The Memo: Five Republicans who could primary Trump in 2020

[Free Vulcan]

Will President Trump face a challenge from within his own party in 2020?

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake (R) seems to think so. On Sunday, Flake told ABC’s “This Week” that if the president did not change his approach, he “is going to leave a huge swath of voters looking for someone else.”

Flake, a frequent Trump critic, added that the president is “probably inviting a Republican challenge.”

Any challenger to Trump would face enormous hurdles.

The president remains popular among Republican voters, even as he endures historically low approval numbers at large. In most polls, around 80 percent of GOP voters give Trump the thumbs-up.

Still, Trump would become much more vulnerable if Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections set for November 2018. 

Read more at: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/366527-the-memo-five-republicans-who-could-primary-trump-in-2020

[libertybele]

Will President Trump face a challenge from within his own party in 2020?

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake (R) seems to think so. On Sunday, Flake told ABC’s “This Week” that if the president did not change his approach, he “is going to leave a huge swath of voters looking for someone else.”

Flake, a frequent Trump critic, added that the president is “probably inviting a Republican challenge.”

Any challenger to Trump would face enormous hurdles.

The president remains popular among Republican voters, even as he endures historically low approval numbers at large. In most polls, around 80 percent of GOP voters give Trump the thumbs-up.

Still, Trump would become much more vulnerable if Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections set for November 2018. 

Read more at: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/366527-the-memo-five-republicans-who-could-primary-trump-in-2020

Flake is a 'flake'.  I certainly don't think Cruz would challenge him as he's been supportive of Trump.  The only way I see Cruz running would be if Trump were to step down. Martinez, maybe, but she didn't jump into the race when encouraged to do so last time and has remained relatively silent about him so far. Sasse, I'm not really familiar with.  Kasich? Are you kidding me? He's just an absolute joke...he barely carried his own state and he hasn't actually gained any popularity.

[Emjay]

Yeah, I went over there.

The Republicans do have a broader base of possibles than the dems do, but that list contains only one.

Sasse.  Yeah, he's been tweeting about ... well, about Trump's tweets.  Who hasn't done that.  We've all done it.  It's not a good basis for being President.

As for Trump's sneers at the Press, Sasse thinks that's going against the Constitution.

Where is it written in the Constitution that we have to worship the press, or that we cannot call them out when they flat out lie?  Somebody will have to find that for me.

Martinez ... okay, she was originally against Trump's proposals on illegal immigration but she's come around some since he was elected and actually voted with him at times.  But she brought up the Hollywood tapes.  That's a No.

Kasich??  Do I even have to say anything?  Except that he would bore us to death.

And the winner:  Ted Cruz.  But Cruz has some sense.  He will never go after a sitting President unless major damage has been done by the President and I'm not talking about insensitive tweets.  Cruz has time and he knows it.  He's a veritable kid in the political world.

[libertybele]

Yeah, I went over there.

The Republicans do have a broader base of possibles than the dems do, but that list contains only one.

Sasse.  Yeah, he's been tweeting about ... well, about Trump's tweets.  Who hasn't done that.  We've all done it.  It's not a good basis for being President.

As for Trump's sneers at the Press, Sasse thinks that's going against the Constitution.

Where is it written in the Constitution that we have to worship the press, or that we cannot call them out when they flat out lie?  Somebody will have to find that for me.

Martinez ... okay, she was originally against Trump's proposals on illegal immigration but she's come around some since he was elected and actually voted with him at times.  But she brought up the Hollywood tapes.  That's a No.

Kasich??  Do I even have to say anything?  Except that he would bore us to death.

And the winner:  Ted Cruz.  But Cruz has some sense.  He will never go after a sitting President unless major damage has been done by the President and I'm not talking about insensitive tweets.  Cruz has time and he knows it.  He's a veritable kid in the political world.

I can't remember when a sitting GOP president has been challenged from someone worthwhile within his own party and to do so and lose would  put a damper on their political career.  I think Cruz would make an excellent president; but he lost to Trump once and he's not foolish enough to challenge him again especially when Trump has made a move towards conservatism and they pretty much have the same agenda.

[Emjay]

I can't remember when a sitting GOP president has been challenged from someone worthwhile within his own party and to do so and lose would  put a damper on their political career.  I think Cruz would make an excellent president; but he lost to Trump once and he's not foolish enough to challenge him again especially when Trump has made a move towards conservatism and they pretty much have the same agenda.

Ted Cruz is ambitious and I'm sure he wants to be President.  But he is also way too smart to challenge Trump if Trump decides to run again.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

I can't remember when a sitting GOP president has been challenged from someone worthwhile within his own party and to do so and lose would  put a damper on their political career.  I think Cruz would make an excellent president; but he lost to Trump once and he's not foolish enough to challenge him again especially when Trump has made a move towards conservatism and they pretty much have the same agenda.

There was this one guy who almost took out Ford in 1976.  His political career survived, while Ford's didn't.

[libertybele]

There was this one guy who almost took out Ford in 1976.  His political career survived, while Ford's didn't.

Ford took Nixon's place and wasn't elected into office and then challenged by a member of his party for the next term.  Carter easily won which indicates exactly how badly Nixon hurt the party.  IMHO IF Trump is able to turn this whole 'Russian collusion' and prove it was the DEMS; he will sink any chances of them taking the oval office in 2020.

[skeeter]

What will be the challengers platform to run n against Trump? More regulations on business? More moderate Supreme Court justices? A more deferential attitude towards the UN?

Less tweeting might work.

[Emjay]

What will be the challengers platform to run n against Trump? More regulations on business? More moderate Supreme Court justices? A more deferential attitude towards the UN?

Less tweeting might work.

I think we've beaten the tweeting thing to death and it should be buried.

I once hoped someone could convince Trump not to tweet.

I then hoped someone a little more literate would review his tweets.

But now that I realize that Trump WILL tweet and it will be totally Trump, I've learned to stop worrying and learn to love the tweet.

Actually, the tweet does it's job.  It whips the left into an inchoate fury ... I love to see them there.

It gets his message out to the public.

Example: Bo coup complaints about Trump's attack on the press.  Even from Republicans.  He's been accused of abusing the First Amendment.  Hahahah.

But, but, but those tweets have started people thinking and talking about the fairness of the Press or the lack thereof.

[Oceander]

Maybe somebody who runs on real tax reform rather than on sneaky tax increases sold to a gullible public as tax reform that mostly only benefit real estate investors.

[RoosGirl]

Maybe somebody who runs on real tax reform rather than on sneaky tax increases sold to a gullible public as tax reform that mostly only benefit real estate investors.

@Frank Cannon Does a slumlord qualify as a real estate investor?

[edpc]

Maybe somebody who runs on real tax reform rather than on sneaky tax increases sold to a gullible public as tax reform that mostly only benefit real estate investors.

So this tax act was just an absolute catastrophe for the country, for the real estate industry, and I really hope that something can be done — as Congressman Thomas recently said, that something can be done to change at least parts of it, because it has taken all incentive away from investing in real estate, and real estate really means so many jobs...by having cut the high income tax rates to 25 percent, as an example, people don’t have the incentive any more to invest. They’re saying, “Why should I take a chance on investing in low or moderate-income housing? I might as well just pay the tax.” But the fact is, that 25 percent for high-income people — for high-income people — it should be raised substantially with the understanding that if you invest, you can get it down and down substantially below that number...I was asked to come by the Chairman, and I make this plea that, if something isn’t done to put the incentive back — I mean, we’re no different right now than the Soviet Union. They have no incentive, and we have no incentive. And if something isn’t done to quickly put the incentive back, this country is going to be in very deep problems.


https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2016/04/19/video-trump-trashes-reagan-tax-cuts-as-democratcalled-expert-witness-in-1991-n2151131

[Cyber Liberty]

The fact that Flake is even on this list tells me this author is just phoning it in between the Holidays.

[Emjay]

Maybe somebody who runs on real tax reform rather than on sneaky tax increases sold to a gullible public as tax reform that mostly only benefit real estate investors.

People I trust more than I trust you think this tax reform bill is a good thing.

[Mesaclone]

The real concern is that the NT Republicans will run a 3rd party schmo just to sabotage Trump in a general election. Knowing a 3rd party has no chance, they will hope to draw 3-4% from the right and so hand the election to a Hillary-clone candidate from the Left. For these morons, a Dem winner is a small price to pay in order to sabotage Trump...and in their small minds...win back "their party" from the Trump supporters.

[edpc]

Millions of people I trust more than Trump know the Reagan tax cuts were a good thing. He said they were a disaster.

[libertybele]

Maybe somebody who runs on real tax reform rather than on sneaky tax increases sold to a gullible public as tax reform that mostly only benefit real estate investors.

??? That remains to be seen.  What affects Trump/GOP tax reform has on all of us is yet to be felt.

[RoosGirl]

The real concern is that the NT Republicans will run a 3rd party schmo just to sabotage Trump in a general election. Knowing a 3rd party has no chance, they will hope to draw 3-4% from the right and so hand the election to a Hillary-clone candidate from the Left. For these morons, a Dem winner is a small price to pay in order to sabotage Trump...and in their small minds...win back "their party" from the Trump supporters.

Why are you concerned about it?  Trump won in a landslide over Hillary the first time, didn't he?

[libertybele]

The real concern is that the NT Republicans will run a 3rd party schmo just to sabotage Trump in a general election. Knowing a 3rd party has no chance, they will hope to draw 3-4% from the right and so hand the election to a Hillary-clone candidate from the Left. For these morons, a Dem winner is a small price to pay in order to sabotage Trump...and in their small minds...win back "their party" from the Trump supporters.

If Trump continues to pull this country to the right; I think the NT's will vote for him in silence.  If they aren't going to vote for someone who is pulling this country towards conservatism and vote for someone who would pull this country in a liberal directions, then IMHO they aren't truly conservatives, but rather voting to prove a point that they will remain steadfast as a NT'er regardless of what it costs the country.  In essence they are more liberal and moronic then the liberal leftist mental midgets.

[Fantom]

What will be the challengers platform to run n against Trump? More regulations on business? More moderate Supreme Court justices? A more deferential attitude towards the UN?

Less tweeting might work.

Actually I like the tweeting..... makes so many just lose their minds. Gotta' love it.

[jmyrlefuller]

The real concern is that the NT Republicans will run a 3rd party schmo just to sabotage Trump in a general election. Knowing a 3rd party has no chance, they will hope to draw 3-4% from the right and so hand the election to a Hillary-clone candidate from the Left. For these morons, a Dem winner is a small price to pay in order to sabotage Trump...and in their small minds...win back "their party" from the Trump supporters.

Whoever does challenge Trump knows full well they won't have an audience in the GOP, hence why I don't think it'll be Cruz or Sasse. It'll likely be someone with no career to worry about losing. Flake or Kasich, for example. To get on the general ballot, they will have to go third party, just to end-around the partisan loyalists and the power of incumbency; to do that, they'd have to find voters outside the Republican Party receptive to their message.

Now, how do they do this without being a spoiler? The Evan McMullin strategy of picking off small, deep-red states (like Utah) that would almost never vote Democrat would likely be the most viable. I don't see the Kasiches or the Flakes being able to do that, though.

Building a permanent third party would require a different approach of targeting solid states of either color—now if these malcontents REALLY wanted to cause long-term havoc and get Democrats elected to local offices, that would be more effective.

[jmyrlefuller]

As for distinguishing their campaign?

"I don't grab'em by the you know what." ought to suffice in this environment.

[Frank Cannon]

@Frank Cannon Does a slumlord qualify as a real estate investor?

You bet your ass sister........and it is a business like any other.

[RoosGirl]

You bet your ass sister........and it is a business like any other.

Guess you're one of the few getting an actual tax cut?

[Frank Cannon]

Guess you're one of the few getting an actual tax cut?

Considering how few people work anymore, yes. I would be "the few" getting tax cuts.