Posts
Five weeks ago I pointed out, on the basis of a New York Post article, that President Trump had lost Rupert Murdoch. Some commenters took vigorous exception to the notion, and I should have been clearer that I was describing, not prescribing the state of things in the media world.
By now, however, the fact that Murdoch media has moved beyond Trump is self-evident. Everyone is writing about it.
Most salient is the fact that, yesterday, in the aftermath of the less than satisfactory Midterm election results, the Murdoch flagship, the Wall Street Journal declared Trump “the biggest loser” last Tuesday.
The Journal is editorializing that it is time for the Republican Party to move on from Trump.
It begins in New Hampshire:
Trumpy Republican candidates failed at the ballot box in states that were clearly winnable.
Looking at the Senate map, the message could not be clearer. In New Hampshire, the Trump-endorsed Republican Don Bolduc lost to Sen. Maggie Hassan, 53% to 45%, as of the latest data. At the same time voters re-elected Republican Gov. Chris Sununu by 16 points.
And then it moves on to Arizona:
In Arizona the Trump-endorsed Republican Blake Masters trails Sen. Mark Kelly, 51% to 47%. This is a state successful Gov. Doug Ducey won by 14 points in 2018. Mr. Ducey could have won the Senate seat, but Mr. Trump pledged to go to war with him because Mr. Ducey refused to entertain 2020 fraud theories.
Pennsylvania:
In Pennsylvania, the Trump-endorsed Republican Mehmet Oz lost to John Fetterman, 51% to 47%. This is a tough state for the GOP. But Mr. Fetterman was a weak candidate: He’s a lefty with a record of wanting Medicare for All and a ban on fracking, and he’s recovering from a stroke. David McCormick would have been a better Republican nominee, but he wouldn’t say the 2020 election was stolen, so Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Oz.
And then, Herschel Walker in Georgia:
Mr. Walker’s flaws as a candidate were obvious, but Mr. Trump helped clear the primary field and other candidates opted out.
Ohio:
In Ohio the Trump-endorsed Republican J.D. Vance won a solid victory over Rep. Tim Ryan, 53% to 47%, while Republican Gov. Mike DeWine won by 26 points. Mr. Vance was a poor fundraiser. As of Oct. 19 he’d pulled in $12 million to Mr. Ryan’s $47 million. What saved him was $32 million from the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a Super Pac aligned with Mitch McConnell. Mr. Vance trailed in the polls until mid-October.
And various other calamities:
Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s Trump-endorsed gubernatorial choice, lost by 14 points. Tim Michels in Wisconsin and Tudor Dixon in Michigan fumbled winnable gubernatorial races. Also in Michigan, Mr. Trump helped John Gibbs beat GOP Rep. Peter Meijer in the primary in the Grand Rapids seat because Mr. Meijer voted to impeach him. Mr. Gibbs lost by 13 points. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler also voted to impeach Mr. Trump, who helped Joe Kent beat her in a primary. Mr. Kent is trailing in that Washington state district.
Mr. Trump could have stayed quiet in the final weeks of the campaign except to spend money to help his candidates. But he did little of the latter and instead staged rallies that played into Democratic hands. His rally in Latrobe last week might have hurt Mr. Oz with suburban voters who cost Mr. Trump the state in 2020.
It is not news. Since he won in 2016 Trump has a poor track record of advancing Republican candidates:
Since his unlikely victory in 2016 against the widely disliked Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump has a perfect record of electoral defeat. The GOP was pounded in the 2018 midterms owing to his low approval rating. Mr. Trump himself lost in 2020. He then sabotaged Georgia’s 2021 runoffs by blaming party leaders for not somehow overturning his defeat. That gave Democrats control of the Senate, letting President Biden pump up inflation with a $1.9 trillion Covid bill, appoint a liberal Supreme Court Justice, and pass a $700 billion climate spending hash.
Now Mr. Trump has botched the 2022 elections, and it could hand Democrats the Senate for two more years. Mr. Trump had policy successes as President, including tax cuts and deregulation, but he has led Republicans into one political fiasco after another.
“We’re going to win so much,” Mr. Trump once said, “that you’re going to get sick and tired of winning.” Maybe by now Republicans are sick and tired of losing.
End of story.
11 comments:
As the Wisest Man in History (tm) once told us, "To everything there is a season." Although Trump was not mentioned specifically, the Biblical truth is applicable. I supported Trump from the outset of his campaign, not because I had any affection or admiration for the man, but because I believed (as I continue to believe) that the Establishment (also tm) that controlled the levers of power in Washington, DC needed to be shaken, not stirred and Trump was the only one seemingly interested in doing so. I was correct and many other people apparently agreed. However, having established that he was not able to bring together anything like a working and effective group of administrative aides, nor a dedicated group of supporters in his own party, his promised agenda was picked apart by his opponents in the democrat party as well as the republican party, none of whom evinced any interest in supporting him, save in the notable instances of judicial nominations and tax reform. His promised reforms on the chaotic immigration situation was his most notable failure, but he never really had a chance elsewhere, either. The very abrasive style that caused me to support him as and outside force for destruction of the DC cabal led to his ultimate defeat. Say what you will about Pelosi, Schumer, et al. (and believe me, my animosity toward that group of traitors knows no bounds) he literally gave his opponents the ammunition with which to finish him off. Now, just like Shane in the eponymously named movie, he should move on after doing his job and not hang around and further sully his reputation. His best role now would be kingmaker to DeSantis, by bowing out gracefully, without even an actual endorsement. Perhaps the example of General MacArthur is even a better template to follow; a man whose military talents were necessary for a particular time, but the time for which had passed, so even though Truman humiliated him by his abrupt removal, MacArthur gave perhaps one of the most eloquent and moving resignation speeches in history. I would dearly like to see Trump emulate that example.
They are being stupid. Yes they want Trump to go away so they have the sandbox for themselves, but What about the Trump supporters??? They don't give a shit about the Trump supporters and they/we know that. So abandon Trump, throw him under the bus and throw away your chances of winning too. The only way they can win in 2024 is either with Trump or with whatever choice Trump endorses They cannot win by sticking their fingers in the eyes of the Trump people.
I'm not a Trump person, but I voted for him. It was because I thought he did a good job. I can't see into the future very far, but his age is getting up there, and there are Republicans who are not so tiring in the way way of name calling and bragging. He is clearing not helping his case. He is tiring. I've noticed that shift in sentiment among family who voted Trump.
I have never considered myself a hard core MAGA person. Still I voted for Trump twice. Now if he proceeds on his ego's fumes without caution and good sense, he will have stayed too long at the fair. It will be brutal. Conservatives are moving on and taking me with them. Not a minute too soon.
Anonymous hits the nail on the head. I am a Trump supporter and will not support anyone dumbass enough to think it's time for him to bow out.
Tudor Dixon didn't "fumble" her race. She got the nomination by default, because the best of the GOP field DID in fact fumble themselves. Most notably among them former (black) Detroit police commissioner James Craig, who failed to garner sufficient nomination petition signatures to get on the primary ballot.
Yup...lets toss out the one person who actually did what he said he would and what the GOPe said they would do for decades but somehow could never do. Lets go back the GOPe picking Deep State approved Presidents that wont rock their boat or affect their rice bowls.
This is our leadership and they complain about Trump...we deserve whats going to happen to us.
Trump is simply the figurehead of the Populist movement. To rid the country of Trump is to rid the country of Populists, and people are only fooling themselves if they think DeSantis is a better version of Trump. He is as bought and paid for by the Wall Street elite as anyone and will put the Republican party back in alignment with the multinational corporate world. BTW, I have not heard him utter one word about energy independence or closing the border.
I've had it with Trump. Done. He was always embarressing and at times alarming but he's gone too far. I just re registered as a Republican so I can vote against him and other Kansas fundementalists who proved to be unelectable. This cult of personality reveals a lot about die hard Trumpers. There is a serious lack of critical thinking and a desire to subjugate themselves to a strong man. I don't need to elaborate on the historical examples of how wrong this is. His day is done now. I expect him to keep screwing up and losing support of his base. He can't help himself. This all gets me back to Hoffer.
Trunp is going nowhere and will easily win the nomination
Cocaine Mitch effed up so he has to swim the fishes bub bye
Rather than letting principles such as those enumerating in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, a hallmark of despotic third-world regimes is to follow a strong horse.
Trump no longer represents those aforementioned principles, but has relegated them to a distant second behind the need to satisfy his ego by placing himself above country.
The Never-Trumpers are just as guilty, but they have been replaced by the Only-Trumpers who refuse to support any GOP presidential candidate who opposes or replaces Trump on the GOIP ticket.
That's not to say that the Democrats are any better. Indeed, they are far worse...willing and eager to trade our prosperity and freedom for their personal enrichment and power.
A pox on all their houses.
Post a Comment