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Title: GOP Third Party Revolt Gets Serious As Romney Powwows With Kristol
Source:
Reverb Press
URL Source: http://reverbpress.com/politics/gop ... s-romney-powwows-with-kristol/
Published: May 7, 2016
Author: Marc Belisle
Post Date: 2016-05-07 15:34:35 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 457
Comments: 7
As Donald Trump becomes the Republican party’s presumptive presidential nominee, many influential leaders in the party are dealing with the crisis of conservatism he represents. Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, and key Neoconservative organizer, is now leading an effort to draft a third party candidate. The movement is apparently becoming serious, as Kristol just met with the last Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney. The Washington Post reported on Friday that Kristol met with Romney in Washington D.C. to discuss the movement. Though Kristol was coy about what he discussed with Romney, despite a fairly lengthy interview with the Post, it was clear that at least three things were discussed. Kristol wanted Romney to weigh in on whether he thought a third party campaign was a good idea, “I wanted to get his wisdom on whether it was more or less doable than I thought.” Kristol also wanted Romney to consider running, though they had not necessarily committed to backing him as the candidate, “He came pretty close to being elected president, so I thought he may consider doing it, especially since he has been very forthright in explaining why Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should not be president of the United States,” … “It was not like, ‘You should do it.’ I wouldn’t presume he’d do it. But I’m hoping that he begins to think about it a little more,” Kristol said. “His name is one of the names that is part of the discussion.” Finally, Kristol wanted Romney’s input on who Romney would back if he didn’t run himself. But knowing Romney’s reluctance, Kristol told Romney that if he remains unwilling to run, many top conservatives would appreciate having the former Massachusetts governor’s support for an independent candidate, should Kristol and other right-leaning figures enlist a willing contender. “Obviously, if there were to be an independent candidacy, Romney’s support would be very important,” Kristol said. Romney has been a leader in the Never Trump movement among Republicans. In March, he encouraged Republican voters to vote for the candidate most likely to defeat Trump in each state going forward. With Ted Cruz, widely detested among his Congressional Republican colleagues, running in second place, and so many Republicans having split the anti-Trump vote, no credible challenger ever materialized. Yet, also in March, Romney filed with the Federal Election Commission and reactivated his 2012 campaign committee and Super PAC, as Reverb Press reported. So, his infrastructure is already in place, should he choose to launch a third-party bid. But if Romney doesn’t run, Kristol is considering other options. Kristol previously courted retired Marine Corps General James Mattis to run as a third party candidate. Mattis was briefed, but declined to run. In a “just spitballing” tweet in April, Kristol also mentioned Senator Ben Sasse as a possibility. This idea seems to be serious, and Sasse seems to be interested in being an ideological anti-Trump leader. As Trump clinched presumptive nominee status, Sasse published on his Facebook page a 1,445-word 10-point manifesto addressed to “the majority of Americans” who don’t support either Trump or Clinton. One of Sasse’s key points was, “Imagine if we had a candidate: …who hadn’t spent his/her life in politics either buying politicians or being bought…” This is a not-so-subtle endorsement of himself. Sasse has only been Nebraska’s Senator since January, 2015. Prior to entering politics, he mostly had an academic career as a professor and then university president. He has pitched himself as a political outsider despite being a Republican. At 44, Sasse would be one of the youngest people ever to run for president. Given the age of Trump and Clinton, some may see this as a virtue. But it seems more likely that Kristol might groom Sasse as a Vice Presidential nominee for a more seasoned Republican like Romney. Despite courting speculation on Facebook, Sasse has sought to distance himself from it on Twitter. He said that because he is raising small children, he’s too busy to run for president. This is obviously the kind of “aw shucks” dodge that is a selling point, not an actual refusal. Kristol tweeted a rather aggressive response that Sasse could home-school his kids on the plane while they see the country. Those three little kids will enjoy their dad's 6-month campaign–do home schooling on the plane, see the country… https://t.co/yNZRun9cpl — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 5, 2016 If something like a Romney-Sasse ticket is in the offing in the general election, they would have to move fast. The clock is already starting to tick on the general election, in terms of fundraising and building infrastructure in key states. Such a ticket would almost certainly be doomed. A Romney-like third party candidate would be very likely to split the conservative vote with Trump. But Trump has generated a ton of enthusiasm both for and against his candidacy among conservatives. So, even though there would be a split, it would potentially help Republicans in down-ballot races across the country. However, if a 3-way race managed to deny any of the 3 candidates an outright majority in the Electoral College in November, then the Constitution mandates that the House of Representatives elects the next president. Republicans could be eyeballing this as a possibility to turn their careening dumpster fire of an election into a way to steal the White House, by giving Paul Ryan the power to choose the next president virtually by fiat. Now may be a good time to invest in pitchforks. Kristol discussed three things with Romney
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#1. To: Deckard (#0)
I remember when the PTB in the Gag Or Puke party pushed Patrick J Buchanan under the bus. He went from loyal and loved Republican insider, to communist, fascist, anti-Semite by one overt action. He ran against George Herbert Walker Bush. People need to understand only one thing when they support Trump. That he is not a member of their club and WILL BE DESTROYED. When they are finished, he will be a shell of his former powerful self, or he will win the office he seeks. There are only two ways to go.
Addressing a crisis of conservatism by running Romney is like fighting fire with gasoline. A government strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them. Yeah, I remember that as well. Si vis pacem, para bellum Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. There are no Carthaginian terrorists. President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. --Clint Eastwood "I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -- General Douglas MacArthur
It really doesn't matter what they try and do to trump. They spent 76 million during the primary and they all got WHOMPED. Trump has us and we have him, that's all we need to rebuild America. TRUMP20116!!!!!
What is Trump going to do?
Ron Paul also ran against GHW Bush four years earlier in '88 under the Libertarian Party banner. Trump is a member of the club, the rhetoric saying otherwise is a con game by the D&RNC. They're backing the Democrat wing of the party for the third straight presidential election in a row. With a Democratic president, the whining is easy while the faux "conservative" media flourishes, and the donations are large. The sheeple are too brainwashed to vote their way out. They vote for the Republican or Democrat wings of the party, and get screwed. Then they keep repeating the same thing over and over, hoping for different results. Pavlov's dogs were smarter. If he quit feeding them after he rang the bell, they would eventually quit salivating. But not the D&R voters, they keep falling for the "Hope & Change" flim-flam scam indefinitely. The D&R party is a suicide cult. Somebody ought to tell Kristol that if he wanted to search for wisdom he could do a lot better than consult a corrupt asshole loser whose only success in life was cashing in on his father's family name.
#2. To: Deckard (#0)
As Donald Trump becomes the Republican party’s presumptive presidential nominee, many influential leaders in the party are dealing with the crisis of conservatism he represents. [...] Kristol also wanted Romney to consider running
#3. To: jeremiad (#1)
" I remember when the PTB in the Gag Or Puke party pushed Patrick J Buchanan under the bus. He went from loyal and loved Republican insider, to communist, fascist, anti-Semite by one overt action. He ran against George Herbert Walker Bush. "
#4. To: jeremiad (#1)
#5. To: calcon (#4)
TRUMP20116!!!!!
#6. To: jeremiad, *The Two Parties ARE the Same* (#1)
(Edited)
He [Patrick J Buchanan] ran against George Herbert Walker Bush.
"We (government) need to do a lot less, a lot sooner" ~Ron Paul
#7. To: Deckard (#0)
“I wanted to get his wisdom on whether it was more or less doable than I thought.”
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