Republicans try to disarm 'suicide bomber' Trump
Jul 7, 2015 16:32:57 #
**He must be Democrat Plant...haha**
Despite the risks to the 2016 e******n, some Republicans say there is nothing to gain by calling Trump out.
Slowly and reluctantly, Republicans are beginning to take on Donald Trump.
It might just be that they can't avoid the 69-year-old billionaire businessman/entertainer. At every turn, reporters are asking the GOP p**********l candidates and other Republicans if they have a problem with Trump, also a White House contender, for referring to i*****l i*******ts from Mexico as "rapists," among other things.
Some have sought to sidestep the question. Others, like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have praised Trump for speaking aggressively about the need to secure Mexican border. But a growing number of GOP 2016'ers are attempting to distance themselves, and the Republican Party, from rhetoric they fear could alienate v**ers and boost presumptive Democratic p**********l nominee Hillary Clinton.
Jeb Bush was the first to speak out. More than a week ago, the former Florida governor said during a little-noticed interview with Spanish language media while campaigning in Nevada that he did not agree with Trump's remarks. More recently, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, plus a few veteran party operatives, joined Bush in condemning the New York businessman.
"Well I don't think he's reflecting the Republican Party with his statements about Mexicans. I think that was huge error on his part and, number one, it's wrong," Perry said during an interview on Fox News. "He painted with a very broad brush, and I think that's the problem. Yes, we have some challenges. Nobody knows that border better than I do."
Rubio had this to say, in a statement issued by his campaign: "Trump's comments are not just offensive and inaccurate, but also d******e. Our next president needs to be someone who brings Americans together not someone who continues to divide. Our broken immigration system is something that needs to be solved, and comments like this move us further from not closer to a solution."
Trump has come under fire from some, and enjoyed kudos from others, for extensive comments me made about i*****l i*******ts from Mexico during an extemporaneous speech he delivered June 16 announcing his run for president. The impact of the remarks received extra attention because, for the first time, Trump was speaking as a p**********l candidate, not a hard-charging businessman or flamboyant reality television host.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you," he said last month. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
In a statement issued on Monday, Trump attempted to clarify his remarks, but did not back away or apologize. "I don't see how there is any room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the statement I made on June 16th during my P**********l announcement speech and yet this statement is deliberately distorted by the media."
It's hard to find a veteran Republican political professional who thinks that Trump's rhetoric helps the GOP, although some claim its impact is negligible. In the 2012 campaign, Republican p**********l nominee Mitt Romney garnered 27 percent of the Hispanic v**e, a contributing factor in his loss to President Obama. Romney was deemed to have blown his chance to woo Hispanics and other minorities for making far less incendiary statements than has Trump. Romney's sin? Saying that he favored a policy of "self-deportation" for i*****l i*******ts.
The problem for the Republicans isn't that Trump opposes i*****l i*********n, said Daniel Garza executive director of the Libre Initiative, a conservative group that focuses on Hispanic outreach. Rather, it is that the businessman's comments are likely to be perceived by Hispanics as broadly anti-immigrant, and that perception is a k**ler for the GOP at the b****t box. To improve upon the party's 2012 showing, the eventual Republican nominee doesn't have to support amnesty for i*****l i*******ts, but he does have to show appreciation for immigrants' contributions to American society and be willing to discuss immigration reform.
Publicly repudiating Trump's problematic comments, as some Republicans have done, is a good start, said Garza, a veteran of the George W. Bush administration.
"Whether the other candidates like it or not, there is no question Mr. Trump's careless comments have become part of the narrative associated to the Republican primary battle," he said. "My sense is that Latino v**ers fully expect to hear from the other candidates where they stand in relation to Mr. Trump's position and that they will have to be clear and unequivocal."
Despite the risks of a similar result in 2016, some Republican operatives say there is nothing to gain by calling out Trump, even with the media continuing to press the issue. After Rubio criticized Trump, the businessman responded with his usual flair, taking to Twitter to lambaste the senator, while an unnamed adviser called the Floridian a liar. A Republican operative who noted the exchange said Rubio would have been better off leaving well enough alone.
"Trump is a suicide bomber," said this Republican, who is not affiliated with any p**********l candidate. "As a competing campaign, your only hope to avoid the blast is that he doesn't find a reason to show up at your doorstep. Anyone who utters the name Trump runs the risk of a seven-day jihad from a guy who has absolutely no sense of appropriateness or decency."
Disclosure: The author's wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker.
Despite the risks to the 2016 e******n, some Republicans say there is nothing to gain by calling Trump out.
Slowly and reluctantly, Republicans are beginning to take on Donald Trump.
It might just be that they can't avoid the 69-year-old billionaire businessman/entertainer. At every turn, reporters are asking the GOP p**********l candidates and other Republicans if they have a problem with Trump, also a White House contender, for referring to i*****l i*******ts from Mexico as "rapists," among other things.
Some have sought to sidestep the question. Others, like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have praised Trump for speaking aggressively about the need to secure Mexican border. But a growing number of GOP 2016'ers are attempting to distance themselves, and the Republican Party, from rhetoric they fear could alienate v**ers and boost presumptive Democratic p**********l nominee Hillary Clinton.
Jeb Bush was the first to speak out. More than a week ago, the former Florida governor said during a little-noticed interview with Spanish language media while campaigning in Nevada that he did not agree with Trump's remarks. More recently, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, plus a few veteran party operatives, joined Bush in condemning the New York businessman.
"Well I don't think he's reflecting the Republican Party with his statements about Mexicans. I think that was huge error on his part and, number one, it's wrong," Perry said during an interview on Fox News. "He painted with a very broad brush, and I think that's the problem. Yes, we have some challenges. Nobody knows that border better than I do."
Rubio had this to say, in a statement issued by his campaign: "Trump's comments are not just offensive and inaccurate, but also d******e. Our next president needs to be someone who brings Americans together not someone who continues to divide. Our broken immigration system is something that needs to be solved, and comments like this move us further from not closer to a solution."
Trump has come under fire from some, and enjoyed kudos from others, for extensive comments me made about i*****l i*******ts from Mexico during an extemporaneous speech he delivered June 16 announcing his run for president. The impact of the remarks received extra attention because, for the first time, Trump was speaking as a p**********l candidate, not a hard-charging businessman or flamboyant reality television host.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you," he said last month. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
In a statement issued on Monday, Trump attempted to clarify his remarks, but did not back away or apologize. "I don't see how there is any room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the statement I made on June 16th during my P**********l announcement speech and yet this statement is deliberately distorted by the media."
It's hard to find a veteran Republican political professional who thinks that Trump's rhetoric helps the GOP, although some claim its impact is negligible. In the 2012 campaign, Republican p**********l nominee Mitt Romney garnered 27 percent of the Hispanic v**e, a contributing factor in his loss to President Obama. Romney was deemed to have blown his chance to woo Hispanics and other minorities for making far less incendiary statements than has Trump. Romney's sin? Saying that he favored a policy of "self-deportation" for i*****l i*******ts.
The problem for the Republicans isn't that Trump opposes i*****l i*********n, said Daniel Garza executive director of the Libre Initiative, a conservative group that focuses on Hispanic outreach. Rather, it is that the businessman's comments are likely to be perceived by Hispanics as broadly anti-immigrant, and that perception is a k**ler for the GOP at the b****t box. To improve upon the party's 2012 showing, the eventual Republican nominee doesn't have to support amnesty for i*****l i*******ts, but he does have to show appreciation for immigrants' contributions to American society and be willing to discuss immigration reform.
Publicly repudiating Trump's problematic comments, as some Republicans have done, is a good start, said Garza, a veteran of the George W. Bush administration.
"Whether the other candidates like it or not, there is no question Mr. Trump's careless comments have become part of the narrative associated to the Republican primary battle," he said. "My sense is that Latino v**ers fully expect to hear from the other candidates where they stand in relation to Mr. Trump's position and that they will have to be clear and unequivocal."
Despite the risks of a similar result in 2016, some Republican operatives say there is nothing to gain by calling out Trump, even with the media continuing to press the issue. After Rubio criticized Trump, the businessman responded with his usual flair, taking to Twitter to lambaste the senator, while an unnamed adviser called the Floridian a liar. A Republican operative who noted the exchange said Rubio would have been better off leaving well enough alone.
"Trump is a suicide bomber," said this Republican, who is not affiliated with any p**********l candidate. "As a competing campaign, your only hope to avoid the blast is that he doesn't find a reason to show up at your doorstep. Anyone who utters the name Trump runs the risk of a seven-day jihad from a guy who has absolutely no sense of appropriateness or decency."
Disclosure: The author's wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker.
Jul 7, 2015 17:19:27 #
Trump is a windbag that sucks all of the oxygen out of the room. And yes, he does appear to be a Democrat operative. He's a New Yorker, for crying out loud!!! He's Manhattan personified. He lives in the belly of the beast of liberalism. There are no real Republicans (much less conservatives) in New York.
Trump is a guy that is being used by the Left to stir things up to keep the heat off of Hillary...who was once a senator from what state again? He's bombastic and grandiose. He gets zero attention from anyone with functioning brain cells.
Therefore, who actually takes this guy seriously (politically speaking)? Nobody. He's a waste of time that distracts from the real candidates having face time on real issues/policies.
The correct response to reporters about Trump by Republican p**********l candidates is, "No comment"...and move on. Anything else will be spun against them. Even "no comment" will be spun against them, but at least they won't be on record for potentially saying something stupid or too politically correct. Either way, you can't win with the media.
Republicans trying to comment on Trump is like white people saying, "Some of my best friends are black people". Meaning, no matter if it's true or not, no one will believe you...and will mock you for saying it. It's a lose-lose proposition.
Trump is a guy that is being used by the Left to stir things up to keep the heat off of Hillary...who was once a senator from what state again? He's bombastic and grandiose. He gets zero attention from anyone with functioning brain cells.
Therefore, who actually takes this guy seriously (politically speaking)? Nobody. He's a waste of time that distracts from the real candidates having face time on real issues/policies.
The correct response to reporters about Trump by Republican p**********l candidates is, "No comment"...and move on. Anything else will be spun against them. Even "no comment" will be spun against them, but at least they won't be on record for potentially saying something stupid or too politically correct. Either way, you can't win with the media.
Republicans trying to comment on Trump is like white people saying, "Some of my best friends are black people". Meaning, no matter if it's true or not, no one will believe you...and will mock you for saying it. It's a lose-lose proposition.
Jul 7, 2015 18:00:05 #
Ricko
Loc: Florida
Olden McGroen wrote:
Trump is a windbag that sucks all of the oxygen ou... (show quote)
OldenMcGroen-the GOP establishment is deathly afraid of Trump because they cannot control him and, like the democrats, they worry that he will tell the American people the t***h. For example, it is high time that the t***h be told about why entitlement and tax reform are still on the back burner while 71% of the government's income is eaten up by entitlements and debt service. You cannot run a household using only 29% of your income so how can we run a country doing the same thing. All of the politicians running ,who have served in Washington, D.C., are complicit in adding to this country's deficit and debt. So, the solution is to send one of them to the Oval Office to remedy a situation which was caused by both their inattentiveness and unwillingness to tackle a tough problem ? Aren't you people tired of rhetoric and lip service ? Trump would probably be a better,no-nonsense, president than any of those now running. Admittedly, both Walker and Christie are "get it done" type of guys. I would be happy with any one of the three. Good Luck America !!!
Jul 7, 2015 18:14:33 #
nwtk2007
Loc: Texas
KHH1 wrote:
**He must be Democrat Plant...haha** br br Despi... (show quote)
They might as well have Limbaugh or Levine or Savage run. Trump gets all of his material from them.
Jul 7, 2015 18:22:04 #
Trump makes his own rules and while other candidates' advisers such as Rove, etc. tell them they can't say things like that and must shun Trump, the masses of wasps make Trump top of the poll. Now the other candidates are trying to claw their way up by throwing him under the bus with speak that he's an operative for libs
Jul 7, 2015 18:32:26 #
nwtk2007
Loc: Texas
UncleJesse wrote:
Trump makes his own rules and while other candidates' advisers such as Rove, etc. tell them they can't say things like that and must shun Trump, the masses of wasps make Trump top of the poll. Now the other candidates are trying to claw their way up by throwing him under the bus with speak that he's an operative for libs
It really doesn't matter what they say about him, he'll shoot himself in the foot all by himself. If it turns out that someone like him is the kind of guy the Am people want as a leader and world rep, then that's what they'll get. Plenty of i***ts have won e******ns in classless countries and states and cities, etc.
Jul 7, 2015 22:05:17 #
Trump is a bad deal for the GOP
JONAH GOLDBERG
POOR Donald Trump. It wasnt supposed to be like this. For years, wherever The Donald went, he met people who told him he should run for president. His retinue of sycophants surely saw little to gain from explaining that birthers, celebrity-worshippers and dev**ees of The Apprentice are not a statistically meaningful sample of the e*****rate.
Nor did it dawn on him that some people say you should run for president the way you tell your long-winded uncle you should write a book. History is full of failed men who mistook flattery for insight.
In the past, Trump always pulled back from the brink. Why risk his beloved TV show? Why endure the embarrassment of revealing hes not as rich as he claims? Better to play a Cincinnatus who wont relinquish the plow
or in this case the cologne. Flirt but dont commit was the rule.
But something changed. One too many Twitter followers said, Do it! One too many valets whispered, America needs you probably just before asking for a raise. And Trump took the leap though he hasnt provided the required financial disclosures yet, which inclines me to think that he will either suddenly find an excuse to retreat or that he has a team of accountants trying to figure out how he can simultaneously save face and avoid perjury.
In his announcement speech the brevity and discipline of which were impressive only by the standards of Fidel Castro or Joe Biden
Trump shouted his certainty that Mexico is sending rapists and other criminals but he could only assume (sotto voce) that some are good people.
Many of my colleagues on the right have taken pains to logic-chop Trumps remarks. And it is true that rapists and drug dealers are illegally crossing the border. Others have defended Trump by noting that what people like about this Lonesome Rhodes in a $10,000 suit is his fearlessness, bluntly tackling issues that other politicians fear to touch. That is a fine point in an indictment of the professional political class, but it is not a defense of Trump.
His goal was to wave the rhetorical bloody shirt. It worked only too well, damaging a party he expresses contempt for daily.
Indeed, the supposedly heartfelt Republican has given more to Democrats than Republicans over the years (particularly before his last flirtation with running in 2012). Among his beneficiaries: Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, John Kerry, Andrew Cuomo, Eliot Spitzer and the Clinton Foundation.
Asked to explain why, he said, Youre gonna need things from everybody. (One wonders what Trump hoped to get from the Clinton Foundation.)
This attitude helps explain why Trump is such a fan of eminent domain. The man seeking the tea partys support loves to use the government to seize private land he cant or doesnt want to buy fairly.
Given the fetid swamp of sanctioned corruption that passes for commerce in New York, its no wonder he sees nothing wrong with greasing the skids by funding liberal politicians. But one might expect a person who claims to be a conservative to at least pay some rhetorical tribute to virtue while admitting his vice. Alas, it is axiomatic that the shameless are incapable of exhibiting shame.
The great irony is that the man who made his fortune playing the game of influence-peddling and celebrity-mongering forgot that the other players get a turn. Trump has lost his TV show. Macys will no longer carry his mattresses. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who governs like a banana republic demagogue, has declared he is reviewing Trumps contracts with the city.
Meanwhile, too many of Trumps GOP primary competitors, afraid of angering his fans, stand mute or mumbling. Republicans are fielding the best candidates in a generation, but Trump is poised to make them chumps by association. He has no chance of becoming president, but he has the huge potential to deny his alleged party a White House victory in 2016. And when that happens, he will of course stay a celebrity, but he will have traded his fame for infamy, even among those now cheering him on. jgoldberg@latimes columnists.com  
JONAH GOLDBERG
POOR Donald Trump. It wasnt supposed to be like this. For years, wherever The Donald went, he met people who told him he should run for president. His retinue of sycophants surely saw little to gain from explaining that birthers, celebrity-worshippers and dev**ees of The Apprentice are not a statistically meaningful sample of the e*****rate.
Nor did it dawn on him that some people say you should run for president the way you tell your long-winded uncle you should write a book. History is full of failed men who mistook flattery for insight.
In the past, Trump always pulled back from the brink. Why risk his beloved TV show? Why endure the embarrassment of revealing hes not as rich as he claims? Better to play a Cincinnatus who wont relinquish the plow
or in this case the cologne. Flirt but dont commit was the rule.
But something changed. One too many Twitter followers said, Do it! One too many valets whispered, America needs you probably just before asking for a raise. And Trump took the leap though he hasnt provided the required financial disclosures yet, which inclines me to think that he will either suddenly find an excuse to retreat or that he has a team of accountants trying to figure out how he can simultaneously save face and avoid perjury.
In his announcement speech the brevity and discipline of which were impressive only by the standards of Fidel Castro or Joe Biden
Trump shouted his certainty that Mexico is sending rapists and other criminals but he could only assume (sotto voce) that some are good people.
Many of my colleagues on the right have taken pains to logic-chop Trumps remarks. And it is true that rapists and drug dealers are illegally crossing the border. Others have defended Trump by noting that what people like about this Lonesome Rhodes in a $10,000 suit is his fearlessness, bluntly tackling issues that other politicians fear to touch. That is a fine point in an indictment of the professional political class, but it is not a defense of Trump.
His goal was to wave the rhetorical bloody shirt. It worked only too well, damaging a party he expresses contempt for daily.
Indeed, the supposedly heartfelt Republican has given more to Democrats than Republicans over the years (particularly before his last flirtation with running in 2012). Among his beneficiaries: Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, John Kerry, Andrew Cuomo, Eliot Spitzer and the Clinton Foundation.
Asked to explain why, he said, Youre gonna need things from everybody. (One wonders what Trump hoped to get from the Clinton Foundation.)
This attitude helps explain why Trump is such a fan of eminent domain. The man seeking the tea partys support loves to use the government to seize private land he cant or doesnt want to buy fairly.
Given the fetid swamp of sanctioned corruption that passes for commerce in New York, its no wonder he sees nothing wrong with greasing the skids by funding liberal politicians. But one might expect a person who claims to be a conservative to at least pay some rhetorical tribute to virtue while admitting his vice. Alas, it is axiomatic that the shameless are incapable of exhibiting shame.
The great irony is that the man who made his fortune playing the game of influence-peddling and celebrity-mongering forgot that the other players get a turn. Trump has lost his TV show. Macys will no longer carry his mattresses. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who governs like a banana republic demagogue, has declared he is reviewing Trumps contracts with the city.
Meanwhile, too many of Trumps GOP primary competitors, afraid of angering his fans, stand mute or mumbling. Republicans are fielding the best candidates in a generation, but Trump is poised to make them chumps by association. He has no chance of becoming president, but he has the huge potential to deny his alleged party a White House victory in 2016. And when that happens, he will of course stay a celebrity, but he will have traded his fame for infamy, even among those now cheering him on. jgoldberg@latimes columnists.com  
Jul 7, 2015 22:08:30 #
Jul 8, 2015 22:40:21 #
UncleJesse wrote:
====================================Trump makes his own rules and while other candidates' advisers such as Rove, etc. tell them they can't say things like that and must shun Trump, the masses of wasps make Trump top of the poll. Now the other candidates are trying to claw their way up by throwing him under the bus with speak that he's an operative for libs
Any "conservative" that supports Donald Trump is ignorant of his past and is bamboozled by his "big talk" that is all BS. Christie did the same thing a few years back. He was the darling of the GOP for a while. Ann Coulter loved him...and then he revealed who he really is.
Have you forgotten that Trump was a Democrat up until 2009? Or that he supported comprehensive immigration and a path to citizenship for i******s? Or that he supports imminent domain laws that take property rights away from citizens in order to "broaden and bolster the tax base" by allowing big businesses to flatten houses to build buildings or parking garages on them? Have you forgotten that he lives in Manhattan?
Trump is a footnote at best.
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