Morning Ed: Politics {2016.04.12.T}
I wish the GOP a lot of luck with this, and they’re going to need it unless Trump has a rally. I’m wondering if there isn’t some compromise possible wherein the system is actually made understandable to the rest of us, in exchange for more explicit power for the party itself.
Hugh Hewitt writes a fictional account of the coming brokered convention.
This surprises me a bit: Two-thirds of Trump voters say they’ll vote for the GOP even if the nomination is “stolen” from Trump. That’s comparable to the number of Sanders supporters who say they’ll vote for Hillary, and both are likely to rise.
I’m honestly a bit concerned for the safety of GOP delegates to Cleveland, but not as concerned as I would be if Roy Cohn were still alive.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is not on board with replicating North Carolina’s Bathroom Bill.
Yep, the real story of Denny Hastert sexually abusing kids is the hypocrisy. What else would it be?
Alan Gurri writes of the Telescopic Morality Machine.
Hastert was a bastard but really, yanking cash out of your own bank account shouldn’t be a crime, and “structuring” is an even more bogus crime.
Telescope: “Likewise with the many communities and circles you inhabit — work to truly become a part of them, and to make them a part of who you are.” Hell, I’ve actively worked to disengage. I neither need nor want to associated with many people, especially casually. This allows me to do this: “Devoting the time and resources to pursuing projects and aspirations that are meaningful and that you would be proud to speak of on your deathbed.” even better.Report
It must really be bad when the NYT calls out Obama for his hypocrisy on prosecution of leakers. Though they are probably only saying something since the others prosecuted were journalists. I like the new standard, there’s classified and then there is “classified.” One standard for Hillary and one for the rest of us.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/us/politics/obamas-latest-view-on-secrecy-overlooks-past-prosecution-of-leaks.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0Report
(Is this the Trump post you had lined up?)
Trump has a lot of messages bundled together. Maybe not even “messages”. “Sentiments.”
The whole “the game is rigged against you” sentiment is one that you have to be somewhat careful to argue against when you are aligned with “the powerful”.
This whole “HA! Trump doesn’t even know what the rules are!” attitude embraced by a chunk of the GOPe online is an attitude that practically shouts “the game is rigged against you”.
Hammering that point into people who suspect it already is a good way to inspire defection.Report
Real post soon forthcoming.Report
Right… the game is rigged plus not getting good value is a solid 1-2 punch.
Based on certain fantasies (right here at OT, even), imagine Trump lashing out that not only was the game rigged, but all you got out of it was a Kasich nominee? A martyr for Kasich? Kasich?
This is the biggest problem with the whole brokered convention thing… there’s not really any Republican of particular standing that can dwarf trump. A lot of squires, not a lot of knights.
Other than actually taking the good bits of his critique and re-purposing them with a credible candidate, you are left with buying him off. The price now is pretty steep, and only gets more steep as you attempt to #nevertrump him.Report
What exactly does the GOPe consist of? I think I know, but I’m not sure (as my usual encounters with the term are people being derogatory to the members of that GOPe group).Report
The Establishment? Well, I think it’s what the outgroup calls the ingroup but I was thinking of the National Review/Weekly Standard types. I suppose, to a lesser extent, it also includes the donor class but I was more thinking of the “thought leaders” who pushed for the Jebish Technocratic types.Report
The establishment, strictly defined, is the (national) party leadership and those in league with the party leadership, including donors and the like.
It’s worth noting, those aren’t actually the people in the position to give the nomination to someone that’s Not Trump.Report
That’s some… fascinating… fanfic from Hewitt.
Like, normally when you read bad fanfic, there’s a point where you realize that the author isn’t just a mediocre writer, they’re a mediocre writer with a creepy crush on Beverly Crusher/Draco Malfoy/etc.
Hewitt’s definitely got a political version of that, but I’m struggling to articulate what it is. “Old Men being agressivley right”, maybe?Report
This is a few days old but is an interesting loss by the fed gov and Dodd-Frank. I guess the fed gov/ Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) does have to justify it decisions.
MetLife Court Decision Removes “Too Big To Fail” Tag
http://www.valuewalk.com/2016/03/metlife-sifi-court/Report
You did not mention that this was science fiction.
I can’t decide which is less believable: that Gilbert’s suite apparently resides in a black hole or the idea of anyone trying to credibly sell the prospect of the GOP winning the next four presidential elections.Report
Other way around: light can enter a black hole but can’t leave.Report
True. But if you could theoretically be inside the event horizon and still maintain enough structurally integrity to have working retinae, wouldn’t you be able to see the light that entered the black hole?Report
Is it me or do all of Hugh Hewitt’s characters talk like someone out of Heinlein? I’m getting a very strong ‘Number of the Beast’ vibe off of them.Report