Patterico's Pontifications

2/1/2016

Donald Trump: LOSER

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 10:11 pm



Oh, how I have waited to write that headline.

Ted Cruz, who took a principled stand against ethanol mandates, has won Iowa. Now, the same idiots who said it was GENIUS for Trump to skip the debate are eating a little crow tonight. I won’t reproduce it all, but I made sure to prepare a nice meal of crow for John Nolte of Breitbart (with whom I have been friendly in the past but have never personally met), and I served it up tonight on Twitter. (If you’re not following me on Twitter, then what the hell is wrong with you? — and you can correct your error by clicking here.)

Just as losing Iowa would not have assured defeat, winning it does not assure victory. Cruz has almost no chance of winning the stupid state of New Hampshire. F**k them anyway.

But for now? Winning beats losing. Oh — and did I mention?

DONALD TRUMP IS A LOSING LOSER WHO LOSES.

Buh-BYE, chump.

P.S. I should probably add: ALWAYS TRUST CONTENT FROM PATTERICO.

Last night: “I have said I think Cruz will take it. It goes against the conventional wisdom, but I’m sticking with it.”

Me, January 27:

Pundits are so used to Trump doing crazy things and not having it hurt him, that they are blind to how badly all this will hurt him. It won’t change anyone’s mind who already decided with all their heart and soul to support Trump. But those undecided between Trump and Cruz are going to flock to Cruz now.

I still think he gets back in. It’s such a stupid move to skip the debate, and Trump, while a moron on policy, is not generally stupid on matters like this. But maybe his personal pique is so great that it overshadows his usual judgment on such issues.

And here’s Nate Silver from tonight:

With 19 percent of Iowa precincts reporting, Donald Trump has 27.1 percent of the Iowa vote. That’s not a bad result by any means: Trump trails Ted Cruz by just 3 points and could very easily win the state. Still, a case can be made that (contra the pundit conventional wisdom at the time) Trump was mistaken to have skipped last week’s debate.

Finally, me, January 26, 2016:

Donald Trump: I’m Skipping Thursday Night’s Debate

Alternate title: “Trump loses Iowa.”

Did I mention?

ALWAYS TRUST CONTENT FROM PATTERICO.

P.P.S. Loo-hoo-suh-HER.

P.P.P.S. LOOOOOOOSER.

P.P.P.P.S. You get it.

61 Responses to “Donald Trump: LOSER”

  1. LOSER.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  2. I’ve been hearing lots of talking heads — Dems and anti-Cruz Republicans — claim that “Ted Cruz had to win Iowa.” They make that comment in an attempt to minimize and diminish his victory.

    Cruz didn’t need to win Iowa: His “firewall” has always been recognized to be the SEC primary states, so what he “needed” was to do at least well enough to justify staying in the race until then.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  3. Only winners win.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  4. Cruz didn’t need to win Iowa: His “firewall” has always been recognized to be the SEC primary states, so what he “needed” was to do at least well enough to justify staying in the race until then.

    Also they all pretend as if IOWA IS THE PERFECT STATE FOR TED CRUZ — as if he didn’t take a principled stand against their Number One Government Handout.

    F**k all the Talking Heads. There may be rough days ahead but tonight is a GLORIOUS NIGHT.

    Because DONALD TRUMP IS A LOSER.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  5. P.P.S. Loo-hoo-suh-HER.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  6. P.P.P.S. LOOOOOOOSER.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  7. As David Mamet wrote in GlenGarry Glen Ross, “Coffee’s for closers…only.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Lf8GtMe4M

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  8. P.P.P.P.S. You get it.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  9. How about a little grace? Act like youve been here before. Oh that’s right.
    You never have.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  10. Have we heard from ropelight on Donald Trump being a loser?

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  11. Check please!

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  12. The establishment plan to crush Cruz was simple. They saw Cruz weakened himself with his ethanol stance. They saw Trump and Cruz exchanging attacks.

    So they said Iowa was Cruz’s must win, where he has placed all his marbles, and expected Rubio to soak up enough support to create a ‘not Trump’ vote for Rubio.

    It was untrue. Cruz’s campaign obviously did not strategize around Iowa, hence that very ethanol stance. Now they leave Iowa the bona fide conservative as well as the bona fide ‘not Trump’ option. And Cruz leaves Iowa with the most funds in his campaign.

    Iowa may not have been Cruz’s must win, but it avoids a Giuliani situation where he waits and waits for his Florida win, but needed something earlier to establish himself as a contender. Since Cruz outperformed the polls so well, and Trump was off by like 8 points, I bet Cruz does fairly well in these other states. He likely cannot win them, but he will be on the radar.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  13. On account of how I am all about being mature and everything and so maybe I can invite Mr. ropelight and Mr. happyfeet to jump on the team and come on in for the big win.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  14. That’s one in a row for you, Wild Bill.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  15. How about a little grace?

    I’m the alpha male here, son. I’ll show you the same grace your hero Donald Trump shows in his life.

    LOSER.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  16. How about a little grace? Act like youve been here before. Oh that’s right.
    You never have.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

    ouch.

    but for me that’s definitely on the mark. I do not recall ever having ‘my guy’ do that well in a presidential primary. I definitely have never been passionate about who the GOP actually nominates. The closest I got was 2004, but really it was all about Kerry.

    To a lot of us, this is like Palin winning a primary (the Palin we believed in, not the one that turned out to be). It’s going to fire up a ton of Cruz maybes to realize a real conservative is a real possibility. How many of the supporters of Rubio thought he was the most conservative guy who could win, yesterday, and are going to change their minds?

    It would be wiser to restrain our expectations, but it is definitely a nice change of pace.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  17. That’s one to NOTHING, loser.

    How do you like having your loser candidate lose, loser?

    Yes, this is over the top ridiculous. But that’s what you like, isn’t it, papertiger? You like being dominated by an alpha male, don’t you? Looks like Ted Cruz and Patterico are on top and you and Donald Trump come in Number Two. Don’t like it? Too bad, loser.

    I can keep it up until you get the point.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  18. The establishment plan to crush Cruz was simple….

    It effing worked, dude. Rubio, who is the establishment, came in tight third and led in all of the major metro areas.

    Sorry to rain on your parade, but smell the coffee.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  19. Sorry, but last I checked The Donald was still in the race. No one’s a loser in THIS race until they drop out of it (or are defeated too many times at the ballot box in other primaries). Gov. Huckabee has already announced he’s dropping out, so he is a loser in that respect. Until then, so long as they have the will (and money) to continue, the others haven’t lost and still have hope. Too much lately you let your personal distaste for Mr. Trump color your political commentary on the primaries. As Don Henley would say, “Get over it!”

    David Crowley (e5c503)

  20. Too soon? Well maybe tomorrow when you wake from your revels.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  21. Loser

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  22. I plan to continue to show half the class Trump shows to his opponents.

    If it feels like you’re on the wrong end of an attack from a jackass then hello!

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  23. Seriously any Trump supporter who whines about other people’s behavior needs to wake up and I am the alarm clock. RRRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  24. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    LOSER.COM CLICK IT

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  25. papertiger, you must not ever win at playing charades. Patterico’s obviously having fun playing the Trump card. I was under the impression you Trump supporters find it charming when a winner mocks a loser for being a loser!

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  26. It effing worked, dude.

    Ha. The plan was for Cruz to come in third in Iowa, after the media convinced the party that Iowa was Cruz’s must win state. The plan failed because Cruz won Iowa despite being an ethical conservative on the issues Iowa’s governor demanded compromise on.

    So no, Cruz leaves Iowa the ‘not trump’ choise, the ‘conservative who can win’ choice, and the candidate with the best run campaign, having actually lain eggs in the southern states basket.

    Rubio came in third, nearly tying Trump, and of course that’s an awesome performance over expectations (though Cruz’s relative performance over polls is a bit better). The effort definitely helped him a lot. But far from eliminating Cruz from serious contention, we see that Cruz withstood a lot of flack and came out stronger.

    Too much lately you let your personal distaste for Mr. Trump color your political commentary on the primaries. As Don Henley would say, “Get over it!”

    David Crowley (e5c503)

    he’s mocking how Trump talks about others, for example how he said Cruz blew his one moment and is a “stupid loser”. Remember, Patterico isn’t running for president yet this football spiking seems really unprofessional. Yet Trump is like this all the freaking time, and the first time I saw him behave normally was in his deflated appearance tonight after his loss. Consider how Trump’s behavior actually makes him unelectable. He’s got the people who don’t care, but he can’t get any more, and a lot of his guys didn’t show up to vote in Iowa, causing Trump to underperform polls by 8 percent. Perhaps the same sentiment that doesn’t care if he acts crazy didn’t care enough to stand around at some nerdy caucus.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  27. LOSER.COM CLICK IT

    damn, gina!

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  28. I wonder if Trump will be halfway back to NYC on Air Force Trump before it dawns on him that he lost to a non-American Canadian. How un-American is that. I mean, Shania Twain’s hot and everything, but still…

    Oh Canada!

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  29. LOL, CS. I take some satisfaction in that, as Trump’s birther crap is really destructive campaigning, and the kind of thing that made me irritated with the 2012 primary. It’s not fighting to win a contest of peers. It’s putting Trump ahead of the party’s future, which I realize is not so bad to those who are through with the party.

    Which brings me to a good observation. Cruz and Trump were first and second in the primary, and both camps are sick and tired of the GOP’s leadership. The establishment has truly lost control of the party when a majority of the voters picked those two guys. Though the candidates are very different, I think the supporters are largely similar (and the internet hides this fact as Trump’s loudest fans, at least on other sites, are ridiculous). Cruz winning is a good result, at least for the ideas motivating a lot of Trump’s fans.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  30. Dustin at #26, if Patterico is mocking The Donald’s behavior, then he should actually say so, not just assume that everyone will recognize it as such. Otherwise it looks like he’s letting personal likes and dislikes overly color what he writes about concerning primary race politics.
    Cruz has some problems he needs to overcome and I say this as someone who gave him money. Those problems may still derail him in the near future.

    David Crowley (e5c503)

  31. Dustin at #26, if Patterico is mocking The Donald’s behavior, then he should actually say so, not just assume that everyone will recognize it as such.

    Sorry I didn’t realize 22 comments strained your reading ability. Here’s comment #22:

    I plan to continue to show half the class Trump shows to his opponents.

    If it feels like you’re on the wrong end of an attack from a jackass then hello!

    You are fat, stupid, and ugly. Now that we’ve gotten the Donald Trump portion of the comment thread over with, we can discuss real issues like gentlemen.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  32. Comment 23, skipped over by David Crowley, repeated here:

    Seriously any Trump supporter who whines about other people’s behavior needs to wake up and I am the alarm clock. RRRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

    Did you hit the snooze button, loser?

    Inspiration here, h/t Sammy F., no lie.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  33. #29 Dustin, I hope you’re right about the potential for cross-over appeal. But some of Trump’s Fan Boys who comment in the threads at Breitbart, Hot Air, etc., are only half-civilized. And I don’t mean half-civil, rather, I mean half-civilized! If they believe that Cruz and Rubio really are foreign-born usurping Commies, then I don’t know how they could bring themselves to vote for either of them in the general election in November. Maybe a lot of what they say is just schtick because they want to be like Donnie and say outrageous things.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  34. Cruz has some problems he needs to overcome and I say this as someone who gave him money. Those problems may still derail him in the near future.

    David Crowley (e5c503)

    Absolutely right. Rewatching the speeches, it would be nice if Cruz would speak a little more like Rubio, even though it kinda puts me off. People like that crap. When Cruz was ticked at Wallace at the last debate, I thought he killed it, but the crowd sure didn’t. Cruz needs to work on that stuff. And he’s heading for a lot of difficult primaries.

    if Patterico is mocking The Donald’s behavior, then he should actually say so,

    He is saying so. Read his comments. As personal as primaries get, I remember how polarized I got against Romney and barely managed to vote for him. Trump and Cruz overlap a lot. This isn’t a smart play for Trump’s supporters, and I do think he’s going to lose some. BUT I really like that the blog isn’t taking itself seriously as political activism and is putting the calculations aside to just have fun at a blowhard’s expense.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  35. David Crowley,

    If you gave Cruz money then I salute you, and no joke. But you need to wake up to Trump’s corrosive influence on our body politic. This is a bit of performance art here but it should sound familiar. I learned today from one of the hot takes I read before the election, that studies show many people think rude assholes are the alpha males. I concluded from that story that studies show many people are stupid sheep. Don’t be a stupid sheep. Please. You comment here and give money to Ted Cruz, so you’re better than that. Have a nice evening, and thanks for supporting Ted.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  36. But some of Trump’s Fan Boys who comment in the threads at Breitbart, Hot Air, etc., are only half-civilized.

    I don’t mean them. I almost want to call them the 8 percent (the 8 percent of Trump’s polls that didn’t care enough to show up to the caucus and support Trump where it counts).

    Being opinionated on the internet is really easy. Being dumb and rude about it is even easier. Those guys aren’t the reason Trump is so successful this primary. They are the joiners. The Patriots Football types.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  37. Dustin,

    Being polite to Trump supporters who might vote Cruz is political correctness. I DON’T HAVE TIME for political correctness, so I don’t have time to be polite to them. Sure, I could say: “Won’t you consider instead voting for Ted Cruz?” but look how much less time it takes to say “YOU LOST LOSER!” As someone who values his TIME, I need to conserve that valuable time to the best of my ability. Good night!

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  38. look how much less time it takes to say “YOU LOST LOSER!

    I would be amused and annoyed if some Trump fan saw Pat’s sarcasm and mistakenly ‘realized’ the alpha team is the Cruz team, so that was the reason they switched.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  39. Here’s where I read it:

    Our listeners who support Trump do not differentiate between politically incorrect and egregiously rude. I’ve asked them more than once, “Does a grown man caught mocking another man’s disability for cheap laughs have the maturity to handle the nuclear codes?” They shrug it off: “He’s just a little rough around the edges like George Patton. Lighten up.” They often call him the “alpha dog.” Apparently that entitles him to hump everyone else.

    . . . .

    In fact, some Trump supporters actually consider his unethical and opportunistic behavior as desirable. In their minds, Trump isn’t just a bully; he’s their bully. Jerry Useem recently wrote in The Atlantic how uncouth behavior is often viewed as a sign of leadership. He writes, “High-powered people are more likely to take an extra cookie from a common plate, chew with their mouths open, spread crumbs, stereotype, patronize, interrupt, ignore the feelings of others, invade their personal space, and claim credit for their contributions.”

    Success makes some leaders less inhibited. The reverse is also true; norm-violating behavior is often interpreted as leadership ability. When study subjects viewed an actor behaving rudely, they were more likely to predict he could lead than when the actor was being polite.

    My considered opinion when evaluating this is that the best approach to Trump supporters is this: YOU LOST, LOSERS. WHO’S THE ALPHA DOG NOW? GO MAKE ME A SAMMICH!

    I think I WIN votes this way. Tell me I’m wrong, you jerk.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  40. Don’t make me file a frivolous lawsuit against you!

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  41. Oh, i’d just file bankruptcy if you did.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  42. Jeb Bush will withdraw this week. I wonder if he’ll endorse Rubio? Probably, and his few voters probably will indeed mostly drift over to Rubio. So, too — and potentially much more important — his donor list will likely also go to Rubio.

    Huckabee will probably endorse Trump. It won’t matter at all. Santorum will drop out, and no one will care whether he endorses anyone else (although he might endorse Cruz).

    I think Carson and Kasich will stay in for New Hampshire and lose very badly there; but Kasich will siphon a fair number of Sununu Republicans away from Rubio for this one. Won’t end up mattering; both will drop out after New Hampshire.

    South Carolina will be very, very interesting.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  43. I think these predictions all make good sense, Beldar.

    Oh, how sweet it will be to see Dynastic Aspirant #1 exit in disgrace.

    I’d love to see Dynastic Aspirant #2 exit just as unceremoniously but her potential replacement is unsettling in the extreme, to be absurdly mild.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  44. Beldar, from stuff I’ve read about on the internets, Jeb! feels very betrayed that Rubio chose to run for President during a year that Jeb! was planning to be coronated as “Bush 45.” It’s that Bush entitlement thing. So, who knows, maybe Jeb! goes all scorched earth on Rubio and withholds behind-the-scenes support.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  45. Just heard a Gen-Xer on CNN insist that “Democrats won big tonight, because both of their candidates showed they have solid support, while the two Republicans who did best, Cruz and Trump, are easily beatable in the fall.”

    Uh-huh.

    Tornado-level spin. Dorthy-caught-in-the-tornado-level desperation. Very amusing.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  46. Beldar,

    The huckster probably wins New Hampshire huh? I’m not sure there’s any stopping that.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  47. this losing business

    it’s very bad for Mr. The Donald’s brand I think

    a more better plan would’ve been for him to get a higher percentage of the vote than Mr. Cruz got

    happyfeet (831175)

  48. this losing business

    it’s very bad for Mr. The Donald’s brand I think

    a more better plan would’ve been for him to get a higher percentage of the vote than Mr. Cruz got

    If he wanted to win, he should have won. Instead, he lost. Like the loser he is.

    Patterico (86c8ed)

  49. I don’t know whether Trump will hold his present polling leads in New Hampshire or not. Some of that depends on whether he reacts graciously and wisely after almost placing third in Iowa. That would surprise me; what I expect instead is that he’ll either quit now (which genuinely would not surprise me) or, more likely, that he’ll just double down on the insults and vulgarity. And I think he’s already convinced everyone who’s capable of being convinced by his schtick, so I don’t see any likelihood that he could somehow improve on his current numbers.

    He might still win New Hampshire, but if so, I don’t think it will be by anything approaching his current polling margins there.

    I’m very happy to hear all the media talking heads writing off Cruz’ chances in New Hampshire.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  50. iowa is endlessly weird but they actually did very good tonight

    more than 186,000 Republicans caucused, far exceeding the previous record of 122,000 from four years ago

    thank you Mr. The Donald for energizing Team R and getting people to be active what were sodden and listless

    we love you

    happyfeet (831175)

  51. “should take another eleven day ‘unscheduled’ vacation”

    Thanks for the memories, Sammy. Good times.

    Trump on Bill de Blasio

    “the worst mayor in the United States”“disgrace”“worst mayor in the United States”“his ineptitude”“probably the worst Mayor in the history of #NYC”

    Where is he wrong?

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  52. What a class act Trump was giving is post election speech. Nodody thought that Cruz wouldn’t win since he put all of his eggs into the Iowa basket with the ground game that nobody else felt was needed. Turns out that 2 of them we’re right.

    Isn’t it awesome to see Paul Ryans bookend come in 3rd?

    Ahhh well on to the next state. Cruz had his 15 minutes of glory, from here on out he switches places with Rubio.

    Trump 2016!!!
    There is no substitute.

    Drider (340c7b)

  53. Beldar, why do you think that Huckabee will endorse Trump? Cruz seems a much more natural ally for him and certainly for his supporters. Does Trump do well among Evangelicals?

    Yackums (0d7a62)

  54. I think you’re wrong about New Hampshire. If the non-conservatives (Bush, Trump, Katich, Christie) split the vote with Rubio (hallmark of establishment is amnesty), who’s left standing with undiluted support.

    Porgie Tirebiter (9bc85c)

  55. Papertiger, Trump was wrong because Dinkins was the worst mayor in New York history not DeBlasio, so far. I’m sure the commie can beat out the incompetent clown but so far Dinkins is still in first place for the honor.

    I am so happy Cruz has started to really move. I’m so disappointed Rubio didn’t beat Trump too.

    Rev. Barack Hussein Hoagie™ (f4eb27)

  56. papertiger (c2d6da) — 2/2/2016 @ 2:11 am

    “the worst mayor in the United States”“disgrace”“worst mayor in the United States”“his ineptitude”“probably the worst Mayor in the history of #NYC”

    Where is he wrong?

    What about Lindsay? What about Dinkins?

    For that matter, What about LaGuardia?!!

    It was his time that Harlem was turned over to criminals and organized crime. It got so bad that he had to move out. He concealed the problem by having the city purchase Gracie Mansion. (the crime problem, however, was mostly confined to segregated black neighborhoods until the 1960s, after which they began expanding geographically. The same thing actually happened in every major city in the country except for Las Vegas. Criminals needed to be free to rob in order to purchase heroin.

    At that time the mob limited what they doing to segregated neighborhoods, where it could be contained and ignored.)

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  57. yeah…you know who else is a loser…huckabee

    huckabee in 2008…he won iowa…didnt get the nomination…

    lets see who else…oh yeah…santorum…

    he won iowa in 2012…didnt get the nomination…

    all you trump haters at least as likely as not are not only hating on the guy thats going to win the nomination but whos going to win the general as well

    are you guys going to keep on with the same old tired crap when hes trying to seal the border and enforce the immigration laws that are already on the books you sound just like democrats

    you guys keep hating on trump and rooting for cruz and rubio…

    cruz is the goldman sachs candidate and rubio is mccains boy…

    democrats and independents arent going to break big for either of them…but they will for trump…

    say what you want about trump…no politician is going to fix the problems we have…politicians are the reason we are here in the first place

    insanity: doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results

    sound awake (4f316e)

  58. im learning that patterico is whiny…petulant…prone to indignation but without the benefit of being righteous that usually goes along with it

    he thinks he can be like that because trump is like that…my children act like that

    theres a big distinction between patterico and trump

    trump has actually accomplished things in his life

    maybe its right maybe its wrong but theres a certain amount of trash talking thats to be expected from someone whos actually accomplished something…someone whos speaking from a standpoint of actual strength

    trash talking from someone who hasnt really accomplished anything is somewhat loserish i think

    but hey hes in big for cruz…so theres that…if cruz wins the nomination hopefully he will beat bernie or hillary

    if he does hopefully goldman sachs will let him do the things that need to get done to save our country

    sound awake (4f316e)

  59. Trump 2016!!!
    There is no substitute.

    trump/fiorina 2016 brother…all the way…unstoppable…

    sound awake (4f316e)

  60. Unstoppable, until he was stopped by Cruz in the first race!

    Patrick Henry, the 2nd (adaa24)

  61. Coming out of lurk mode to say how thoroughly I’m enjoying this fun bit of performance art. The Donald, IMO, deserves every line of it. Thanks for the laughs.

    no one of consequence (325a59)


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