Man, oh man. I can't remember anything like this.
I love Bob Dole. He's a sentimental, sensitive, humane, honest, hot-tempered, funny guy. He was seriously wounded in World War II as a member of the famed 10th Mountain Division. My uncle Jack served in the 10th Mountain Division also. He was killed on Riva Ridge on April 30, 1945, the day Hitler swallowed his pistol. Mussolini was whacked April 27. German forces in Italy had surrendered on April 29. Some German bomber pilot didn't get the memo.
Anyway. I have no doubt of the sincerity of Senator Dole's sentiments, no doubt at all. I question the timing. Yesterday: Barnstad and Palin; today Dole. Saturday, Trump went nuclear on Cruz. The words used, "Nobody likes him," identical to Trump's. Shortly before the Iowa caucuses. With Cruz leading and expected to win.
This looks orchestrated. Which is fine! I like orchestras. My sense, only that, is that the Republican establishment has decided that they really prefer Trump, really can't stand Cruz, really think Cruz is going to win Iowa and have decided Cruz must be stopped now.
"I question his allegiance to the party."
[I question that statement. Give me a fucking break: Trump has been a Democrat, an Independent, he's been a political chameleon. GOP'ers were scared shitless he might run as an independent if they tried to stop him from winning the Republican nomination.]
I don’t know how often you’ve heard him say the word ‘Republican’ — not very often.”
[I hadn't thought about that. It does seem to me Cruz uses "conservative" more than "Republican."]
Instead, Mr. Cruz uses the word “conservative,” Mr. Dole said, before offering up a different word for Mr. Cruz: “extremist.”
“I don’t know how he’s going to deal with Congress. Nobody likes him.”
...Trump could “probably work with Congress, because he’s, you know, he’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker.”
[Give him one out of two there. "He's got the right personality." ??? C'mon, man.]
“If [Cruz is] the nominee, we’re going to have wholesale losses in Congress and state offices and governors and legislatures."
[And not with Trump? Are you serious? There are GOP'ers who have said if Trump gets the nomination, they're going to Hillary!]
He described Mr. Cruz as having falsely “convinced the Iowa voters that he’s kind of a mainstream conservative.”
The only person who could stop Mr. Cruz from capturing the nomination? “I think it’s Trump,” Mr. Dole said, adding that Mr. Trump was “gaining a little.”
“[Trump] has toned down his rhetoric."
[I missed that memo.]
As for Mr. Cruz, he said: “There’ll be wholesale losses if he’s the nominee. Our party is not that far right.”
[Second time with "wholesale losses," that sounds like a talking point. Which is fine! I think there will be wholesale losses with Cruz...You know, I've changed my mind, I think he/GOP establishment is right about that, there would be greater losses in the House and Senate with Cruz because Cruz is and always has been a Republican, talks like one, looks like one, acts like one, whereas Stump has been all over the map politically. He doesn't talk or act like a Republican, he's a fucking mutant alien! I don't think general election voters will look at Trump, despise him, as they do! see fivethirtyeight, and take out their animosity on the rest of the GOP ticket. With Cruz, I could see more of that happen.]
The animosity between the two men began after Mr. Cruz invoked Mr. Dole’s name as an example of the missteps the party had made with past presidential nominees — as in, “Remember President Dole? Remember President McCain? Remember President Romney?”
“In other words, we weren’t right-wing like he is, and I didn’t like that very much. It kind of hurt, because we worked hard, we did the best we could. We are conservatives, we are traditional Republican conservatives. And then, of course, he doesn’t have any friends in Congress. He called the leader of the Republicans a liar on the Senate floor.”
“If you want to call somebody a liar in the Senate, you go to their office — you don’t go on the Senate floor and make it public."
Mr. Dole added that he thought it would be harder for Hillary Clinton to defeat Mr. Trump in a general election than Mr. Cruz.
[I don't know. My gut tells me he's right, I guess because Stump's so unorthodox that I just don't know for sure but who the fuck is going to vote for him, give me categories? Independents? According to data I've read, Stump's unfavorable rating is higher among them than among Republicans, and it ain't too good there! Demos? You're telling me like there were Reagan Democrats, there are Trump Democrats? Yeah, they're holding their organizational meeting in a closet. Go away. So, who? Women? Black people? Jews? Latinos? To whom is Trump's appeal going to expand and to 50% +1! beyond Angry White Presbyterians? And where? Give me one state Trump
would win that Cruz wouldn't? Or one province.]
“I think she’d be a pretty easy target in the general, if we nominate the right person."
[Uncle Bob, she ain't not gonna be a pretty easy target for nunna yinz Repubes.]
Was Mr. Cruz in that category, just in case there was any doubt? “No, he’s not that person,” said Mr. Dole. “If he does it, I think she’ll win in a waltz.” [He got that right.]
Mr. Dole is one of the most prominent members of the Republican “establishment,” a term he described as meaningless. “Cruz is in the Senate, so maybe he’s part of the establishment. You know, I’ve never really known what the establishment was.”
I love Bob Dole. He's a sentimental, sensitive, humane, honest, hot-tempered, funny guy. He was seriously wounded in World War II as a member of the famed 10th Mountain Division. My uncle Jack served in the 10th Mountain Division also. He was killed on Riva Ridge on April 30, 1945, the day Hitler swallowed his pistol. Mussolini was whacked April 27. German forces in Italy had surrendered on April 29. Some German bomber pilot didn't get the memo.
Anyway. I have no doubt of the sincerity of Senator Dole's sentiments, no doubt at all. I question the timing. Yesterday: Barnstad and Palin; today Dole. Saturday, Trump went nuclear on Cruz. The words used, "Nobody likes him," identical to Trump's. Shortly before the Iowa caucuses. With Cruz leading and expected to win.
This looks orchestrated. Which is fine! I like orchestras. My sense, only that, is that the Republican establishment has decided that they really prefer Trump, really can't stand Cruz, really think Cruz is going to win Iowa and have decided Cruz must be stopped now.
"I question his allegiance to the party."
[I question that statement. Give me a fucking break: Trump has been a Democrat, an Independent, he's been a political chameleon. GOP'ers were scared shitless he might run as an independent if they tried to stop him from winning the Republican nomination.]
I don’t know how often you’ve heard him say the word ‘Republican’ — not very often.”
[I hadn't thought about that. It does seem to me Cruz uses "conservative" more than "Republican."]
Instead, Mr. Cruz uses the word “conservative,” Mr. Dole said, before offering up a different word for Mr. Cruz: “extremist.”
“I don’t know how he’s going to deal with Congress. Nobody likes him.”
...Trump could “probably work with Congress, because he’s, you know, he’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker.”
[Give him one out of two there. "He's got the right personality." ??? C'mon, man.]
“If [Cruz is] the nominee, we’re going to have wholesale losses in Congress and state offices and governors and legislatures."
[And not with Trump? Are you serious? There are GOP'ers who have said if Trump gets the nomination, they're going to Hillary!]
He described Mr. Cruz as having falsely “convinced the Iowa voters that he’s kind of a mainstream conservative.”
The only person who could stop Mr. Cruz from capturing the nomination? “I think it’s Trump,” Mr. Dole said, adding that Mr. Trump was “gaining a little.”
“[Trump] has toned down his rhetoric."
[I missed that memo.]
As for Mr. Cruz, he said: “There’ll be wholesale losses if he’s the nominee. Our party is not that far right.”
[Second time with "wholesale losses," that sounds like a talking point. Which is fine! I think there will be wholesale losses with Cruz...You know, I've changed my mind, I think he/GOP establishment is right about that, there would be greater losses in the House and Senate with Cruz because Cruz is and always has been a Republican, talks like one, looks like one, acts like one, whereas Stump has been all over the map politically. He doesn't talk or act like a Republican, he's a fucking mutant alien! I don't think general election voters will look at Trump, despise him, as they do! see fivethirtyeight, and take out their animosity on the rest of the GOP ticket. With Cruz, I could see more of that happen.]
The animosity between the two men began after Mr. Cruz invoked Mr. Dole’s name as an example of the missteps the party had made with past presidential nominees — as in, “Remember President Dole? Remember President McCain? Remember President Romney?”
“In other words, we weren’t right-wing like he is, and I didn’t like that very much. It kind of hurt, because we worked hard, we did the best we could. We are conservatives, we are traditional Republican conservatives. And then, of course, he doesn’t have any friends in Congress. He called the leader of the Republicans a liar on the Senate floor.”
“If you want to call somebody a liar in the Senate, you go to their office — you don’t go on the Senate floor and make it public."
Mr. Dole added that he thought it would be harder for Hillary Clinton to defeat Mr. Trump in a general election than Mr. Cruz.
[I don't know. My gut tells me he's right, I guess because Stump's so unorthodox that I just don't know for sure but who the fuck is going to vote for him, give me categories? Independents? According to data I've read, Stump's unfavorable rating is higher among them than among Republicans, and it ain't too good there! Demos? You're telling me like there were Reagan Democrats, there are Trump Democrats? Yeah, they're holding their organizational meeting in a closet. Go away. So, who? Women? Black people? Jews? Latinos? To whom is Trump's appeal going to expand and to 50% +1! beyond Angry White Presbyterians? And where? Give me one state Trump
would win that Cruz wouldn't? Or one province.]
“I think she’d be a pretty easy target in the general, if we nominate the right person."
[Uncle Bob, she ain't not gonna be a pretty easy target for nunna yinz Repubes.]
Was Mr. Cruz in that category, just in case there was any doubt? “No, he’s not that person,” said Mr. Dole. “If he does it, I think she’ll win in a waltz.” [He got that right.]
Mr. Dole is one of the most prominent members of the Republican “establishment,” a term he described as meaningless. “Cruz is in the Senate, so maybe he’s part of the establishment. You know, I’ve never really known what the establishment was.”
