jimnyc
03-03-2016, 01:02 PM
Mitt Romney will savage Donald Trump as deeply dishonest and fundamentally unelectable in a much-touted speech in Utah today, an attempt by the 2012 Republican presidential nominee to force a re-examination of the real estate billionaire before he gets any closer to locking up the GOP nomination.
"Here's what I know," Romney will say according to prepared remarks released Thursday morning. "Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat." (You can make your own "lousy" hat here!)
Harsh words! Particularly from the decidedly gentlemanly Romney.
This, you might think to yourself, is, finally, the moment when the establishment — such as it is — stands up to Trump, screaming "enough" at the top of its lungs and, in so doing, bringing the party back from the brink of an total electoral disaster.
You would be, almost certainly, totally wrong. In fact, being attacked by Romney is more likely to cement Trump's hold on the nomination than loosen his grip on it. Here's why.
Romney is the face of the establishment. He's just the sort of guy the party loves — a measured statesman who views running for office as a civic duty. He's "serious." He has "gravitas." He is "trustworthy" and "steady."
He's also the embodiment of everything Trump has built his entire campaign against. Romney is too cautious, too mannerly, not tough enough for Trump's taste. He's the face of a Republican Party that lost twice to Barack Obama. He's part of the problem, not the solution.
Rather than undercut Trump, Romney's attacks bolster him. And Trump knows it — going all in against Romney in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday.
"He was a disaster," Trump said of Romney. "He ran one of the worst campaigns in presidential history. That was an election that should have been won by Republicans." Trump also noted that Romney "begged me for my endorsement four years ago" — an endorsement he eventually gave (as immortalized in the picture at the top of the post).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/03/mitt-romney-is-attacking-donald-trump-as-a-phony-and-a-fraud-thats-great-news-for-trump/
"Here's what I know," Romney will say according to prepared remarks released Thursday morning. "Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat." (You can make your own "lousy" hat here!)
Harsh words! Particularly from the decidedly gentlemanly Romney.
This, you might think to yourself, is, finally, the moment when the establishment — such as it is — stands up to Trump, screaming "enough" at the top of its lungs and, in so doing, bringing the party back from the brink of an total electoral disaster.
You would be, almost certainly, totally wrong. In fact, being attacked by Romney is more likely to cement Trump's hold on the nomination than loosen his grip on it. Here's why.
Romney is the face of the establishment. He's just the sort of guy the party loves — a measured statesman who views running for office as a civic duty. He's "serious." He has "gravitas." He is "trustworthy" and "steady."
He's also the embodiment of everything Trump has built his entire campaign against. Romney is too cautious, too mannerly, not tough enough for Trump's taste. He's the face of a Republican Party that lost twice to Barack Obama. He's part of the problem, not the solution.
Rather than undercut Trump, Romney's attacks bolster him. And Trump knows it — going all in against Romney in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday.
"He was a disaster," Trump said of Romney. "He ran one of the worst campaigns in presidential history. That was an election that should have been won by Republicans." Trump also noted that Romney "begged me for my endorsement four years ago" — an endorsement he eventually gave (as immortalized in the picture at the top of the post).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/03/mitt-romney-is-attacking-donald-trump-as-a-phony-and-a-fraud-thats-great-news-for-trump/