Senator Mike Lee: Trump Can’t Win
Senator Mike Lee appeared on Meet the Press this morning to press his case that Donald Trump should withdraw from the race. As always, Senator Lee was very effective and well-spoken. He made the case against Hillary Clinton, and extended an olive branch to Trump supporters. But his central case was that he doesn’t think Donald Trump can win:
CHUCK TODD: Anything that Rudy Giuliani said there that would make you reconsider your support for Donald Trump or give him time tonight to show real contrition and change your mind?
SEN. MIKE LEE: No, but there is something that Mr. Giuliani said that I think was significant which is that Hillary Clinton is, in fact, a flawed candidate — a deeply flawed candidate. So flawed, in fact, that I think the Democratic Party ought to be taking steps to replace her with someone else. For whatever reason, they’ve not. The Democratic Party has chosen to be the party of the Personality Cult during the presidential election cycle. I don’t think we ought to follow that path. The path I would suggest is a path that would bring Republicans together.
Bring together those grassroots activists who have made Donald Trump so successful, who have had this very persuasive argument that the Washington political establishment of both parties has failed them and that we need a new leader, a Republican leader who can win, who can defeat Hillary Clinton.
That’s what unites us more than anything else as Republicans is the fact that the Washington political establishment is broken and Hillary Clinton needs to be defeated. We need a candidate who can do that and I would like to see the Republican Party identify such a candidate and make that change.
CHUCK TODD: You know, you identified flaws with Donald Trump and were willing to speak out about it before many others were. A lot of people are now joining you over the last 48 hours and a lot of Democrats and even some voters in the middle are going to say, “Why now? Why did you wait ’til now? The evidence was there for months, arguably, years.” And certainly, for instance, you, Senator Lee, you showed the judgment of not supporting him a year ago and stuck with it. How should other Republicans who have suddenly decided, “Okay, I’m not supporting him now,” answer that question?
SEN. MIKE LEE: Well, I think people have to consider the totality of the evidence. There were some like me who had raised questions in light of warning signs early on. There were a lot of others, who wanted to be persuaded, who hoped that they might be persuaded between now and November.
What was released less than 48 hours ago was less than persuasive. In fact, it turned a lot of people off to the point that I have serious doubts now about Mr. Trump’s ability to defeat Hillary Clinton. In fact, I don’t think he can. Now there is a way here for Mr. Trump to have a legacy in this election cycle and for his supporters, who are really energetic and who have done a whole lot of good, as far as expanding the party, to have a lasting legacy that could mean something here.
And that is for Donald Trump to step aside and for the Republican Party to find a candidate who can bring together all the elements within the Republican Party and defeat Hillary Clinton in November. That’s what we want to do, that’s what we need to do now.
Mike Lee is worried about the Republican party and the good of the nation — and Donald Trump is worried about . . . Donald Trump. As reported by Jay Caruso earlier this afternoon, Trump’s crisis strategy has been to tell his supporters to attack any Republicans who have criticized him in the last 48 hours. The potential damage to the House and Senate — and to Republicans’ ability to confirm good judges and pass a Republican agenda — come second to Trump’s own ego.
I, for one, am shocked. (I am not actually shocked.) But I think it’s important, as we watch this trainwreck unfold before our eyes, to remember the good men like Mike Lee who have consistently and honorably tried to avert this disaster — for the sake of our country and our founding principles.
[Cross-posted at RedState.]
who else couldn’t win was pervy mitt romney or Meghan’s coward daddy
there’s no particular shame in that
Mr. Trump is bravely standing against that pig
which, that’s a lot more than sleazy Mike Lee is willing to do for America
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:11 pmThe big problem with Trump withdrawing from the race is that it’s probably too late for a Republican to get on the ballot in his place. Even if the legal deadlines aren’t already passed, Democrat lawyers & bureaucrats will probably find ways to make it difficult.
CayleyGraph (353727) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:16 pmAdmittedly, I don’t think any good will come from him staying on the ballot, but it’s not like trying to convince him to withdraw would do any good either.
Bob Schieffer said on face the Nation taht he’d called the offices of 12 Republican Senators and spoke to the Senators or their staff, and they all thought Trump had lost the election (already) Peggy Noonan said of the (more ordinary) people she spoke to, nobody thought he could win.
That was not the case a while ago, when people thought he might pull it off.
She said the tape didn’t surprise people, but it is something to see proof of Trump’s low (character?)
There’s a black reporter – I don’t know his name – he thought that the reason people were more hostile to Hillary Clinton was taht they thought of her as a president but people didn’t think Trump could win so they were not strongly opposed to him.
Bob Schieffer said, in answer to a question, that if he was going to moderate a debate, he would ask about the elephant in the room. (in a news story I saw that Paul Ryan used taht expression yesterday at the rally)
Samuel Finkelman (643dcd) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:22 pmNobody has to get on the ballot. It’s the Electors who vote.
Two times Electors voted for someone else than the candidate on the ballot..
One time in 1872, when Horace Greeley, the Democratic nominee died after the election but before the Electors voted (Congress actually refused to count any votes cast for Horace Greeley – this was ata time when Congress was often rejecting votes) In 1872 by the way, parties printed their own ballots, and voters would cast one of the ballots and the vote wasn’t quite secret eitehr.
And the second time in 1912, when the incumbent Republican vice president died before the election and was replace by Nicholas Murray Butler. All 8 Republican Electors voted for Nicholas Murray Butler as vice president. (Taft carried only two states – Utah and Vermont.)
Of course both cases involved candidates that lost the Presidential election.
Samuel Finkelman (643dcd) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:28 pmPut a fork in Trump.
He’s cooked.
This was an election for the taking, but just enough gullible GOP primary voters fell for the Huey Long (or should that be ‘Huey Shorty‘?) demogoguery.
We could have had Rubio, Cruz, Walker, Fiorina, or Jindal as our standard-bearer. And any of them would have provided much better rewards than Trump.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:36 pmBut as it stands, our current bearer has no standards.
that works better with shrimp really though I can pretty much tell just by looking now
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:41 pmWe here a lot of that from some quarters. Freedom of speech and all that.
But honestly, doesn’t it sound like those words belong more to Trump than to the other people?
Truly?
And yet here we are.
Such a shame.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:41 pmoh please Mr. Jester if going on tv to kneecap your party’s nominee when he’s at his most beleaguered isn’t sleazy than the word has no meaning
what a creep
this is why i hate senators
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:45 pm*then* the word has no meaning I mean
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:45 pm(wrong vowel)
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:46 pmJust find a candidate who can unite the party and defeat Hillary. *smacks head* Why didn’t we think of that before? We should have had some sort of preliminary contest to select from a number of candidates to pick the one the most Republicans supported and then this would have been so much easier! (Of course, knowing the feckless GOP “leadership”, they probably would have tried rigging the system to foist off some party hack like Jeb Bush on us instead of going with somebody more radical like a Rand Paul or a Ted Cruz and we would have wound up with a protest vote against the out-of-touch insider elitists – like a Donald Trump or something.) Oh well, maybe in 2020 we can get a real change agent like a Tim Huelskamp – I’ve heard good things about him standing up against Boehner and I’m sure the GOP will rally around him.
Jerryskids (16a4d5) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:50 pmsenate peeps are the lowest form of hacks on earth. Their work in the last 16 years is pathetic. stfu lee.
mg (31009b) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:52 pmThere’s no politician I respect more than Mike Lee.
Those who criticize him in a harsh manner do not share my principles.
Patterico (bcf524) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:54 pmSenator Mike Lee: Trump Can’t Win
Can’t never did anything.
“That’s an attitude, sir, that calls for the most delicate judgment on both sides. Because, as you know, sir, in the heat of action men are likely to forget where their best interests lie and let their emotions carry them away.” – Kasper Gutman [Sydney Greenstreet] ‘The Maltese Falcon’ 1941
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/9/2016 @ 1:57 pmhonest-to-pickles Mr. P i don’t *ever* really make a practice of respecting politicians, especially our ones here what have such a dismal collective track record
and you know what that’s ok
but yeah i don’t think this was a very classy move on Mr. Lee’s part
it’s has a tonya harding feel to it that’s kind of off-putting
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 2:04 pmugh *it* has a tonya harding feel i mean
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 2:06 pmIn one way this whole kerfuffle is nothing new and (unfortunately) nothing that is not that uncommon among some groups of men,
and it is not as bad as what other president’s have done and gotten away with.
Is it really the one more story that broke the camel’s back,
or just one more story with a lot of media hype that is having impact on those who should have either done something months ago or keep their mouths shut now?
IDK
How he described his own wife should have been enough crudity for those offended by such things.
IDK,
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 10/9/2016 @ 2:22 pmI still think this is part of God’s judgement in giving us up to our own garbage.
That could mean that God wanted Trump to be nominated…in order to get Clinton in.
Gerald A (a48c32) — 10/9/2016 @ 2:31 pm@15 happyfeet
Mr Lee won’t let Trump re-lace his skates and start over.
Pinandpuller (032b95) — 10/9/2016 @ 2:52 pm🙁
this election isn’t bringing out the best in people it seems to me
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 2:56 pmFor the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us , what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?-1 Peter 4:17
Pinandpuller (032b95) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:02 pmMormons…
“Alright, gentleman. The sky awaits.” – “Fail-Safe” – 1964
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:07 pm‘Why wait?’: Ted Cruz asks why NBC didn’t release damning tapes of Donald Trump during GOP primaries
Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday appeared to accuse NBC of intentionally withholding tapes containing material far worse than newly revealed lewd comments Donald Trump made in 2005 boasting about forcing himself on women.
Cruz asked in a tweet why NBC hadn’t released behind-the-scenes videos of the Republican presidential nominee on “The Apprentice,” a reality show that he starred in for over a decade.
“NBC had tape 11 yrs. Apprentice producer says they have more & worse. So why not release in 2015? In March? Why wait till October? #MSMBias” Cruz tweeted, referencing supposed bias towards Trump in the mainstream media.
.
.
.
But the senator’s theory appears flawed.
Following Friday’s release of the audio, the network claimed that it did not have the tapes of “The Apprentice,” and that the tapes are instead owned by Mark Burnett, who produced the show and is friendly with Trump. Reporters at the network itself acquired the tape released Friday several days before the story broke, but were scooped by The Washington Post while network lawyers reviewed the material.
Why would someone who is friendly with Trump release the tapes? Still doesn’t make sense.
Gerald A (a48c32) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:17 pm#17 MD in Philly,
I’m not challenging you, I only ask this is out of curiosity; do you have an interest in Calvinist theology?
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:17 pmPalin calls Trump comments ‘disgusting,’ launches into lengthy attack on equally ‘offensive’ media
The Alaska Republican said that by “going around media filters,” voters can “clearly see” Trump as the more viable option for the presidency than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Palin also linked to a YouTube clip of a Fox News segment that played a decades-old recording of Clinton, then working as a lawyer in Arkansas, discussing her defense of a defendant accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.
“In today’s Presidential race, it’s only telling which candidate participated in cruder past conversations if both candidates’ communications were all exposed, but alas, that won’t happen,” Palin wrote.
Gerald A (a48c32) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:20 pmCS,
Not especially. I assume that much of what I believe is similar to some of Calvin, knowing people who revere Calvin.
I would focus on the fundamentals of the Christian faith as in the Apostle’s creed, though I do not see convincing Scripture about the part “descended into hell”.
I think Calvin and others make a mistake in trying to explain God’s truth in a detailed way that we can understand on issues such as sovereignty and free will. I think to some degree it is like trying to argue with a dog whether light is a particle or a wave. First of all, it is beyond the dog’s ability to conceptualize. Second of all, it is actually beyond our ability to conceptualize. I can conceptualize that light has properties consistent with a particle and other properties consistent with a wave, but I can’t conceptualize what a “particle-wave” is. I don’t think that is a deficiency on my part, I think it is the reality of the limits of human experience, human frame of reference.
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:27 pmHF #8…you really fool no one.
You are the one using the expressions. So it’s okay if I call Trump those things, every flippin’ time I post?
Wouldn’t that be boring? Wouldn’t that be lazy?
Or how about calling you those things, all the time? Because I know as much about you as you know about those politicians, dude.
Quit being lazy. Go back to posting like you used to. I respect that version of you. I’m glad Patterico posted that.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:36 pmfwiw
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:37 pmhttp://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/10/what-if-2.php
Gerald A,
See my latest post about Billy Bush. I think you’ll find it echoes the theme of your comment.
Patterico (bcf524) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:38 pmDon’t sell Mike Lee short, unless his house is underwater.
Pinandpuller (f54db4) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:39 pmi’m scared what the pig’s gonna do Mr. Jester
not hypothetically
i think it’s gonna hit hard and close to home
there’s nobody what can check her
not spineless trash like paul ryan
not self-styled insurgents what came up short when it counted
not the degenerate supreme court
not the doj and especially not the corrupt comey fbi
and the media and academia and the upper class professional guilds?
they all love that heady smell of pigstank
this is endgame
and mike lee is using this as an occasion for to be a smarmy self-promoting pooper
it’s disgraceful
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:47 pmJust proving my point.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 10/9/2016 @ 3:52 pmHonestly, Patrick. I truly feel for you. One can sense your frustrations in your postings.
You so desperately want the voters of this country to use their brains to deliberate over issues, stay principled and loyal to values– and vote accordingly– if they even are motivated to do so.
They just won’t.
80 million sets of eyes are going to tune into this so-called ‘debate’–this television spectacular tonight simply to be entertained. Because that is how the world is presented to us. Then they’ll wonder how SNL will treat it next Saturday– not what issues were discussed. Seriously, watch ‘Network’ again with a sharp eye and mind— because satire aside, it is literally where we’re at today.
This is the culture we’ve created over 50 years; we’ve even exported it to other lands– and it’s not going to change over night.
Americans do not want to be governed. They wish to be entertained.
And yeah, that sucks.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/9/2016 @ 5:24 pmwtf wants to be governed
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 5:27 pmThe general feeling of the coffee crowd: After the antics of FDR, Ike, JFK, WJC, HRC and
EldonH (e0559f) — 10/9/2016 @ 5:28 pmTed Kennedy; What is the big deal about the Donald?
@34.wtf wants to be governed
WTF -yeah.
“People want to be told what to do so badly that they’ll listen to anyone.” – Don Draper [Jon Hamm] ‘Mad Men’ AMC TV
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/9/2016 @ 5:42 pmsf medic anesthetic scuba diver muddy water airborne ranger guts and danger
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/9/2016 @ 5:49 pm