Steyn: The March of Trump, and the Feel of Bern

Steyn Online ^ | February 10, 2016 | Mark Steyn

[Cincinatus' Wife]

As I was saying at the dawn of this day:

1) Trump;
2) Kasich;
3) Rubio;
4) Bush;
5) Cruz.

Number One and Two were correct, and at this hour Numbers Three, Four and Five are all jostling together at 11 per cent, but with Cruz third and Rubio fifth. On the Democrat side I noted the midnight vote tallies from Dixville Notch, Hart's Location and Millsfield:

Sanders 17
Clinton 9

[snipped text about Dem race]

On the Republican side, Trump won yuge: 35 per cent in a nine-man race, and more than twice as many votes as the second-placed Kasich. On the latter, I wrote three weeks ago:

>>>On the "moderate" side of the GOP, the thinking since debate season began is that Rubio is the alternative to Bush, and Christie is the alternative to Rubio. But it could be that Kasich is the alternative to all three of them.<<<

And so it proved. Good for Kasich. But a nightmare for the GOP's Donor-Industrial Complex: Trump has the populist lane, Cruz the conservative, and both are reviled by the so-called "establishment". All New Hampshire had to do was sort out the so-called "moderate" lane by anointing Rubio, and, in a three-way race, he'd eliminate the Trump-Cruz problem. That was the theory.

Instead, Chris Christie's kamikaze mission took out Rubio, and killed his Iowa Rubementum stone dead. As a result, Kasich had a solid second-place finish and Jeb had a marginally less worse than expected fourth-place finish that will keep him and his SuperPac in the game a few states longer. And, until the mod squad consolidates behind one of these guys, the GOP establishment will be stuck with a frontrunner it despises, and a runner-up it despises even more.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

An interesting read.

[SkyPilot]

Christie's kamikaze mission......lol.......yup, that's what it was.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

He has one thing wrong. Trump has an ideological ceiling as well as a personality ceiling. Some are willing to go with superlatives instead of details. Most are not. He has no majority and I think it will be very hard for him to gain one. I am repelled by his personality and his flip-flopping generalities.

[Gaffer]

Particularly, this:

So in the week between Iowa and New Hampshire he sent out the kid in the mail room who orders up his "Make America Great Again" hats to place a side-order for a ground game. And it worked so well Trump outperformed the polls.

If he does that in South Carolina, this thing's over.

[P.O.E.]

And, until the mod squad consolidates behind one of these guys, the GOP establishment will be stuck with a frontrunner it despises, and a runner-up it despises even more.

The currently elected and their consultant buddies wouldn't listen to their base, so they're getting what they deserve - an ouster. Now as for "out of the frying pan".... that's a whole other matter.

[SkyPilot]

The GOP establishment has betrayed its voters and supporters, except for the very rich and the "moderate" RINOs. We gave them the House and Senate. They were still too timid and slimed to take on Obama, the most destructive, lawless, and Evil President in American GOP voted to destroy our military, ruin their health care, and steal their retire,met, while authorizing Trillions for Illegal Invaders to suck on Obamacare subsidies, Food Stamps, EITC tax credit scams, and welfare. They REFUSE to hold Barry Soetoro's or his criminal henchman accountable. What do these jerks expect?! That we will support them now?

[SkyPilot]

Apologize for the IPad.....should have read American history.

[windsorknot]

I am repelled by his personality and his flip-flopping generalities.

With negative approval ratings as high as he has, this presents a significant problem for him.

[fieldmarshaldj]

The only Kamikaze mission Stay Puft has ever gone on was against a crate of doughnuts.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

… Trump has an ideological ceiling as well as a personality ceiling ..

I think it will be very hard for him

I am repelled by his personality

I, I, me me, my my.

Trumps personality is like that of a Trappist monk, compared with some of you self obsessives.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

[grania]

Oh, I disagree. If you look at the results of both primaries, Trump and Sanders overwhelmed the status quo. People DO NOT want the usual games. They want an outlier, and at this point anyone who the mainstream embraces or who plays the game like an insider is suspect.

I'm sorry you're repelled by Trump's personality. I suspect many more of us are repelled by anyone who plays the game by the old rules.

[relictele]

I’m only broaching the subject because Steyn refers to the general election but when will the Israel-hating left reconcile their hate with their support for the Jewish Sanders?

[USS Alaska]

So in the week between Iowa and New Hampshire he sent out the kid in the mail room who orders up his "Make America Great Again" hats to place a side-order for a ground game. And it worked so well Trump outperformed the polls.

It makes one wonder where the 'ground game' came from.

BTW, Wifey, it's good to see you took my advice and drank some shine, smoked your cob, took your meds and are mellowed out...congrats to you.

[BobL]

“I am repelled by his personality and his flip-flopping generalities.”

Some of us are SICK OF running ‘gentlemen’ that either lose because they’re idiots that don’t want hurt the feelings of their opponents (Romney, in the second debate), are more interested in losing with ‘dignity’ to the first black president (McCain), or are so interested in a ‘new tone’ that they REFUSE to fight back when viciously attacked (Bush-43).

I’d rather run someone that WANTS TO WIN and will do what it takes to win, and if it hurts the feelings of some ‘sensitive’ people, SO BE IT.

[Ann Archy]

LOL!! Yes, just WAIT til they find out Sanders is JEWISH!!! But he’s offering FREE EVERYTHING!!!!

[LS]

Seriously wrong. He has been polling at times in Reuters in mid 40s-—with MOE already at majority status in an 11man field. Unheard of.

It BROADENS in a general election. Trump will crush Cankles because he’ll destroy her with the bimbo/criminal stuff, and he rips Dinobernie’s biggest tool with middle class-—trade and illegals. No, Trump ZIS the majority.

It’s Cruz who is stuck in the narrow Goldwater lane.

[Nickname]

Some are willing to go with superlatives instead of details. Most are not.

. . .

After two terms of Obama, I’m not so sure.

[Redleg Duke]

Sanders isn’t Jewish...he is a communist.

[Redleg Duke]

Household Six and I volunteered for Trump here i New Hamshire and they had been working on the ground game for weeks.

Iowa and their caucus is an entirely different critter.