I have never understood why the Democrats -- esp. Hillary Clinton -- have been expending so much energy denouncing Donald Trump. First of all, he is not even the worst of the Republican candidates (that would be the religious loony and flat-taxer Ted Cruz). Secondly, he has always done worse in national polls against any of the potential Democratic nominees. Finally, why help the Republicans put up a stronger ticket?
It's like the goal of Jiu-Jitsu: let your opponents defeat themselves. If I were a Democratic strategist, I would -- especially now -- help Trump as much a possible (though it may be too late). The best thing that could happen for the Dems is for a severely wounded Trump to get the nomination, just when his popularity and the unity of his party are about to sink beneath the waves.
Can't the Democrats ever get things straight? Would they rather face phony Kasich (ugh: a "can-do" reactionary) in a general election, or some other phony "moderate" chosen by the Republican leadership? Don't they have the courage to face a no-nothing like Trump in a general election? Or are they still slinking with their tails between their legs from decades of red-baiting? Are they afraid that while they deny being liberal, Trump will somehow outliberal them while claiming to be conservative? You would think that Bernie would have taught them some lessons by now: that populism and even some socialism can win elections again the Party for The Rich. (Gosh, the Rich haven't been this unpopular since Hoover and the Great Depression.)
Democrats: find some way to help The Donald get the Republican nomination!!! And while you're at it, demand that Hillary and Bernie stop attacking each other (or at least stop attacking each other so much). This ain't about Bernie and Hillary as much as B and H may think...
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While I agree with you that Trump would be an ideal candidate for a Democrat to run against, I can understand why both HRC and Bernie have spoken out against his candidacy. Almost all of the PTR critics of Trump have accused him of not being a true conservative. Ted Cruze in particular has been silent on Trump's racism and xenophobia. If I remember correctly, Marco Rubio alluded to this only as his campaign was dying, and Kasich, whose candidacy is based on his pretending to be a moderate, has spoken out on this aspect of Trump as his only path to the nomination.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that the entire PTR field either shares or enables Trump's execrable outlook on issues of race and gender, Trump has certainly crossed a line from the standard, dog whistle calls to those that are both audible and loud. Democrats can not remain silent on something this blatant. It would undermine any indignation that they might express later on in a campaign. Bernie is incapable of doing something for purely tactical reasons, and it's one reason why his supporters love him. By speaking out now, HRC is acting as the presumptive nominee and encouraging people to look past her primary struggle, but she is also acting in a principled way and countering one strand of the narrative against her, that she lacks conviction and is overly calculating.
A Trump nomination would be disastrous for the PTR. His down ballot impact might very well return the Senate to Democratic control. The donor class understands this, and I am pretty sure that they will end his candidacy no matter how that would look to the public at large, but Democratic response is required, even if that might aid and abet the Never Trump camp.
Also, I wish that I agreed with you about the Democrats being ashamed of their red-baiting past. I see no sign that this is the case. Most Democrats are unapologetic and most voters are clueless about this shameful history.