rnc to gop candidates: swear your loyalty to us
[guest post by Dana]
It is being reported that the RNC is attempting to control GOP candidates by having them pledge fealty to the party. And specifically, they are targeting Donald Trump in an effort to force the front-runner’s hand. Huh? When has Trump ever shown himself to be easily controlled and concerned with what the RNC thinks about him??
The Republican National Committee on Wednesday privately reached out to GOP presidential candidates to ask whether they’d be willing to sign a pledge stating they would not run as an independent candidate in the event they fail to win the Republican nomination in 2016.
The move is an implicit challenge to Trump, who pointedly refused to rule out a third-party run during the first GOP debate. He was the only candidate who declined.
The language of the draft pledge speaks directly to the issue vexing Republicans – the possibility that the billionaire could choose to wage a third party bid if he fails to win the GOP nomination, a prospect that could seriously damage the GOP’s prospects of reclaiming the White House. Tapping into deep anti-establishment animosity among the conservative grassroots, Trump has surged to the lead of the deepest presidential field in recent memory. If Trump were to pull just a fraction of the vote as an independent, write-in or third party candidate, it could be enough to sink the eventual Republican nominee.
Signing a loyalty pledge won’t stop Trump from doing anything. It’s foolish to think it would. Demanding this also shows who is in control – and it’s certainly not the RNC. Further, if the party establishment wants to fire up Trump supporters even more than they already are, then just go right ahead and try to strong-arm their candidate.
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (86e864) — 9/3/2015 @ 6:45 amthat’s the only scenario i could see myself ever voting for him really
who to vote for in a clintonbushtrump white trash fiesta bowl election is an easy peasy choice
and i bet it’s not just me
happyfeet (831175) — 9/3/2015 @ 6:58 ampolitical party loyalty pledges rub me the wrong way. Figures the GOP hierarchy would come up with something like this. I’d like to see a list that would prove that the USA is not a one-party political State.
seeRpea (aa5346) — 9/3/2015 @ 7:15 amOT, the Brady suspension has been overturned by Berman,
narciso (ee1f88) — 9/3/2015 @ 7:19 amThere is no there there, nothing worth salvaging just empty husks of men marshalling resources to no useful purpose.
http://www.redstate.com/2015/09/03/if-they-wont-fight-destroy-them/
Burn it down.
DNF (c70dac) — 9/3/2015 @ 7:36 amIt’s their party, they can require this if they want.
You’re right; Trump can swear all he wants and it will mean nothing.
Meanwhile, I ain’t swearing to support Trump or Jeb, so I get the non-loyalty thing.
Patterico (3cc0c1) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:00 amTrump will always raise suspicions in my mind because of his left-leaning-New-York background and history, so his apparently agreeing to sign the agreement today, which would make him seem less like a third-party renegade and pending spoiler (in order to help the Democrats, purposefully or inadvertently), will put one qualm I have about him to rest.
Mark (dc566c) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:27 ami swear i will NOT vote for #Jeb!
redc1c4 (4db2c8) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:37 am#7, as opposed to #Jeb!s left-leaning history?
redc1c4 (4db2c8) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:39 amTrump’s endgame is known only to him but this hardly seems the best way to stop him from doing the one thing our political overlords and many of the rest fear he might. Stupid – meaningless – unenforceable… Leave it to the states.
crazy (cde091) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:40 amThis is cute. The same RNC that colluded with the Democratic party and rented the Democratic party GOV machine in Mississippi when it looked like Republican voters might actually get their candidate over the establishment choice Thad Cochran is now demanding loyalty oaths.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for the RNC to sign any loyalty oaths to its base. I won’t hold my breath waiting for the RNC to demand Boehner and McConnell to swear any loyalty oaths to their campaign promises and swear not to instead turn around and cave to Obama on anything.
Steve57 (3b2e7d) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:43 am* and cave to Obama on
Steve57 (3b2e7d) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:45 amanythingeverything.the same party that supported murkowski over miller, even challenging the likely rebels, the same crew that is responsible for the Bearded Marxist, and hence the 33rd vote of the Iran Deal,
narciso (ee1f88) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:46 amLoyalty is a two-way street, before the GOP demands loyalty from The Donald they should demonstrate loyalty to the voters who put them in office. The GOP uses loyalty to enslave conservatives, they ask for our votes and our contributions but when it comes time live up to their campaign promises their loyalty is always to the party establishment, never to the people.
Conservatives are loyal to the country first and they’d be loyal to the GOP too if the party ever deserved it.
ropelight (ba707b) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:48 amTeam R is scared
how is that not delicious
happyfeet (831175) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:55 amthe GOPe can go to hell…
but, then again, i’ve been saying for years that the RNC et al would rather be a minority party out of power, as long as the usual suspects can keep their place at the trough, then win control with candidates that won’t support the status quo party elite profit from.
redc1c4 (4db2c8) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:00 am“…the party elite…”
/stupid fingers
redc1c4 (4db2c8) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:00 amhttp://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=358817
Steve57 (3b2e7d) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:10 amtrump shouldn’t have caved like that
what a loser
happyfeet (831175) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:12 amI wonder if anyone at the RNC has ever asked the question “What could WE do to earn the support and respect of republican voters?” Every couple of weeks I get a 3rd class letter from the RNC with “MEMBERSHIP EXPIRES SOON” printed diagonally on the front. This is reflexively filed unopened in the recycling. Either they’ve pulled my name from donation records to Republican candidates, or their “membership” records go back over a decade or two. The last time I recall donating to the RNC I received a “membership” card with an eight digit ID number. The leftmost five digits were all zeroes. Either they were being brutally honest in their failure to garner donations, or they were trying to jerk me around. Having dealt with campaign consultants, the latter was the most likely explanation. These guys probably think they’ve scored a big one when they get a positive response from 0.023% of targeted audience, as compared to their historical average of 0.01% They probably never considered the damage they do to the Republican “brand” when they send out their foolish “surveys” and “membership” mailers. The RNC does more harm than good.
bobathome (279337) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:17 amAt this point Trump might be well served by signing such a pledge if all the others do. There’s a real danger that a Trump nomination by the GOP might lead someone like Bush to run as a centrist alternative, as did John Anderson in 1980.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:23 amIt is also worth noting that a three-way race does not always doom Republicans.
Reagan won a landslide in 1980 and Anderson’s support came out of Carter’s hide, not Reagan’s. Democrats could not support the feckless Carter, so they voted for Anderson as the lesser evil alternative.
Nixon won a three-way race in 1968 against Humphrey and Wallace, with Wallace getting double-digit support and 46 electoral votes. The popular vote was close, but the electoral vote decisive.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:32 amSo, support Trump, or support the party of boner and mcconnell? To me that’s a no brainer. I am glad Trump is in because he’s been somewhat successful in dragging the gop to the right. I expected to end up supporting Cruz, Carson, Fiorina or Walker. Force Trump out, I vote for him. Anyone else, I’ll write Trump in if I even vote.
jim (a9b7c7) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:41 amBush running as a centrist would hurt hillary. Trump would get the Reagan democrats.
jim (a9b7c7) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:43 am“Team R is scared
how is that not delicious”
The more I read this blog, the more I am convinced of the wisdom of happy.
Suggestion to Trump about how to defend his signing the loyalty pledge:
“If George H.W. Bush can pledge ‘No New Taxes’, I can pledge my loyalty.”
ThOR (a52560) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:48 amThis is a joke, right? I’ll support this when the GOP leadership actually does in Washington what they promise to do when they are running for election.
DRJ (521990) — 9/3/2015 @ 9:49 amThey don’t call it the stupid party for nothing.
Jimpithecus (a3c1bc) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:03 amSo, support Trump, or support the party of boner and mcconnell? To me that’s a no brainer.
If you think those are your only two choices, then yes, it’s a no brainer. Of a sort.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:13 amTrump has agreed. Whatever Trump is, he isn’t stupid. He knows that if he wants to have the support of party regulars he cannot threaten to stand against the party. Further, if he gets the nomination without taking this pledge early on, he runs the risk of the Rockefeller wing running a centrist challenge. It also works against the charge that he’s a Clinton shill, trying to split the party.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:17 amWith all the consensus that Trump is not a republican, it should not be of concern.
mg (31009b) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:21 ampledges are things they aren’t really concerned with:
http://thefederalist.com/2015/09/03/the-gops-loyalty-pledge-targeting-trump-is-ridiculous-heres-a-better-idea/
narciso (ee1f88) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:23 amGreat link, narciso. Thank you.
DRJ (521990) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:38 amyou’re welcome, drj, he may well sign the pledge, I’m not going by one estranged aide,
narciso (ee1f88) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:42 amI see it as the other candidates pledging support for Trump.
gbear (fad6d1) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:48 amProbably when he was jumping through the various hoops required by Carl Icahn?
carlitos (c24ed5) — 9/3/2015 @ 10:49 amThe most hilarious thing about 2016 is that people actually think Trump matters. Trump wouldn’t matter in 2016 if the GOP didn’t have a history of inept leadership and Presidential nominees who failed to consistently support conservative principles. Why should Republican voters care about what Trump has said in the past, when the GOP is known for saying one thing and doing another?
DRJ (521990) — 9/3/2015 @ 11:04 amyou betcha, as someone was wont to say:
http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/09/state-department-may-seek-temporary-halt-of-hillary-email-case/
narciso (ee1f88) — 9/3/2015 @ 11:11 am36 – Far out, solid and right on, DRJ.
mg (31009b) — 9/3/2015 @ 12:22 pmMr. Trump knows his way around contracts and the signing thereof, I’ll wager.
Wouldn’t it be a delight to have him strike-through some of that GOP-e bloviationism, and write in “any candidate who supports Rule-Of-Law, Constitutional protections of Individual Rights, and the traditional functions of Government including (but not limited to) protection of our borders and our national sovereignty”???? Signed with a “yuuge” ornate ‘Donald Trump’ (a la John Hancock) and presented with a flourish to Our Republican Betters? Heck, I’d make a donation to him there-and-then (and “I’m too damn poor to pay attention”.)
A_Nonny_Mouse (46fd97) — 9/3/2015 @ 1:02 pmSpeaking of Hillary, I heard a blurb that “some hacker” has 30,000+ of Hilary’s emails that he was going to put on the market for highest bidder, then legal advice got the better of him and he turned them in to the FBI, anybody else hear that?
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 9/3/2015 @ 2:58 pmRNC deserves no loyalty given how it routinely is disloyal to its base of voters.
As least the Democrats never passes on an opportunity to deliver welfare to the masses who vote for it or a juicy Union Wage deal to them when they holler for it.
RNC simply shit in our mouth and then goes back to licking the balls of the Corporatist interests most identified by our Chamber of Commerce.
Rodney King's Spirit (ab8c0d) — 9/3/2015 @ 2:58 pmYeah I heard something like that, but why the FBI? Why not also dump them on a dozen center-right newspapers (assuming there are that many). Perhaps there’s just too much classified information.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 9/3/2015 @ 3:29 pmDon’t take the bait. It could be a clever ploy to say Hillary’s deleted emails are now being examined by the FBI and the contents are nothing but innocent invitations to wedding receptions, schedules for yoga classes, and cookie recipes. Nothing to see here or get upset about. Move along now.
ropelight (ba707b) — 9/3/2015 @ 4:01 pm31-
mg (31009b) — 9/3/2015 @ 4:33 pmThanks, narciso.
The word of a demonstrated liar and oath-breaker means nothing.
Beldar (fa637a) — 9/3/2015 @ 4:40 pmBut it does put Trump in good company with Boehner and McConnell.
DRJ (521990) — 9/3/2015 @ 4:58 pmHe’ll give them Arpege.
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2015 @ 5:02 pmHow does one take team republican seriously?
mg (31009b) — 9/3/2015 @ 5:08 pmliars, sissies and drunks.
cheers.
for failmerican politiciantrash
what all got together this year and had a festive and jolly corkerbamapalooza figuring out a super duper A+++ final solution to the jewish problem (our most faithful ally)
to talk about loyalty
it’s a giggle it’s a gas it’s an ovenfull of gas it’s a giggle
but lo!
sarah and donald sittin in a tree
k
i
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
sssssssssssssssssss
goes the gas
and the israelis say good night moon
and the moon says
this is some effed up sh*t
happyfeet (831175) — 9/3/2015 @ 5:29 pmDemocrats could not support the feckless Carter, so they voted for Anderson as the lesser evil alternative.
Some of Anderson’s votes may have been from moderate Democrats but they were mostly Olympia Snowe type Republicans who were scared of Reagan. They swung back to Reagan in 1984, resulting in his landslide win.
Gerald A (949d7d) — 9/3/2015 @ 5:56 pmThe only two people I knew who voted for Anderson were both black democrats.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 9/3/2015 @ 6:48 pmTrue.
Who are we talking about exactly? It’s a target rich environment.
Steve57 (3b2e7d) — 9/3/2015 @ 8:03 pmbob corker is a traitorous iran loving stooge. I really hate both parties. They suck.
mg (31009b) — 9/4/2015 @ 1:11 amCruz/West
and poop on the rest.
South Korea is first to report Q3 numbers and exports are off >14%. Japan’s stock cap in three weeks is down $1.5 Trillion in foreign holdings even as JOB is buying. Oil is tanking, the Sauds are staring into a 20% budget shortfall, Russia is opposing the coalition in the skies over Syria, China’s armada is cruising Alaskan waters, the EU is receiving an unmetered flood from points south,..
Get ready to rumble. This election will be one of open crisis.
DNF (c70dac) — 9/4/2015 @ 3:37 amTrump may be playing a long game. If he wins, the other 16 will have to support Trump, even if they can’t stand him.
David Aitken (e0d788) — 9/4/2015 @ 9:53 amI think that all the Donor/Establishment types should have to sign a pledge supporting Trump if he’s the nominee. Fair is fair.
I’ve been burnt too many times in CA and IA by the Establishment. The grass roots win, they go home. THey win, they demand the Grass roots support them. They didn’t learn their lesson from the Romney run. Maybe the GOP rank and file need to recall, replace, and otherwise remove the Establishment, and not just for this election.
PCD (39058b) — 9/4/2015 @ 10:07 amI was waiting for Trump to declare his allegiance to “Hedley Lamarr, and evil he stands for”. That would have put this farce with the proper spin/context…
dee (51d367) — 9/4/2015 @ 11:17 amBerman/Kessler 2016
mg (31009b) — 9/4/2015 @ 3:09 pmPledging to support the candidate, whoever it is, is a very old tradition. In
, Robert Heinlein described a caucus process in which all members of the caucus, and any candidate who asked to be considered by the caucus, all pledged to support the caucus’s choice.
Rich Rostrom (d2c6fd) — 9/4/2015 @ 10:42 pmThis crew requiring the swearing of mighty oaths of fealty is pretty rick. Any promises they haven’t broken, repeatedly?
mojo (a3d457) — 9/5/2015 @ 5:56 pm