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Baker’s memo, titled “Observations on Donald Trump and 2016,” amounts to a clear-eyed approach to the Trump challenge, to which many Republican elites have responded with only hand-wringing and the vague hope that somehow, someday it will disappear. In fact, the memo posits that Trump could build a powerful enough coalition to win the general election. Regardless of how far Trump’s candidacy ultimately goes, the memo is evidence of the effect he has had on his party.
One day early in 2011, Ron met with Jesse Benton — the young political strategist he shared with his son — to break the news that he wasn’t going to run for president again. …Benton was disappointed, but with Ron out of the picture, he decided it was time to start grooming Rand for a presidential run. He approached the younger Paul and pitched him on mounting an insurgent bid for the Republican nomination in 2012. He was adamant that Rand’s polish and pragmatism would make him a far more serious candidate than his dad ever was. Benton argued that, between the fiery base of supporters Ron had built up and the new voters Rand could attract, he would be a real threat to win the White House.Rand ate it up. He told Benton to start putting out feelers for a 2012 bid, and the strategist moved quickly to schedule a trip to the early primary state of South Carolina. On March 23, 2011, Rand made a surprise appearance at the Charleston Meeting, a gathering of Palmetto State Republican elites, and news of the visit set off sirens in the political punditocracy. Rand fanned the speculation by announcing future trips to Iowa and New Hampshire as well. The buzz was building, the strategy was working, the wheels were in motion — and then, suddenly, it all came to a screeching halt.A couple of days after Rand’s headline-grabbing South Carolina trip, Ron called up Benton. He had been giving some more thought to the idea of a 2012 presidential bid, and he’d changed his mind.I’ve decided I’m going to run, Ron said. And I want you to manage my campaign.Rand, it went without saying, would have to take a seat....One of the most jarring episodes took place inside a green room at a 2012 Republican primary debate, when Sens. Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham approached Ron and began effusively complimenting his son:They gushed about how Rand was a joy to work with in the Senate, a real contributor, someone with whom they felt they could work productively despite their ideological differences.Finally, Ron snapped, “Well, if he’s so great, he should run for president himself.”DeMint was taken aback by the outburst and quickly shut up. But Graham didn’t seem to catch on, because he just kept spurting commendations for Rand in his courtly Southern drawl, as Ron’s face twisted into a cranky scowl....After 2012, many in the Pauls’ concentric inner circles felt compelled to pick sides — with the more pragmatic political pros signing on with Rand, and the true-believing purists sticking with Ron. The two camps have spent much of the past three years bitterly feuding behind the scenes (and trying to knife each other in interviews for my book). But those closest to the family say Rand genuinely admires his father and is anxious to make him proud by building on his legacy. And Ron?One senior staffer in Rand’s Senate office told me that after years of closely observing the dynamic between the two men, he was left stupefied by Ron’s antagonism toward his son’s career.“He should be proud of Rand, but he’s not,” the staffer said. “It’s a really weird relationship.”
Repeating identical comments he had made in June, July, August, September, and twice in November, increasingly nervous local man Aaron Howe responded to Donald Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. Monday by once again stating this would be the end of the Republican frontrunner’s campaign, sources confirmed. “Well, that’s it—you just can’t say those kinds of things and expect to be taken seriously any longer,”
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/inside-the-sad-strange-family-feud-that-helped-sink-rand-pauQuoteOne day early in 2011, Ron met with Jesse Benton — the young political strategist he shared with his son — to break the news that he wasn’t going to run for president again. …Benton was disappointed, but with Ron out of the picture, he decided it was time to start grooming Rand for a presidential run. He approached the younger Paul and pitched him on mounting an insurgent bid for the Republican nomination in 2012. He was adamant that Rand’s polish and pragmatism would make him a far more serious candidate than his dad ever was. Benton argued that, between the fiery base of supporters Ron had built up and the new voters Rand could attract, he would be a real threat to win the White House.Rand ate it up. He told Benton to start putting out feelers for a 2012 bid, and the strategist moved quickly to schedule a trip to the early primary state of South Carolina. On March 23, 2011, Rand made a surprise appearance at the Charleston Meeting, a gathering of Palmetto State Republican elites, and news of the visit set off sirens in the political punditocracy. Rand fanned the speculation by announcing future trips to Iowa and New Hampshire as well. The buzz was building, the strategy was working, the wheels were in motion — and then, suddenly, it all came to a screeching halt.A couple of days after Rand’s headline-grabbing South Carolina trip, Ron called up Benton. He had been giving some more thought to the idea of a 2012 presidential bid, and he’d changed his mind.I’ve decided I’m going to run, Ron said. And I want you to manage my campaign.Rand, it went without saying, would have to take a seat....One of the most jarring episodes took place inside a green room at a 2012 Republican primary debate, when Sens. Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham approached Ron and began effusively complimenting his son:They gushed about how Rand was a joy to work with in the Senate, a real contributor, someone with whom they felt they could work productively despite their ideological differences.Finally, Ron snapped, “Well, if he’s so great, he should run for president himself.”DeMint was taken aback by the outburst and quickly shut up. But Graham didn’t seem to catch on, because he just kept spurting commendations for Rand in his courtly Southern drawl, as Ron’s face twisted into a cranky scowl....After 2012, many in the Pauls’ concentric inner circles felt compelled to pick sides — with the more pragmatic political pros signing on with Rand, and the true-believing purists sticking with Ron. The two camps have spent much of the past three years bitterly feuding behind the scenes (and trying to knife each other in interviews for my book). But those closest to the family say Rand genuinely admires his father and is anxious to make him proud by building on his legacy. And Ron?One senior staffer in Rand’s Senate office told me that after years of closely observing the dynamic between the two men, he was left stupefied by Ron’s antagonism toward his son’s career.“He should be proud of Rand, but he’s not,” the staffer said. “It’s a really weird relationship.”Graham
Two weeks is a pretty quick turnaround from "conservative 13 year old wunderkind!" to endorsing Bernie Sanders for President, but there you go. THE TRANSFORMATION IS COMPLETE.http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cj-pearson-endorses-bernie-sanders
Quote from: Human Snorenado on December 09, 2015, 07:37:26 PMTwo weeks is a pretty quick turnaround from "conservative 13 year old wunderkind!" to endorsing Bernie Sanders for President, but there you go. THE TRANSFORMATION IS COMPLETE.http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cj-pearson-endorses-bernie-sandersDude was complaining about big government just a few weeks ago.
http://gawker.com/erick-erickson-s-mom-denies-son-s-story-about-boycottin-1747101450lmao, Erick Erickson is a fuckstick, so I laffed
Ms. Erickson: What do you think of Jesus Christ?Gawker: What do I think of Jesus Christ? He is obviously an important figure in Christian theology.Erickson: Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior, Mr. Trotter. He is the King of Kings. And he is coming again. So I hope and pray that you are Christian, Mr. Trotter. I will add you to my prayer list. [Hangs up.]
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/151208182156-76-year-in-politics-2015-super-169.jpg
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/12/10/donald-trump-returns-accept-police-endorsement/Vi5wppfWNdqGB0bf75GVyJ/story.html#BrandSynergy
An intriguing report Thursday in the Washington Post revealed that top Republicans leaders huddled at a restaurant in D.C. Monday night to scope out what to do if the GOP convention next summer ended up being contested convention.With Donald Trump the commanding frontrunner now for months, it wasn't immediately clear why party leaders would be anticipating that the convention would be contested or deadlocked or anything other than a coronation of the new nominee. The scenario being laid out was more of how the party establishment would stop Trump on the convention floor."Several longtime power brokers argued that if the controversial billionaire storms through the primaries, the party’s establishment must lay the groundwork for a floor fight, in which the GOP’s mainstream wing could coalesce around an alternative," the Post's Robert Costa writes.According to the Post, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus dined with 20 party elites but said little during the meeting, although they "did acknowledge to the group that a deadlocked convention is indeed something the party should prepare for."
If Republican party bosses continue meeting to discuss how to derail Donald Trump at the convention, Trump won't be the only one to turn his back on the GOP. Now, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson says he'll leave too."If this was the beginning of the plan to subvert the will of the voters and replace them with the will of the political elite, I assure you Donald Trump will not be the only one leaving the party," Carson said.
Jeb has a weak looking chest for a man with his frame. Dude should get on a bench press. I heard W used to bench 250 when he was in office.
The problem, in his view, was that the Party was “governing,” he said, adding air quotes to the word. “If people just want to ‘govern,’ which means bringing more government, they’re always going to choose the Democrat.”
(Image removed from quote.)What is going on
Just had a JayDubya tier constitution lover argue birthright citizenship should be shitcanned because the constitution is a living document and thus must adapt to changing times; this was a Facebook debate btw. I almost fell out my seat. After years of strict constructionism all it took was Trump (and brown babies) to change his mind.
