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[whyamihere]

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/...ative-lawyer-for-independent-presidential-run

Two Republicans intimately familiar with Bill Kristol’s efforts to recruit an independent presidential candidate to challenge Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have told Bloomberg Politics that the person Kristol has in mind is David French -- whose name the editor of the Weekly Standard floated in the current issue of the magazine.

French is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. According to the website of National Review, where French is a staff writer, he is a constitutional lawyer, a recipient of the Bronze Star, and an author of several books who lives in Columbia, Tenn., with his wife Nancy and three children.

Reached in Israel late Tuesday afternoon, Kristol declined to comment on his efforts to induce French to run. The two Republicans confirmed that French is open to launching a bid, but that he has not made a final decision. One of the Republicans added that French has not lined up a vice-presidential running mate or significant financial support. However, according to this person, some conservative donors look favorably on the prospect of French entering the fray.

In Kristol’s piece in the Standard’s June 6 issue, he argued that “the fact of Trump's and Clinton's unfitness for the Oval Office has become so self-evident that it's no longer clear one needs a famous figure to provide an alternative.” After mentioning Mitt Romney and other possibilities such as Judd Gregg and Mel Martinez, Kristol invoked French’s name and résumé, writing, “To say that he would be a better and a more responsible president than Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is to state a truth that would become self-evident as more Americans got to know him.”

Team Trump's response:

https://twitter.com/DanScavino/status/737754745578921984

 

[NYCmetsfan]

lol Kristol.

 

[JesseEwiak]

This is the equivalent of Joan Walsh recruiting Jonathan Chait to run an independent candidate if the DNC nominated Kanye this year - in other words, a joke.

 

[Plinko]

Bwahahaha.

Wouldn't even get 3% of the votes.

 

[Wilsongt]

First off, Who?

Secondly, that first cartoon response on Twitter. I wouldn't call Trump a fucking molehill.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Bwahahaha.

Wouldn't even get 3% of the votes.

way too high dude

 

[BitStyle]

I thought they would have picked a well-known candidate to take votes away from Trump, but I dont see this pick making any dent.

 

[Dan]

Kristol wants to get conservatives to vote for a guy named French?

Yeah, okay.

 

[SecretMoblin]

trump was right


again

 

[NealMcCauley]

According to one person deeply involved in the efforts to recruit an independent challenger, the search has focused on individuals who have one or more of the following three traits seen as vital for credibly such a bid: fame, vast wealth, and elective experience.

Can't help but laugh at that.

 

[Guevara]

President French? Yeah good luck with that

 

[QuiteWhittle]

who

 

[kittenbreath]

In Kristol’s piece in the Standard’s June 6 issue, he argued that “the fact of Trump's and Clinton's unfitness for the Oval Office has become so self-evident that it's no longer clear one needs a famous figure to provide an alternative.”

They all said no, in other words.

 

[univariate]

lol

 

[Kusagari]

I think for this independent run to have any impact whatsoever people would have to know who the fuck the person running is.

 

[smurfx]

fucking kristol got us all excited over nothing.

 

[Angry Grimace]

This is the equivalent of Joan Walsh recruiting Jonathan Chait to run an independent candidate if the DNC nominated Kanye this year - in other words, a joke.

9/10.

 

[Bel Marduk]

Pathetic. French won'the even get 0.3% of the vote.

 

[Maxim726X]

Hey, even if it takes 3% of the Republican vote away from Trump... Nothing but a win/win if you want to see Clinton in the White House.

 

[Triplicates]

Haha. I totally thought it was going to be Romney or Ryan. This is an amazing letdown. He won't even make it to the debates.

 

[Team Alucard]

What a joke. Kristol should have given up on this nonsense after Romney told him no.

 

[BanGy.nz]

I'd love to see the list of people who turned him down because this guy is beyond bottom of the barrel teir.

 

[Korigama]

Pity, I was hoping that he would say Herman Cain so that I could laugh at him (never even heard of David French).

 

[whyamihere]

This is the equivalent of Joan Walsh recruiting Jonathan Chait to run an independent candidate if the DNC nominated Kanye this year - in other words, a joke.

Perfect.

 

[B-Dubs]

Oh come on, he couldn't even get Romney? What a joke.

 

[Phantast2k]

 

[Strimei]

So this is likely the guy he tweeted about this weekend?

I don't know who I expected, but yeah not this guy.

 

[Already Torn]

He has worse hair than both Bernie and Trump.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

The should show the original picture, not the one using the fun house mirror filter.

 

[CrazyDude]

Is it that guy or is he the playwright?

I am going to say he is the dude. Looks too much like a lawyer.

 

[Bronx-Man]

 

[Corpekata]

His face appears to be too small for his head, like someone pinched the dimensions in on a character creator a little too much.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Do it. Any vote gone from Trump would be ideal. I don't care if he can win, I don't want a GOP to win, so I say go ahead.

 

[BanGy.nz]

Some guy who writes Game of Thrones recap articles for a blog.

 

[j_k_redtail]

Well... I mean... sure, I guess.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Kind of amazing that it took this long for someone to put forth an alternative that wasn't already tarnished by capitol hill or a complete loon. At least 9 months too late to stop the train.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

 

[Kurtofan]

hummm.... does it??

 

[davepoobond]

hell if Bill Kristol footed the bill i'd run as a neocon candidate too. why not, 3 months of work to be able to charge for speeches the rest of your life

 

[Havoc2049]

The flushing sound you hear is Bill Kristol's and Glenn Beck's careers going down the drain. These guys are just pathetic.

 

[johnsmith]

Why doesn't he just run himself? What a joke.

 

[GnawtyDog]

Featherweight.

 

[Fat4all]

 

[CrocMother]

Some guy who writes Game of Thrones recap articles for a blog.

One of the comments on his write up:

The pro-transgender forces are much more frighteningly destructive than ISIS, which is a conventional irregular military force. But like ISIS, the sexual radicals will not stop until their caliphate is established throughout the world.

lmao

 

[Scott32020]

President French? Yeah good luck with that

"President French meets with French President Hollande"

 

[Za-Neen-Jya]

Bill Kristal could run the reanimated corpse of Lincoln and it wouldn't matter because Trump is going to lose no matter what. The media is making this look like it's going to be a close race between Trump/Hillary because that's what gets them ratings, but when it comes down to it, Trump doesn't stand a chance. This is assuming that people get out and actually vote, of course, so no one should get complacent, but I don't see him winning anything more than the reddest of the red states.

 

[kingkitty]

I for one can't wait to see him debate Gary Johnson on C-SPAN 3.

 

[Za-Neen-Jya]

Wow, total over-controlling dickwad. This would not play well with women.

 

[Iksenpets]

What happened to that random Marine general no one had ever heard of whom he was hyping up a while back? He couldn't even get him, and had to downgrade to this guy?

I for one can't wait to see him debate Gary Johnson on C-SPAN 3.

If this guy runs, Gary Johnson will get 10x as many votes as him. Gary Johnson will still not crack 3% of the total vote.

 

[Already Torn]

Based on his picture, you gotta wonder if the guy met his wife in the first place mainly through radio and email.