2024 U.S. Presidential election

[budwom]

^ well stated. I also don't see this being a fruitful strategy...

[tommy]

I think it is too early to have a real sense what DeSantis is going to do in terms of responding to Trump. He has spoken repeatedly in these early days about "fighting back" against the front-running Trump. DeSantis was on New Hampshire radio yesterday talking about how Trump is alienating voters and picking fights over meaningless stuff that votes don't care about. DeSantis said the kind of tactics Trump employs are not how you win elections. He is clearly going directly after Trump in the early going. Here's a CNN.com article that talks a bit about it: https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/01/polit...nts/index.html

I don't think we are going to see DeSantis refuse to directly challenge Trump. I am sure we will see Chris Christie attack Trump when he gets in the race next week (that's apparently the whole reason Christie is running). Trump is going to take some punches during this campaign season. I'm sure of it.

Punches never seem to have an impact on Trump's support though. The only one who hurts Trump -- with the small number of voters who are still persuadable -- is Trump himself.

[tommy]

Yeah. I think this is the media itching for a fight and reporting that DeSantis is landing haymakers when he's actually not. This is media narrative stuff. They like fights and are saying this is one. Trump called DeSantis a groomer. Trump called Cruz's wife ugly. And the comeback is Florida must be a cool place because Trump's family moved there? Weak sauce. If they start hitting Trump for losing in 2018, 2020 and 2022 then wake me up.

They won't hit him for losing in 2020 since that would alienate a lot of GOP voters. But they will hit him for the 2022 losses. What impact that has remains to be seen.

[OldPhiKap]

I don’t think the R polling numbers mean much until the fall or later. First debate is August (IIRC) and first primary//caucus is February (IIRC).

I think the thing to watch is fundraising — where the antiTrump money coagulates.

[nmduke2001]

I was surprised that someone like Cruz or Rubio didn't jump in the drivers seat of the anti-Trump bandwagon on January 6th. If they really wanted to stomp Trump out, they could have done it right then. They could have gotten a few of the establishment GOP to amplify the message and be the front runner now.

[ClemmonsDevil]

I was surprised that someone like Cruz or Rubio didn't jump in the drivers seat of the anti-Trump bandwagon on January 6th. If they really wanted to stomp Trump out, they could have done it right then. They could have gotten a few of the establishment GOP to amplify the message and be the front runner now.

Graham said it for a day and a half.

[rsvman]

I'm really confused by the RFK Jr candidacy. He wants to be the Democratic nominee, but the on the campaign trail he is pounding the 'they lied to us during the pandemic' and 'the vaccine is poison' drum, both of which have really been right-wing talking points.

I really don't understand what he is trying to do.

[ClemmonsDevil]

I'm really confused by the RFK Jr candidacy. He wants to be the Democratic nominee, but the on the campaign trail he is pounding the 'they lied to us during the pandemic' and 'the vaccine is poison' drum, both of which have really been right-wing talking points.

I really don't understand what he is trying to do.

Lose?

[Matches]

I'm really confused by the RFK Jr candidacy. He wants to be the Democratic nominee, but the on the campaign trail he is pounding the 'they lied to us during the pandemic' and 'the vaccine is poison' drum, both of which have really been right-wing talking points.

I really don't understand what he is trying to do.

Neither does he. He’s an unwitting chaos agent of Steve Bannon.

[Skydog]

I'm really confused by the RFK Jr candidacy. He wants to be the Democratic nominee, but the on the campaign trail he is pounding the 'they lied to us during the pandemic' and 'the vaccine is poison' drum, both of which have really been right-wing talking points.

I really don't understand what he is trying to do.

Preaching anti-vax has been his life work for decades. It is 100x more important to him than running for office.

[ClemmonsDevil]

Preaching anti-vax has been his life work for decades. It is 100x more important to him than running for office.

Disappointed in his reading comprehension skills.

[JasonEvans]

Preaching anti-vax has been his life work for decades. It is 100x more important to him than running for office.

Here is an article from 2019 -- BEFORE COVID -- where several very prominent members of the Kennedy family saying they love RFK Jr, but he's basically crazy: https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...ccines-226798/

[ClemmonsDevil]

Here is an article from 2019 -- BEFORE COVID -- where several very prominent members of the Kennedy family saying they love RFK Jr, but he's basically crazy: https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...ccines-226798/

This HAS aged well.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Preaching anti-vax has been his life work for decades. It is 100x more important to him than running for office.

And if he had a different last name/blood lines no one would be talking about him at all.

[PackMan97]

Graham said it for a day and a half.

Liz Cheney said it. I think many are looking at her example and behaving in a manner to ensure their own political survival.

I think the best way to take siren trump is to hammer his status as winner. Mention he lost in 2020. He just the senate. He almost lost the house. He lost all his ejection court cases. He's a loser. Don't vote for a loser. A good number of those in the race need to be in it just to game and brand Trump as a loser and then get out before the voting starts.

[ClemmonsDevil]

Liz Cheney said it. I think many are looking at her example and behaving in a manner to ensure their own political survival.

I think the best way to take siren trump is to hammer his status as winner. Mention he lost in 2020. He just the senate. He almost lost the house. He lost all his ejection court cases. He's a loser. Don't vote for a loser. A good number of those in the race need to be in it just to game and brand Trump as a loser and then get out before the voting starts.

Too late. They could have in 2020. They were cowards and let him claim he won. Republican voters by and large think he won in 2020.

[dudog84]

Liz Cheney said it. I think many are looking at her example and behaving in a manner to ensure their own political survival.

I think the best way to take siren trump is to hammer his status as winner. Mention he lost in 2020. He just the senate. He almost lost the house. He lost all his ejection court cases. He's a loser. Don't vote for a loser. A good number of those in the race need to be in it just to game and brand Trump as a loser and then get out before the voting starts.

Exactly how is this supposed to work when over 60 percent of Rs think Trump won in 2020?

https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-pre...2020-rcna49630

[CameronBlue]

Liz Cheney said it. I think many are looking at her example and behaving in a manner to ensure their own political survival.

I think the best way to take siren trump is to hammer his status as winner. Mention he lost in 2020. He just the senate. He almost lost the house. He lost all his ejection court cases. He's a loser. Don't vote for a loser. A good number of those in the race need to be in it just to game and brand Trump as a loser and then get out before the voting starts.

Couldn’t agree more. Irrespective of CDs valid point you would be robbing Trump of one of his favorite words at minimum, a word his base loves to hear him utter on the stump. Associate the word with every promise he failed to fulfill, losses in the House and Senate, every legal challenge he lost (almost all of them) and particularly Jan. 6. Wrap the word up in messaging that draws a stark contrast between a man who is walking free while many of his most devoted followers are serving prison terms.

[budwom]

Here is an article from 2019 -- BEFORE COVID -- where several very prominent members of the Kennedy family saying they love RFK Jr, but he's basically crazy: https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...ccines-226798/

In 1966 or so through an odd series of events I ended up driving Junior, RFK and Ethel around for 15 minutes or so despite not having a drivers license. I should have given him the boot.

[Kdogg]

Graham said it for a day and a half.

Nikki Haley did it for a few months too but it's lost to history now. Her criticism and praise of Trump have been so fluid you don't really know where she stands on any given day. Right now only DeSantis has anything to gain from attacking Trump. All the other candidates will happily stand by and tell those two dual it out while courting Trump's supporters.