetoric that would win him headlines. Instead, the news was soon all about his feud with Trump. But a CNN chyron later in the day didn’t even mention his name, reading simply, “Trump reveals rival’s cell number on live TV.”

Jindal had one of the most positive receptions at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa over the weekend, with multiple standing ovations, and is experiencing a slight rise in recent polls. But no one noticed.

“While Donald Trump distracts other candidates nationally, we are making headway on the ground in Iowa,” Jindal spokesperson Shannon Dirmann said in an email.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: trump
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last
They all got Trumped. So sweat. Thank you Donald.
1 posted on 07/21/2015 8:17:59 PM PDT by Reno89519
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

I hhhhhhhhhate that man..!!!

2 posted on 07/21/2015 8:24:24 PM PDT by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

Trump is controlling the agenda, and he hasn’t even spent any money yet. This is all free news coverage.


3 posted on 07/21/2015 8:24:26 PM PDT by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

The contenders have taken different tactical approaches. Some, like former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Graham, have attacked Trump with abandon, calling him a “jackass” (Graham) and telling him to drop out of the race (Perry) in response to Trump saying Sen. John McCain is “not a war hero” because he was captured.


That is not what Trump said. But then this is from Politico. And everyone ignores that McCain called everyone who went to hear Trump in Phoenix “crazies”.


“I respect the sentiments that people feel when they hear Trump talk,” Bush said. “The problem with Mr. Trump’s language is it’s divisive, it’s ugly, it’s mean-spirited.”


The R political elites don’t understand that huge numbers of us want to puke when we hear anyone whining about others being mean spirited or divisive and want to punch them in the face. I wonder if Bush respects my feelings in that regard.


4 posted on 07/21/2015 8:25:29 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

The other clowns have had plenty of opportunity to talk about their ideas.

Trump opened the conversation about illegal immigration, and the rest
ran and hid. They trashed Trump but don’t offer their ideas about illegal
immigration. They avoid that conversation like the plague.


5 posted on 07/21/2015 8:25:45 PM PDT by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittance.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

Rolling out “Kate’s Law”, lowering flags to honor our terrorist murdered service members.

Those business as usual RINO’s are good at symbolic resistance when we need more real meaningful resistance like armed citizens guarding military recruiting offices in Tennessee.....

I see the GOPe on Capitol Hill running scared and trying to take the ball back from Trump.

The Republican Establishment has gotten “Trumped” in the rump.....


6 posted on 07/21/2015 8:25:51 PM PDT by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, REMEMBER PASTOR NIEMOLLER)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

The 14 losers the GOP has fielded still think this election is about policies. This election is about attacking the ENEMY. The enemedia/Rat complex.


7 posted on 07/21/2015 8:27:48 PM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

These GOPe candidates all sound like democrats with their proposals and compassionate programs. Idiots all.


8 posted on 07/21/2015 8:30:05 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519
Bush said. “The problem with Mr. Trump’s language is it’s divisive, it’s ugly, it’s mean-spirited.”

And it's precisely the correct tone to take when your nation is being ripped asunder by our domestic enemies, dumbass.

That is why Trump is smoking you and the rest of the herd in the polls.

9 posted on 07/21/2015 8:31:27 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jim Robinson

That’s exactly the problem.
Most of them are Democrats in R jerseys.


10 posted on 07/21/2015 8:32:29 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

11 posted on 07/21/2015 8:32:40 PM PDT by Bon mots (Relax, I'm joking. :))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tennmountainman
Trump opened the conversation about illegal immigration, and the rest ran and hid.

All except for Ted Cruz, who publicly applauded Trump's statement.

12 posted on 07/21/2015 8:37:56 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

That is true. I guess I should have said most, instead of all.


13 posted on 07/21/2015 8:41:58 PM PDT by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittance.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: bigbob

This seems to be missed in media discussions. 24/7 coverage of Trump is free. And will Trump drop out when it stops? I don’t think so. Consider he’s made clear he’ll self-fund his campaign. Two to three billion, even four or five is nothing overall to Trump. In a manner of speaking, he could buy the election. My guess is that if he continues to be serious and doesn’t quit, between the free media and his pile of money, he’s unstoppable.


14 posted on 07/21/2015 8:44:14 PM PDT by Reno89519 (American Lives Matter! US Citizen, Veteran, Conservative, Republican. I vote. Trump 2016.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: little jeremiah

The Republicans have been way out of touch with their voters for years! It is finally coming home to roost!


15 posted on 07/21/2015 8:49:47 PM PDT by Deagle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

At least one of our Republican candidates has the guts to state the truth. Sure hope that this makes it clear just who is stating the truth and not limping along with the liberal media..


16 posted on 07/21/2015 8:52:15 PM PDT by Deagle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: gaijin
Ahh, but the strawberries that's... that's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with... geometric logic...


17 posted on 07/21/2015 8:53:48 PM PDT by MuttTheHoople (Ob)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jim Robinson

Agreed! And that is why Trump so easily trumped them. They are still trying to figure out what hit them. Almost like a chicken with its head chopped off, still walking around.


18 posted on 07/21/2015 8:59:12 PM PDT by Reno89519 (American Lives Matter! US Citizen, Veteran, Conservative, Republican. I vote. Trump 2016.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

Exactly.

The Ruling Class suck ups will always play footsie with themselves and their Marxist counterparts.

The Donald is speaking his mind, speaking the truth and doing so without apology - something the professional political class runs away from like pansies.

Of course Trump is going to trounce the Stupid party circus, because he is not whitewashing treason or incompetence and plays the media like a fiddle.


19 posted on 07/21/2015 8:59:44 PM PDT by INVAR ("Fart for liberty, fart for freedom and fart proudly!" - Benjamin Franklin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

I sure hope he’s worthy of our support... My gut tells me he is.


20 posted on 07/21/2015 9:12:11 PM PDT by babygene (I'm one of the 9.4 million War Heroes that served during the Vietnam war..../s)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson