A lot of conservative pundits have hitched their stars to Donald Trump. What if he loses?

[Emjay]

A lot of pundits hitched their stars to Mitt Romney. What if he had lost?

A lot of pundits hitched their stars to John McCain. What if he had lost?

A lot of pundits hitched their stars to John Kerry. What if he had lost?

A lot of pundits hitched their stars to Al Gore. What if he had lost?

Pretty pathetic.  Those pundits did not make absolute idiots out of themselves by attempting to defend the indefensible.  There were genuine things to like about Romney and McCain, especially in view of their opposition.  Kerry and algore, not so much, but nothing compares, even remotely, to what the trumpettes have to do.

[XenaLee]

Trump love brings many people down.  It seems the unethical rubs off......

And not just the unethical part.  The unhinged part has also, apparently, rubbed off on them.

[Emjay]

In a way, I wish Trump would win.  Once his rabid followers finally realize he's the wrong man for the job, they will be begging for Ted Cruz or someone like him to lead them out of darkness.   If Tru,p loses, his followers will just blame Cruz,  the media and anyone who didn't vote for Trump.  Heck, even now they have their scapegoats ready should Trump lose.

I've briefly entertained that idea.  The Problem is that Trump zombies will never admit that he is the wrong man or that they made a mistake.  They have corrupted their own souls too much for that.  They will continue to excuse and explain every stupid move he makes.

They've done it so far, what makes anyone think they will stop.

[dfwgator]

I've briefly entertained that idea.  The Problem is that Trump zombies will never admit that he is the wrong man or that they made a mistake.  They have corrupted their own souls too much for that.  They will continue to excuse and explain every stupid move he makes.

They've done it so far, what makes anyone think they will stop.

Still, he beat everybody in the race, because none of them were good enough.  Yes, each had their fanbois,  but none of them could gain enough traction to win.  It was a poor field, and it paved the way for a guy like Trump to win, because like it or not, he touched on the issues the others feared to tread.    Now he may be a poor candidate,  but that says more about what the state of the GOP is more than anything.

[musiclady]

And not just the unethical part.  The unhinged part has also, apparently, rubbed off on them.

True enough.  Too many, at least.  Complete transformation of personalities.  It's sad.....

[Jazzhead]

I sense that you have reconciled yourself to a Trump loss but don't think Trump support will come back to bite anyone.

That's what got to change.   I have no interest in reconciling with Trump supporters.   Conservatives could have taken the Presidency and Congress this year, and instead will likely lose it all because of Trump's scamming and demagoguery.   Those who've supported this man and been responsible for his rise must be held to account.     

[musiclady]

Still, he beat everybody in the race, because none of them were good enough.  Yes, each had their fanbois,  but none of them could gain enough traction to win.  It was a poor field, and it paved the way for a guy like Trump to win, because like it or not, he touched on the issues the others feared to tread.    Now he may be a poor candidate,  but that says more about what the state of the GOP is more than anything.

Completely disagree.

The problem was not with the quality of the field, but with the quantity.  There were a number of reasonable prospects, some very strong.......... the strongest field, in fact that we have had in a very long time.

It's just that the rational, conservative vote was subdivided, while the angry, non-thinking vote gravitated toward Trump.

And it's not that he "may be a poor candidate."  He is the absolutely worst candidate in our entire lifetimes.

That's why so many conservatives can't vote for him.  He has no integrity nor virtue and he has no conservative policy positions.

[Emjay]

JustPassinThru made some excellent points about Hannity.  Even before Hannity went Trump, he seemed like a lightweight.

However, I take exception with anyone who tosses out the word 'shrub' in reference to the Last Good President.  It seems to have become popular now to deride George W. Bush.  It is not right.  He made mistakes, most of which become more apparent in hindsight but which seemed right at the time.

He is a good man and a good American and tossing him aside may be temporarily satisfying but is wrong, wrong, wrong.

[Emjay]

Still, he beat everybody in the race, because none of them were good enough.  Yes, each had their fanbois,  but none of them could gain enough traction to win.  It was a poor field, and it paved the way for a guy like Trump to win, because like it or not, he touched on the issues the others feared to tread.    Now he may be a poor candidate,  but that says more about what the state of the GOP is more than anything.

Disagree.  Trump won because of the convoluted primary season which should be reformed immediately..  Most people were against Trump even in the early primaries.  But with 17 candidates, his opposition was divided and diluted.  Trump might have been the only candidate a lot of people have ever heard of.  He still lost almost 2/3 of the vote in the early primaries.  Ted Cruz was a virtual unknown to most people outside of Texas at that point.

The Media elected Trump because every word he spoke was broadcast nationally.  He had an early appeal that even I felt because it was refreshing to hear someone so unabashedly politically incorrect.  Thinking people immediately realized the downside of Trump.  The way, way downside.

Without his name recognition and the free ads by the press, Trump would never have won. 

[XenaLee]

JustPassinThru made some excellent points about Hannity.  Even before Hannity went Trump, he seemed like a lightweight.

However, I take exception with anyone who tosses out the word 'shrub' in reference to the Last Good President.  It seems to have become popular now to deride George W. Bush.  It is not right.  He made mistakes, most of which become more apparent in hindsight but which seemed right at the time.

He is a good man and a good American and tossing him aside may be temporarily satisfying but is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Compared to the "choices" we have now (extreme sarc there)...... Bush was wonderful.  And in answer to his question.....

Yes, George.  Every day now in this Obamanation, fundamentally transformed into the TrumpoCrat-Hillary nation.

[dfwgator]

Disagree.  Trump won because of the convoluted primary season which should be reformed immediately..  Most people were against Trump even in the early primaries.  But with 17 candidates, his opposition was divided and diluted.  Trump might have been the only candidate a lot of people have ever heard of.  He still lost almost 2/3 of the vote in the early primaries.  Ted Cruz was a virtual unknown to most people outside of Texas at that point. 

First of all, Preibus should have been canned the day after Romney lost.   If I ran the RNC, I would select a committee of five people.  Anybody who wants to run for President, would go up in front of this committee and state their case for running.   The committee will then select the best three, and that will be your GOP candidates,  no more than that.  And those three should cross the political range, one Right candidate, one Center-Right, and the other one, even closer to the Center.  From there, they can debate until the cows come home.  But no more of these ridiculous debates with 10+ people. 

[dfwgator]

And it's not that he "may be a poor candidate."  He is the absolutely worst candidate in our entire lifetimes.

 

That's your opinion,  unfortunately not enough saw it that way.  That's Democracy for you.

[Vulcan]

[DB]

Nope, totally disagree with you on this point.  HRC will do whatever she thinks advances her; DT has shown himself to be somewhat responsive to public opinion.  And, he's not ideologically driven - she is, and it is a globalist, anti-American ideology.

I don't want a populist leader that does whatever the whim of the public opinion is that day. That's not what leaders of a Republic do.

[JustPassinThru]

It may not be dead (yet).....but it sure as hell is on life-support and is in the process of being killed by these same idiots that champion the ones trying to kill it.

Conservatism isn't dead.  It will never die.

Ideas that work, never go away - they're just forgotten, sometimes for millennia.  But they're reality; and reality is a stubborn thing.

This is just shake-out time...those who ride bandwagons are jumping; and those who have convictions, those who recognize the difference between CORRECT and MOST POPULAR...those two groups are separating.

[musiclady]

That's your opinion,  unfortunately not enough saw it that way.  That's Democracy for you.

Except that we live in a representative Republic, don't we?

As for whether or not it is my "opinion," can you factually refute his low character, his immorality, his unethical business practices, his liberalism, his close association with the Clintons??  (That's just naming a few of his issues).

It's not really opinion is it, that he's not Conservative, and lives an unprincipled life?

The fact that a third of Republicans with a smattering of leftists thrown in either were ignorant of his policies and character, or simply didn't care..... and the fact that a very large Republican field (actual Republicans, that is) made the angry minority a plurality may be "democracy," but it also means that Conservatives and actually any legitimate Republican, have no one representing us in the two major parties.

[Sanguine]

I don't want a populist leader that does whatever the whim of the public opinion is that day. That's not what leaders of a Republic do.

Good grief, we know that!  I don't want a "populist leader that does whatever the whim of the public opinion is that day"!  But, much more than that I don't want the efficient and downright evil Hillary Clinton in that spot.  I'm not arguing FOR DT, I'm arguing against HRC.

We have some absolutely pitiful choices, but whatever we do, we'd best make sure that the Clinton Crime Family doesn't get an opportunity to destroy us beyond recovering.

[geronl]

They have completely detached themselves from any link to conservatism at all and have drifted away from its orbit without any maneuvering thrusters, but they don't seem to care yet. Hannity, Limbaugh, Ingraham, Coulter and others are going to have a really hard time trying to pretend they are still conservatives after this debacle. They aren't and they have proven it.

I am not sure how people who followed them into Trumpism can follow them back toward a semblance of conservatism. Will they pretend that Trumpism never happened once he is history?

[musiclady]

Good grief, we know that!  I don't want a "populist leader that does whatever the whim of the public opinion is that day"!  But, much more than that I don't want the efficient and downright evil Hillary Clinton in that spot.  I'm not arguing FOR DT, I'm arguing against HRC.

We have some absolutely pitiful choices, but whatever we do, we'd best make sure that the Clinton Crime Family doesn't get an opportunity to destroy us beyond recovering.

Unfortunately, we can't do that because Trump truly is a stalking horse who's enabling the Clinton Crime Family to get back in the WH.

I can't enable it one way or the other...... either by voting Clinton, or voting Trump.

[endicom]

Not just RINOs but far left democrats like Jesse Jackson now.

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,222652.0.html

No, not now. You could try reading the thing.

[Sanguine]

Unfortunately, we can't do that because Trump truly is a stalking horse who's enabling the Clinton Crime Family to get back in the WH.

I can't enable it one way or the other...... either by voting Clinton, or voting Trump.

@musiclady, with all due respect, that's a long outside possibility.  The chances of HRC doing horrible things in office is dead certain.

[musiclady]

They have completely detached themselves from any link to conservatism at all and have drifted away from its orbit without any maneuvering thrusters, but they don't seem to care yet. Hannity, Limbaugh, Ingraham, Coulter and others are going to have a really hard time trying to pretend they are still conservatives after this debacle. They aren't and they have proven it.

I am not sure how people who followed them into Trumpism can follow them back toward a semblance of conservatism. Will they pretend that Trumpism never happened once he is history?

Trump, himself, is going to make sure we don't forget the damage he's done to the country and the political process.

While Rush, Hannity, Ingraham, et al, may pretend that they didn't betray every conservative principle they claimed to believe in, the specter of Democrat narcissist Donald Trump will live on.

He's not going to disappear once his mission to get the Clintons back in the WH is accomplished.

The spokesmen for Conservatism who have revealed that they aren't what they claimed, aren't going to be able to revive their reputations.

[musiclady]

@musiclady, with all due respect, that's a long outside possibility.  The chances of HRC doing horrible things in office is dead certain.

I believe the same thing is true of Trump.

He has no principles.  He has no ethics.  He has no knowledge of the Constitution.

There is little to no possibility that he will do anything better than Clinton will do.

[geronl]

Trump, himself, is going to make sure we don't forget the damage he's done to the country and the political process.

While Rush, Hannity, Ingraham, et al, may pretend that they didn't betray every conservative principle they claimed to believe in, the specter of Democrat narcissist Donald Trump will live on.

He's not going to disappear once his mission to get the Clintons back in the WH is accomplished.

The spokesmen for Conservatism who have revealed that they aren't what they claimed, aren't going to be able to revive their reputations.

Even the majority of people who cast a vote for Trump seem to think he is scum. I wonder how their audiences will judge them? Harshly I would hope. They can no longer claim any mantle of conservatism, so what appeal do they have once this race is over?

[Vulcan]

I believe the same thing is true of Trump.

He has no principles.  He has no ethics.  He has no knowledge of the Constitution.

There is little to no possibility that he will do anything better than Clinton will do.

He has no knowledge or respect of the Constitution.   And it is very unlikely he would be any better than the woman with which he shares a liberal ideology.