Click below to see Trump become "politically correct" or not-quite-so-outspoken on a typical Tea Party topic...
Its Chris 'got a thrill up my leg' Mathews for crying out loud. He's just begging for a gotcha sound bite and Trump ain't stupid enough to oblige. Nothing to see.
You know that moment on an aircraft where there are three choices of main meal, and you've chosen the chicken and tomato pasta bake.
But by the time the cabin services person gets to your seat, you are told the bake has gone and all you can have is the tasteless salmon and dill or the irradiated, overcooked beef.
Yes, you're disappointed. But you are also immediately in a new mindset. The choice is no longer about what do I want the most. It's what do I mind the least.
The Republican Party establishment finds itself in that position now on the eve of the Iowa caucus.
The palatable, easy-to-digest candidates - a Marco Rubio, a Jeb Bush, even a John Kasich or Chris Christie - are not on the menu.
There is only so long that you can look at the polls and say one of them will break through to challenge the two insurgents, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
As things stand, rather than the "moderates" getting together and trying to work out which of them has the best chance to face down Trump or Cruz, they seem to have formed themselves into a circular firing squad and are busy spraying each other with gunfire.
So it's hard to overstate the significance of what has been unfolding over the past few days. It is the grudging acceptance by significant parts of the Republican establishment that not only is Mr Trump the least worst option - he is virtually unstoppable in the race to be their candidate.
The conclusion they've reached is they can live with Mr Trump but they can't with Mr Cruz. Mr Trump will cut deals and compromise; Mr Cruz won't. Mr Trump is biddable; Mr Cruz is not.
I don't understand this sentence. Do you mean that someone (Trump) liberally disdains the public? I mean, that's self-evident.
Then it follows that you're saying we're masochists. NTTAWWT
I was answering this alteration to my statement.
Trump plays the media public like a fiddle. They are such fools.
The idea that the public who support Trump, the tens of thousands that show up to his rallies, are fools being played by him shows a disdain for their intelligence. It is exactly the sort of behavior that generates so much support for him. The silent majority are sick of being taken for fools by the establishment.
Trump plays the media public like a fiddle. They are such fools.
and proud of their "homespun ways" and "common sense."
Education and rational thought have been vilified in America. We were the country that landed on the moon, developed interstate highways, developed medical breakthroughs. Now, our attention is merely on girls filmed in private fellating a boyfriend - making them multimillionaires, cultural arbiters, and role models for our children.
This is spot on and quite funny. Passion making up for eloquence.
The National Review attempt to sway voters into not voting for Donald Trump as the GOP nominee is lame. What happened to the tent the Republicans wanted to broaden after the 2012 election. Is this really a member's only club? Is this why Republicans can't win a general election? Democrats don't even do this.
I need to add one level to the BOTTOM of the persuasion stack. That level involves arguing about the definition of a word.
Persuasion Stack
Identity (best)
Analogy (okay, not great)
Reason (useless)
Definition (capitulation)
You’ll see a lot of debate on whether Trump is a true conservative or not. That is argument by definition. It is the linguistic equivalent of throwing your gun at a monster because the clip is empty.
National Review’s cover story, in which the big question comes down to whether Trump is a true conservative or not, is your tell for capitulation on the right.
The left is still in the fight, but the right just capitulated to Trump.
In the 2D world, it might seem that National Review’s organized resistance of “thought leaders” opposed to Trump is a big deal. But that incorrectly assumes “thought” was ever important. In the 3D world of persuasion, National Review’s move is nothing but throwing the gun at the monster.