By Ian Linker | The Save Jersey Blog
I am no conspiracy theorist but if it smells like a duck and looks like a duck, it might be a duck.
It cannot really be disputed that Bill Clinton wants his wife to be elected President (although, maybe it can be a little after the way he sabotaged Hillary’s 2008 candidacy in South Carolina). It also cannot really be disputed that Bill Clinton is as gifted a politician as we’ve seen in modern times and is undoubtedly in tune with the emotional pulse of the electorate and knows how to push buttons, like few if any others.
For instance, Mr. Clinton would have known in the spring of 2015 that there was much anger and frustration in the country with the way Obama was leading the country, especially among Republicans. He also would have known that many who identified themselves as Republicans were fed up with the Republican Congress, which appeared almost unwilling to advance a conservative agenda, notwithstanding that Republicans did not have a veto-proof majority in either house and that among the most liberal Presidents occupied the White House.
Mr. Clinton also would have known that a sizable plurality of Republicans wanted to deal with the problem of illegal immigration by deporting all of the immigrants who are here, illegally. He also would have known that there was immense frustration among Republicans with the way the Obama administration gets bullied by and appeases the Russians and the Iranians.
And finally, Mr. Clinton would have known that someone charismatic, someone loud and arrogant, someone angry, someone hateful, someone unafraid to say what’s on his mind, someone who bullies adversaries, and someone who has been outspoken about how the establishment has failed the American people, but ultimately unelectable for these same reasons, could run for President as a Republican and tap into this frustration and woo a significant percentage of these people, and who knows maybe even win the nomination.
At the end of May 2015, shortly after Hillary Clinton announced in April that she was running for President, Bill Clinton called Donald Trump on the telephone after the reality TV star had called on the former President a few times (after the generous donations Trump had made to the Clinton Foundation and to Hillary’s prior political campaigns, it was the least Mr. Clinton could do). The specific details of their discussion, however, are a mystery.
Although spokesmen for both men say the 2016 race did not come up on the call, there is some agreement that the former President encouraged Trump to take a more active role in the Republican Party.
Since when did Bill Clinton care about who had what role in the Republican Party? What would this increased role have entailed, exactly? There can be little doubt that Clinton encouraged Trump to run. Mr. Clinton knew Trump was considering it. Anyway, what other role besides President would a man like Trump want, especially given his past statements calling Republicans “crazy” and saying he relates better with Democrats? Trump announced his candidacy as a Republican for President a couple of weeks later and Bill Clinton knew exactly what would happen.
What makes Mr. Clinton’s move particularly brilliant is that he probably knew the remaining Republican candidates would split the vote and knew that none of them would take the billionaire’s candidacy too seriously (I mean, who would? The guy is a joke). Until, of course, it was too late. As it very well may be. Mr. Clinton also probably knew that so many Republicans would find the reality TV star’s candidacy so offensive that many of them would stay home on Election Day. Given all this, Bill Clinton knew that if he pushed Trump even just a little bit his wife would become the next President. And that is precisely what he sought. Even if he didn’t affirmatively encourage Trump to run, gently stoking Trump’s overly inflated ego with that Clinton charm would have been plenty to get Mr. Clinton exactly what he wanted.
According to many recent polls, Bill Clinton seems more prescient than even I give him credit for.
The pathologically dishonest and likely criminal Hillary Clinton beats only two Republican candidates in a head-to-head match up: Ben Carson, and, you got it, Donald Trump. Governor John Kasich, and Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz all beat Mrs. Clinton in head-to-head match ups.
But, yet, the narcissistic, xenophobic, misogynistic, bigoted, authoritarian, lover of the poorly educated Trump appears to be running away with the Republican nomination.
Bill Clinton knew exactly what he was doing and he very well may get it.
God help us all.
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I’ve been thinking the same thing more or less except that I think Trump knows(and knew) damn well the outcome will be Hillary as president.
Linker writes: “Governor John Kasich, and Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz all beat Mrs. Clinton in head-to-head match ups.”
Really? Kasich the Pietistic and Rubio the Mendacious? You truly are delusional.
If Hillary is a surefire bet to beat Trump, then why did 20,000 Massachusetts voters leave the Donkey Party? (see the article in today’s Boston Herald)
Give it up, GOPe D0pes: you shitheads pretty much created Donald Trump’s candidacy…now prepare yourselves to be destroyed by it.
THAT’S RIGHT GOP. U REF– USED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IMMIGRATION. HE SPOKE ( trump) he says he will. We know congress know u lie. So now we have to trust trump. FYI. IF TRUMP BLOWS OUT SUPER TUESDAY, ALL YOU FAKE HOP BETTER GET ON A PLANE AND LEAVE AMERICA. TRUMP IS YOUR CANDIDATE. SO DEAL WITH IT. THIS IS THE CLOSEST U WILL GET TO THE WHITE HO– USE AGAIN GOP. WHY? 50% OR.MORE OF US IN THE WAGON. ALWAYS VOTE DEMOCRAT.