On paper, judged by qualifications and career
results, the Republican field is very strong. The reason the Republican field
is losing to Trump has nothing to do with qualifications. The problem is that
once in Washington, Republicans generally lose their nerve. They fear being
denounced in the national media, so they cave in to avoid shutting down the
government. And when their reasons for shutting down the government prove
valid, Republicans don't make their point to the press. In general, Republicans
have such fear of seeming strident, they say almost nothing in interviews with
the Pravda Press. Trump has shown he does not fear the Pravda Press. That's why
he's winning.
Republicans shut down the government in 2013 to get a one
year delay for Obamacare. They ultimately failed. When Obamacare rolled out, it
was barely functional and obviously not ready for prime time. In short,
Obamacare was a disaster. That was the time to link the government shutdown to
the one year delay of Obamacare. That was the time to kick the administration
for a total lack of judgement. They took a government shutdown so they could
roll out an Obamacare system that was obviously not ready, instead of taking a one year delay and getting it
right. I didn't see one Republican on any talk or news show explaining that
Republicans were right to fight for the delay. Obamacare wasn't ready and would
have benefited from a one year delay.
I am not a big fan of Donald Trump in most
respects. He's ignorant about checks and balances. He's ignorant about foreign
policy. I would strongly prefer several other candidates for Republican
nominee. But there is one thing Trump does really well. He makes the Pravda
Press dance to his tune, not theirs. In the news arena, Trump is an example of
"the heck with them" attitude Republicans need to have at the
national level. Republican voters will not nominate another doormat for the
Pravda Press to stomp on.
The GOP didn't fail at shutdown politics because it was afraid of the press, it failed at shutdown politics because the shutdown interfered with the scams. How's a subcommittee chairman going to harvest money from his particular money tree if there's a shutdown distracting all the inhabitants of said money tree from all the things they could pay him to deliver to them or protect them from? Boehner and now Ryan were elected by a democratic process -- it's no accident that they are who they are.
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