Posted on 02/05/2016 9:08:33 AM PST by SeekAndFind
One Red State diarist wonders whether Trump’s four-day journey from gracious concession to sober self-reflection about his ground game to shrieking about fraud and a do-over in Iowa to low-key “it’s in the past” dismissal means that he’s actually insane. Old theory: Trump is erratic. New theory: Trump is bananas.
I don’t think he’s bananas. I think this is what it looks like when a candidate decides to test out new lines of attack in real time, with the entirety of the media hanging on his every word, instead of with focus groups behind closed doors.
In a striking reversal of rhetoric, Donald Trump would not rule out Ted Cruz as his hypothetical vice-presidential pick.
“Well, I don’t know. Look, I have nothing against him. It was sort of a sad thing that happened, but I’ve always liked him,” Trump told Hugh Hewitt on his radio show Thursday, after weeks of trashing his primary rival as nasty, hypocritical and disliked.
Trump added that he has “always gotten along well” with Cruz, but that “I’m so much now focused on New Hampshire.”
What happened between Wednesday and now? My guess is that Trump concluded that crying “fraud!” over Iowa had backfired, partly because it made him look erratic and sore-loser-ish and partly because it risked annoying New Hampshirites who don’t want to spend their week listening to Trump re-run someone else’s election. That’s where the part about being “so much focused on New Hampshire” comes in. He said nearly the same thing verbatim to Anderson Cooper last night in the interview Ed blogged earlier, suggesting that that’s his new “message” when asked about the results of the caucus — even though that message, that the past is the past, is 180 degrees opposite his demand for a do-over 48 hours ago. What’s going to happen tomorrow night when he’s inevitably asked about fraud in Iowa, probably in the opening minutes of the debate? Even if he tries to duck it, Cruz is going to use it as evidence that Trump’s too unpredictable and prone to “Trumper tantrums” to be president. Does Trump double down on “fraud!” at the point or does he double down on “let’s move on”? There seems to have been no strategy here beyond him rashly tossing the charge about cheating out there, seeing if it stuck, and then dropping it cold turkey when it didn’t. It’s just like when he started calling Cruz a “maniac” for not being able to work with his Senate colleagues before the December debate, took some heat for it on the right, and then was all chummy with Cruz again on debate night. Given how serious the accusations are — election fraud! Cruz unhinged! — these aren’t trial balloons Trump is floating so much as trial zeppelins. And then, a few days later, when it doesn’t work out as well he planned, he turns around and essentially says: What zeppelin?
The really weird part of this, though, is that he’s backing off the personal attacks on Cruz too, not just the fraud claim. How can you say you’ve always liked a guy whom you’ve been calling nasty, corrupt, cronyist, a hypocrite, a “total liar,” and someone whom no one likes once they get to know him? And how can you not rule him out for VP when you’ve spent the past month arguing that he’s not constitutionally eligible to be president? Is Trump dropping that claim too? This whole weird backtrack smells like his campaign manager pulled him aside and told him that attacking Cruz relentlessly has started to hurt his own popularity, which is dangerous when he’s being threatened by a well-liked candidate in Marco Rubio. So now Trump’s going to chuck everything he’s been saying since New Year’s and try a new low-key “I’m serious and I’m staying on message” approach. Good luck, I guess.
Via the Right Scoop, here he is last night getting angry (and profane) in a much more productive way than he did with this week’s “fraud” digression.
Trump/Sessions 2016
Agree - will bring a lot of stability.
Great point !
Trump needs to start reading FR. Then he would become a really great president.
Also, I would not wish the job of ribbon-cutting VPOTUS on anybody. Even if VP becomes POTUS, Congress can find new POTUS.
Noting that USAG under current administration has arguably done more harm to state state sovereignty and personal rights than anybody else in DC (corrections welcome), Cruz needs to become AG to repair the damage.
After Cruz repairs damage caused by previous AG, he can become justice.
I think what’s really going on here is that AllahPundita nd the Red State creeps are making too much out of 2 sentences, when Trump still seems to be beating the crap out of Cruz on his twitter page.
I think Sessions would be a great choice...No matter which candidate gets the nod....
Guessing he’s realizing attacking the one guy in the race with a contingent known to sit home at election time wasn’t the smartest path. Or he realizes it this week. Who knows what next week brings.
The guy he should actually attack is the one with the same ability to draw the same liberal/moderates as him. Rubio. Because he’s not getting the conservative vote with Cruz.
“No. It’s pretty obvious. The Marine Corps manual doesn’t mention where you get lunch, but every Marine knows where to eat.”
Was Trump in the Marines?
I know he went to military school.
He was Vietnam age.
That's what he means. Trump hasn't even ruled out FR Trump hating Zots as VP.
Agree with this also...Sessions for VP, Cruz for AG....
Actually, his ability to do a quick political 180 when it benefits him is 1 more thing he has in common with his good friend Hillary
Daddy Warbucks is reaching out to the little people.
How nice of him. /s
“This is a joke, right??”
You’re referring to Trump, right?
Trump has always said Cruz needs some sort of document signed by the curt stating he’s eligible
Hewitt radio show yesterday, I think. I heard it live while driving home from work.
Hewitt radio show yesterday, I think. I heard it live while driving home from work.
Bi-polar, narcissist, megalomaniac, and probably a sociopath.
No, but Marines are in the Marines, and they know where to eat.
“This is a joke, right??”
“If not, it should be....”
Trump is not joking, nor is he insane as others have remarked. He is simply running a very effective, low budget campaign. His aim is to keep his name in the news, keep the news cycles focused on him - draining the air out of the room from other candidates. He says something people take as outrageous, news cycle starts - people talk - some things have worked and some things backfire so he walks it back. His election night response made news by being respectful. Needed to make news the next day, and by then the story about Carson/Cruz had gained legs so he capitalized.
Don’t worry, the entertainment will continue. Tomorrow something else will be said that will incite interest.
Trump may not be mentally unbalanced but he sure as hell is immature, spoiled to the point of entitlement, and petty.
Yeah I believe I heard it too on the Hewitt show.
I also believe Trump say that he was concentrating on New Hampshire and not thinking about VPs.
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.