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.
Did you see A Few Good Men?
“Letting” Cruz be mean??????? Letting Cruz be mean?????? This coming from Trumpertantrum.
“Letting” Cruz be mean??????? Letting Cruz be mean?????? This coming from Trumpertantrum.
Was it an audio of Trump or just Hewitt reporting it? I can’t find googling.
It’s not a joke. And it isn’t that hard to see, if, and that is a big ‘IF’, you understand that Trump is all about showmanship.
Trump calls people names, he harangues them, he makes outrageous claims, and then, once he has felt out where the substance is in a situation, he sits down and deals.
He has thrown everything at Cruz, and unlike Bush, or Fiorina, or Carson, or Rubio, Cruz has stood firm and not lost ground. He likes that about Cruz and he can work with Cruz as a result.
What most Trump supporters fail to realize, and by fail I mean “willfully keep themselves ignorant of”, is that Trump doesn’t believe his bluster, his sturm und drang, his provocations.
He uses his rhetoric to stir up emotions and try to throw his opponents off their game.
As a result, he can call someone a whack-job, declare that they are unfit for public company, say that they are a hopeless loser, and then an hour later offer them a deal or a job. And those that take his words as sincere, and repeat them in all earnestness, are left scratching their heads at how he could embrace someone he just trashed so thoroughly.
tl:dr version
Donald Trump doesn’t believe his own rhetoric and that is why I don’t trust where his beliefs are.
Cruz will never be his VP....regardless of the inane birther issue.
It’s mind boggling the level of TDS here. I heard it live. Trump has not ruled out Howdy Doody for that matter and it’s too early to be thinking about VPs as Trump alluded to answering Hewitt.
RE: Cruz will never be his VP....regardless of the inane birther issue.
I’d rather see him in the Supreme Court replacing the (hopefully) retiring Ruth Ginsberg.
Apparently Trump no longer agrees...
“The man may well be certifiably bat sh!t crazy.
Can’t wait to see the trumpeters spin this reversal.”
Here you go then dudemar:
He’s just screwing with you, bro’ in suggesting that he might toss Count Chocula a veep bone.
Cruz is overqualified, being—as you Cruz Youth keep insisting—both a natural born Canuck and American born.
Maybe he’s a twin? Two for one?
`One Cruz ... two Cruz ....... feefty Cruz!’ Ah ah ah
OK, series.... What wakes me in the small hours is the possibility that maybe he’s screwing with all of us;
at the same time. though, we’ve got Cruz who convinced 1/3 of the Iowa electorate to set the US Constitution aside.
Oh well.
When Ted let him know that he would not trumpet Trump, he got the old Trump treatment.
How would Trump be in dealings with foreign leaders? He wants to build a 100 million dollar ballroom at the White House so he can wine and dine and sweet talk all the foreign leaders into complying with his will.
Of course, he won't spend his own money for the 100 million dollar ballroom, but he will want a fancy deal-making room to fit his huge, deal-making ego.
But what if he runs into a foreign leader who can't be sweet-talked and charmed?
Foreign leaders will consider him a fool.
Anyone who has to have their ego stroked continuously makes for a very unstable leader.
The more I read about Trump the more I don't like him.
Me, neither, but 4 years of Trump/Cruz then 8 years of Cruz/? with 100 million voters attacking the Left is what it’s going to take to fix the US after 100 years of commie destruction.
Mr. Trump, please stop thinking about Cruz. Go back to thinking and talking up America.
****************************************************************************
Well, NOOB, it appears that you may be suffering from a case of ‘cognitive dissonance’.
“Cruz is an ineligible Canadian liar and cheat who stole the Iowa primary but ive always liked him and would consider him for VP.” Listening to this clown gives me motion sickness. Get ready Trump supporters. It wont be long and he wont just be talking out of both sides of his mouth, he will completey rule out pretending to be a conservative. But you will still defend him and undermine the real conservatives.
RE: When Ted let him know that he would not trumpet Trump, he got the old Trump treatment.
Exactly what did Ted Cruz say that caused Trump to go on attack mode?
Ha Ha to all Cruz haters :-)
Another I hate Trump Kook thread, and for those who misread the intentions by greater than 90%. Hewitt asked the question where Trump tells him he’s not thinking about VPs and he doesn’t excoriate Cruz this time. BTW, Trump retweeted his Feb 3rd tweets. See here.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump
Huh?
RE: Of course, he won’t spend his own money for the 100 million dollar ballroom, but he will want a fancy deal-making room to fit his huge, deal-making ego.
I’d really like to know the details of how Trump is going to make Mexico “pay” for the Wall he plans to build.
AS a postscript, when I say `screwing with you’ I mean, he’s lying ... but about immaterial things.
Intentional fraud: a false statement concerning a material matter, made with knowledge of its falsity and intended to induce reliance, which in fact does induce reliance so that the party relying upon the representation is damaged.
You know that Teddie of the Great White North knows this prima facie def. as well.
Compare stating, “I’m thinking of naming Cruz my VP,” to
“Carson has dropped out!” or “We’re letting your neighbors know that you are a lousy citizen.”
Or “Ted, after push polling these 500 Manchester households, your deeply held belief, a conviction that will resonate within your soul for the next four days, is: _____________, and ____________, _______________, and ________________. “
“Oh, and work `Live free of die’ into the conversation in the hustings, but not in towns.” Ah ah ah ah!
Just sayin’
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