John McCain says Trump just fired up the crazies
- Thread starter Vanillalite
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The other GOP candidates know that the crazies will come crawling back to them once Trump inevitably flames out.
Unfortunately, the broader American population might just be full of crazies and racists.
Well, you probably shouldn't have pandered to the tea party the way you did during your election. The "crazies" have always been fired up because you energized and legitimized them during your run for president. Just because you stopped running doesnt mean they were gonna pack up and quit.
The Albatross
Member
Trump "leading" in a poll is very similar to when Newt Gingrich momentarily led in a poll or Herman Cain momentarily lead in a poll, or Michelle Bachman momentarily led in a poll back in 2012. He has name recognition, is doing a big media/publicity tour, is saying outlandish populist things, and every news story is talking about his antics. In the end, the party nominated a center-right Republican, and the same will likely happen for 2016.
Trumps' comments and arguments are the equivalent of NeoGaf drive-by trolling posts... They're the ones that nobody takes seriously, but they get the most quotes and replies, and somebody who puts some thought into something gets scrolled past.
Although in 2012, the GOP race was splintered amongst 8 candidates, now its splintered amongst nearly double that... So arguably, a guy like Trump has a better chance, but in the end, nobody realistically thinks he's leading anything other than a name recognition contest. But, yeah, a good number of Republican voters are crazies.
xBladeM6x
Member
It's called pandering to the base. McCain is acting like these "crazies" are fringe - they're not. Political discourse in America has shifted so far to the right in the last 40 years, that so-called liberals are actually center-right, centrists are just plain old right-wing, and the full-blown right-wing are the "crazies" he's referring to.
johnnyfive
Banned
Yeah.
For the briefest of moments, Palin seemed like a brilliant choice. But then she started speaking.
If McCain had someone converted Elizabeth Warren as a running mate...
Aaron Strife
Banned
McCain has no room to talk. No elected Republican does.
Fenderputty
Banned
The GOP created the monster. Trumps just pandering to it more loudly.
johnnyfive
Banned
This is the scariest part. It's impossible to tell which politician has jumped the shark and which politician is only pretending to jump the shark to get votes. On top of that, they are all backed by invisible hands big money that really dictates their decision making.
Trump might just be a giant troll/honeypot to lure crazies and tie up their votes. That's best case, I guess.
Mr. Pointy
Member
When the GOP is ashes, then they have my permission to die.
Mmm hmm. Trump is - for all intents and purposes - the id of the GOP.
Shao Kahn on the Lawn
Member
The reason he had to do that was because his campaign got the base so fucking riled up about Barrack Obama that they were being openly criticized by civil rights leaders and politicians from both parties for endangering his life. They played an extremely dangerous game with the rhetoric they were using during the buildup to the video you posted.
Does the phrase 'Palling around with terrorists' ring a bell? You don't get points for crowd control when you're the one who shouted "FIRE!" in the theater to begin with.
Link
The Autumn Wind
And that's different from the Republican platform... how exactly?
Dubbedinenglish
Banned
"He's an Arab"
"No mam, he's a decent family man."
That moment is still engrained in my mind showing how much of a racist sack of shit he, and that base is.
shadowsdarknes
Member
McCain does have a moderate side to him. He doesn't really seem to care about rhetoric that fires up xenophobic and racist Americans.
He's a neocon, not full teabagger. Even though he nominated Palin.
He's a neocon, not full teabagger. Even though he nominated Palin.
Livingskeletons
If I pulled that off, would you die?
This made my morning.
You actually think it started there? Come on, man.
But once it gets to the primary, the crazies won't matter enough these days.
They didn't matter against Obama. They didn't matter against Obama, again.
And it took some really fishy Florida-level crazy to make it work for Bush the first time.
I used to think McCain was bad. i am so sorry i ever thought that. The brand of republican that has gotten air time the past 8 years is absolutely atrocious. Like their explicit ignorance of issues in our country and their refusal to even come up with solutions and just call everything bad is incredible.
Best post I've seen on GAF in quite a while
Shao Kahn on the Lawn
Member
What we're dealing with today is the natural outcome of the Southern Strategy, the incestuous pact between conservatism and evangelicals. Barry Goldwater's opinions on the matter turned out to be prophetic: the Republican party has surrendered entirely to the whims of radical evangelicals.
Poodlestrike
Banned
I really do think that he's kind of to blame for all this. Putting Palin in the spotlight seems to have been the start of the extreme rightward shift we've seen in conservative discourse over the last 7 or so years.
I think it's safe to say that he regrets that decision.
He only regrets it cause he didn't win.
neogaffer1
Banned
sanders is holding a rally in phx too this weekend
really want to go but probably won't be able to
shame
really want to go but probably won't be able to
shame
PeskyToaster
Member
Lol this is really good
No, McCain is a decent family man.
Aaron Strife
Banned
I understand that he was probably caught off guard in the moment, but I think it's telling that he was more concerned about defending Obama specifically and not defending "Arabs" as a whole, as if "Arab" and "decent family man" are mutually exclusive.
The follow-up interview with that woman was awful too, where she wonders why McCain wouldn't call Obama out for it.
RustyNails
Member
Biden: You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation, they turned to a man they didn't fully understand.
Obama: Politicians aren't complicated, Joe. Just have to figure out what he's after.
Biden: With respect Mr President, perhaps this is a man that *you* don't fully understand, either. A long time ago, I was in Burma....
Obama: Politicians aren't complicated, Joe. Just have to figure out what he's after.
Biden: With respect Mr President, perhaps this is a man that *you* don't fully understand, either. A long time ago, I was in Burma....
Lots of republican media is designed to rile up the crazies. They know that many of those crazies get them votes, and don't have the balls to dissacociate themselves from them. So they usually passively accept the crazy talk.
That's why I'm loving trump. He isn't ruling up the crazies. He's just going all in on typical republican talking points without the fear that holds most republican politicians back. He's like if Sean hannity was running for president. I love it, because it exposes the worst of the party and might be the catylist for some to distance themselves from the idiots and reform the party talking points
That's why I'm loving trump. He isn't ruling up the crazies. He's just going all in on typical republican talking points without the fear that holds most republican politicians back. He's like if Sean hannity was running for president. I love it, because it exposes the worst of the party and might be the catylist for some to distance themselves from the idiots and reform the party talking points
Wolfgunblood Garopa
Member
It's great when Republican politicians openly display their discomfort with their own base.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
Thanks Trump. Mccains reaping what he sowed finally
BobTheFork
Member
The vet who didn't vett.
Yep. They just went with most attractive Repub at the time and dealt with the minor details like qualifications later.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.
minor effort
Banned
The John McCain from the 2000 election, while someone I wasn't necessarily voting for, at least seemed like a person with integrity. Someone I could disagree with yet respect.
The John McCain from the 2008 election pretty much erased all that.
The John McCain from the 2008 election pretty much erased all that.
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