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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America conclude the Three Martini Lunch Award season by announcing their choices for person of the year and turncoat of the year. They also make their fearless predictions for 2019.
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I never heard Part 5.
Hummm, the Turncoats of the Year were NeverTrumpers. They referenced Bill Kristol, Jen Rubin, Joe Scarborough, Charlie Sykes, Rick Wilson, Steve Schmidt, Nicolle Wallace and Max Boot by name. I particularly take umbrage at the inclusion of Charlie Sykes, who had written a very thoughtful book “How the Right Lost Its Mind.”
Under those circumstances, I suggest that you add two more names: George Will and Gary Robbins. I would be proud to be associated with the above group, even though I recommended voting for Democrats only for the House, but not for the Senate, given that the Senate is in the personnel business, and confirming judges. (I voted for Martha McSally.)
Their point of view assumes that the Republican Party is wholly aligned with Trump, that Trump is the Republican Party.
There is a Republican Party other than Trump.
The Whig Party broke up over the issue of slavery in the territories. It remains to be seen if the Republican Party will break up over Trump.
I belong to the Party of Reagan, not the Party of Trump. I refuse to drink the Trump Kool-Aid.
See you in New Hampshire.
Behind the Daily Beast paywall is the article titled “The Whigs collapsed over slavery, could the GOP Over Trump?”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-whigs-collapsed-over-slavery-could-the-gop-over-trump?ref=home
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I think its a fair standard. to demand intellectual honesty from punditry. Max Boot’s book disavowing the conservative platform just highlights how his derangement syndrome has broken his entire worldview.
Not to worry, Trump won’t leave a legacy in the republican party. He doesnt have a consistent political philosophy that can be built on. Trump-ism only works for Trump.
I’m Never Trump … not Never Republican while Trump is President. There is a difference.
Anti-Trumpers Jim and Greg express their frustration with Never-Trump turncoats (transcript):
The coup de grace on all this for me was when they actually encouraged people to go out and vote for Democrats in the midterm elections, most of these people, because that was the only way to really hold Trump accountable and that was the only thing that mattered.
It didn’t matter what you thought about policy, about the Constitution, about free speech, about freedom of religion, about the Second Amendment, how you want the economy structured; none of that mattered. Trump is just an all-encompassing obsession for these people, and now they’re going to be gleeful as Jerry Nadler and Elijah Cummings and Adam Schiff and all these people finally get their chance on the House side to gum up the works …
Some of them say they do it on principle — which it’s hard to see how they’re doing that when they literally oppose policies — because Trump supports them — when they spent decades and decades supporting them …
Reminds me of when Florida Governor Charlie Crist went from conservative Republican to liberal Democrat in about 18 months, after losing the Republican Senate primary. Of course, the natural conclusion one would reach is that he was never a conservative in the first place, but was merely playing one for political advantage.
Now that she has the House again, Nancy Pelosi and her dwarves will consult with Chuck Schumer on what legislation will, even voted down, do the most damage to Republican Senate incumbents up for re-election in 2020.
Part 5:
http://ricochet.com/podcast/three-martini-lunch/martini-awards-part-5-most-overreported-story-most-underreported-story-best-story-of-2018/