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

Skip to comments.

What's Driving the Establishment's Preference for Trump over Cruz?
National Review ^ | January 18, 2016 | David French

Posted on 01/18/2016 11:31:53 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife

Two weeks ago, I assumed that - as candidates such as Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and John Kasich floundered - the GOP establishment would migrate to Marco Rubio and then Ted Cruz before coalescing around Donald Trump if and only if he emerged as the inevitable nominee.

I may be wrong. Simply put, I keep underestimating establishment distaste for Cruz. In conversations with establishment figures I respect - people who love this country and have nothing substantial to lose from either a Trump or Cruz presidency - I'm detecting a preference for Trump.

Erick Erickson has written that this preference is tactical. The way he figures it, "the Establishment thinking is that if Trump beats Cruz in Iowa, they can then beat Trump with Rubio, Bush, or Christie."

I'm sure that some strategists see it that way, but others are far less optimistic about anyone else's chances against Cruz or Trump, and are asking themselves which candidate would make a better nominee and, potentially, a better president.

Simply put, this latter group thinks Cruz is a phony. They echo David Brooks in the belief that he's a "nakedly ambitious" and "selfish Machiavellian." They roll their eyes at his anti-establishment assaults, detecting political opportunism where his supporters see principle. They're convinced that general-election voters would agree, and that if he somehow won the presidency he'd happily discard his constitutional-conservative stances to keep it.

What about Trump?

The establishment's anti-Cruz faction sees the real-estate mogul as more capable of bringing disaffected Democrats to the GOP, and thus potentially more capable of defeating Hillary Clinton. They've developed a grudging respect for his success, and a hope for what it augurs, since one does not remain a going concern at such stratospheric levels without an ability to adapt and compromise. Though they still think he'd lose to Clinton, they've stopped waiting for his campaign to fall apart, and they're noticing that he represents a classic constituency - Jacksonian America - that is in many ways perceived as less radical than Cruz's grassroots army.

Trump's recent public humiliation of Bill Clinton probably helped him more with establishment skeptics. The conventional wisdom was that the media would only amplify his vicious attacks against Republicans, and that personal attacks against the Clintons would backfire. Early in the race, many on the right even wondered aloud if Trump was a Clinton plant. But he's dominating the media environment so thoroughly that liberal outlets such as the Washington Post and Vox had little choice but to publish pieces explaining the nature and extent of the rape and sexual-assault allegations against the former president. Could he actually take on Hillary on equal terms?

To be clear, this growing preference for Trump is born of deep despair. The establishment doesn't want the race to come down to Trump and Cruz. They still vehemently disagree with Trump's immigration stances and think his proposed ban on all Muslims' entering the country is madness. They still think he's making the wrong kind of appeal to justifiably angry Americans, uninformed on key issues, and would govern to the left of many rival candidates. But when Trump says that Cruz "can't get along with anybody in Washington" and that "everybody hates Ted," he's echoing the very establishment against which he's campaigned so loudly. Influential voices such as Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin are recognizing as much, and telling Trump to, in Levin's words, "cut the crap."

We're two weeks from the first votes, and - though hardly inevitable - a simultaneous, seismic defeat of both parties' establishments seems more possible than ever. But defeat won't force party insiders to walk away; it will only mean they have to pick new sides.

Trump has survived everything the establishment has thrown at him. Can he survive its support?


TOPICS: Canada; Constitution/Conservatism; Cuba; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Arkansas; US: Florida; US: Iowa; US: New Jersey; US: New York; US: Ohio; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2016election; arkansas; bencarson; canada; chrischristie; cnsrvtvtreehouse; cruz; cuba; davidbrooks; davidfrench; demagogicparty; election2016; erickerickson; florida; glennbeck; gopprimary; hillary; hillaryclinton; hitlery; iowa; jebbush; johnkasich; marcorubio; marklevin; mediamatters; megynkelly; memebuilding; msm; nationalreview; newjersey; newyork; nristheestablishment; ohio; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; pinkstain; pinkstate; politico; redstate; redstategathering; rogerailes; sundance; tedcruz; texas; trump; wipewater
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-68 last
To: don-o
Do you see they're wailing on Heidi Cruz now? No class.
61 posted on 01/19/2016 7:54:10 AM PST by roamer_1 (Globalism is just Socialism in a business suit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: roamer_1; Jim Robinson

There is also some attempt to dig up some “slime” from Ted’s college days.

Trash like this used to get a prompt “No thanks” here.


62 posted on 01/19/2016 8:11:45 AM PST by don-o
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: don-o
There is also some attempt to dig up some “slime” from Ted’s college days.

It's beyond fetid. This is not activism, nor by any means Conservatism, which is my purpose. Like I said - pointless to continue. The bit is in their teeth, and there isn't any thinking in it at all anymore.

I miss the deep conversations that used to be here... Philosophy, structure, and formal, rigorous debate... proven links and minute dissection of memes... Finding truth. I can remember following page after page of meaty substance in a thread... Staying up all night because I couldn't put it down... Not much of that anymore, and it's too bad.

off I go - It was a rough night last night... I get pretty stove up in the winter, and just flopped around all night. Happy pills are kicking in now, so I think I'll go catch 4 hrs or so... Nice seeing you don-o... my best to your missus.

63 posted on 01/19/2016 8:41:25 AM PST by roamer_1 (Globalism is just Socialism in a business suit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: Captainpaintball

who says he can’t be bought? He’s trying to buy Iowa on Ethanol


64 posted on 01/19/2016 3:46:21 PM PST by dervish (Numbers 33:50-56)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: DB
Trump and the GOPe can find common ground.

There isn't much common ground with Cruz.

That's the way Senator Cruz plays the game.

If he becomes President Cruz there will be plenty of common ground.

It's not like he hasn't changed his mind before.

65 posted on 01/19/2016 3:55:27 PM PST by x
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: AdaGray

Negotiate? Meaning compromise? No thanks. We already have an example of Trump selling out conservative principles at the first chance he could get - Ethanol - to buy Iowa votes.

And as late as Hillary’s term as SOS he was singing her praises. The guy is not in any way a conservative.


66 posted on 01/19/2016 4:03:25 PM PST by dervish (Numbers 33:50-56)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: roamer_1

What you said is so obvious. I can’t believe people don’t see that, though Trump himself says it all the time - negotiate.

Does anyone here want to “negotiate” on 2nd Amendment?


67 posted on 01/19/2016 4:07:57 PM PST by dervish (Numbers 33:50-56)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: dervish

I didn’t say he couldn’t...


68 posted on 01/19/2016 4:48:23 PM PST by Captainpaintball (Immigration without assimilation is the death of a nation -- FUJB!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-68 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