As Twitchy covered earlier, seems the NeverTrump movement is openly targeting the ‘pro-Trump elite’ trying to make them uncomfortable at dinner parties and in green rooms. That this is their mission tells you how absolutely out of touch they really are with their own movement but that’s another story.
Mollie Hemingway shared a thread that makes their efforts seem even more questionable and ultimately pointless.
This strain of anti-Trumpism is so fascinating to me, mostly because I have no idea what they think the endgame is? Like, do they think they have the ability to reach a position of power within the Republican Party again? Or at least a Republican Party that can win nationally? https://t.co/heJ4lLlwfu
— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) February 22, 2019
They have spent the last two years telling Republicans how stupid and useless they are so we’re guessing that whole position of power on the Right isn’t coming back anytime soon.
I mean, if you didn't like Trump, there were three basic things for the Republican Party establishment types to do: (a) grudgingly accept the loss, and say "okay, we'll fight this out again in 8 years"; (b) leave the Party or; (c) declare a civil war. 2/
— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) February 22, 2019
This editor went with A.
True story.
Which, on (c), fine, but once you've basically declared that you're not going to accept a fair-and-square win by a large group that you're in a coalition with — setting aside the fact that a lot of these folks helped that win by sinking $$$ into a non-starter like Jeb. — 3/
— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) February 22, 2019
Ouch.
In their own bizarre way, this brand of NeverTrump are basically operating under the exact same theory as Anton's famous "Flight 93 election," except applied to an intra-party contest. Gotta risk destroying what we believe in, because the alternative is so terrible. 5/5
— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) February 22, 2019
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So to his point, what’s their endgame?
The end game is this: A wild hope that Trump fails/ends up in jail/is impeached so they can go, "Ha ha! We were right! You're wrong and evil! Now, come vote for __________ big government Republican of OUR choosing."
And everybody will do it because we live in fantasyland.
— Melissa Mackenzie ? (@MelissaTweets) February 22, 2019
Bing-freaking-o.
You'd be surprised how many people in the comments are suggesting just that.
— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) February 22, 2019
We’re not surprised by this at all, especially when you’re talking about people like Rick Wilson, Tom Nichols, Jennifer Rubin, Bill Kristol and their minions … they don’t seem to care about what is best for the country so much as they care about being RIGHT.
And being able to tell all of the other stupid people they told us so.
Not much a movement, is it?
The analogy Sykes used about being the Japanese soldiers still fighting in the 1960s seemed pretty apt.
— Josiah Neeley ? (@jneeley78) February 22, 2019
But what's bizarre to me is THEY MADE IT THAT WAY WITH HOW THEY REACTED TO THE LOSS. There are good reasons to have reacted the way they did to the loss, but they seem completely oblivious to the fact that they excommunicated themselves.
— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) February 22, 2019
All. Day. This. ^
Couldn’t have put it better.
— PEG (@pegobry) February 22, 2019
I always figured when it comes to politics you get what you can. Is Trump a pure conservative? Of course not. But you’ve already gotten a lot from him that you never would have if Hillary won. And I’ll take that. Some better than none.
— Mikey the Keat (@MikeyTheKeat) February 22, 2019
In other words, option A.
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